Ode to a Dog Show

Patience and young Swede William

 

This Labor Day Weekend I joined Patience and our waggle of whippets on the maiden trip in our motor home to the dog shows in Amana, Iowa.  The experience reminded me of something I wrote after my last dog show - the Eastern Specialties in Atlanta GA in 2005.

Ode to a Dog Show

 Here I sit, pen in hand

Somewhere in Atlanta land

Looking at this page with dread

Just as empty as my head

Dogs and people prancing ‘round

One’s a canine, one’s a clown

All their faces etched with hope

Until they hear the judge’s “nope”

Which quickly sends them on their way

…but tomorrow is another day, and

all the nopes can’t dash the hopes

Atlanta, Sept. 05

Oak Park Illinois

Today is my last day in Oak Park. I will leave O'hare at 10 PM and get to put my arms around my wife one hour later. It has been a great visit, but I'll be glad to be back in my studio and kitchen. Amy and I collaborated on some great meals... Crab cakes and Capellini one night and Linguine Alio Olio crudo with assorted toppings last night.

Oak Park is a wonderful community, especially if you like arts and crafts style architecture (Frank Loyd Wright's first home and studio are here). The neighborhoods are a mixture of prairie style and Victorian architecture as you can see from these iPhone photos taken on my walks.


Amy and Bob's house








And of course there were the grandkids...


William the artist/writer with his journal


Abigail the rocker with her base guitar


And Abigail the hockey player...I'll will get to see her play later today!