China - Day 3

Up at 4am and out for a walk in the park Eddie recommended. It is fascinating... people doing Tai Chi & playing Badminton & walking & playing with their dogs. There are so many dogs but most of them walk off leash which is a little concerning to me with the massive & insane traffic... but the dogs seem to know to stay out of the streets.

It feels like we lost a day when we crossed over the International Date Line. Somehow I feel cheated of a day.

Eddie's family name is Gao which = tall which Eddie isn't!

"Bring your eyes wider" is what Eddie wants for us about China - what an interesting way to put it!

Today I experienced my 1st with the "porcelain hole in the floor" potty... that was freaky. Thank to Mimi (my wonderful Grandmother) I know how to squat... it's just the aim that is difficult! Freaky!

Bei = Capital
Jing = North
...therefore, Beijing is the Capital in the North.
Ming Wa = Brightness
Shi San = 13 (which is lucky and my lucky number, 14, is not lucky)
The Forbidden City was built to the Fung Shui specs meaning there is water to the front (south) and a hill, Coal Hill to the back (north).

Wow, what a day!

Tienanmen Square - it didn't seem as massive as I expected. I thought it should go on for miles. I suppose it was bigger in my mind and in history than it is in actual size. It was still very impressive. I wanted to see Mao's mausoleum but that wasn't on the itinerary and the line was really, really long. I did get to see his massive portrait hanging above the entrance to the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City - now this was massive. I can't imagine this whole complex was for the Emperor and his "family". It is huge and elaborate... anywhere else it would look tacky but somehow here in China it fits!

Peking Duck - is DELICIOUS and is for dinner!

Night Market - what a freak show of food! We saw everything imaginable on a stick! there were Starfish (Sorry Mary), Scorpions, Snakes, Seahorses and so much more. It was disgusting & fascinating at the same time. No one in our group was daring enough to venture anything more exotic than Coconut Milk with dry ice!

Communism/Socialism here is so very interesting. As Eddie says, "It is Socialism with Chinese influence"! Well stated!
There are may rules and very high taxes:

• Only cars from Beijing are allowed to drive during rush hour.



















• Everyone who drives in Beijing must take alternate transportation at least one day per week



















• License plates are numbered so you know where a car is registered & on what days it is allowed to be driven



















• For 5 years you must pay tax before buying a home (condo) in Beijing



















• For 5 years you must pay tax before you are allowed into the car lottery and are allowed to purchase and drive a car



















• Smoking Bans have been in effect since 1996 but: it is not enforced by the police, it is not enforced by restaurant owners, it is continually broken by patrons



















• Only 20,000 people each year win the "lottery" and are allowed to purchase and drive cars



















• There are stores for Gucci, Burberry, Coach, Bvlgari, etc...

Handwashing clothing for the 1st time in a very long time!

AC is my favorite thing ever. Today I'm thankful for:

• Air Conditioning



















• Foods on Sticks



















• Freedom



















• Peking Duck



















• Interesting People



















• Clean Air (there must be some around here, somewhere)

Why can't I add images to my post????????? Grrrrrrr.

China - Days 1 & 2 - A Country of Contradicion

Day 1:

Amazing how life just falls away so easily - it seems to melt away with every passing mile, everyday life is farther & farther away.

On to the incredible adventure of China!

Toronto to Beijing ~ story of my life, we have been delayed an hour but it's ok ~ I'm on vacation and going to CHINA!!

How many movies can you watch in one flight??

1. Gulliver's Travels

2. The King's Speech

3. The Tourist

4. Stage Door

5. Knight & Day

6. The American

... and that's not counting the documentaries I watched. 13 hour flights are not fun! But Air Canada feeds the masses every 2 hours!! And with the free movies, you can't complain about being bored!!

Day 2:

Somewhere we crossed the International Date Line & travelled into tomorrow. We flew over the Artic Sea! I've always wanted to travel into the Artic Circle, this is one way to do it!

I got to see Russia from the air, wow was that barren! Nothing but brown for miles and miles.

Something else I got to see was the Great Wall of China - from the air! YAY!

I haven't been this tired in forever. Was able to make it through dinner with our tour guide, Eddie, and a couple who will be part of our group, Jennifer and Bob. It was delish, real Chinese food, in China! Eddie took us to a small, dark, dirty restaurant. He was considerate enough to get us a table in a back room where we could close the door. Smoking has been banned in restaurants here for years but no one pays attention to that law.

I was able to figure out how to turn on the TV. It was a little bit of a challenge... there is a master switch box and you have to make sure the master button is on, the the desk lamp button is on, then you can turn on the tv button... after those buttons are turned on you use the remote to turn the tv on! Wow... I'm too tired to figure this out! Anyway, the first thing to show on the tv was a Ping-Pong match!! Imagine that!!

So tired and ready for sleep... dreaming sweet Asian dreams!!

*I promise Day 3 will be much more interesting!!

I missed agility practice

What an incredible day... I want to get it down before I forget any bit of it!

The girl at the front desk at the Hampton Inn was so cute. When I told her, "Ive had such an incredible day!", she thought I was being sarcastic! I suppose it isn't often that people check into a hotel (especially a working man's hotel) in such a spectacular mood!

