Remembering Corky 06-06-20

It is an anniversary of sorts.  On this day in 1997 I started being nanny to Corky Loos, the nicest little poodle I have ever met.   His parents live in Long Beach and had busy lives, so they needed someone who could keep Corky when they had to be gone and to teach him some ways of the doggy world.  This association lasted until November 2013 when Corky went over the Rainbow Bridge.  He is still missed in my life and probably the lives of everyone who knew him.  He was a prince among poodles .

Jim and Sherry Loos, Corky's parents.

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Life and Figs 08-28-15

I still have little KoKo, he goes home tomorrow.  Yesterday was a tour de force for both of us.  I needed to do a written drivers test and couldn't get an appointment in time at the local DMV.  Four years ago I had the same problem, but was driving up to the Monterey area a few days before my birthday, so I made an appointment at the Goleta DMV (just north of Santa Barbara).  That worked out okay, so this time I made an appointment at Bellflower so I could leave little KoKo with Sherry, Corky's mommy in Long Beach.  She takes care of a dog now and then, I suppose it satisfies something in her as Corky (and now KoKo) did for me. 

When I started the car to leave it made a terrible noise, so I drove it around the block to see if it drove okay and it did.  We were off to Long Beach with a lesser noise, but something that obviously needed to be taken care of.  However, I hadn't planned that into my day.  I left KoKo with Sherry and gave her three toys to toss for him.  The drive to DMV and the testing took about an hour and half, it seemed to include an inordinate amount of sitting and waiting for my number to be called.  It was moderately air conditioned, but about 150 bodies give off quite a bit of heat - whew.  I took the test and missed one question which is bugging me because I think I had the right answer, but they didn't and were too busy to explain.   I did the eye test and had my picture taken, it can't possibly be as bad as the last one.  They won't let me wear my hat, even though I tell them nobody recognizes me without it.

Back to Sherry's where I hauled the SAQA Traveling Trunk into the house and went through all the samples, there are 61 in this trunk.  I'll  present them to my art quilt group in SDiego on Sunday and then ship them off to their next destination on Monday.  More on this after the  Sunday meeting.

Sherry took KoKo for a long walk and met some other dogs who wanted to play - KoKo really got a workout and has not been so demanding today.  It was cooler in Long Beach than it has been here.  Today it was 101F in Placentia with a humidity of 22%.  Way too hot for Auntie Del to go for a walk.  So, I'm glad KoKo had a tremendous walk last evening.  We have been out in the backyard half a dozen times today.  Don't want any accidents!

This morning I was at Castner's, the auto repair place, when it opened at 7:30am.  They hoped they could replace the failed part of my power steering before they close today, but here it is 4:20pm and they haven't called to say it is ready.  If not I will rent a car for the weekend, but I would rather be driving my own vehicle. 

I love figs and they have such a short season that I am never satisfied.  Trader Joe's is selling "Tiger Figs" which I had never heard of.  They are quite small, like ping pong balls, but very sweet. Not as sweet as the wonderful honey figs they grow in South Carolina, but a good second place.  Of course, one needs to eat them pretty quickly, so I am having my fill of figs.  If they still have them when I go next week, I will get another box.  Maybe two!

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Thinking about Corky 01-26-15

I've been feeling sentimental these days - missing my Corky dog. He died in November 2013.  I had lunch with Sherry, his mommy, the other day.  We had a Morrocan Salad from California Pizza Kitchen - so good.  And we talked about the Poodle Prince and his antics.  This picture was taken on January 25, 2005, just ten years ago, when he was just nine years old.  He was still a teenager then, but had already learned to control all of his people very well. 

This family isn't planning on having another dog, but they say they will take care of my dog, should I decide to add one to my life.  But I still travel too much - how could I go away for 3 or 4 weeks without my little companion?   

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Corky has gone over the Rainbow Bridge 11-17-13

Corky Loos  07-29-96 to 11-17-13

10-04-08  Corky in his favorite mode of transportation.  

Corky with his parents, Sherry and Jim Loos, Long Beach, CA 07-29-07
His 12th birthday. 

Friday Feet - Deux 09-28-12

Not long ago when I went to Long Beach to pick up the Poodle Prince his parents were all dressed up for a special party.  With new shoes.  I couldn't resist.   

 
Elegant and proper.

 
But then they had to get frisky! 

