Can I Bring the Dog?

Trials and tribulations

Posted on May 17, 2013 by annieriecken

No, not really, but I am having some trouble with the video from our two trials on the road, and we’ve been in two more since we got home that I haven’t talked about.

The video from the trial in Dallas is in my $16-on-Ebay mini-Flip video camera and I’m wrestling with the built in software and the software I paid for that makes it easy to import to my Mac isn’t letting me register it and I can’t use anything but the expired trial copy, and customer service isn’t responding. In Sacramento, I bought the pro-shot video and am having trouble getting it to open on my Mac. OK, That’s whining, I’ll stop. Sooner or later I’ll figure this all out.

Two weeks ago, we went to Spencer, Mass, to a USDAA trial. We tried a new (for us) game, called Gamblers and did Standard and Jumpers. I had a dog who didn’t listen to me in the first class (Gamblers), and in the second class (Standard), but by the time we got to Jumpers, Chico listened to me and did a beautiful, qualifying, run.

We stayed with Brad and Karis, and Chico left Stuffie behind. And then, a few days later, a package came from Brad, on that day the nicest man in the world, with Stuffie inside.

: Chico was so happy to get his Stuffie back. He kept Stuffie close by for an entire day.

Then, last weekend we went to American K9 country, a mere 90 minute drive away, to another USDAA trial. It was a big day, we played Standard, Jumpers, Gamblers, and Pairs Relay. First class was Standard and, amazingly, Chico listened to me right off the bat. We did a great round, strangers complimented us when we left the ring, I was pretty darned sure it was a qualifying run. But we got a fault for something, and didn’t Q. We had a personal victory though. There was a place where Chico had to come off the see-saw, turn right, jump a jump, and turn right again and go over the A-frame. And there was a “trap” – a jump directly in line with the jump between see-saw and A-frame. If I didn’t clearly signal to Chico, before he took off for the jump, that we were turning, he was gonna go straight ahead, at a million miles an hour, and jump the second jump, going off course and getting us eliminated. I came up with a plan, successfully executed it, and, when Chico came down the A-frame, I found myself shouting “It worked! It worked!” Maybe that shouting is what got us our fault.

In Gamblers, I had a plan, but ran out of time, so I tried to change it on the fly. That didn’t work so well. Chico went charging off in the wrong direction, when he came back to me, he skidded around a corner to make a jump, crashed into the standard, took the whole thing down, but kept on running, through the tunnel and over the two final obstacles of the course. That last series of obstacles is the gamble of Gamblers, the series has to be executed by the dog (Chico) with the handler (me) staying behind a certain line. The dog has to operate independently (that’s the gamble – will she do what you ask her to without you at her side?). Chico did get the gamble.

In Pairs, I’m afraid I tried something that didn’t work, and let down our partner (who was awfully darned pleasant about it).

By the time we got to Jumpers, Chico was once again calm and collected and ready to watch me show him where to go. We had a lovely round, I was able to stay out in front of him, we ran clean and got a Q. Our third Q in USDAA Jumpers. That means a title, and at the next trial, we move to the next level of difficulty for Jumpers.

And a title means cake for my classmates, so I made a lemon cake. It’s Chico’s cake, and lemon is better for dogs than chocolate.

Chisholm, MN

Posted on May 13, 2013 by annieriecken

Oh my, in reviewing my posts, I realize I failed to share any pictures of my visit to my mom’s home town, Chisholm, Minnesota.

Chisholm is in the Iron Range (or “The Range” as old timers call it), north of Hibbing, which is several hours north of Minneapolis.

Lots of Scandinavians settled here.

Tribute to the men who did the work that made the money that built the town.

My mother’s father was in the dry goods business, at one point owning a store called People’s Department Store.

The Chisholm Library.

The librarian did some great research for me. I called her from the road on Thursday and she asked me to call back in an hour. When I did, she had addresses for me, of both the store and my grandparents house. She found them in a 1924 city directory. We’d think of it as the phone book, but of course in 1924 not everyone had a phone in their home.

The 1924 Chisholm directory.

That’s my family – the Mansons. My uncle Arnold and aunt Helen were old enough to be listed, though my mom (about 8 at in 1924) and her younger brother apparently were not old enough to need listing.

Some years ago there was a big fire and almost all the streets were renamed and the buildings renumbered. That made finding the addresses listed in the directory a bit tricky. Lake Street, thankfully is still Lake Street.

It's the main street and it goes, wait for it, to the lake.

It’s the main street and, no surprise, it goes to the lake.

