Justice and Terra are Together Again

On Monday, January 23, 2012, Justice, a handsome Welsh Corgi, crossed the Rainbow Bridge to join his lifelong friend, Terra

Terra and Justice
Terra and Justice reunited

Justice was born on June 24th, 1996 and took up residence with our friend, Abra Crabcakeya when he was 8 mos. old. His prior life as a show dog ended when he was disqualified (for the third time) for objecting strenuously to a male judge checking him for the required equipment. While his coloring is properly called “tobacco brindle with white points” Abra just calls him “the brown one that’s drooling.”

Justice
Justice, loyal and loved

In his younger days, Mr. Justice, along with his pals Tsula and Terra loved to go on trips to the Reservation for a bit of fishing and a good trout dinner. Justice had his favorite foods too. He loved anything Italian and deer meat. According to Abra, Justice learned how to spell.

The first word Justice learned to spell was “lasagna”, defeating all attempts the rest of his life to hide information from him. He really could spell, or recognize a lot of words when spelled out loud, and learned synonyms faster than a lot of people.

Justice
Watchful little Corgi

Over the years, he went from boating and fishing to preferring car rides and long naps. He enjoyed his cheeseburger treats on road trips. He also went from chasing deer to sitting still and watching them. According to Abra, he was a good mouser in his day and he loved to chase other varmints as well.

For more than 15 and a half years he was a most loyal and loving companion. Now he waits at the bridge with Terra so he can greet his friends Tsula and Abra when they arrive.

Justice

I’m not quite sure of the reasons, but we felt that this beautiful version of a children’s song was rather appropriate. So here is a song for Justice.

Rainbow bridge


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Friday Night Cats Blogging: Noms and Naps

Another Friday night rolls around and it’s time for our kitties to shine. Miss jenny continues to make changes in the household. The morning and evening rampages are a sight to behold. They also sound like a herd of elephants. When they aren’t rampaging, they like to hang out in the kitchen and soak up the sun.

Tito is waiting for his noms
Tito is waiting for his noms
Kitsy being a window kitty
Kitsy being a window kitty
Miss Nightshade Jenny practicing the art of camouflage
Miss Nightshade Jenny practicing the art of camouflage


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“Don’t be afraid of the dark”: don’t be afraid to blow raspberries

Don’t be afraid of the dark” – (2010, USA/Australia/Mexico, 99 minutes – rated R)

This definitely has Guillermo DelToro’s fingerprints over it, but despite the occasional clever touch, this adaptation of a 1973 teleplay falls way short from the original.

In this version, the medicated offspring (Bailee Madison) of a divorced yuppie couple is sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes). Daddy and the girlfriend are renovating the auld mansion of Emerson Blackwood who disappeared mysteriously shortly after his young son about a century ago.

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Friday Night Cats Blogging: Happy Kitties and a Happy Dog

Another Friday night has rolled around and it’s time for our pointy eared people to have the spotlight. Ok, it’s only Friday afternoon, but what the heck. Here they are enjoying their favorite pastimes. We have always had happy kitty cats. I think they are even more happy since Jenny’s arrival.

Tito hiding in the box
Tito hiding in the box
Kitsy clutching his tail
Kitsy clutching his tail
Miss Jenny snuggling with papa
Miss Jenny snuggling with papa

Now we would like to share this happy dog video. I think happy is an understatement.


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A Windmill and a Sunset: Part 2

The other day, I posted Windmills and a Sunset: Part 1. Today I’m posting part 2. We enjoyed the sunset so much that we went back the next day. I managed to take a few more photos of the newly restored Murphy windmill.

Murphy windmill
Murphy windmill
Murphy windmill
Windmill fantail
Murphy windmill
Hawk resting on the windmill sail
Murphy windmill
Millwright house next to the windmill

From there, we drove about a block West to Ocean Beach to watch the sunset.

Ocean Beach
Ocean Beach sunset
Ocean Beach
Sunset watchers and surfers

Once the sun dropped below the horizon, the colors went from golden orange to a stunning pink and purple.

Ocean Beach
Beautiful colors reflected in the surf
Ocean Beach
Stunning!


