Where In The World is Claudia

Still on the Road

2009-09-11T17:42:00.002-06:00

Clyde, Isabelle and I are on the beach in Ocean Park, Washington. We're joined by Flash and Gordo - two new boys to our Gang. It's a small house and yard for the 5 of us, but the beach is 28 miles long. Ever try to catch a greyhound running down a 28 mile beach?

Gordo's new trick this week is taking anything he can off of counters, but only when I'm not home. Flash likes to bark at anyone that walks by.

Who taught these boys manners?
Guess I'll have to.

On the Road...Again

2009-08-09T08:20:00.003-06:00

RV is loaded up. Dogs are in their places. Izzy on her zebra-striped dog bed, perched precariously on the passenger seat, on an incontinent pad. Clyde with his bunny, agaisnt the pillow on the back bed, and here comes Power, to tell me I'm taking too long to get in the car and get going!!

We're headed to Pugh Canyon for a quick walk first, and then it's onto Salt Lake City.
To see Melanie and Fran and Rosa and go to the movies, and go for walks, and have a barbeque.
Power will now have his forever home in Salt Lake with the best greyhound mom ever, Lorinda.

Then Clyde and Izzy and I will head thru Idaho and Oregon (I have so much trouble driving only 65 mpg thru OR) to the beach in Washington.

Don't we have the life. On the road again.

Summer Time & the Living is Easy

2009-06-13T15:52:00.002-06:00

We are going to be traveling fools this summer.
Here's the schedule - always subject to change.

Last week of June - we'll be in Vegas dog sitting for our friends Carla & Chris - and their lovely hounds - Smiles and Allie.

Last two weeks of July - Grapehounds - we're doing TWO, count 'em, TWO talks. 7/24 and 7/25. Then West Palm Beach to see the Daddio. Then Greyhounds of the Bluegrass for another talk.

Then to the Beach - Ocean Park, WA - for a month of watching waves.

Sometime in Sept or October we'll be doing a talk in WA for GPI, too.

I do so love to talk.

Greyhound Gathering Begins

2009-05-15T06:36:00.002-06:00

It's 6:15 am, and there's 200 humans and hounds waiting for the start of the Gathering, and I've been up half the night because the coyotes have howling and so have the over 20 hounds staying at Greyhound Gang.

What a way to start the weekend.

Gathering - Comedy Improv

2009-04-27T17:25:00.002-06:00

A last minute, and really fun addition, to this year's Gathering.

I have a girlfriend in Chicago. Her name is Charna Halpern. She's a big deal in the comedy improv world, having helped launch Tina Fey, Mike Meyers, Andy Dick, Andy Richter, Chris Farley, Rachel Dratch, Jason Sudeikis and others.

She's training a comedy troupe in Cedar City on Friday morning, the 15th, and then they are driving her to Kanab, and she and they will perform during our evening festivities at Angel's Landing.

She's going to stay and help with the Gathering the rest of the weekend too.

I'm already laughing.

Greyhound Gathering - Kanab 2009 - May 15 - 17

2009-04-27T17:15:00.005-06:00

I'm furiously trying to pull off this Greyhound Gathering - and saying yet, again, this is TRULY my last one.

Best Friends put this article up on their web site - Shades of Grey. Yeah!

Event Schedule - of all the many wonderful things happening that weekend

a microcosm of my life:
- 200 Raffle items to pull together
- 300 Silent and Live Auction items to organize
- Tables to find to put these things on
- Volunteers to commander
- Desk to clean off so I can find things
- Golden Oldie goody bags
- Posters to get up
- Publicity to find
- House to Clean
- Dogs to Walk
- Yard Work

Ok. That's depressing. I have to go eat candy.

Almost On the Road...Again

2008-09-30T00:27:00.003-06:00

It's 12:30 pm. I won't be able to sleep. The RV is packed to the gills for a month away from home. We (Clyde, Power and me) leave at 7 am tomorrow morning. Our first stop is Breckenridge, CO. Just 9 hours away. A college girlfriend, Barbara, who I have not seen in I don't know how many years has a home there, and it'll be a reunion for a couple of days.

Barb and I used to wear our bell bottom pants, which we dyed, with our leotards and head to the college dances and dance ourselves silly. It seems we never stopped laughing in those days. I can still hear her say - "Claw-dee-ah".

From there it's a hotel in Omaha, NE. Then a few nights in Chicago with my friend, Charna. Then a hotel in PA. Then Dewey Beach here we come.

Wave to us. The RV has AdoptGreyhounds.org plastered all over it.

I'm Back and I'm Off...Again

2008-09-13T13:39:00.003-06:00

Just got back from sunny Washington state, where we walked the beach twice a day, and loved every minute.

I'll be unpacking soon, and repacking just as soon for our month sojourn cross country to Dewey Beach. We leave around October 1.

At Dewey, I'll be fundraising, and talking. Three talks at 3 pm. One on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Free stuff at all of them. Upbeat and entertaining, or your money back :) Look for the AdoptGreyhounds.org Winnebago Rialta (that's an old, small one) on Dagsworthy, near 7 Bayside Court.

Thursday, 10/9, 3 pm
Why Does my Hound do THAT? - Find out why butts are so fascinating and more...

Friday, 10/10, 3 pm
When I Am Older - Help your hounds live longer and healthy.