The street numbers went from 127 to 131. The listed address of the People’s Department Store, 129 West Lake Street, just wasn’t there. But the building at 131, while now sort of subdivided, was easily seen as a single, rather large space.

Unified design, set-back entry, display windows…it’s easy to see this building as a small department store.

Same, same when you go 'round the corner to look.

Nothing to contradict that when you go ’round the corner.

Finding the house was much less satisfying. Hemlock had turned into 4th, there was no house with the number 112, my mother had described living across the street from the lake, but now her street ends not at the lake but at a property that is owned by the town and used as a municipal garage. Maybe that property was used as a park when she was young?

The lake, well lakes don’t move much, so it was right there. Longyear Lake. My mother spoke fondly, though not often, of playing for hours in the water there. In a certain way, it was the most satisfying of the spots in Chisholm we visited.

We took the South Loop.

On the way to the library. You wondered if Chico got to participate in this adventure? Of course he did.

Chisholm water tower. Sadly, the Mining Museum was closed the day we were in town.

We stopped at a thrift shop and I bought the dozen or so Chisholm-themed t-shirts they had. Sports teams, restaurants, the bowling alley – they all had made shirts at some point. They made great gifts for my cousins. Which was cool, because there wasn’t even a Chisholm-themed postcard at the drugstore, and that was about the only place on Lake Street that looked open and like it would have postcards.

And, for your viewing pleasure, here’s Chico getting to know the toy now named Stuffie.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chisholm mn, Field Trip, Longyear Lake, manson family, max manson, Thrift shop | Leave a comment

The trip home from Minnesota

Posted on May 6, 2013 by annieriecken

The group left Grand Rapids (MN) on Tuesday morning, with Susan driving (it is nice sometimes to have a travel partner with thumbs and an operator’s license). We dropped her off in Rochester at about 2 PM and headed east and south, stopping for the night between Elgin, IL and Chicago, IL. There was a late winter storm not far behind me, and I wanted to keep out in front of it.

The next morning, it was on the road again. I was pleased to discover that my E-Z Pass was accepted on the Chicago toll roads – it was the first sense of ‘getting home’ that I experienced (and I was still a thousand miles away). No matter how much I needed to press on, we did detour to take a walk along the shores of Lake Michigan, at the Indian Dunes National Lakeshore.

It looks like the ocean.

These houses were brought over from the site of the 1938 (?) World’s Fair. Cute little Art Deco styled places.

Aside from that walk, we again made time all day, and stopped in Erie, PA for the night. For most of the trip I had been driving no more than six or seven hours a day, but I woke up in Erie with ten hours of driving between me and my own bed, and that pesky snowstorm a day behind me. The thought of staying in a hotel three or four hours from home that night, with the possibility of having to stay through the next day and night before the roads cleared again, was just about impossible to consider. So, we left early, stopped infrequently, the human drank coffee and the dog got ripped off on his long walk for the day, and we made it home by 10 that night.

The next day the weather was truly awful. I suppose I could have driven home through it, but it was a lot better to be home, unpacking and catching up, than to be slithering over the mountains.

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ZOMG, so busy

Posted on April 30, 2013 by annieriecken

Chico and I arrived home on the evening of April 11 and since then I have been flat out with family business, traveling, and having flaky internet connections. In a day or three I ought to be back home again and able to recap the final days of the journey and generally bring y’all up to date. Promise.

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Home again, home again,

Posted on April 13, 2013 by annieriecken

riggity-jig.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were spent driving as far as I could every day; running before the powerful late-winter storm that’s been creeping across the country.

It’s a bit of a blur, but it did include a stop at Indiana Dunes national park, and we made it home about thirteen hours before the weather deteriorated.

I have some homework to do, but I’ll share pictures and stories as soon as I can manage.

And Chico’s still lovin’ that stuffed doggies from Minnesota.

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It’s about the dog

Posted on April 12, 2013 by annieriecken

Chico is getting very good at moving into and out of motel rooms.

He has pretty much destroyed the stuffed toy that was part of his winnings at the trial in Sacramento, so when in a thrift shop the other day, I picked out a stuffed animal for him. It’s a doggie, and looks a little like a border collie (one of Chico’s favorite breeds). He really likes it and carries it to the car when we check out of a motel.

When I pick up the suitcase, he takes the toy,

and carries it outside.

and

to the car.

OK, maybe he takes the long way, but geeze, it’s pretty cute, iddn’t it?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged dog tricks, Field Trip | Leave a comment

Minnesota

Posted on April 10, 2013 by annieriecken

Chico and I left Golden on Thursday morning, headed for Rochester, MN. It was a long day in the car, but we made it to a motel in York, Nebraska. On our morning walk, I saw a very interesting load in the parking lot.

