The Little Lummox will now be known as 'Mad Dog' Leo ...

.... because he is one crazy ornery little cuss. Stubborn too. I will now tell the whole sorry episode since it will explain why Carmen was reading him a children's book hoping it would teach him that, as the book puts it, "You DON'T have the sense you were born with! You never DID have the sense you were born with! You never WILL have the sense you were born with!" Well, that's Carmen's sentiment anyway.

It all started a few days ago when I leashed the little beast up and took him off to the fishing spot on this side of the dam so we could walk along the new part of the Greenway. We get out of the car and walk towards a nice big grassy field the lummox likes to walk through.

Suddenly I see a big dog, many times bigger then the lummox, stick his head up out of the grass and start towards us. "Uh Uh. This could be trouble. He's not on a leash." Then I see FIVE other big, unleashed dogs come out of the tall grass to be with their pal.

I instantly realize that this is a time to run back to the car as fast as possible. But Leo, the noodlehead, decides he wants to take all six of them on and starts struggling against his leash. I am practically dragging him down the path but he is going in all directions. Finally I decide I have to pick him up and carry him. I get him halfway up when he goes wild wiggling and squirming so that he jumps out of my arms. And pops his head out of the leash. Barking ferociously he charges off straight at the dog pack.

Several things run through my mind at once. "Gee, I am going to have to wade into a really nasty dog fight to try to save this lunatic," followed immediately by "Gee, how the hell am I going to explain this to Carmen? There won't be enough of Leo left for us to bury!"

Now Leo is 35 measly pounds of raw fury standing 10 inches at the shoulder hurtling to his doom. The six dogs all stop in unison, gape at this sight for less than a second, and turn tail and run. Soon they have disappeared into their home neighborhood under the trees. I figure that they couldn't believe their eyes and weren't entirely sure exactly WHAT was coming towards them.

Now I think that the little lunatic will run after them and I will spend the next few hours searching for him, but he stops, draws himself erect and barks at the retreating dogs. Then looks around to see if I am there. He actually waits for me to catch up with him and even stranger, allows me to put the leash back on him without his usual fuss. So I am telling him "Good dog! Good dog!" Well, I guess we showed them, he seems to say.

But Carmen was VERY unhappy when I told her the story. In fact, she was disgusted with both of us I think. I knew I should have kept quiet about it. But it WAS fun - once it was all over.


Note: If you want to see the story of Maeread's cat Henry, and why he may be a noodlehead too, check here.
I now hear that Maeread wants her Mommy to hold Henry down while she reads to him, hoping it will improve his behavior too.

Our trip to Chinatown with Cousin Pam...

... which was our second day in San Francisco. Stopped by to see Aunt Louise at the Broadmore. Pam decided to go with us so we set out walking, intending to get at least as far as the first cable car. When we got there, looked at the cable car, calculated the $15 it would cost the three of us to ride about 1/2 mile, and then looked down the street and saw where we wanted to be, we decided just to walk. Pam said "Now that I've looked at one it's just as good as the experience of riding one." By the way, everything seems to be either up the street or down the street here.

We arrived at Chinatown and found the famous gated entrance. From there we started wandering back through the streets looking at all the shops and all the people. Everything is for sale there, including this bucket of toads. We passed a blind man on the street playing a one string instrument with a bow called an Ehru - it sounded a bit like a musical saw. Suddenly we heard the sound of a marching band - it's a small band of Caucasians dressed in old fashioned uniforms like the Salvation Army banging and toodling away. They headed a long funeral procession of cars hurling yellow strips of paper about the size of dollar bills to the crowd. The hearse had a huge box of flowers on the top with a large portrait of the deceased, an elderly Chinese lady. So it was a traditional Chinese funeral complete with a band playing western style marches and hymns and throwing fake money - the yellow strips of paper.

The band by the way is famous. Called "The Green Street Mortuary Band" it has even had a poem written about it by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Everyone stopped to look at a piece of the loopy China Town culture marching by, except for the guy on the one string violin. He just kept sawing away, oblivious to everything.

We walked down to Portsmouth Square, the 'heart of Chinatown' as the tour book says. I thought it was delightful. There are whole families there, the grandmothers setting on benches, the children playing on the playground equipment, and a few yards from the playground, tucked under some trees for shade, are the men, playing cards and gambling. And they look very serious about it. An historical note: this is what the Square looked like a hundred years ago after the great earthquake.

As we sat there enjoying the scene we began talking about the weather. Pam tells us it is usually foggy in the morning and can get hot, as it was this morning, but that around noon the wind comes up and cools everything off. No sooner does she say this then a wind springs up. I look at my watch: 11:55.

Just about time for things to cool off, and for us to find a place for lunch.

I think Carmen may be losing it ....

... I just saw her in the family room, now known as Leo's Room, reading the little lummox "Epossumondas" ... a story book she read to Maeread last night.

What's worse is he seems to be listening.

The first day of our big trip to San Francisco.

It all went very well. We went down to Charlotte the evening before and stayed at a Drury Inn Carmen wanted to try. Then the next morning we went to the airport by 8:30. Almost all of the lots were full and the airport was packed. I was a little worried when I saw all the people but everything at US Airways was organized and they moved us right along - everyone in a good mood. The flight was long - 5 hrs 15 mins. The couple next to us each slugged down four drinks before the end and were well lubricated - just this side of obnoxious. My reading for the trip was yet another book on The Fall of Rome, this time a short one with lots of pictures.