Dessert 06-28-12

Corky's parents took me out to dinner for our annual Copper River salmon feast.  There is such a short season and we almost missed it as the menu changed today.  It was grilled, no sauce, just the way I like it.  No pictures - it just looks like salmon, maybe a little more red.   Soup, broccoli, baked potato and dessert.  One of the nice things about dining our with Jim and Sherry is that Jim always wants dessert and Sherry will only have a bite. 

 
For Jim - vanilla bean ice cream with a dark chocolate fish and a crispy cookie.  Excellent.

 
For Del - creme brule.  Fabulous.  I'd forgotten how much I love it.

 
For Sherry - Just a bite of ice cream.  She is so good and so skinny!

Indian Creek Lodge to Redding 08-18-11

I am in Mount Shasta City tonight, checked into a swank resort where I cannot hear any traffic - silence reigns supreme!  There is a heavy bodied bug bumping into the window because I have a bright light on over the table.  No "in between" - either on brightly, or off and pitch dark.  I am very tired, so I will only show the pictures driving to Redding and save the others for tomorrow night as I am staying here two nights. Tomorrow I intend to sew all day.  I will probably have to go out to eat as I don't have much in my cooler.  The one piece of bread, half an avocado and two little chunks of cheese sliced verrrry thin made dinner tonight.  I do have PB & jelly on crackers to fall back on.  And two hard boiled eggs.

 

Only a few miles east of the motel we hit the construction zone.  They are repaving the westbound lane(s), so the traffic is allowed alternately in the remaining lane.  Weren't we lucky, we were only the second car.  We sat there about 17 minutes.

Then we set off - the white truck is the "Follow Me" guy.

We only drove about 15mph, so I had time to admire the scenery. Can you believe that BLUE sky?

When we came to where the westbound traffic was waiting the "Follow Me" truck did a U turn and pulled in front of that line of cars.  Corky was complaining and I thought he needed a pit stop, but when I walked him up and down in a parking area he didn't do anything.  However, he continued to complain and jump all over in his seat until he managed to knock it over.  His parents said he was a pill when they drove to the motel on Sunday, but thought it was because his mommy was driving the very twisty road with lots of 20mph curves and his daddy was holding him - usually it is the other way around.  But now we think it was a combination of twisty road and high embankments on either side much of the way.  Corky is usually a great traveler, but that is in the desert - the flat lands where he can see great distances out either window.  I finally pulled over and made some adjustments.  I held him in my left arm while he rested on a pillow in my lap and had his nose glued to the driver's side window.  I hooked his seat belt onto mine - in case of an accident we would be attached - and drove with my right hand and as slowly as I could.  There wasn't much traffic.   He was still frantic at times when the embankment rose straight up and and he was panting as though he was going to have a stroke.  We met his parents at the designated spot in Redding and he quickly went to sleep in his carrier when they started south on I-5.  He slept most of the way until they stopped for the night.  Poor little guy, he has never traveled so far and never on mountain roads.

One of the places we stopped along the road had a huge patch of asters - like pieces dropped from the sky.  Seems early yet, but we were up about 2000 feet and, of course, further north.

After the stressful drive down to Redding I spotted a Cold Stone Ice Cream store, stop for a medium bowl of Sweet Cream w/cherry pie filling and Kit Kat bars ("Del's Delight") and drove over to Turtle Bay Park to sit under a tree and watch the Sacramento River run south.  Of course, by the time I got there I had to drink about half the ice cream - it was delicious that way also!  The famous Sundial Bridge goes over the river from Turtle Bay to connect to the river trails system and the campus of a local college.

http://www.turtlebay.org/sundialbridge   I did not get out and walk this trip due to my ankle, but it is  fascinating architecture.

 

There were Canadian geese along the river and...

.. also red-headed mergansers which are diving ducks.  They pop to the surface and paddle upstream against the strong current at a speed that is amazing.  Suddenly, they disappear underwater again.  They were working the shallower side of the river.  You can see the white ripples where the deep water begins and runs along the opposite bank - I've never seen the Sacramento going so fast - a result of all the snow California mountains received last winter and the very slow arrival of summer. 

 This little island is right at the edge of the deep water and was crowded with mergansers and Canadian geese.

In keeping with the dictum of Katharine Hepburn I never pass up a chance to pee and there were  freestanding restrooms near the river shore.  I was surprised to find them to be top of the line and decorated inside with lovely pictures printed on ceramic tiles.  Kewl!  I might research this for when I have my master bathroom remodeled. 

