This is it.

Well, I missed a few days blogging before this final report on the Silkenfest journey for a variety of reasons.  (1) J is weak & gets fumble fingers & thumbs when sleepy; sadly, I do still need her to type.  And (2) again J’s limitations, after arriving home last night, she had to get 2 of the Greyhounds ready for an AKC hound show today.

All that effort & the AKC judges were no more impressed with Wicka & her pups than usual; they are just so much ‘less’ than the show-bred hounds: less, size, less chest, less angulation .... but much faster.  It makes me appreciate even more all the combined show/performance trophies that are offered at Silkenfest.  Several other judges did come and speak with J later about specific conformation differences between racing Greys & Show Greys - and specific concerns .... but then they started asking people about eye shape/color and ears.  J had nothing to add.

My biggest impression since arriving home is how BIG that Little Bit, Phyn, has gotten ... he’s almost my height but not yet 5 months old.  And he’s still as irritating as I remember.

Rollin’,Rollin’, Rollin’. Keep them doggies rollin’. Rawhide!

I got to be co-pilot for a bit today; then J made me go back & share the crate with Opa!  Both are boring, but I preferred co-pilot.  Bitch.

Now our journey is paused in Nebraska for a thunderstorm that threatened to blow us off the Interstate; the humans had hoped to drive more hours but may sleep here instead.  Nebraska was where weather made us stop on the way east.  I am disliking Nebraska.
Sadly there is nothing more to say.  Goodnight, fans.

Silkenfest 2019 comes to a close.

Well, yesterday was NOTRA oval racing and the close of  Silkenfest.  At least the weather was nice - mildly warm with lots of sunshine & a breeze.  It was very pleasant - i’m struggling to find come up with snarky comments.

As I’ve said, I decline to run in circles - stupid, if catching the lure is your goal. - but lots of hounds seemed to enjoy it.  One smart girl, Mouse, realized it was stupid, too, and decided to call it a day.  She didn’t even bother short cutting to the finish line. She ducked under the tape to shortcut back to her pack by their van.

One of my travel pack, Khan, won the Turtle Award, but he had done just enough better in some of the other events that he managed to beat Conner for that Pentathlon Award.  I guess I can’t deny he’s well-rounded.

Sienna, of course, won the meet and those other combined trophies - Iron Hound & Triathlon.  Speedy little bitch.

Today we’ll start the trip west.  Boring.

A Day Late & a LGRA Short

Bitch.  We headed off yesterday morning for the van for the LGRA straight racing, but at the last minute J locked Opa! & I in Keith’s RV with Sonnet, Celeste, & Harley.  Bitch.

On the other hand, It POURED most of the day.  Conner, Possum, & Khan were SOAKED when they returned as were the humans).  Perhaps it’s just as well I didn’t have to go get wet & sit in the van, but since I didn’t get to go I am not in the mood to post results - I will say that Sienna won (shocker ... not) and that neither Khan, Conner, or Possum brought home a single prize - not even turtle.

After they got back, j took Opa! & I to romp on the tennis court (the rain had stopped).  Nice, but not nice enough.  In further compensation she did take me to the ‘beach party’ which had been moved indoors due to the weather.  This did give some of my fans an opportunity to pet me & provide tummy rubs.

Today is NOTRA Oval racing - where stupid dogs run in circles & dogs smart enough to short cut are discriminated against & not allowed to play.  Obviously, I won’t be running.

Lure Coursing!  (my favorite).

This was not a terribly successful day for the InPhenite Hounds in terms of placements, but I had a grand time.  J had hoped Possum might earn the last 2 points needed for his FCh; however, Possum’s brainless teenage brain phase seems to persist - his runs were all over the place (honestly they were the least focused I’ve ever seen him do); but he did somehow manage not to be last .... 2nd to last.  Perhaps the roadkill possum we saw driving to the event was an omen r.e. Possum’s performance today ....  Don & Hutsie Brown’s Rocky won the Open Stakes.

Conner had nice runs, but the competition was steep, and he tied for NBQ (5th) - J forfeited this without a runoff to another of the Brown’s dogs.  Uncharacteristic of her, but she doesn’t want to tire him with 2 more Pentathlon events to go. (Conformation, Rally/Obedience, Lure coursing are now done;  both straight & oval racing are still tomorrow & Tuesday).  He & Khan (who just beat him for title 2yrs ago) are neck & neck once again.

As usual Sienna won FCh Stakes; Pagani won Veteran Stakes.  It looked close, but Rocky managed to win the Best of Breed run.  

The Best of Breed run was excellent, but it’s not my style.  I run in Singles because I don’t really see why I should just blindly chase plastic bags  ... I use my head; honestly it’s not that hard to figure out where it’s gping; and it always comes back(i understand string theory).  The judges didn’t get it - not on the 1st run anyway- and gave me similar scores some dogs that simply quit. When I stop, I am NOT quitting. I am stalking & planing a later attack.  The 2nd run I included 2 stalking maneuvers ... a lightbulb went on & the judges gave me qualifying scores, but not enough to offset their poor scores from the 1st run.    Those judges will do better next time, I think, but some are harder to train than others

Well, it's been an interesting couple of days ...

1st I apologize to my fans for missing a day.  Until google or Apple comes up with a paws friendly keypad, I must rely on J, and she gets busy or distracted & fails to keep her priorities straight (#1 = me, and my fans, of course)

To summarize:  the drive from Indiana truck stop was not long, but along the way we did learn that we should have pushed another 3/4hr to Ohio .... MUCH nicer truck stop.  Massage chairs & more grass.