Carriage, lots of wagon/carriage wheels, and a lot of I'm not sure what.

Carriages, and a lot of I’m not sure exactly what.

Another day of driving took us to Rochester, MN where my friend Susan L lives. About four hours north of Rochester is Chisholm, MN – the small town where my mother was born and spent her childhood. Susan had arranged a hotel for us about an hour south of Chisholm and we went and made a weekend of it.

It was a nice drive, on smaller roads, through farm country.

Rochester wasn’t the greatest place for Chico’s morning walk, so when we saw a sign directing us to a county park, we went there.

And Chico and I took a walk

almost to the treeline there. Chico could run free for half an hour, and that makes his day SO much better.

The hotel was called the Sawmill Inn, and we had the impression that it was in the woods. It wasn’t. Grand Rapids, MN has spread far enough that there was a giant Target store right across the street. The room was quiet, there was a pool and whirlpool,

the food was very good. This is Walleye Pike and steak, with a side of wild rice. The Caesar salad was consumed prior to the photo session.

We wanted to go to Chisholm when the library was open, so we had a leisurely Saturday afternoon and evening in the whirlpool, and on Sunday, we went exploring. The hotel directed us to an access point for the Mesabi Trail, which runs for miles.

We walked for an hour or so, and then came back. You can *just* see the gate that marks the entry to the trail.

An exploratory drive around town lead us to a sign marking the “edge of the wilderness.” Grand Rapids is right on the Mississippi, at the point where there are falls that end the navigable part of the river.

Scenic drive? Let’s go!

Scenic yes, but also a bit bleak this day.

Another dip in the whirlpool and early to bed.

The next morning, after an especially hearty breakfast (this is the amount I *couldn’t* eat),

we headed out to Chisholm.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chisholm mn, Field Trip | 2 Comments

And east, to Denver and then on to the flat lands of the middle

Posted on April 7, 2013 by annieriecken

Even though I left later than I planned, I took State Route 49 the long way to Truckee, CA and I 80. It’s one of those roads on your map with the little green dots indicating a scenic by-way. Then I joined up with the big road, I 80, that would take me all the way to Oakland, CA, or to I 81 in Pennsylvania, where I could turn north to Kathy and Ben’s where this whole big circle started.

And then I drove as log as I could, ending up in a motel in Elko, Nevada at about 10 PM. I wasn’t hungry, which is a shame, because by coincidence one of Jane and Michael Sterns Road Food finds shared the parking lot. Too bad I wasn’t in the mood for some late night Basque food, they say it’s terrific. And while we’re on the Sterns, I tried to go to the Navajo Hogan in Salt Lake City later the next day, but it was closed on Monday. Too bad, as it serves only Native American food and I’d like to try a taco that comes on frybread instead of a tortilla.

Anyhow, we spent the night in Elko before we had a chance to miss the Navajo Hogan and find a shrimp burrito instead.

Sunrise over Elko. That white strip at the center is Chico’s tail, glowing in the early light.

The railroad tracks are a great place to walk off-leash and they were right behind the motel.

We drove across the rest of Nevada, and into Utah, then Wyoming, where all of a sudden my little car seemed very little, and a giant dually Chevy truck (like the ones that kept passing me even though I was doing the speed limit of 75) started to seem like it would make sense.

I saw a sign about Fort Bridger, WY and the grave of famous dog Thornburgh (who I’d never heard of, but it seemed appropriate to my dog-themed trip), so I pulled off to have a look.

And Chico was ready to get out of the car. Shake it off!

And Chico, seen mid-shake, was ready to get out of the car.

The grave and headstone are within a double layer of picket fence. And the secluded but open area was great for a dog to run in circles, jump in the creek, and generally burn off some energy.

Named after a superior officer, Thornton was well loved by the soldiers.

Named after an officer at the fort, Thornburgh was well loved by the soldiers.

Super nice headstone, for any critter – two or four legged.

If only I could say that Chico was suitably somber. I’m sure he sees something off in the distance and is evaluating it.

We spent the night in Rock Springs, WY and the next day continued on to Denver and Golden to see some friends for a couple nights and a day, which allowed me to catch up on blog posts, eat good food, walk the dog in a beautiful place, eat Nepali momos for lunch in Boulder, meet a baby, and catch up on the latest and greatest news from old friends. Next we’re off on a small detour to Rochester, MN to get my friend Susan and head up to northern Minnesota, to Chisholm, the small town where my mother grew up. I’m hoping to be able to do the research to figure out where she lived, and where her father’s store, the People’s Department Store, was.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chisholm mn, Field Trip, Fort Bridger, road food | 2 Comments

Camptonville, part two

Posted on April 6, 2013 by annieriecken

The next morning we had an amazing breakfast,

Scrambled eggs with truffles and chives, drizzled with truffle oil. And gluten-free toast.

