Way. Too. Hot.

Yes there are a myriad of excuses for not updating my blog. And mama has told me most of them. The overwhelming one, and the one that I have no choice but to agree with her on, is that we've been in the midst of an oppressive heatwave this past week. No kidding, 105 - 110 degrees, and today it's a "mild" 95.

Not that this means that I want to stay indoors - oh no - I still want to go for a nice long walk and Pearl District stick hunt.

Many stops for cold, tasty beverages. Gotta stay hydrated.

And quick on the toes - that concrete gets HOT!

Love,

Bogart

Catching Some Big Aire

It has been HOT here in Portland. Yes I know that it is summer. And yes I remember my early years in Los Angeles. But with all of the lovely seasons here in the Pacific NW, I seem to have forgotten what summer FEELS like.

Today... I remembered.

An afternoon spent in the forest is ALWAYS a good thing, but especially when it's hot. There is always some cozy shade to be found. And some fantastic sticks don't hurt either.

We had a nice little picnic on the side of the volcano. Mama was enjoying sitting and relaxing. I, on the other hand, had other ideas. Sometimes I have to be more persuasive than others...

We have a special understanding. I can bite her head and she still loves me. I can bark at full strength right into her ear and I still get a big kiss.

I've got her wrapped around my fuzzy finger.

Even with a mouthful of forest - thanks to some extended pine cone action - she still loves me. I assume I will have to dodge a bath this evening, however.

Wish me luck!

Love,

Bogart

The Dog Song

Artwork from the amazing Nancy Schutt (of Good Dog Art fame)

Love,

Bogart

A Bittersweet Anniversary

8 years ago today I was standing in the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas, surrounded by friends, surprising my husband-to-be with a full-on showgirl costume (including headpiece with 6 feet of feathers floating behind me) for our wedding.

When Klaus first proposed to me I thought he was kidding. He had been drinking and was in a very happy mood, so I told him that he should ask me again in the morning - and that I would absolutely say yes if he did. If he didn't ask that would be ok, then I would know it was just the alcohol talking.

I woke up the next day and the first thing he did was ask me to marry him - again. As promised, I said yes, and then he insisted on calling my parents to ask for my hand. Funny but very sweet. Every call was answered in the same way - Klaus would call, announce that he wanted to marry me, and then - laughter. Everyone thought for sure that he was joking. Once they realized that this was not a joke, that he was really asking sincerely, then the crying and happiness started. My stepfather was critically ill at the time (he had lung cancer and passed away not long after) and was very, very touched that Klaus called.

As for a wedding, Klaus immediately thought Vegas. Sounds good to me. Then he added the words "drive through". I countered with "Elvis". And so we were married at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel in downtown Las Vegas - by Elvis - on July 21, 2001 at 3:30PM. White-jumpsuited, singin' and dancin' Elvis. And it was AWESOME. I kept on my showgirl costume for the entire day - getting followed by casino security everywhere I went - and we emptied the bar at the top of the Stratosphere.

Today is the toughest day I have had in awhile - Klaus' birthday was hard too - but lots of happiness when I think about that day.

Happy Anniversary Klaus

Love,

Lulu

Laurelhurst Fauna

Lovely Laurelhurst park. On a lovely - kind of hot but not as hot as it's been - Sunday. People out having picnics, baby showers, and throwing frisbees. After a nice walkie around the perimeter, mama and I decided to eat our sandwich next to the algae pond.

Ruh-roh... here comes a mighty duck army in search of bread and bread-like pieces that will fall from the sky.

That sandwich is mine I say!!!

There will be NO SANDWICH FOR YOU. I work HARD for my sandwich!

Hey wait... you look kind of tasty yourself. Mama, aren't there ducks in the can of food that I eat most nights?

And with that he swam away as fast as those little webbed feet would carry him. That'll show him.

More sandwich for me!

Love you mama, love the sandwich, don't care so much for the potato chips. You can have those.

Oh and the tomatoes. I not super interested in those either.

SQUIRREL ALERT!!!

This little guy first ran away - as he should - when I chased him up a nearby tree, but then he climbed up to about mama's head height and just stared at us. Twitching that nose and flicking that tail, he had decided that this was his Alamo and he was going to defend that tree against any and all dogs, people, oh pretty much anything that came close. It was pretty hilarious actually, his dedication was intense.

For that Mr. Squirrel, I salute you. But if I catch you, I shall eat you.

