The difference an hour makes

Stella and I got a tour of Shelby Bottoms this morning courtesy of our friend Christine and her dog, Aurthur. Getting there in the morning traffic was a little bit of a hurdle but it was definitely worth it.  

Lady

Lady

Tubby

 This is a beautiful dog named Lady who long ago (back when we were shooting film), belonged to a ride jock named Timothy Bell (we called him Tubby). He found her in Tampa and she almost made it through the season but got hit by a car in Jacksonville, Florida. According to Shirley, who was kind enough to identify her for us,  "Tubby was a hot mess losing her. She was such a good girl."

 As I told Shirley on facebook, Tubby asked me if I had a picture of this dog once, some years later, but I don't think I could find it when he asked me. It hung on the darkroom wall for a while but I never saw him after that. Maybe he'll run across it one day here.

Vintage carny dog

Tennessee State Fair, Nashville, Tennessee; The Mighty Bluegrass Shows, 2003.

 

 

Don't remember ever seeing this until now.  

Carl and Trish

Carl and Trish on  the deck of the Skywheel after work.

Morning Dog Walk

Our everyday walk, the one we take through the neighborhood that is, is about two miles, or seven square suburban blocks. About four times a week I try take Stella somewhere new or different particularly if I'm forced to drive to some other part of town for work. Either way, we do the neighborhood walk, seven days a week. It gets boring sometimes but in the spring it's pretty wonderful and I have Stella to thank for actually getting me out of the house for the last (nearly) four years, rain or shine, whether I like it or not. It's been an education in the natural order of things. For example, we knew that spring was on the way long before the daffodils began to bloom. We know what critters are on the move when, the exact day the trees begin to bud, when the school bus comes, what time the neighbors go to work, who takes care of their dogs and their children and who doesn't, where the shade falls on the streets leaving icy patches, which drainage ditches flood, how much litter can accumulate over a weekend, and where's the best place to find a drink of water in a pinch. We're also blessed to live in a neighborhood with old beautiful trees and a little bit of history in the landscape. The rose bushes, the Iris and the Crepe Myrtle tell a story about what was popular decades ago. I'm sure many of them have died off over the years but it isn't difficult to follow the trail of DIY gardeners even across a few blocks. Having said all that - here are a few shots of our walk this morning. The fire plug is only included because I call it Stella's boyfriend of color.

NOtes etc.

Recently I was given an opportunity to sift through every single item in my house (another story). This of course will take weeks to get through but I thought I should share with you some notes I found from the first two weeks of life here at Casa de Stella. It seems she wasn't always the good dog she is (mostly) now. It seems time erased some of the bitter cursing of those early days and now suddenly again I'm reminded that she was once living on a carnival lot eating leftover, lamp-singed chicken-on-a-stick. It's hard to believe we made it all this way.

 9/24/08 - spent an hour in the crate. Barking.
                  ride in the car
                  Barney's house, he petted her- fine, Dale petted her-
                  electrician walked in - no barking yay.

*Stella has been trying all day to rip out the underside of the chair in my office. Slept in the bathroom while Michele and I walked. 
COMPLETELY CRAZY. wouldn't listen, wanted to run and jump and bite me, barked incessantly at neighbor John. generally obnoxious. exhausted (me)

9/25/08 - awake 6:30 (outside pee break) - back to bed.
               8:30 - crazy, tearing up the side of the bed/my pants
                          constantly testing the limits. gnawing things
                outside to pee. back in - peed in front of the crate. Drove to   B's house in Kentucky. Stella slept. B got in the car with us, no problem. Smiley growling at her all day pretty much. Long walk, checked out cows, cemetery, tobacco field. Ran around until we left. Came in the house. Peed. Slept. Woke up, peed before I could get to the door. help.

9/26/08 - awake 6:00 (went outside - thank you God) still wrecking underside of office chair. Pulled her out four times - she peed in the living room while I ripped off the chair liner and threw it out. then barking at cat. I am an idiot. cleaned up pee six(?) times today.  * buy more Nature's Miracle now

 I can't imagine the dog Stella would be if she'd stayed on the carnival all this time. The odds weren't in her favor but dogs are a lot heartier than we think. Apparently people and office chairs are too.