Stump: A Comeback Story at Westminster

At our house we have a yearly ritual that occurs some time around Valentine's Day. This year it was yesterday and today. We ate dinner on trays and viewed the final evening of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and cheered on our favorite dogs. We missed the first round yesterday, but got caught up online. Of course, we are always partial to springer spaniels and Australian cattle dogs. I ooohed and ahhhed over other breeds, discussing the possibility of owning a curly coated retriever or a Brittany as Annie and Shelby reminded me in their own ways that they are the real champions and no, we don't need another dog at this house!
Tonight a Sussex spaniel named Stump proved to everyone in the dog world that even though you are ten years old (seventy in people years) that you can still can walk proudly on the carpet at Westminster and win Best of Show. Of course I love all spaniels, but this guy caught my eye with his beautiful coat and regal manner. I didn't know much about his story until he won. Then, as in any sporting event with a new winner crowned, the stories began to unfold.

I should have remembered Stump from 2004 because he won the sporting group that year. He went into retirement and almost died of a mysterious medical condition. He was wasting away and spent nineteen days in the hospital. Vets at Texas A &M saved him. A week ago his handler Scott Sommers decided to bring him out of retirement and take a trip to Westminster. " I thought it would be fun", Sommers said.The Sussex spaniel breed has never won Best in Show. Stump is also the oldest dog to ever win the prize. He beat out nearly 2500 other dogs to be crowned Best of Show tonight. He even did his only trick, which is to beg, after he won.

I love the expression on any spaniel's face. I love their body language also. Any type of spaniel whether a springer or Sussex always seems to be trying to tell you something. Stump is one happy dog. Also, there is nothing like the devotion of an owner and his dog at a moment like this.

At a time when I dread listening to the news and stars in the sports world have been tarnishing their hero status, it is nice to have a comeback story about a Sussex spaniel named Stump!

Lake Roosevelt Road Trip: Saturday Sunshine

Those of us that live in the Inland Empire understand how a day of sunshine can lift the spirits, bring back a surge of energy, and cause people like us to grab lunch, the dogs, cameras, and sunglasses and head for a road trip along the northern part of Lake Roosevelt.The source of the Columbia River is north of us across the border in Canada, but there are places along both shores of Lake Roosevelt that the channel has narrowed to resemble the original river. These pictures were taken at Snag Cove Campground and boat launch.
As the road climbed higher it was easy to view the lake where it widens again. If you look closely you can see a bridge that connects Stevens and Ferry counties in northeastern Washington.
As we headed down the hill to cross the new Kamloops Island bridge small pools of water were melting in the sunlight on the frozen Kettle River. The new bridge sits close to the railroad bridge that stayed open during the construction. We spotted lots of deer as we made our way around the lake. They were quick, but I did catch a picture of this guy. With the sunshine, the wildlife, gorgeous scenery, and the road reopened at the bridge it made for a grand road trip close to home.

Sibling Assignment #90: " In Sickness and In Health"

I gave Sibling Assignment #90 this week:

As Valentine's Day approaches, think of a specific film, book, poem, or work of art that helped you understand the emotion of love and explain why. You can find Silver Valley Girl's exploration of love in The Sound of Music here and RP's will be posted soon.

My answer is the film Shadowlands.

I have always been drawn to films and books with a theme of " to have and to hold in sickness and health". The emotion of love has been depicted in so ways in film, but when couples have to deal with the sickness of their spouse, I think they have a choice. I am moved by those that show deep devotion while caretaking an ill or suffering loved one. I don't know why I have always been drawn to these kinds of movies, knowing they usually end in sadness. One thing that has always stayed with me is the love that is expressed in so many ways in a film with this theme.Of course I also love movies that make me grab the Kleenex box, but Shadowlands explores love at many different levels. The story is about the relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham as they built a relationship that started with letters across the ocean after she had read some of his books, to a meeting in London, followed by a friendship, companionship, and deep love. In this true story Joy brings Lewis out of a comfortable life which included his teaching at Oxford, his friends, and his writing. As the movie unfolds the viewer can observe a quiet relationship in the making and also see the surprise that occurs when love envelopes a person and how completely unaware he can be. That is what happens to C. S. Lewis. Joy gets cancer and Jack is there to caretake for her and her son. As he reads to her while she rests in bed or when they take drives around the countryside you can watch a deep devotion build between the two of them. Love doesn't require loud music, wild dancing, or other adult themes. This building love is quiet and takes the viewer along through the beautiful countryside of England.

