Goodbye, lovable Jacques (1999-2009)

Every dog is special to every dog owner, but Jacques really was special.

I called him the "Wal-Mart Greeter of dogs," because he truly loved everyone. He loved the gardeners and pool man, and couldn't wait for the exterminator to make his monthly visit so he could follow him around the house and coax him to play tug-of-war with one of his toys.

He was an absolutely gorgeous pure-bred Black Lab--a rescue dog who had never been abused and was in perfect physical condition when I found him...lost. He never had to carry the baggage of being abused, and loved and trusted everyone.

He was loving, playful and always good-natured. As one who has had dogs all his life, I never felt as much grief as when I lost Jacques. He was that precious.

Goodbye dear friend and companion. As always, it is we humans who are lucky to have dogs, not the other way around.

Amazing wildflowers

I did not plant these beautiful flowers. They are wildflowers, and started growing around the base of the large palm tree. They kept growing until they completely surrounded the base.

The gardener began to trim them into a round shape, and they have been there for years, adding rich color to the back yard. The hummingbirds and butterflies love snacking on them.

After I had lived here for a couple of years, I discovered a small palm tree about two feet high growing in the middle of the Oleanders. I dug it out and moved it several feet, next to the big palm tree. The newer palm is now taller than I am, and loves its new location.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

My beloved "runt"

When I moved into my house on January 30, 1998, I discovered a little palm tree growing between my metal storage shed and the fence in front. Its top barely peeked over the top of the fence.

It had never been trimmed, and the area around it was totally overgrown with weeds and grass.

I used almost an entire container of RoundUp to kill all the vegetation around the shed and tree, and the next time the gardeners came, I had them trim the tree.

It wasn’t long before the tree I had named my “runt” changed from an ugly duckling into a prince. It has grown at least two feet per year, and is a runt no longer…but a gorgeous palm tree that stands majestically over the fence that once hid it from view.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

An old friend visits again

One of our resident Road Runners--a really big one this time--visited us again a few days ago. Sometimes I think he likes to pose for the camera.

He didn't see the little gecko on the mailbox post...lucky for the gecko!

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Top of the Mount'

In February 2005, a couple of guests and I took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway tour. The tramway features revolving cars that give a great panoramic view of the valley and mountains on the way to the top.

The temperature differential between the valley floor and the top of the Tram is usually about 30 degrees. We left the desert and ended our trip in an Alpine forest, with an elevation at the upper terminal (Mountain Station) of 8,516 ft.

The desert below was warm, but the top of the tram, at the top of Mt. San Jacinto, was cold and there was snow on the ground. I wore an undershirt (unheard of in the desert) and an L.L. Bean thermal-lined winter shirt. Still, it was nippy, and at that altitude, I found myself getting short-winded when I climbed stairs.

The view was gorgeous, the air was clear, and the attractive restaurant at the top provided the excellent food and drink that we required.

Anyone visiting the Palm Springs area should take this very enjoyable tour.

Click on a picture to enlarge it.

The World of My Dogs

In retrospect, my entire life has revolved around dogs. I have had dogs since the age of 10, and I can’t even conceive of what life would be without dogs.

I am a dog fanatic. It’s embarrassing sometimes; when I visit a home with dogs, I often spend more time playing with the dogs than talking with my hosts. I can’t help it, but they understand, being dog lovers themselves.

Dog people are different from non-dog people. I’m not sure I can even trust non-dog people…but I digress.

My house has turned into a zoo. The dogs run the house, and we are there just to feed and care for them.

I moved to California in December 1997 with my two dogs, my beautiful Collie, Candy Bar, and my feisty, lively Shepherd, Shelby. They are both gone now, but we have three other dogs whom we love, and love us.

The picture of Candy, Shelby and me at the pool was taken shortly after I moved to California.

The pictures of Candy and my Black Lab, Jacques, were not posed. They were buddies and often cuddled up to each other. They were hilarious together.

My female Doberman, Zizi (named after the famous French ballerina, Zizi Zeanmaire) is 90 lbs. of solid muscle. She is the most intelligent dog I have ever had, and constantly amazes me. She is always a few steps ahead of me, and, being very aggressive as Dobermans are, always tries to take over the house. It is a constant battle of wits and wills. She gets into everything and steals whatever she can, most notably, my shoes and slippers. She doesn’t damage them, but places them in her bed. Actually two beds. We bought a new bed at Costco, but she wouldn’t let us throw away the old bed, so now she has two large beds she can stretch out over. She is lovable, loving and incredibly funny.

Jacques is a Black Lab, also 90 lbs. The other two dogs are the watchdogs. He is the canine version of the Wal-Mart greeter. He loves everyone, and plays with everyone who comes into the house. He loves playing with the exterminator when he makes his monthly visit, and follows him round the house, with a toy in his mouth, hoping the exterminator will play a tug-of-war with him.

Jake is half-Lab and half-Shepherd, and is a huge dog, at 145 lbs. People are intimidated by him, and his barks are very loud, but with us he acts like a big black Teddy Bear, giving us big kisses and licks with his oversize tongue.

Jacques and Jake used to be buddies, but when I brought Zizi into the house, they became bitter enemies. The second day she was there, they got into a fight in the back yard and tore each other up. It cost me almost $1,000 in vet bills, and when I tried to separate them I got bitten on the forearm, and had to get a tetanus shot.

Now, Jacques has one half of the house to himself, and Zizi and Jake share the other half. A door separates the two halves.

Click on a picture to enlarge it.

Me, the house, and visitors

Here are a few pictures of the house and pool area, as well as pictures of our resident Road Runner and resident Dove. Click on a picture to enlarge it.

Dennis