Lambiedog

What sort of dog am I really?

It's rare that one is required to so baldly delineate oneself. 

Am I a runner or a walker?

These are the times that try dogs' souls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                      The key thing is to act confident about your decision.

Summiting the peak

My trip to the top of the world went well for awhile...

Until I put my foot down. 

I do that when I feel I am due a water break.

Just so there's no confusion about why I'm striking, I lick my lips delicately.

After my demands were met, we continued....

     

....culminating in a successful summit.

Perfect poop

Sometimes everything just falls into place.

Smoke and mirrors

 I was disheartened to learn that the overweight dog featured in VW's 2012 Superbowl commercial was actually an in-shape dog wearing a fat suit.

    The inspirational story line had resonated with me: 

Fat dog struggles to get through doggie door / Decides to get in shape / Works out/ Achieves athleticism and good health. 

    But apparently it was all a lie. 

    Would the FTC let Jennie Craig photograph trim models for "After" photos, and then encase them in fat suits to obtain the "Before" shots?

Horse

On a hike at Will Rogers I encountered a magnificent creature: my first horse.

I was awed.

 

 

    After the horse disappeared, I stayed transfixed, staring at where it had been.

Finally we resumed our walk. Down the path and around a bend, we encountered a second one.

 

It occurred to me that every bend in the road offers the possibility of another horse.

Allesandro Loop

    My trainers will doubtless be gratified to note that my fitness regimen has been showing results -- as demonstrated by my recent attack of the challenging [difficulty rating 4 out of 5] Secret Stairs walk #16, the Allesandro Loop in Echo Park.  I found myself scampering along the 700-step walk with barely a pant.  Of course, the experience was eased by cool weather on that day.  So if I regress on future walks I don't want to hear any catcalls.

    The walk itself was an interesting mix of country charm and modern development, as evinced by the bucolic view below of Peru Street, with the Glendale Freeway barely visible just beneath, between the bushes to the left of the photo.

Aftermath

    My ordeal of yesterday [see Incident Report for details] did not leave any permanent scars.  However, now that they have passed through their initial relief that I survived, my family has adopted an unpleasantly cynical take on my weight-loss travails.  Each time I start to stroll around the house, they're up checking to see if there's loose food anywhere.  Just because they caught me one time with my head in the cookie jar, they're convinced that it's the manifestation of a larger problem.

    How will I regain their trust?

Timid follower becomes confident leader

Sunset, New Year's Day 2012

    I joined other Angelenos who trekked to Inspiration Point to take in the first sunset of the year.

On the way up, we passed a man and a woman on a bench who were caught up in the joy of a marriage proposal and acceptance. 

Like that couple looking forward to their future together, the rest of us at Inspiration Point turned our faces to the west, and embraced the year to come.

With my team

    I went for a hike with my old and new trainers.  Though I had been concerned that there might be some friction between them, they worked together as if they had known one another all their lives.

    

    Later, we had a weigh-in. I came in at 18 pounds exactly. They were quite congratulatory.