We packed up the dogs and headed for the north fork of the Yuba River for a hike. It was beautiful and the dogs did fine.

The river is so clear, and the blue skies reflected their color back at us.

The river is so clear, and the blue skies made the water an amazing shade of blue-green.

I love the rocks.

Couldn’t stop gawking at the river. Look how fast the water flows through that one channel over to the left.

And here too. And the bands of sedimentary rock, pushed up as the mountains rose. Geology is nifty stuff.

Bay laurel trees were blooming with amazingly delicate flowers.

This branch grew around the vine that spiraled along it.

This is one old and very tall tree. This picture really doesn’t do it justice.

For the most part, the dogs ignored each other. But that’s fine, I’ll totally take it.

Fluffy rear ends.

The trail parallels and then crosses a feeder creek on the way up a long rise, and there’s a sweet little waterfall on the way.

So nice, the way the water kind of slides down that rock face. After an hour or so, the trail got steep and rocky and we decided to turn back and head home so Jimbo could make dinner.

Beautifully restored Willys Jeep in Camptonville.

Jimbo invited a couple of friends over and spent the afternoon making a wonderful Thai meal, which we finished it off with…

mulberry pie. Oh, be still my beating heart. Jimbo harvests and freezes the mulberries from the tree in his yard so he can make amazing things like this.

The evening ended on a bit of a down note. After two days, Chico was still snarling at Buddy when Buddy got what Chico thought was too close to me, and Buddy finally reached the limits of his good nature. When deciding if this was a place for us to visit, I described Chico’s attitude towards larger dogs (essentially, being an a**hole to them) and Jimbo said that if pushed too far, Buddy just kind of sits on other dogs and holds them down until they submit, without hurting them. And that’s pretty much what happened, except Chico didn’t give up at first, and Buddy’s teeth got involved and broke Chico’s skin. I cleaned up the wounds, and after an hour or so Chico calmed down, but he was pretty shaken. He tried the teeth-showing thing once or twice more during the rest of our stay and each time I reminded him that this was exactly the attitude that got him thumped and he did the right thing and stopped snarling. And Buddy returned to being a perfect host.

Jimbo feeds Buddy top quality kibble topped with some canned salmon or chicken and floating in about a half cup of freshly juiced fruits and veggies – beets, kale, carrots, a little garlic, whole citrus . . . whatever is in the garden and the fridge. And of course, Jimbo makes some for himself too. One night Chico and I joined in the ritual. I don’t know if it was the novelty of the meal, or the other dog slurping down his portion, or if it was just plain yummy, but my picky eater of a dog thought it was an excellent meal and licked his bowl.

Sunday was Easter, and we went to church before I left. That was something I don’t usually do, but Jimbo goes every week, so I went to see what they had to say. Based on that one experience, I don’t have a strong desire to join a Methodist church, though I did find Pastor Susan to be a dedicated and passionate circuit-rider of a preacher, driving miles of twisty mountain roads in all weather to serve three congregations in three small towns with three sermons each Sunday.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged camptonville ca, Easter 2013, Field Trip, mulberry | Leave a comment

Camptonville, part one

Posted on April 5, 2013 by annieriecken

This is Jimbo’s dog, Buddy. He weighs about 80 pounds.

He and Chico had a guarded truce because Chico was showing teeth every time Buddy came close.

After four or five weeks in the car, I needed to take everything out, spread it on a tarp, and regroup. Besides, we wanted to take the dogs for a woods walk and we needed the way-back of my car for Buddy. As soon as I started clearing out the car,

Buddy hopped in the front seat. He’s looking at Jimbo to see if he has to get out of the car.

Before we went to the woods, we walked to the post office to get a priority mail box for some of my souvenirs. We took the long way home to explore the neighborhood.

This white horse had rolled in the red dirt until it was stained.

This white horse had rolled in the red dirt until its coat was stained the same color.

Overmarking Buddy, who’s on to the next pee spot.

Buddy has a lot of friends around town.

There are five dogs at this house, but we only saw these two.

We went for a short walk in the woods too, after I packed my box and mailed it. Then we came home and had delicious dinner, and listened to music while we got the latest on old friends that the other of us had seen.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged camptonville ca, Field Trip | Leave a comment