A Different Perspective

Sometimes it's nice just to take a different perspective on a situation...see it from a different point-of-view. I loved all the big, beautiful trees that were draped with Spanish moss that we got to see in Florida. But I also loved this shot. Up close. Personal.
Oz & Willow just wanted to check up on you this morning. They're wondering what you're doing. And also if you have any treats (nom-noms) ;D

Zoo Pix

No time for chatting this a.m. Just sharing a few pix...the first is especially for my sweet SIL ;D
This pic' is to give you size perspective...

...for this pic'! Which only goes to prove that *all* baby animals are cute! I especially love the mohawk look ;D

Hakuna matata

"Hakuna matata" is a Swahili phrase that is literally translated as "There are no worries" (at least, according to Wikipedia!). Plus, the song was a recent SotD--right after hearing it at a show...We've just returned from a nice little vacation to Florida. Both LoML and I have birthdays this month. My parents spend some time in Florida every winter and we've been wanting to visit while they were there for the past several years. This year we made it happen. Will be telling you all about the trip soon...it was jam packed with adventure, including excursions to zoos, greyhound tracks, boat trips up canals, and Animal Kingdom, among other things.

For now, I have to get in gear. Vacation over. Back to work. I leave you with this picture of my sweet mare who turns 5 today! Happy Birthday Solana!!!

7:40 a.m. SotD update

Getting ready for work w/ radio on and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz just came on radio! Swear it!!

Big Blue

You may recall me telling you about meeting Maverick at last year's show. He's a magnificent blue Dane that I fell in love with. With the kind permission of his owner, Jeffrey Ball, I posted some pix of him and included a link to their site, Blunote Great Danes. I was delighted to see him again this year. Here a few shots of him in the ring.

And here's a close up of this sweet, wonderful boy! (Sorry it's a bit blurry...it gets a bit crowded in the benching area and is sometimes hard to catch good shots!)

Be sure to visit their site and see terrific pix of Maverick and his gang...especially the New York shots they do every year...truly amazing photography.

We got to eat at the Barking Dog restaurant shown here. It was quite a treat.

Today's SotD double edition:

"Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder (playing in my head at 4:30 a.m. when the hound had to go out) and

"I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz (when I got up at regular time of 5:30 a.m.)

Congratz Pioneer Woman!

A big, hearty Congratz! to Pioneer Woman for winning awards at the Bloggies for Best Photography, Best Design, and Best Weblog of the Year!!! Great to see her get the recognition. I have become a huge fan and absolutely love checking out her site every day. If you haven't discovered her yet go click on the link and see what the buzz is about.

That said, go get your green on and have a nice St. Patrick's Day :D

An Irish Prayer:

May God grant you always...

A sunbeam to warm you,

A moonbeam to charm you,

A sheltering angel So nothing can harm you...

Laughter to cheer you,

Faithful friends near you,

And whenever you pray,

Heaven to hear you.

Diva Dane & Co.

Take a look at this sweet face! This is a German Shorthaired Pointer. Photo taken and posted especially for my Mass. buddies ;D
Here LoML has the camera as yours truly gets kissies from a very enthusiastic Boxer.

Hmmm, maybe it was from too many other doggie kissies that my lens got a bit cloudy...whad'ya think? This is not any kind of photoshopped effect; this is plain old grimy lens! It took me a while to notice, too. I still like this great Mastiff expression.

Did I mention that while many of these dogs seem like regular doggy companions, many of them get the serious pampered star routine? Mustn't muss the hair!

Here's the ultimate in Dane divaness! What more can I say?

_________

Today's SotD: "Magnificent"...okay, okay, so I'm obsessed w/ the new U2!

Get on Your Boots...

...and check out _No Line on the Horizon_, U2's latest offering. I can not say enough good stuff about this new album! (Okay, okay, so I'm dating myself. So they're not really albums anymore. Now, for me, they're not even CD's since I'm into downloading the digital version straight to my computer. And while I'm talking about that let me tell you that I think it's incredible to be able to find it, download it, play it all within a matter of minutes. How cool is it that I got this new U2 on the day of release...*and* for under $4.00!!! Amazon rocks!!!!)

Now, where was I? Oh, yes. The new U2. I love it. I loved it the first time I listened to it, and it's gotten better every listen since...which has averaged once a day. I first fell in love with U2 with the release of the Mtv video for "New Year's Day" (again dating myself). The love affair has gone strong ever since. Admittedly, there have been times when I haven't been as passionate, as fanatical...maybe even going a while in between listens. But I've never stopped loving their music. This new release, to me, is a perfect blend of new and old U2. It combines modern sounds with the classic crunching beat and Bono's soulful wail that I fell in love with all those years ago.

How excited was I to check out the upcoming tour dates the day they were released? I can't tell you. You wouldn't understand. Unless you're a crazy U2 fan, and then I don't have to tell you. I've been fortunate enough to see the band twice in concert. The first time was during _The Joshua Tree_ tour, the second was during the _Achtung Baby_ tour. Both were incredible experiences. This band is absolutely stunning live. I've gotten to see a lot of big acts in my life. It's to the point now that there are very few live concerts I'll go to anymore. A lot of acts I'm content to stay home and watch the dvd or the high def' concert on the big-screen tv where I don't have to fight any crowds, etc. etc. But U2 is one act I'm all about seeing again. Plus, LoML hasn't seen them yet, so it's definitely time. You can go to the band's official site, http://www.u2.com/ and see all the plans for the new set. It looks to be spectacular.

Not surprisingly, I've listened to the new songs so much that they've been rattling and humming around in my subconscious pretty much nonstop. Today's SotD: "Moment of Surrender" (my favorite of the new tunes)...yesterday's: "No Line on the Horizon".

So, why are you still here? Go. Go listen. Enjoy.

Big!

When it's not their turn to shine in the ring many of these magnificent dogs snooze back in the benching area. As someone who is owned by a greyhound, I'm partial to all the sight hounds. Here are two lovely hounds cuddled up. But I don't think this shot gives you a particularly good idea of just how large these dogs can be....
...maybe this shot of an Irish wolfhound gives you a better perspective:

Today's SotD: "If I Could Be Like That" by 3 Doors Down.

Around Town & at the Show

This polar bear was *so* comfortable...note the back foot propped up on the rock wall. He actually stretched...once...and went right back to the same pose.
Sunday evening we went to the Orpheum theatre to see _Stomp_. I can not tell you how highly we both recommend this show. It was fabulous!!! Go see it if you get the chance.

Here's a shot of what the show is like during the day. There are six different rings running at the same time. You can wander around for close-up views of a particular breed, or venture higher into the stands to be able to watch several at once.

How can you not love a Bloodhound face???

I love the quizzical expression of this Pharaoh Hound. I think his name is Elliot.

Monkey Business

While in The City, we went to the Central Park Zoo. I thought it was really well done for a small zoo. As we walked around we happened to catch this great interaction between some snow monkeys (whose habitat is on a rocky island) and this goose/swan (?).

There was just one monkey near the water and the bird clearly thought he could take him!
Monkey was a bit nervous...approaching and then backing off.

But wait! Here come the reinforcements! The *big* daddy monkey came strutting around (as did numerous other monkeys...from every direction!)

With the entire battalion forming up, the bird thought better of his original plan and took off. His antics did, however, send the littlest monkey baby into Mama's comforting arms.