Lambiedog

Letter from an East Coast counterpart

The owner of a faraway Lambie reached out with this friendly message:

 I googled “Lambie puppy” and stumbled onto your site. 

I just had to share a picture of my own Lambie, a little stray that came into my life on Halloween. 

Lambie from the East Coast says “hi” to his West Coast brethren.

Cheers!

    This other Lambie looks very nice, as well as well-cared-for.  He clearly has a top-notch set of prosthetic ears.  

    And I do see a striking resemblance between us.

     Cheers right back at you, Other Lambie!

 

Alta Loma

    It was time for Walk #37 in the Fleming Secret Staircases book:  a trip to the High Tower Loop above the Hollywood Bowl. 

As we  came along Camrose Drive, we encountered a friendly little dog who didn't seem to have a home or an owner.

We were concerned about him, but then he skittered back home into a house on a side street.  It seemed he'd run out an open gate.

At High Tower Drive we looked up and saw High Tower, an exclusive elevator serving the people who live in the buildings near the top of the elevator.  Residents park in the garages below and, if they're lucky enough to have the magic key, can take the elevator up to their little neighborhood.  The High Tower was built in the 1930s and has shown up in a bunch of movies.

Since we didn't have the elevator key we walked up the Broadview Terrace steps and arrived at the upper exit of the High Tower.  

 

We were surrounded by incredible views and interesting houses.

     We soaked up the ambiance for a bit, then walked downhill along the Alta Loma Terrace walk street, which was also very ambiantic, if I might coin a word.  

       
    The heat was daunting.   I tried to grab the shade wherever I could.

On our next expedition we're going to have to take a page from the mountaineers who ascend Everest or Kilimanjaro, and get going way before sunrise.  I am something of a delicate flower, and tend to wilt in the heat.

Sunset Junction

Another Sunday, another stair walk.  Last weekend it was Walk #20 from the Secret Stairs book.

       

             On the agenda:  evocative architecture, magnificent views, and lovely flowers.
    
          

We also met a number of dogs. Several were on a group power walk with a trainer.  Another was being carried, in a manner familiar to me.

At the walk's end we stopped at a cafe. I had a moment of anxiety while my owner went inside to place our order, but Teresa comforted me.   And soon everything was back in its place.

           

A luta continua

    

    Another day, another weight loss walk. A luta continua. Last weekend the agenda was a long staircase walk in Silver Lake and the Angelino Heights area -- Walk # 12 in the Fleming Secret Stairs book.

    We started out at Echo Park Lake.  There were some ducks there, although I did not find them all that fascinating.

     I encountered a dog on Laveta Terrace. 

 
    But the high point of the walk was our exposure to the homes in and around Angelino Heights.

     We saw several lovely Craftsman houses, and a lot of Victorian homes.

    On Carroll Avenue, we encountered a Japanese tourist come to pay homage to the house, shown at right, that appears in the Michael Jackson "Thriller" video. (Photo from laist blog.)

    My favorite property, however, was neither Victorian nor Craftsman, but Spanish, and it was not located in the center of the Angelino Heights neighborhood but rather on the outskirts, on Kensington Road near Laveta Terrace.  It is actually two houses, fronting on an incredible cactus garden.

    You can see me posing there with Teresa in the photo above.

Canal sprint

 

    We have a new fresh approach to exercise, replacing last year's fresh approach.  

    This one recognizes and addresses the Achilles heel of exercising locally:  the difficulty I have in walking away from my home.  I keep stopping and refusing to go further, in the hope that this silent protest might convince my owner to turn around.

    Under the new regime, she puts me in the car and drives me to our exercise spot.  This practice both leverages my enthusiasm for car rides and  neutralizes my homing instinct, since, similar to a blindfolded hostage, I am disoriented and have no idea how to get home.

    Our itinerary today was Venice, for an entertaining canal walk.

(We couldn't take a boat ride because all the boats in the canals are individually owned by canal residents.)     

I saw ducks,

     classy residences,

         and threatening residents.

 

     All in all, I had a great time.  Although I am not ashamed to be a traditionally-built dog, I fancied I could feel some of my bulk melting off.

Socializing at Society of the Spectacle

     We went to pick up some new eyeglasses at Society of the Spectacle.        

    I was prepared to have to wait outside, but this turned out to be an emporium very friendly to those of my ilk.  The resident dog -- Violet by name -- welcomed me and actually brought out one of her toys to share.  

    It was a fun outing for me.  And the glasses looked good, too.    

 

    On the way home I rested and reflected on Violet's generous nature.

 

I climb some stairs

  

 My first get-fit scenic health hike took place last weekend when, inspired by the book Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles, I went on a stair walk in Silver Lake with my owner and her friend Teresa.   We saw interesting architecture, and I made a couple of new friends.

    I also climbed stairs -- a lot of them. 

     The walk was long and arduous but I kept my wits about me and was a good hiking companion.  But once we reached the end and stopped for a coffee (them) and water (me) at Café Tropical, I settled down for a snooze.  I was spent.

Postcard from America's Vacationland

    Winnie and Ollie sent this photo from Colorado where they are enjoying their annual vacation.   

    They've been going on hikes every day and are clearly getting into great shape.  (Trudie stayed home in a board and care facility, since exercise is no longer her thing.)  

    These dogs are poster children for the healthful properties of mountain air, meadow romps, forest tromps, and so on.  

    Maybe I'll take a hike today too. A short one.  Got to build up slowly.

Dispatch from the south of France

 

My European correspondent has sent me some photos of French dogs engaged in their native routines:

         

         

         

I note that these dogs seem perhaps more urbane than us simple country folk who gather at the bluff. 

Joyous reunion

 

We were just one of many families in the scrum at the airport. But our reunion was very special to me, even though it took place surrounded by a multitude of people standing around waiting for their loved ones and luggage.