I drove north on I-5, but was so tired I didn't get far.  So, I will post those other pictures tomorrow night.  Right now I am going to fall into bed! 

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Weaverville, CA 08-17-11

We drove over to Weaverville today - Corky and I and his parents.  It isn't very far - through wooded hills with a few houses along the way and many narrow roadways off into the trees.  I am surprised at the number of logging trucks that pass the motel.  LOTS of traffic in addition to the those noisy beasts - pickup trucks, delivery trucks, sedans - and due to construction between here and Redding the traffic comes in bunches as the road is narrowed to one lane with the vehicles bound in the other direction waiting until the flagman allows them through.  In these modern days there really isn't a flagman, but a guy with a  walkie-talkie or a cell phone or something, who calls to his counterpart on the other end of the construction zone to tell him to let the cars through.  I fondly remember the few times when, as a child going to grandma's house, we were actually the last car to go through and were honored to carry the flag to the other end and pass it over to the flagman.  Such a treat!   

I was in Weaverville many years ago - maybe 45 - and I vaguely remember these spiral staircases.  The town looks much as I remember it, but there are newer buildings on the outskirts.  A modern strip mall with quite a large supermarket and a Starbuck's!  We didn't stop there.

 

This building is directly across from the one in the first picture and there are several more of these stairs along the main street. 

This sign is affixed to the building near the staircase - it explains the odd circumstances that created these landmarks.  Click to enlarge.

We asked at Olsen Stoneware for a restaurant that would allow Corky in his stroller on a patio and were directed to the Garden Cafe which has a lovely covered porch. 

Such a dear little guy - everyone stops to remark and ask questions.  This is a different stroller than the one he keeps at my house (usually in the back of my car).  His mother takes him running or walking in this one which is much more maneuverable.  He checks everything out, he is undoubtedly the nosiest dog I have ever known, then curls up and goes to sleep.  He knows he won't get anything to eat, so he doesn't beg.  At home, of course, it is a different matter!

 

The couple at the next table were served whilst we were looking at the menu and the smell was so wonderful I couldn't resist ordering the same thing.  It is all sauteed veggies the bottom layer is potatoes, then all the veggies, then melted cheese and finally topped with a slice of yellowtail tuna. Sherry and I split an order, but she eats very little, so it was sort of a 70-30 split.  And I brought home leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

 

Such a handsome couple dining in the shade on a very hot day.  It was 100F here at the motel when we returned from our drive.

 

Jim stuck with the tried and true and ordered a Reuben which looked very tasty on a specialty bread.

We will be moving on tomorrow.  I'll go north and the three of them will return to SCalifornia.  Don't know where I will be tomorrow night, but I will try to blog regardless.

Indian Creek Lodge - Douglas City, CA 08-16-11

Regardless of the name, this place is a motel!  Not many guests this week, but there appear to be four employees - Curt at the front desk, this guy with a long grey ponytail, who was working on the grounds today, and two room cleaners.

   

There are seventeen rooms/suites - the Poodle Parents are in 17, I am in 16 and Corky splits his time between the two.  This view is to the east with the house next door in the background.

 

There is a nice area in the shade with tables and chairs - just west of the pool.  I'm thinking of taking a dip tomorrow when his mommy is here to watch Corky.  The gravel in the foreground is the parking area.

This view is to the west, but the first building is blocked from view.  The two story building is the office and (I presume) the manager's residence upstairs.

Corky spent a  lot of the day looking out the window, waiting for his parents to return.

Or sleeping on my bed which is covered by the very special Maxine quilt made for me by a loving friend.  It is the perfect travel size and rolls up neatly to fit in my "bed bag".  Corky lays on the floor at his house and at my house, but the carpet here doesn't look very clean, so I try to keep him up on the bed or the table.  He will definitely need a bath when he gets home. 

 

Today he had to share the bed with my sewing project.  The bright, patterned fabrics blend in with the quilt.  I wasn't sure what I was going to use and naturally brought more fabric than I need.  Better that than try to find a quilt shop these days.  Although I understand there is a nice one in Weaverville.  Might check that out tomorrow. 

