"You don't mind if I get on your couch, do you? Slide over..."

Rich has, yet again, discovered another of his failures: he lets Bailey ---sorry, he "invites" Bailey---up on the couch at home with a towel spread wide open. Needless to say, Bailey wasn't too concerned about towels during his visit to the Wood-Sirois household. He just likes getting up where the action is, right Aunt Anne?

A visit to Aunt Betty's home

Clancey was on his best behavior when younger cousin Bailey came calling.

Ode to Gipper (who has gone home)

Ode to Gipper

(who has gone home)

The drool spots on the floors and furry dust-bunnies

have been wiped or swept away,

The thumping of a game of smackdown with a stuffed animal

echoes no more through the house.

The poop bags no longer pile up in the garbage cans

in the garage,

The walks up and down the street to the accompaniment

of neighborhood barks are over.

No more jingling of tags follows us from room to room,

And no more middle-of-the-night "rearranging" of beds.

Peace and quiet returns to our home...

But it's almost too quiet and a little lonely

without Gipper.

We miss you, Pup!

by Grand-Dog Mother Connie

Aunt Connie & Cousin Gipper

Our neighbors Connie & Ben are babysitting their grandson, Gipper ("rescued" son of Gina and Aaron Venskus). This morning, Connie took Gipper out for a little run down Prospect Avenue. Don't you think Gipper is looking just a bit pooped out?

And how about the matching outfits! Awesome.

A sure sign that fall is on its way... or a question of who's the boss...

I went upstairs to write this evening and normally Bailey follows along. After 10 minutes I worried that he may be digging in the garbage, eating yet another of my books, or worse. But what I found when I came downstairs was Bailey relaxing in my TV chair. He always has seemed more comfortable on hardwood floors so his belly is cooled by the wood. Perhaps Bailey's need for warmth and comfort are sure signs that fall is on its way.

The Cousins: Play Date with BIG Cousin Zelig Kent

We went to Pam and Fred's old house to have a play date with cousin Zelig. Twenty-five minutes of rough and tumble has Bailey fast asleep under my office chair.

Play Date with BIG Cousin Zelig Kent

Pictures:
#1--Starting at a sprint

#2--"Get out of the woods, you Baby!"

#3--Running for his life!

#4--My, Zellie, what BIG teeth you have!

What Bailey has been trying to teach me...

Click Photo to Enlarge

After a hike on Center Hill, Weld, Maine

We stopped to see the Native American Long Hut on Center Hill after hiking for an hour through the woods. It was the first time I had let Bailey off the leash to run free during a hike. My voice, a few disap- pearing acts on my part, and tasty treats kept him in line. After the hike, he found two shady spots and was not in the least interested in getting back into the hot car. Couldn't blame him.

Gifts from Aunt Jan (a.k.a., Dean Kristo)...

Today at the university, Aunt Jan, also known as Dean Jan Kristo, delivered a bag full of chewing toys and snacks for the Bailster. We worked hard at putting together the perfect thank you for the treats!

Thank you, Aunt Jan!

Gifts from Aunt Jan (a.k.a., Dean Kristo)... B Roll photos

Those "perfect" photos take several revisions along the way...

No, Bailey: Don't step on the gift bag and please don't chew the bag... Leave a little of the octopus showing!

Gregory & Bailey become friends

When Bailey first arrived on Prospect Avenue, our neighbor Gregory--a writer and furniture maker (good one), a husband and dad (special one)--would have little to do with the black-brown-white fur ball that moved in next door. He'd mumble "Dogs ..." and give the begging boy an obligatory pat while wife Gina fawned over her little "boyfriend" from next door.

Over the past 3-4 weeks, however, Gregory enjoys Bailey's visits more fully, and today, out of nowhere local: "I haven't taken a dog for a walk in years." With that, he grabbed the leash and off they went.

When I walk Bailey along Prospect in the early morning hours, sleep-deprived drivers heading to work slow down just a bit for the two of us (often, we're in the middle of the road). The driver's eyes crack open and almost always a smile appears as they catch a glance. It may be, as Gregory often says, "Bailey's made-for-TV face" or perhaps they're seeing the puppy they once had or wished for.... These wobbly, long-legged, galumphing thiswayandthat... leaf-chasing-rock-eating puppies.

Bailey's (a.k.a., The Sullivan's) Garden... there it was, gone!

Bailey and our neighbor's cat MoMo loved the large "natural" garden that once stood in front of the Sullivan's home. MoMo loved sleeping in the undergrowth and, I suspect, laying wait for mice, chipmunks, and clueless puppies. Bailey dove into MoMo's secret garden, tumbled through the high flowers, and on occasion, gently pulled out an assortment to deliver to Gina.

This morning, however, the Sullivans decided that the garden--somewhat unwieldy from ... disinterest?--had to go. Bailey sat on our front lawn and watched the dismantling. He learned yet another hard truth of life, as youngsters through the ages have, that, "nothing gold can stay..."

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

–Robert Frost

The Massage...

Bailey and I visited my former student, now NYC choreographer Josie Bray and her husband Jack Rizutko at The Farm on Worthley Pond. Bailey grabbed center stage among Josie and Jack's friends and found the group massage fantasmagorical (i.e, fantastic, amazing, and magical). Lucky dog....

Josie and Jack are expecting POTUS in November! Happy days!

A September Evening in Weld...

We had a fun evening with Jen and Denny (nephew) and their daughters Morgan & Caroline (Rich's God daughters)... and of course their "son" Odie. We also enjoyed the Trevett's friends the Bianchinis--little Eva, at five and a half years, was especially fond of The Bailster. She led him around in the water for 10 minutes--he was ever so gentle with the little girl.

A September Evening in Weld... B Roll photos...

I need a grass and acorn break....

I'm so bored... you should take off my leash so people know that I mind... and that the puppy classes you're taking are working... on you.

Bailey weighed in at 40lbs or 18.2kg today. These photos below are of typical Bernese Mountain Dogs....

His grandmother Estelle says Bailey's feet are already bigger than his mom's. So...

40lbs + Big Feet @ 3 months 3 weeks (15 weeks) =

One BIG Sweetie!