Puppy Love

It was one of those times I wish I had the presence of mind to take pictures. This is what happened.

It was a few days before the start of Fete de Geneve. We were walking by the lake, somewhere near the weirdly named Baby Plage and the boat rental place. We see this guy hurrying past some swans, swinging his little dog (a Jack Russell terrier type) up past the snapping beaks. Then he cradled the dog on his chest, the leash hanging free.

He ran to the end of a little dock, taking off his shoes and clutching them in his other hand. We saw a little motorboat approaching. He got ready. The dog's tail was wagging so much it was a blur.

The boat stopped. The guy jumped on to the front of the boat (okay, I don't know my boat turns, but it's the part that looks like a car's hood). The fiberglass was slippery. He skidded. And...plop....the little dog dropped into the water. We started towards the dock.

In the next second the guy dove in, fully clothed, with the backpack on his back, dropping his shoes.

In the meantime the dog managed to get close enough to the boat for the couple in the boat to haul him abroad. Shaking himself vigorously the dog jumped towards the back of the boat where his owner (or was he the guy's owner? Who knows?) was trying to get on the boat. He kept barking and whining until the guy flopped on board, then licked his face a million times.

I think the guy never found his shoes, his clothes were soaked and his backpack was dripping wet. But nothing mattered to either of them. The couple in the boat were laughing loudly as they finally sped away.

Feel free to say Awwwwwwwww! If that was not love I don't know what it is.

Keepin' it going

So, I am not in a blogging mood these days. One, I'm in kind of a blah state of mind. Two, I am actually trying to complete this second draft...maybe even a third. But since I am paranoidly thinking that if I don't blog at least once in a while I might just forget to do it at all, here is a blog entry. Hah! And I'll throw in a picture of Naina for free...after a long hike in Champery in Valais. It is beautiful and she is cute and to maintain that theme of loveliness I've cropped myself out though you can see my hand :-)

Naina in Torino

A month or so ago I drove to Torino (Turin), Italy from Geneva. A three-hour long drive takes you through the Jura and then the Alps, where you cross over into Italy after driving through the Mont Blanc tunnel. The tunnel itself is about 8 miles long and while the French side was grey and overcast (being on the windward side of the mountain) Italy welcomed us wiht blue skies and perfect weather. I don't think I had ever realized the truism of the immutable fact that mountains create their own weather.


I am still not over the fact that in two hours I can drive through three countries. As usual Naina was along for the ride though I don't think the scenery impressed her much. Nor did Turin. While my mom-in-law went inside the church and the museum I relaxed by walking around the ruins of an old Roman amphitheater and then in the piazza, which was jam packed with people.

There was a protest against China: No Human Rights No Olympics. A fair trade I'd say? Of course, that's not going to happen. A group of kids went from speaking Italian to singing American pop songs with a perfect American accent and back again. The Rasta kids on the other side of the piazza were high on life and hash.

The piazza was full of families and their dogs. And, then there was Naina. At one time there was a group of at least a dozen kids and grown ups waiting to pet her. She was in seventh doggie heaven. I love the mutt but I can't understand the fascination my little husky/shepherd mix engenders in people. (Two weeks ago a woman in Geneva turned twice after passing us then wanted to know where she could buy one like her. She's a rescue from S. Central L.A I told her and I am not even sure if the rest of her litter mates look like her). A young Italian couple just came over to sit next to me so they could play with her. Two little babies sat on the ground and rubbed her belly. This is what a rock star's security guard must feel like...except of course for the tummy rubbing thing.

So, here you are, even though no one asked, Naina in Turin. Hey, you can't pet the shroud...but petting her is free though I am thinking of charging 2 francs per person. :-)

Okay, is she not the cutest dog ever?

My niece took this picture while Naina took a quick break from running about madly in the backyard while she plotted her next evil move.

I can't believe she is 6. She looks like an overgrown puppy and people are constantly surprised that she is not just 9 or 10 months old. We need to figure out the youth serum she's using.

So...Naina in the Backyard for your viewing and awwwwwing pleasure.