Love,

Bogart

Hiking Forest Park

Mama promised me last weekend when we finally found the entrance to Forest Park that we would come back the following weekend and do a REAL hike. Surprisingly, I did not have to remind her.

It's another hot day here in Portland, so walking in the relative shade and coolness of the forest is fantastic.

And as this is a relatively new area for me to explore, the pee-mail is extensive. I wouldn't want to miss an important message (just like you humans).

This is the Stone House. I am sure there is a story to go with it, but we couldn't find a sign to tell us much about it. No matter to me as I was only interested in climbing up there and exploring.

And of course, posing elegantly.

It's small but cool and fun to walk through.

And - again - to pose in.

Mama took a moment to check the camera - she took a photo of the sign when we first came in so that we could do the 2 mile hike today (there are apparently a lot of turns onto and off of trails). I had other ideas.

Just follow me - I can figure out where we're going.

In my world, FORWARD is pretty much the only way to go. I don't actually care where the destination is, so long as we're walking and moving forward. Except for those times when the irresistible smell of a girlie dog or dropped food distracts me.

Or of course when I'm craving a little liquid refreshment from that water bottle, mama.

The Wildwood Trail is apparently quite long but we were only on it for awhile. It goes up high - the original trail is pretty flat - so we got to work on our butts. Never a bad thing, is it?

Another cool doggie encounter - 4 TERRIERS!

They were running with their human, as a pack, nicely behind him. I tried to ask them some questions about this, you know, things like how do you avoid getting all tangled up in each others' leashes, and how to slow down the human when something fascinating is detected during a run.

They were all really precious and friendly, and I was feeling friendly too.

Heading upslope = nice, firm butt.

Even though mama brought along the water bottle, I could not resist a little self-serve at the drinking fountain.

It's cold, it's recirculating, it's just like the Drinkwell at home. Happy camper.

On the way home - did I mention it's HOT out today? - I was again thirsty. Conveniently, we just happened to be walking by Kettleman's Bagels so why don't we stop for a bagel and a tall drink of water?

Dad used to always call me the "cafe dog" because of my preference to drink right from the cup rather than a bowl placed specifically for me onto the ground.

I just love you mama, and am happy to drag you out of bed every day so that we may walk for long distances with no specific destination in mind.

Love,

Bogart

Perfectly Pedicured Paw

Mama got a call this morning from my vet - he just wanted to check up on me, make sure that all was well since my foxtail surgery. We've never gotten a call like that before, and it was damn nice. Yes I finished all of my pain medicine and today was my last day of antibiotics and you would be proud Mr. Vet, I have not played with my paw at all - not while the spiffy purple bandage was on nor once mama pried it off.

All of my walkies have been fine - through city streets and my local parks. No pain, no infection, just some fine, fuzzy healing.

Behold... the paw:

I am very happy indeed that I didn't get the full shave this time - the last two times I had to have foxtails removed from my poor paws I got a full-on baldie, making my paws look damn silly. The vet here in Portland was kind enough to think of my dignity once the bandage was removed and only shaved my toes.

Thank you good doctor!

Love,

Bogart

1000 Words

Utter Dale Happiness

Love,

Bogart

Dog Day: Afternoon

I thought the excitement for today was over. But no... we decided to try to find the entrance to Forest Park again, taking advantage of the relative grey-ness of the day, and SUCCESS!

Instead of crossing the bridge like we did last time, we took the stairs down, and boom - FOREST!

I can already smell it - I'm gonna LOVE this.

Watery, mossy, lots of dog and animal smells...

And... a Welsh Terrier!

This is Deacon - an incredibly handsome little guy.

He's tall for a Welshie so his parents think he might be mixed with something else... I of course suggested that there might be some mighty Airedale in there.

We did play, we did romp, I did get grumpy from time to time - but it is always so cool to see other terriers of the Welsh and Airedale persuasions!

So back to all of this mossy goodness. The trail is pretty long and while we didn't expect to go all the way we did manage to spend two hours walking up and down.

I love the forests of the Northwest. They're so green and so incredibly beautiful, and so full of wonderful smells everywhere.

Just another view... looks like a painting, doesn't it?

This is Jackson (the black boy) and Gillian (the white girl) - two beautiful poodles that were heading down as we were heading up.

I tried my best to make some time with Gillian, but she seems to be an old-fashioned sort of gal. No kissy on the first date. That's ok pretty girl, I can wait...

Love,

Bogart