Hooray for the Sun

Nice long walk today. Only a short sprinkle of rain. Lots of progress at all the neighborhood building sites. Cody's old house had many workers today. Here are some having a lunch break in the big basement below the stressed concrete floor. Should I start calling this the Parking Garage Floor House? Or maybe they will do a basement to second floor wall of glass by what I think will be the curvy front entrance. Glass Door? Dunno yet.

Meanwhile, lots of cyclone fences around it and the other building sites. All those trees off limits to us dogs. Scandalous!! As if the people aren't smart enough not to back bulldozers into trees. I bet in the day this old Victorian house was built there was no need for those hideous cyclone fences.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rats to the rain. Once it starts pouring it's a fast walk back home. Lucky today, rain didn't start until we were a block from home after a long walk. Met little Pal, a small bichon, who was actually afraid of me! That's a switch. I thought he was Pele from a distance. We met again outside the Children's Library from different directions. I wanted to play chase-me with him.

I got into the Library's Secret Garden through a hole in the fence when Alice wasn't watching me. But, she pulled be back quick saying we aren't invited in there. Besides, it is pretty muddy in there today.

The grass is very tasty outside the new modern house. Alice let me graze there a long time yesterday. And, then we inspected the progress at Cody's old house. It has a second floor now. Sort of quiet in the rain there. The workers can't do much then I suppose.

Tulip trees are looking good. Here's one near Katie's old house.

Flying and Noise

I've gone flying a few times with Alice in small planes. I like to look outside during takeoff and landing but enroute, I prefer to curl up in back. Frankly, it's a bit too noisey.

Alice notices I'm not super keen to jump in any airplane. Today, on AvWeb, she saw a link to MuttMuffs. There it says if engine noise is loud for humans it's probably painful for dogs. Duh!! Here is a dog like her old friend Frieda wearing Muffs. Alice got out the tape measure and according to the website's instructions, measured the "dog's noggin". My noggin! Well! Did not like that one bit. Now am suspiciously watching her from a safe distance. Is this good? Is this bad? Don't know.

She says I am a small or medium. Probably a small. Does this mean something new for my blue trip bag?

Spa complete at Sta. Rita

Here it is! The new spa at Sta Rita. Plastered, dried, filled with water and covered with a top. Alice opened the top yesterday to see the jets whirring and frothing. She checked out the controls while I stayed inside. Much too muddy for me! But, soon there will be a lawn and other un-muddy places. She is still thinking about the bright blue sky and pool in Baja since it's been so cloudy and spitting rainy here. Me? Lots of nap time on the green blanket.

Alice left me again!

Aaargh! Alice left me again at Sta. Rita last night. She didn't get back until pretty late. Said something about being a safety pilot for another pilot who needed to shoot an approach for currency. All I know is she came back with the smell of onion soup and hamburger on her face. And that she flew near Sta. Rita twice without stopping to see me. At least she took a photo towards me. I had a nice warm evening at Sta. Rita. She had to use her umbrella a couple of times and a flashlight to check for ice since outside air temps at altitude last night were in the 20's and in IMC.

Funny thing happened on the flight back, she said. They were getting shot out to Manteca by the FAA's NorCal Approach for the G.P.S. approach back to Palo Alto when she got into a discussion of what "manteca" means in Spanish. Butter. Just then, a Mexicana pilot with a thick accent reported in on the frequency. Thoughts of warm Baja California from the day before.... Arroyos and cactus.... Hot tarmac at SJD filled with Citations and Gulfstreams.

Picadou's Person at Reading

Here is Picadou's person, Catherine appearing at the 2nd Annual Baja Book Event. She read from her new anthology of Mexican writers a story about a lady from Gueretaro. Alice, Jane and Catherine also listened to new stories from Bruce Berger including one about fossilized shells on a Baja ridge top and another very funny story about how a lobster got a new home thanks to narcos from the mainland. They left a boat near this beach and the Mexican Navy or other authorities burned it and then sunk it offshore. Catherine wrote about the event for her blog yesterday. Seems there was some food there Alice did not tell me about!

Back Home, Life is Good

Alice came home last night. I did a two-foot dance for her.

But! She came home with the smell of Jane's Pasty on her hands! She says she saw Patsy for a few seconds before seeing me. Hmmmm.... But I could smell it was a short visit and she had more smell of beach on her than Pasty.

So, Alice went to the beach with her sister and Jane. They all missed us: me, Patsy, Pelle, and Picadou. But they went to some places we probably wouldn't have liked to go.... like that vehicle which smelled of naptha or some nasty dry-cleaning solution. And some of us dogs don't really like the beach. Too much sand between the toes.

Long walk with Alice this morning. Sun, rain and more sun. We met some tourists from Beijing outside the Hewlett Packard Garage-House. One of them patted me nicely and gave us a big smile when Alice said I was from Tibet. They were very excited to see the famous garage and Alice took a picture for them in front of it.

Rather exhausted now. Zzzzzzz.

Off to Sta. Rita

Alice is going to the beach. I am going to the Sta. Rita and the Office of the Red Chair. I expect to get a lot of chicken, liver, and trips to Pete's Coffee. And, maybe see the spa at Sta. Rita get its plaster. And, sniffing with neighbor dogs Lucy and Holly. Alice says she'll miss me. I'll miss her. But she will come back very soon she says.

