I've been on vacation part of last week and all of this one, and didn't have anything in particular planned for the most part other than catching up on yard work and trying to head to the beach, maybe even get in some fishing. But the highlight was all set up sometime ago, an overnight trip to Toronto for some shopping with Kim and then John Mayer at the Molson Amphitheatre in the evening. In between the stores and the concert, we were treated to a promotional meet and greet at our hotel, the Fairmont Royal York, with an a cappella group "Naturally 7", who have been opening for Michael Buble and would be doing so that same evening at the Air Canada Centre. With just enough time for a quick bite, we went to this very polished Japanese restaurant, "Ki", for a wonderful sushi meal, easily the best I've ever had! Then on to the concert for Kim and I, while Pete headed back to the hotel. Pete had arranged an upgrade to a suite with an adjoining separate room, and it was positively luxurious, definitely the topper to a marvelous mini-holiday!
Exiting the train station and on my way to cross the street to the Royal York ... I heard this voice, amazingly over all the street noise, and there was Kim hanging out the window!
Just inside the entrance, Kim and Pete's suite to the right, my adjoining room to the left.
On our way out on the town!
A quick shot of my trip's souvenirs ...
The Amphitheatre is a partly covered, acoustically-engineered dome-type structure, with the main stage being down in the "bowl" and the seats fanning up and out from there, including thousands of "seats" available on the expansive lawn. It's down at the shore of Lake Ontario, and last night was just perfect for an outdoor event. Not being a Mayer expert, but certainly an admirer, I gained a whole new perspective of him as a performer, just as much for his guitar skills as his obvious appreciation of his fans. He's an engaging and talented artist, and pretty darn cute, too! It was a stellar performance and a sensational evening.
A You Tube video of "Naturally 7" opening for Michael Buble that same night, just down the road from the Amphitheatre.
And a fan's posting of one of John Mayer's numbers from last night ...
My daughter's birthday (won't say which number :)) was this past weekend. On Saturday, we had family over for what has become our tradition, an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Seems to really hit the spot every year for the only mid-summer birthday! At the guest of honour's request, we featured a Batman theme.
Naturally, Rustle had to help supervise blowing out the candles.
The next day we headed to the Build A Bear for the second part of our celebration. So many choices, not just bears, but dogs, horses and cats in a variety of colours and styles.
Chels with her choice, an adorable but pretty much flat and two dimensional fuzzy bear.
Next step, transforming this bear into a more huggable state. Frankly, it looked more like he was getting a medical procedure ...
After the stuffing, comes the fluffing and a bit of brushing out ...
This group of photos are generally in alphabetic order by breed within the Herding group, Group 7. Shelties are a part of this group, but I did not capture the Sheltie Best of Breed today, I just couldn't get a good shot, but I think I did grab some interesting moments of some of the other competitors.
The Bearded Collie was awarded the top prize in the Herding Group, allowing him to move on to Best in Show.
This next set represents the Toy Group. They may be smaller in stature than a lot of the other dogs, but they command the ring just as decisively as any other dog there!
And of course I couldn't overlook the Chihuahua ... what a little show dog this fellow was!!
I took Keva (Ch Chelson Satin Image) to Monroe, Michigan this past weekend for the Ann Arbor Kennel Club shows. This is a huge dog show, exceeding 1700 entries, including 26 separate supported entries (or "boosters" for specific individual breeds), 16 rings and 35 judges. While some of the breeds were fortunate enough to be judged in the air conditioned building, most were outside. By all accounts, it was another steamy weekend, but thankfully there was enough breeze to make it bearable, and the free movie-style popcorn and lemonade didn't hurt!
There was lots of time on Saturday after the shelties were judged to enjoy the bulk of the show, and I took a number of candid photos outside of the show ring of dogs who had just been judged or were waiting their turn.
This little bulldog puppy was sporting the latest in "keeping cool" wear, a cooling jacket, very lightweight with a cool interior but dry exterior. Next Top Model, for sure!
There were plenty of wading pools and fresh running water set up for drinking or for cooling off. This German Shorthair Pointer puppy knew exactly how to use his pool!
Remember that free popcorn? Doesn't that mean for Mastiff puppies, too?
Two youngsters making new friends ...
A pair of Scotties, looking like they are old friends ...
Inside the air conditioned building, a group of Maltese get ready for the ring.
This dachshund doesn't appear to be feeling the heat too badly.
And this doxie is really travelling in style.
A well deserved rest back at the motel for Keva, who earlier that day took her first American points!
I'm still working on Part 2, mostly photos of dogs inside the ring. It was a great day, and the competition was inspiring.
One of Jolie's puppies (Am/Can Ch Shaydeechase Girl Interrupted)from her winter litter by Ch Lynphil Mirror Mask was lucky enough to find his way into the heart and home of a fabulous young lady, Victoria Brewster and her mom Debbie. They were extremely agreeable about letting me show "Oliver", and his debut was just last week, Friday and Saturday in Sarnia, Ontario. Although Friday was a little unsteady, he did really well for his first time in a totally strange situation, and at the tender age of just 6 1/2 months. By the next day, he was starting to figure things out, and we were all absolutely delighted when Oliver took Winners Dog, then Best in Winners and on to Best Puppy in Group for his very first points, at his very first show. "Anamchara A Step Ahead", aptly named by Victoria, is off and running!
Left to right, judge Robert Whitney, myself, Victoria and Deb, and of course Oliver
Just a few candid shots of the Canada Day festivities downtown ... it was a beautiful day, and the celebrations offered a variety of tributes to our wonderful country.
