The state of the union.

It looks like we will not be able to make our summer trip up north as hoped. James completed his MBA a few years back, and now as part of our journey, mama is in the middle of an MFA program. To become competitive in the field, James has been taking classes to become a certified dog behavioralist and trainer. James is still enrolled with Animal Behavior College and part of his curriculum is interning at the Pasadena Humane Society. He broke the news to mama that his projected end date will not be until early August. His voice was not very chirpy when he was breaking it down. But she understands the sole purpose of us living here in Los Angeles is James and mama fulfilling educational goals. So since education for both of them is the main goal, it seems everything else takes a back seat, including me playing at beaches. All the same, many of the pieces of our dog training business are slowly adhering and things are falling into place. We still have very few clients. In fact, just one and his name is Kobe.

The funny thing about Kobe, he is not what you would expect. He is a handsome chocolate lab, eight years old, slightly graying hair around his muzzle, who loves attention. If someone were to meet him for the first time, they may be alarmed at his commanding presence. But actually, he is one big teddy bear. When I first met him, he was a voluptuous 110 pound, out of shape mammoth. Now he has trimmed down to a 95 pound of lean machine. When mama met him for the first time he was loving her so much while she petted him that she was welcomed by a behemoth sized deuce he laid right next to her feet while she was chatting with Uncle Jay. I was not very gracious with him like mama was, nor was I expressing my enthusiasm. Instead, I simply walked up beside him and tinkled on his nose as a way to express my ingratitude and displeasure at his treatment of my mama. She deserves tender loving care, not a warm steaming caca!

Time has passed since, some many moons ago, but we are still reminded of Kobe's powerful dynamic punch. He never lets up either. We are always amazed at what we find and how pungent his message is. But we love him.

Fruitful Day

Just shy of seven miles today. Our pace was pretty steady throughout, but the heat was beginning to pester. We ran a new trail course that lead us to the Griffith Park Compost Station. James is piecing together alternate trails so we do not grow bored with the trails we have memorized and grown accustomed to. Besides, its nice to smell new aromas and take on new trails. Occasionally James and mama will smell onions at Griffith Park, and on other occasions they smell the scent of fried potatoes possibly from the driving range just below us when we are on the Bill Eckert trail. Humans seem to relate everything they smell to their taste-buds. I have a snout for picking up the scent of a raccoon. I knew they were near by today, especially around the corner of the restrooms. While James and mama were occupied in the restroom, I was busy tracking and Kobe was leaning on Hanna, as usual, we were both eager to get started. Kobe is my brother form another mother. And Hanna, she is my "suyeong gom."

Kobe's owner was away this weekend so we watched over him and made sure he was well fed and loved. Kobe, aside from being a stud and a handsome chocolate lab, is the biggest fruit. He loves his fruit, especially when he is bored at home. Uncle Jay has a variety of trees in his backyard, currently the peach and plum trees are in full bloom and being the farmer that Kobe is, he inspects them daily. He inspects the unripe ones first and if they are not up to par, he will climb the tree and snatch it from the branch and take it upon himself to dispose of the thing by munching it away. Consequently, this morning during our bathroom break, James was amazed by a clump of peach pits hibernating in Kobe's stool. Kobe is a genuine "pit" bull.

I must have peed 20 times. I should have kept my fluids because by the time the run was done, I had no more and was really dehydrated. James pulled me over to wipe the foam that had accumulated around my mouth, while Kobe and Hanna ran ahead. I was glad we paused for a bit because mama was just a few steps behind and she gave me a nice tap on my rump. That was all I needed to get my body in motion and back to our truck and home to my pool.

Opportune June Boon

June gloom? The phrase does not exist in my dog vocabulary. I love the cool weather. Besides, anyone in a healthy state of mind would never judge a day by the weather. Only humans come up with labels for the day. The hour. The month. The year. Time has no meaning to me as a golden retriever. Why do people see clouds, my wonderful friends the clouds, and then say things like "gloom" and act sad and sluggish and resentful all day? They did the same when it rained. They did the same when it was invigoratingly cold. They will act even more grumpy when it gets so very hot that we can barely move. We should all enjoy what Mama calls Opportune June Boon.

Just this morning on our way back from our daily exercise I overheard James and Mama discussing the the relevance of time and the affect it has on the overall society. I just sat against the camper shell and thought about where I was, near the window while Kobe kept bouncing back and forth. Kobe rarely listens to a word anyone says, in his own little world, but he sure has a way to share affection. The stories I overhear are interesting when I am in James' truck. They mostly involve people and their flaws. "Human's have lost their ability to be happy and are consumed with self importance." James shared with Alexia. "Why do they fake their happiness with cell phones, BMW's, loud noises, and image?" I think James is right, but I do not understand completely. You see, I do not wear a leash for vanity's sake. I wear a leash to follow, to be connected, and because there's a law about it. Do city dwellers where the same leashes? Perhaps their leashes are leased and rented.

June gloom is just another category for the weather and it's seasons. I am not gloom. I am not even June. I am the moment everyone has always wished for.