The day started out at 4am when the alarm went off. I was out the door by 4:30 and at OIA by 5:45. After a short coffee in the Delta Sky Lounge, I boarded my flight, 1st class, to SLC. Before I left I already had in mind what I wanted to do for my adventure on this trip. Sometimes it's going to a certain restaurant, or a specific shopping area or a tourist attraction... well, this time I had a plan already laid out. Who knew it was going to be better than expected?!

My plan for the day was to see the Great Salt Lake then possibly the Bonneville Salt Flats then I found a little town on the map called Alta. Gee, my Grandmother's name was Alta so I just had to go there! Also, my doctor suggested going to Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Since my plane landed at 10am and I had worked the weekend prepping for this training I thought I might be able to justify my jaunt and fit all that in... maybe.

So, it is gray, cloudy and rainy today in Salt Lake City. The sky isn't the crystal blue I had hoped for but, hey, that's ok.

First I headed to the Great Salt Lake. Not far west on I80 I came across the Salt Lake Yacht Club. I stopped and got out to take a look around. There were only about 50 small sailboats at the Yacht Club but it was absolutely beautiful there. One of the groundskeepers, a man named Pahoe, warmly welcomed me and gave me a boatload of statistics about the Great Salt Lake. He told me the salinity of the water and the salinity in how it compares to the Dead Sea. I recall 16% somewhere in there. He told me a story of a couple who tried to swim to a certain point, not realizing it was 18 miles away and they had to be rescued. I learned that the salt in the water will quickly dehydrate you. Oh, and Pahoe introduced me to the Club's mascot, an Aussie named Taz, who loves everyone.

After the Great Salt Lake I thought, what the heck, I'll drive the 100 miles to see the Bonneville Salt Flats. I'm so glad I did. There is a rest stop on the north side of I80 that is perfect for spectating. Not that it is much of a spectator sport but, the view is absolutely breathtaking! The water was calm so the reflection of the mountains was like a reflection in a mirror. I even drove out on the "jetty" to the end. What a wondrous sight!

Having checked those two off the list I decided to tackle the other two. My little town of Alta just happens to be in Little Cottonwood Canyon... how convenient! On the way I got a good tour of town. Well, I started up 190 and, oh, my... I want a house in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I don't care which one, any of them will do. Heck, I'll take someone's garage!!! What a beautiful area. It was like a storybook village. Each home was prettier and more magnificent that the last.

Well, I headed up this "hill" on my way to Alta. Remember, the only reason I want to go there is because it was my Grandma's name. Well, the road got steeper and steeper and steeper. Did I mention it was cloudy and overcast in Salt Lake City? Well, as I got higher and higher it turned into the most beautiful snow! *This is a special treat for a Floridian! Alta is a ski resort at the top of the mountain! There may be a town up there, I don't know. By the time I started heading back down the snow was coming down hard!

I white knuckled it to the bottom of the mountain and breathed a sigh of relief. What an incredible day!

Oh, and what does this have to do with dogs and agility? Well, nothing really, other than I'm supposed to be at agility practice at home right now. Oops.

I miss my dog!

Blyss and Me

It's been a while

It's been a long while since I've posted anything... much has happened in my real world (not good stuff) and my dog world has had to take a back seat.

Right now there are no fosters in the house and Blyss is injured :-( She wasn't acting right at the last trial so I had someone take a look at her. She has injured her Psoas (think sore ass in a southern accent). It runs from her abdomin down her inner thigh. It's not terribly bad but bad enough to be on rest... no jumping.

She's been swimming a few times and I've taken her for walks. She doesn't act injured at all but then, she's a dog, she isn't going to say, "hey, I'm hurt".

We've been to Dr. Bartkus who gave her a much loved (yes, that is said with sarcasim) adjustment. She'll go back with me on Friday and get another adjustment and see if she has had any improvement.

In the meantime, poor Blyss has not been able to do any agility. We've worked on some tricks and some stays but other than that nada...

I'm off to Salt Lake City this week. Hope to visit the Bonneville Flats as well as a city named after my Grandmother... well, maybe they didn't name it Alta because her name was Alta but they have the same name. Kinda' cool!

Video Only-Day 3 Jumpers

Why can't I post my video?!?!?!?! Been trying for 2 days now! Hmmmmm.....

Palmetto Trial, Day 3... Friday

What a beautiful day! It was rainy and cold but... Our Novice Fast run this morning was fabulous. Blyss took everything with ease and grace... we got the send, no problem and she Q'd and took first place. Our first time in Excellent (A) Standard was a bit of a challenge. The run was fabulous, I ran my butt off, nailed my front crosses, was where I needed to be at the proper time... however, Blyss popped out of the weaves and jumped off the table... both her jobs. Other than that it was beautiful! The first time in Excellent (A) Jumpers was PERFECT!!! It felt sooo good. Now I know what it's like to be "in the zone". I was there for my lead out, front cross, rear cross... Blyss took a blue ribbon for her work and she ran her tail off... figuratively, not literally!! The highlight for me was when Daniel MacDonald complimented my run!!! YEAH! Well, tomorrow is supposed to be REALLY cold... in the 50's... should make for crazy pups! What a wonderful way to ring in 2010...