Sunday, 10/12, 3pm
I Know This to be True - raw feeding, holistic care and more.

Can't wait for the smell and feel of the ocean, the seafood and the hounds.

Royal Hounds Picnic - Washington

2008-08-31T15:49:00.002-06:00

Me, Clyde, Power and Isabelle are hitting the road Tuesday and headed to Long Beach Peninsula, Washington. But before we get there, we're stopping in Salt Lake City to see the best holistic vet ever - Dr. Kim Hennemen. Then spending the night with our good friends Mel, Fran and Barb. Then a 12 hour drive to GPA-NW in Portland, Oregon to say hi to Carol and her crew there. Then it's onto to the beaches of southern Washington, where Becky and her three greyhounds are welcoming us for some R&R and runs on the beach.

On Saturday, September 6th, I'll be at Royal Hounds Picnic, giving a brief talk about caring for dogs as they age. Hope you can come. All greyhounds and their people are welcome. They throw a very good party!

Visiting my Hounds

2008-08-11T08:04:00.002-06:00

They all leave with a piece of my heart. This week I'm hearting with two of my hounds - Allie and Smiles - in Las Vegas. We're laying by the pool, going to the dog park at 5:30 am every day, making meat loaf - for the hounds, of course, watching DVDs, reading, and just being a pure, unadulterated slug. All six of us.

You can read about Smiles journey on our Greyhound blog at Greyhound Gang. He's had quite the journey since breaking his leg as a puppy on the farm. Living outside in a pen with pit bulls, being shot at and finding his way to Almost Home for Hounds, and then Greyhound Gang, and then forever home in Las Vegas.

Allie is Zola's daughter. We loved Zola for many wonderful years, and with Allie around her indomitable spirit lives on.

Greyhounds of the Bluegrass

2008-06-09T10:59:00.004-06:00

I'll be in Louisville, Kentucky for Greyhounds of the Bluegrass from July 17 - 20th. Love that southern hospitality. Jennifer Watkins and her crew really know how to put on a party. Tons of food, fun and festivities all weekend long. You will go home with so many goodies, and so many memories.

I'll be giving two talks/demos: Why Does My Hound Do THAT? and When I Am Older. You can get my booklets about the talks at Greyhound Gang - Daily Care.
I'm very much looking forward to meeting new hound lovers, and seeing old friends.

Greyhound Gathering - Kanab 2008

2008-06-09T10:46:00.003-06:00

Another tremendous Greyhound Gathering - Kanab. Lovely, generous people with gorgeous hounds. I'm still digging my way through boxes and banners. That'll take a few more months, and then it'll be time to start planning next year's. The feedback is that the 3rd week of May works because the weather is warmer. We didn't have a lick of snow or rain. I, personally, think it's too warm for the hounds then, but currently that's the tentative weekend for next year.

I'm way exhausted from this year, so don't have much more pithy to say. You can view videos created by Dan King of the happy humans and hounds. Yappy Hour and Angel's Landing dinner and festivities.

Sandy Paws - March 6 - 9

2008-03-02T20:33:00.002-07:00

Great name, don't you think? Sandy Paws. Even better, this Greyhound get-together is on Jekyll Island, GA. It's a lovely place to visit, and even more lovely when greyhounds are there.

I'll first be visiting Indra, one of my first greyhound adopters, who has moved to Jacksonville. We talk, eat and Zumba. Then I head to Sandy Paws to talk some more - Why Does My Hound to THAT?. And then more talking when I hawk Greyhound Gang and Get Up & Go wares to raise funds for the hounds.

Then onto West Palm Beach to see my Dad. We'll eat, watch TV, visit the penny arcades, and not do too much talking.

Then it's home to Kanab, to get ready for my Greyhound Gathering. Yippee!

Registration - Kanab 2008

2008-02-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

Registration

Registration is now open. Make sure to read
Guidelines , About Events , Greyt Goodies to order in advance at a super price, and of course, make your Accommodations.

See you soon!

Gathering - Kanab 08

2007-12-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

Date is set. May 16 - 18.
Hoping to avoid snow and cold winds with a later date.
The web site - http://www.greyhoundgang.org - has a list of hotels.
Registration will be up in January or February.

The Holidays

2007-12-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Every day is a holiday with greyhounds. Their gifts of leaps and bounds in greeting. Their gifts of wiggly-waggly bodies when you open your eyes in the morning. Their gift of leaning on you when you pet them. Their gift of always looking you straight in the eye, and down to your soul.

This holiday, though, I'm farming out my hounds as I get on a plane with my Italian Greyhound, Isabelle, and head to West Palm Beach and Dad. It'll be an adventure I'm sure. Isabelle is a ten year old, strong willed, independant, 17 lb girl, that has never been in a Sherpa carrier. I adopted her in March, when her breeder no longer wanted her because her last litter was born dead. In August, during our vacation, she jumped over a loft wall, which she thought was a table top, and flew down about 20 feet to the rug below. Paralyzed in her back end, she started scrambling around in October. Her drunken sailor moves, have now become the crab scuttle. She gets around most everywhere she needs to, particularly to the food bowl. She's still a bit incontinent - thank dog for raw feeding, at least the turds are hard little things - so leaving her with someone was not an option. So we'll have our holiday adventure with Dad together. I did not tell Dad about the hard turds that may end up on his floor. Shush....