Lots of bah-blah-blah stuff after that; human socializing & what not. We did get to romp on the tennis courts for a bit, but nothing too exciting.

J tried to get a rental van (so Keith needn't move his RV for LC & racing); this nearly fried her brain, I hope she'll fully recover.  Neither of us is impressed with a specific national chain with businesses in a several towns in the area. Why? You call the number for the nearest branch, make a reservation, ask to arrange pick-up - WAIT, let's transfer the call to them.  OK, but then that nearby office says "sorry, we have no vans available" ... but J had already just made a reservation.  How do you make a reservation when you have no vans???? What size cars do they have available??? NONE.  OK ..... Let's try this again.  Call the company # back - explain that they rented a non-existent vehicle ... ask for the call to be transferred directly to the next closest town in order to confirm availability.  Done (we think) .  They said they could get her a van the next day.  J gets driven to the neighboring town: Surpise!  no vehicle, no reservation - & "no" they HAD NOT SPOKEN WITH HER the day before.(???)  But they did see her with a reservation for today back at the original, closer Sandusky facility (that had had no vehicles available,) but this van would not get there until 5pm from a 3rd neighboring town rental agency.   I feared her head might explode .....

To try & summarize - I would appear all these small town are managed by the Sandusky office & they move cars around .... but it is still mysterious where they found a van that they had not had the day before & why no one was able to communicate what physical location her vehicle would be at - and not until 5pm.

This really put a damper on a lovely Rally day where Conner got a Qualifying score & new Rally title; Possum's brain imploded & he forgot everything he had ever been taught (including his name) - I think a 'hot' bitch is across the hall from us - perhaps that explains his idiocy, but who knows; she was not in the Rally facility.  Then in my class, I completely messed with J's head by starting with a couple lovely sits before completely ignoring her; the carpet had many interesting aromas.

Honestly had I known the car rental fiasco was developing, I wouldn't have tortured her so ... OK, maybe I would have ....

Oh, and I won my Sweepstakes Veteran Bitch class, but could not defeat Tootsie for Veteran Bitch.  Bitch (but I guess she does still 'have IT' .... bitch).

Tomorrow I am 10yo.

Sunny but boring

After the long day yesterday, I was ready to make an early start today.  Compared to crossing the mountains, this interstate is very straight; and without yesterday’s wind ... no problem.  Keith needed coffee, but I was willing be 1st driver.  How hard can straight driving be?  (Little Harley is always in a rush, maybe he could have been in charge of the gas pedal?).  Sigh.  The humans declined my offer of assistance.

To placate me, J did let me play back seat driver from the sofa for a bit, but with the excessively straight highway for HOURS, I grew bored & agreed to retire to the crate.

 When we did stop, I’d like to say nice things about our campsite, but there wasn’t one  - a ‘campsite’, I mean.  We just parked alongside semi-trucks.  Well, there WAS a strip of grass .... see I can look on the bright side if I put my mind to it.  Tomorrow we should arrive at Silkenfest - paws crossed.  

Stormy weather

Well, we got off to a good start this morning, sunny weather, & were making good progress.  Traveling with J, I get a kick of stopping at Flying J Truck stops.  Sigh, sometimes I am easily amused. - but don’t get used to it.

Of course, that couldn’t last.  In Nebraska we got into a big wind storm with patches downpour.  When there was no rain, clouds of gritty cut were blowing across the road, and we kept being pushed over the shoulder rumble strips.  In a big RV it was like being on a stormy ocean voyage (I imagine ... J has never taken me on a boat).  None of the hounds got car sick, but Celeste & Sonnet are whiners.  Opa! whines a bit too, but it’s so high pitched the humans can’t hear her up front.  Everyone can hear Celeste & Sonnet.  

Anyway, eventually Keith pulled off (as did many truckers) to wait for it to pass.   More ‘waiting; it took AGES.  Because even when the rain stopped at the rest area & we got a rainbow, radar showed it moving along the highway ahead of us.  I expect we’ll end up driving really late trying to make up time.

At on each point J let Possum out for a snuggle.  I don’t know what he did to deserve that.  J may pay for that choice later ....

Waiting for Godot (or Keith)

Well, here we sit in Park City, Utah.  Waiting ...

J's plan was to meet up with Keith Hicks with Opa!s brother (Khan) and 3 other Starfyre hounds to travel across country together in his much BIGGER RV.  Keith had hoped to get an early, early start today & meet J in early afternoon.  Unfortunately, he got delayed leaving SoCAl & isn't expected for HOURS.  I'm impatient to hit the road, but it is what it is.

J drove all 12 hours from Oregon yesterday, and we are at a friend of hers house.  Ivan the InPhenite Airstream will get to stay here.  It's warm, sunny, and scenic with mountainous backdrop -- also peaceful, at least until Conner sees anyone walking their dog in the canyon; then he makes a scene & barks like he's rabid (he's not).

Later we'll go for our own canyon walk.  That's my plan anyway.  That will definitely make the waiting less tedious.  Finally I got J to post photos, but she ws having trouble uploading them ... Honestly, Apple or Google need to make paw-compatible keypads; I am sure I could have done it faster

Hopefully I'll have more exciting news about our travels tomorrow.

Silkenfest 2019: The Journey Begins

Something is afoot & I don't like it.This looks suspiciously like camping (OK if going lure coursing), but J. BATHED us yesterday & trimmed toenails .... that reeks of conformation showing ....
I will keep you posted.