The title comes from Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, in which "the world as we know it and other worlds like it are referred to as the 'shadowlands', because they are only a shadow of what is to come." Even after meeting Joy I don't think Jack was ready to step out of the shadowlands. As he was enveloped in friendship and finally in a deep love I believe he was still in the shadowlands. When he stepped out is when he found what was to come. There is pain and suffering that can come with love. As Joy was ill she tried to prepare Jack for what was to come. "We can't have the happiness of yesterday without the pain of today. That's the deal. "

Many couples in love experince much happiness, but sometimes pain. That's the deal. When my dad was surrounded by my mom, the rest of his family and his devoted friends as he was dying everyone gave him the best love and care they could . The same is true of other couples I have known when one is ill or suffering. The questions asked are ," What do you need? How can I help you?" It brings me back to the wedding vows and " to love and to cherish from this day forward , in sickness and in health". JEJ and I just talked about this topic today at lunch. For some it is a real test of their relationship. For others it is another way to express love in a deep, profound way.

"Why love if losing hurts so much? I have no answers any more. Only the life I have lived. Twice in that life I've been given the choice; as a boy and as a man. The boy chose safety, man chooses suffering. The pain now is part of the happiness then. That's the deal." C.S. Lewis quoted these words at the end of the film and he continued to struggle with his pain and loss which can be further explored in his book A Grief Observed — Lewis's own chronicle of his reactions following Joy Gresham's death.

This film showed me how love can build from friendship and also that love can happen at all times in life. Love can surprise is when we least expect it. This is still one of my all-time favorite movies. If you haven't seen it, or haven't in awhile it would be a perfect Valentine's Day choice.

The Sun: A Ribbon at a Time

"I'll tell you how the sun rose a ribbon at a time. " ~Emily Dickinson



A lovely sequence I observed while enjoying my morning coffee today.

Vintage and Victorian, Nonizamboni, and a New Obsession

A few weeks ago I was once again visiting Peacock Blue, a favorite blog created by Nonizamboni. I love the unique artistic things she does on her blog so I just asked her where all the collections came from. She gave me all kinds of ideas for finding pictures, designs, and lettering. You can find her blog here.

This evening I decided to take a little tour through a few of the sites since I wanted to especially find some Victorian valentine clipart. It started with Victorian valentines, and went to dogs, then to vintage valentines and before I knew it I had spent a couple of hours enjoying beautiful art, design, photos, advertisements, old photos, and prints. Here are a few of the favorites I found meandering from site to site. My sidebar is displaying a few also. The expression on this girl's face would capture anybody's attention, whether they wanted to buy Niagara Starch or not!This picture reminds me of a page from a classic fairy tale or storybook.
It's the dogs that just make this picture called "Sick Woman"...what a perfect illustration of devotion.
The nest and eggs are so precise, yet very artistic. This vintage valentine creates a spot that I would like to be right now. I can just smell those blossoms fill the air!

I always love to add another obsession to a list that is already very long. Generally when my life gets too busy and hectic I procrastinate myself into these obsessions. Tomorrow I have a growing list of things I must get done, but I am already yearning for a few hours of seed catalog browsing, a drive to take photos, oh and I must schedule in another Zags game. Now I know why things just don't get done sometimes! Sigh.

The Art of Basketball : Following the Gonzaga Bulldogs

I haven't written a post yet this season about my favorite college basketball team. Following the Gonzaga Bulldogs is one of my winter rituals. Gonzaga is located in Spokane, Washington close to home and from the time I was small we drove up Hamilton Street past the campus many times a year to visit my Grandma Woolum on Bridgeport. Who would have known I would start this love affair with a college basketball team? When I was younger Grandma spoke of Gonzaga in connection to Bing Crosby. My dad also followed the Zags and loved spending time at Jack and Dan's discussing the career of John Stockton, a Gonzaga grad that went on the the NBA. I have a student named Austin who loves, you guessed it, Austin Daye!The Zags are undefeated in their conference and pulled off a big victory tonight against the Portland Pilots. They are ranked 18th in the nation and make basketball fun to watch. Everyone knows where to find us when Gonzaga is playing a game. I've been know to adjust a few scheduled events to fit in a game! It is impossible to get tickets to watch them play at their home court, so we rely on the next best thing....the television in the living room.
I understand the art of basketball, but I don't understand the science of basketball . I couldn't explain why the defense works or how the offense switches up, but I know a masterpiece when I watch Micah Downs reaching the basket at just the right moment as Austin Daye passes the ball and he stuffs it in. I understand form when I am glued to the television set as Steven Gray does a fast break in a solo run down the court. I study still life when the people in the bleachers stand frozen as a ball gracefully arches over the opponents' heads and falls into the basket for a three-pointer at the buzzer. I appreciate balance as I watched Matt Bouldin do just about everything right tonight. That is the art of basketball. It is what keeps me watching this team. Go Zags!