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Windmills and a Sunset: Part 1

In a previous post, I had discussed the newly restored Murphy windmill at Golden Gate Park. The other day, while we were out, we went to Sutro Heights. I wanted to get a photo showing the Dutch Windmill and the Murphy Windmill in the same photo.

Sutro Heights
The Dutch Windmill (left foreground) and the Murphy Windmill (back right)

With that accomplished we walked over toward the parapet to look out over the Pacific Ocean. That is when we realized that the sunset might be a good one. We headed down to  Ocean Beach to watch. It was beautiful.

Sutro Heights
Sunset and Ocean Beach from Sutro Heights
Ocean Beach
Sunset and surfers at Ocean Beach
Ocean beach
Ocean beach and sunset watchers
Ocean Beach
Surfer and sunset at Ocean Beach


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Television series from supernatural to sci-fi

Waaay back in October 2010, I brought up the old TV series “Friday the 13th” as an enjoyable little trip down to memory lane: I used to watch the show back when it first aired in the late ’80s late night on CBS.

Something of a small guilty pleasure tinged with nostalgia when all the bad guys were supposedly from South of the border (Noriega, Escobar et al.). We’re now down to the last couple discs of the series, so it’s time for some more reviewing and suggesting.

The third and last season of the show saw Ryan Dallion (John D. LeMay) replaced by another character named Johnny Ventura (Steven Monarque) and due to some weak writing, Ventura has about as much appeal as an old Mercury Grand Marquis. I know ‘cuz I drive one. The energy of the three original characters (Micki, Jack and Ryan) never really amounted to “magic” but it did keep you engaged in the happenings. Not so in the 3rd season which of course turned out to the last. Conclusion: watch the first two, maybe until the episode explaining Ryan’s “disappearance”, don’t bother with the rest.

More modern fare, interestingly set during the Dust Bowl, “Carnivale” ran for two seasons from 2003 to 2005. “Carnivale” follows young Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), who possesses healing powers, on his collision course with Brother Justin (Clancy Brown).

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Friday Night Cats Blogging: Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Paraskevidekatriaphobia, the irrational and morbid fear that something really, really, but really bad is going to happen when the calendar turns to Friday the 13th.
Irrational? But there is a greater fear about a more definite and immediate threat of getting your head ‘sploded by cats. And there’s no name for that yet.

Friday 13 Tito and Maz
0927 hrs - 1/13/2011: they stopped speaking as I walked into the kitchen

Even Miss Jenny was excluded from their conversation… Whatever, man… ‘Spect the ‘stache…

Walrus? Walpurgis? Tom Selleck?
Walrus? Walpurgis? Tom Selleck?

Eventually, Maz ambled back into the living room and “parked” himself in front of the television until…

melon go kablooie
I make melon go kablooie

Maz being nothing if not excessive, he ‘sploded another head, lifting his paw under the strain. Either that or he was passing gas.

Kapow Maz blows hedds
See what I did there? No? Watch again!

For those who haven’t mastered their powers yet, and I pray they don’t, Tito recommends starting with something easy like the photobomb…


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Golden Gate Park and the Murphy Windmill

When I moved here back in 2002, I knew about the Dutch windmill. I didn’t know about the Murphy windmill. The Dutch windmill, also known as the North windmill is very popular with tourists and has a wonderful tulip garden.

Dutch windmill
Dutch or North Windmill
Dutch windmill
Tulips

Not having been raised here, I was unaware of the Murphy windmill. Also known as the South Windmill, it had fallen into disrepair. It was designated landmark 210 and efforts were made to save it.

map

The Murphy and Dutch windmills pumped the water that fed Golden Gate Park. After electric pumps were installed in 1913, they were neglected. By 1993, the Murphy had lost its sails, fan tail and deck. When I moved here, this was all that was left as the rest had been sent to Holland for repairs.

Murphy windmill 2007
Murphy windmill 2007

This last year, the restored parts came back to San Francisco and the Murphy windmill was restored to its original glory. It was a sight to behold.

Murphy Windmill
Murphy Windmill

Be sure to visit both windmills should you ever come to our lovely city.


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