Basset Hound
Peter and I flew to London last night. He is here working on his Union College senior thesis. It has to do with how terraces disappeared from Premier League football grounds and the effect that change has had on supporters and organizations. So we are here for a few days and then off around the midlands and Lincolnshire to go to some clubs and interview as many people as we can. / We were eating lunch in a pub near Putney Bridge when we heard what I thought was someone imitating a basset hound. I looked over and saw this guy. Amazing; just sitting there with his mistress.
I just love it how dogs hang out in pubs. He was sweet.
Pearl and her bowl
In many ways Pearl is a true retriever. She is not obsessed with balls or sticks but she really loves her bowl. Since she was young she would eat and then pick it up and carry it around the house. We never know where it will end up, and sometimes in the morning it is a pain to have to look for it. About a year ago, I began to make her go find it before I would feed her. She is mostly good at it, but sometimes she brings me one of her stuffed animals instead. But she has figured out that bringing me the bowl means she gets to eat so there is some incentive for her. The only problem is that at random times throughout the day she will get the bowl and carry it around expecting a meal. I can mostly ignore it, but once in a great while I succumb to her cuteness and give in.
Pearl
For some reason, Pearl has become very attached to her leash. When we walk down to the bottom of our street, we need one to cross the Amherst Road. Just this past summer, she started wanting to carry it in her mouth. If I have it in my hand, she keeps nudging me until I give it to her. She is the sweetest dog.
Birds
I have always liked the birds in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.
The swan was spending a lot of time looking for something to eat, and the geese were just sleepin’.
Fox and Herald
I am back home, and will post some UK images over the next few days. It is a bit odd to put up photos after I have returned; I usually have internet connections as I travel. For various reasons on this trip I wasn’t able to get online very much, and when I did, WordPress didn’t seem to want to take the uploaded photos. / John and I were walking back from the pub late one night and this fox was just wandering around the street. It walked into a front garden and the resident cat wasn’t very happy about his visit. John says he sees foxes all the time in the neighborhood and that they are not bothered much by people.
This sweet little Triumph Herald was parked just down the road from where I saw the fox. It has a really nice set of Minilite wheels and some kind of custom exhaust. I always liked these cars. My parent’s friend Polly Seeley had one in Meadville and I distinctly remember her driving up to our house on Cullum Street with the top down.
Cows
I left the house early this morning to drive up to Maine to visit my brother for a few days. The morning light was lovely and when I saw these cows, I pulled over to take a few shots.
Saratoga
Last Friday my sister Karen and her husband Dick came up to go with us to the track at Saratoga. It was a beautiful day and after all the heat and humidity, it was a pleasure to sit in the grandstand and watch the horses run. Last year Cris, Peter, and I went and Pete was the big winner. I am not sure what his system is, but it seems to work as he came out about $60.00 ahead. This year, Dick’s friend Paul gave us some tips and they mostly worked. On mostly $1.00 or $2.00 bets, I ended the day up about $20.00. Peter chose not to follow Paul’s advice and again was the big winner, leaving the track with about $30.00 more than he came with.
I won a bit on the sixth race. Lots of fun.
Ducks on the Pond
Thanks to everyone who has sent along condolences about Mavis. We are really missing her, especially Pearl. / We walk alot near the UMASS track facility and just close to where we park the car is a small pond that starts out very clear in the Spring and over the Summer becomes filled with some kind of very green algae. For a while this family of ducks was hanging around. They couldn’t be bothered by the fact that we were checking them out.
Mavis
Mavis Ffarquhar of Sodor 1 April, 1995 -16 July, 2011
She was a great dog. May she rest in peace.
The Three Stooges
Lynne is a caretaker for several desert tortoises. Here are Larry, Moe, and Curly just before going outside for the day.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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