Indian Creek Lodge - Douglas City, CA 08-15-11

Below are the fisherman and the fisherman watcher!  Jim is the only one of us who has the equipment and is eager to catch some trout.  So far he has only dabbled a little.  He visited a bait shop to learn what the fish are finding delectable at the moment and came back with some red net, red elasticized thread and a can of cheap oil pack tuna (phew!).  The guy at the bait shop had shown him how to make "tuna balls" and he enlisted my help since I sew.  Is there a connection?  When he went out casting, the tuna balls and two lures went to the collection at the bottom of the river.  We'll make some more on Wednesday morning when he is ready to fight the good fight again.

They were well doused with insect repellent - against the bees/wasps and the mosquitoes.

 

And here is the Poodle Prince, sitting in his bed on a table in the window of my room.  No need to point out that his parents departed stage left. 

And here he is in silhouette from inside the room.  The fence you can see across the parking lot is around the swimming pool.  And about twenty feet beyond that is Hwy 299 - the main route from Redding to  Weaverville. 

This flock of Canadian geese (about 16) came to graze on the lawn behind the motel this afternoon.  The Trinity River is just beyond the tan sandy area across the middle of the image.  I walked down there with Corky today and was really huffing and puffing.  I carried him because we fear that he will pick up a tick if he walks in the grass and underbrush. 

I have been doing work for Surfside Quilters Guild on my laptop, but hope to start a sewing project tomorrow.  I brought several, along with my sewing machine and other equipment.  I'll have to move Corky's bed off the table, or maybe just push him to the far edge.  He is used to having a window view to the outside at his house and at mine, so he is not happy that the windows here are too high for him to see what is happening outside.  There isn't much to see - the cars and trucks going by on the highway, a guest knitting near the pool  and, BIG excitement, the housecleaning lady come to do his parents room.   

I hope I have a bit more energy tomorrow, after driving for two days I am very tired.  Ah-h-h-h, to have the energy of a 20 year old!   

Drive to the Desert 12-28-10

Oh, my goodness, how I love driving on the highway, out of the LA Basin - the "open road" has always called me and I have been missing it the last year or so. The five plus hour drive to Lake Havasu City seems more like being on a road trip than my drives north on I-5 to San Juan Bautista and Pacific Grove. I think it is due to the miles and miles of uncultivated desert and the rough, rocky mountains.

Of course, one must first get out of the basin. This image is on I-15 (which starts at the Mexico border and ends just south of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) and we are all stopped quite near where Hwy 60 crosses - the high roadways you see are part of the Interchange. Just beyond this point all lanes of the road were closed due to a seven or eight car pileup with serious injuries - all northbound traffic had to exit either Hwy 60 East or Hwy 60 West. I chose west because I had an idea how to go around the blockage on surface streets. And I did fine. But instead of 1 to 1-1/2 hours it took me two hours and twenty minutes to make the drive from my house to Lenwood just south of Barstow. I really can't sit that long without suffering great pain in my hips and back, so when I got out at the Arco station in Lenwood I had to hang onto the car at first. Pitiful! I felt I needed a special lunch with lots of protein, so I lined up at the In & Out Hamburger drive-thru. One thing about In & Out, they know how to keep things moving. And the burgers are cheap and delicious. The last time I had one was late August when Liz and I stopped before I did the program in the garden for Westside Quilters.

Then I was on the road again, At Bartsow I turned off busy I-15 north to Las Vegas and took I-40 east which usually has light traffic, but lots of big trucks. This sign where I-40 begins always starts me daydreaming about driving across country again - "Wilmington, NC, 2,554 miles". I-40 follows the old Route 66, crossing and recrossing and sometimes it is the same roadway. The first time I drove/rode this route it was a great deal of Route 66 interspersed with short sections of the new Interstate. That was a lot of years ago.

Because I was delayed today, Corky's parents and grandparents left for Laughlin, NV, where they had tickets to see Debbie Reynolds in concert - she is 78! - leaving Corky alone for maybe a half an hour. He was glad to see me, but spent most of his time sitting in the front window looking for his parents to return. They got home about an hour ago and the three of them are sound asleep.

While I was unloading my car Corky wanted to go out back to do some business and this is the view I saw. I had been too busy to even look out the back windows. I have taken a zillion pictures of Lake Havasu sunsets - so many of them are spectacular. Almost as good as the South Pacific, but not quite so gaudy. I have more pictures to share with you, but I cannot keep my eyes open and keep typing on the wrong keys, so I'll post more travel views on another day.