Spring is Springing

Trees are blooming all over the neighborhood. Under the white one met a man from Russia who is working on rehabing the old Castilleja School's first building. It's now an apartment house with a new third floor for the new owner. He was nice. He liked dogs. He's only the third person Alice has ever seen me walk right up to on first encounter. He said he had dogs in Russia but not here.

Tulips trees are going gangbusters. Soon all their big petals will fall on the sidewalks. But not for a long time.

Progress at Cody's

Lots of workers over at Cody's old place. They've built the first floor of wood on top of the special concrete above the big basement. Alice wonders if the house might have a second floor. Me? There is an extraordinarily enticing clump of oxalis there. Mmmmm. Whose wonderful smell is that there?

More Daffs

First sunny day and long walk in days and days. Yeah! Everytime we go out, more daffs are blooming.... and falling over from the weight of the rain. Alice snips them off when they hit the ground and adds them to a vase in the kitchen. Daffs are up all over the neighborhood. Cherry trees are blossoming and tulips begining to sprout up. Crocuses, too.

Today, I don't know why but I barked and barked at a squirrel drinking out of the bird bath next door until Alice explained that was OK. That's just the squirrel's water bowl, just like mine.

Tibetan Spaniels in Flicks

There are a few Tibeatan Spaniel stars on YouTube besides Holly. There is Tibbie Topi, who is plotting to take over the world. There are tibbies playing in the snow in Finland. They are popular there. And, then there is Max. I think he is in Australia. He needs to learn some lessons from Topi and me. Gotta Zen out, Max! Or the unkindest cut is going to happen.

New Basement

The house where the long-legged pitbull Jose was guarding things last weekend has had lots of workers. The people jacked the house up, a little bulldozer went back and forth undernearth, and voila: a new basement. The town lot is so small, I suppose the new owners can't get permission to add onto the main house with a nice second floor, so they're adding on underneath. Yes.... the humans in this town are turning into a bunch of trogdolytes the way things are going. A bunch of terriers. Diggy, diggy, diggy.

Speaking of digging.... Alice is glad I don't dig. Never have dug anything outside. Just the occassional indoor bed nest digging, but never as much as Holly does on YouTube.

Walk, Wait, Walk

Went for a nice walk around noon during a break in the rain. It was OK..... but..... Alice was distracted on her cell phone talking to her sister. Looooooong wait by the neighbors with *the* display of white and yellow daffs. Watched a big dog walk back and forth across the street. Lots of other pedestrians. Strained to try to smell if Saki the terrier was home at the house kitty corner. And waited some more. So long it started to rain again. Good thing Alice had her yellow slicker. Off on some car errands. This and that. All in a dog's day work. Beats Alice's original plans of leaving me (gasp!) for a few days for a flying mission which was canceled thanks to the storms.

Ready for Storms?

A series of storms is sweeping in from the Pacific. Good thing Alice has lots of food for us and my fur coat is thick. Maybe I'll get some sitting by the fire at home?

Front path has Alice happy. Daffs are starting to become bouquets. Primroses like this cool and wet weather. So do the violets. Alice had just about given up on the violets. Said she'd pull them all out since they never flowered much until now. Maybe now she'll keep some in.

Driving

Here are my distant relatives Jason and Princess Sophie Flufflybutt out for a drive. I wonder if Alice will get one of those car beds for me? Hmmmm. I think I would prefer lounging on my fluffy but flat pad. (Yes.... that was a pun....) I can then walk over to Alice's lap - often stepping on the hazard button to do so. She lets me sit on her lap sometimes while driving like when we go to the vet or the airport. Very nervewracking those trips. Not sure why she calls such lap-sits "A Britney". I suppose if Alice had two dogs she would have to put us in the back seat.

Neighbors

Sometimes I like to watch and listen to the neighbors. Today, the young cat next door was out and about. It even meowed at me. I barked at Alice to let me out to see Patches and Lady, dogs from a few doors away, but no dice. Met Jose, a young pitbull with long legs at one of the new construction sites around the corner. He had a little boy he was protecting. He is unsure about whether to be friendly or nasty to other dogs. Also met a little black schnauser/scottie kind of dog behind a picket fence. He wanted to lick Alice's hands and sniff me, but there was something about him..... I just wanted to get away from him.
Back to the afternoon snooze.

First Daff Bloomed

Many years ago, Alice planted bunches of daffodils - after the sun went down - it was rather cold, she says. They used to be surrounded by a square of lavendar bushes, but they gave up their ghosts a couple of years ago. So she replaced the lavendar with primroses and moved the spinker system around but the daffs remained to multiply. She likes her primose path with daffs.
This year was unusual. Daffs started popping up in January. First one opened into a full bloom today. Alice pointed it out to me the other day before it opened. I was spectacularly uninterested. I mean really! To stop for a look at a flower in my own yard instead of dashing off *NOW* for the first walk 'n sniff of the day?
She's been thinking about St. David, patron saint of Wales. People there will wear a daffodil or leek on March 1 and many children wear national costumes in his honor. Doubt any of Alice's daffs will be around then.
She thinks there is a connection between me and Wales because where she first saw a Tibetan Spaniel was in Bhutan, which like Wales, has a dragon on its flag. I know the deeper truth about this but she can't hear me telling her about it. Dog ESP. Some people get it, some don't.
Happy (early) St. David's Day.
And.... yes, dragons, daffs and I all have ruffs around our necks.