It was a gorgeous day when we arrived at San Francisco. On the van ride into town we got our first sight of what the city looks like. We arrived at the Queen Anne by 1 pm, which was too early for our room to be ready. The desk manager gave us a very good map and directions on how to get around the neighborhood. When he heard that we were here to visit our aunt at the Broadmore he ran out to the sidewalk to show us how close we were to it. You can see it from the front door.

Since we had some time to kill we went for a long walk since everyone seemed to be surprised that the weather was so nice. We walked through Japantown, a remarkable shopping mall area of Japanese restaurants, shops and a large bookstore. It was built by the city as a mark of 'conciliation' with the Japanese-Americans and seems to have taken off. Though if you read the signs on many of the shops and restaurants you discover that they are Korean rather than Japanese. We went into the bookstore and except for a small section of tour books, with a stack of the new Harry Potter book released that morning, everything was in Japanese!

From Japantown we walked up Filmore Street, or Yuppietown. Lots of upscale shops, restaurants, and a coffee shop for every 50 residents it seemed. And when I say we walked up Filmore, I mean UP. We stopped at a Thai restaurant where I had a Stella Artois and a Silver Noodle Salad, both of which were great.

After getting settled into our room we went down to see my Aunt Louise and my cousin Pam. All four of us went to eat at the Mediteranee Restaurant on Filmore. Pam drove, and just like my mother, she found a parking space right in front of the place. The food was great, and very interesting. I had something called Armenian potato salad which was not like any potato salad I'd ever had before. Very crisp and cool with lots of cilantro. I noticed they had Armenian beer on the menu but passed on that (the interesting thing is that Armenia is nowhere near the Mediterranean). There must be billions of dollars worth of weird beers imported to America just for ethnic restaurants.

After we said good-by to Pam and Louise we went for a steep walk up to Lafayette Park. It is at the top of Pacific Heights and looks down over all of the north beach of San Francisco from the Embarcadero to the Golden Gate. Everyone with a dog, especially big dogs, really big dogs, brings them to this park for a little 'walk'. On our way out we saw an impressive white and black hawk setting in the tree just above our heads.

We were ready for sleep when we got back to our room, in the strange but charming little 19th century bordello style Queen Anne.

In two more hours we are off to San Francisco.

I put Leo the lummox in the doggie motel. He has a little wound on his side. We don't know where he got it but it has made him very needy lately .... follows me around and wants to be as close to me as possible. The vet shaved a little spot out of his fur so he could see what the trouble was and gave us an ointment for him. It seems to be much better. Yesterday I took him for a long walk all the way out to see the Chocolate pony who seemed glad to see us. Chocolate has been all trimmed up and looks great. His big bushy mane makes him look like Tina Turner. Lummox didn't lunge at him this time to try to bite his nose off, so that was good.

Anyway, the little lummox is safe in the kennel and we are off to see Aunt Louise. This is where we will be staying. So no more blogging until next Wednesday. Hope everyone stays safe, and out of trouble.

Leo the Lummox meets a snake and a groundhog ...

... all on one walk with Carmen and me. It was hot so we took him over to Beckie's Park down by the Yadkin River where there is lots of shade. As we were getting ready to leave the park I looked back and saw the lummox in his attack stance. Carmen had a very firm grip on his leash. Right in front of him was a big snake which had instantly gone into a coiled strike position. Carmen drug the little beast away as fast as possible, but she didn't panic. We decided that the snake wasn't really poisonous. No, not at all. Couldn't be.

After that little turn through the woods we went to the Hidden Park across the road, out behind some of the industrial buildings. When we started to come out from under the trees the lummox went into full attention. About 20 feet from us was a groundhog silhouetted in a noble groundhog position, nose in the air, perfectly still. With the sun striking him his fur looked almost blond. It took him a second to realize that Leo had seen him, then he went racing for a large drain pipe. The lummox wanted to run after him, and on his short little legs he might have been able to do it, but once again Carmen kept a firm grip on his leash.

She's getting a lot of practice with that.

We are going to San Francisco ...

... a week from tomorrow. We have bought our plane tickets, reserved our hotel room, everything. Mainly we are going to see my aunt, who is 89 and not likely to make it back out to the east coast for any more reunions. I had told her some time ago that I was planning on coming. When I told her that Carmen had decided to come she brightened and said "Oh good! Pam [her daughter] will come down to visit too if Carmen's going to come."

You can see where Clemens ranks in the family hierarchy!

The trip should be fun. We are only going to stay for three nights. We will see our aunt, and Pam, evidently, and now will search the Internet to see what other things we might like to do in San Francisco. I imagine that we can manage to find something to keep us amused.

And after San Francisco, that unnamed port city to the south.

I was a judge at the Sacco and Vanzetti trial....

... today. It was a mock trial for Dr Judd's class in American History. There were three judges, I was one, and the class was divided into two group: prosecution and defense. The defense was prepared, complete with wide ties knotted loosely over their regular shorts and tee shirts. They were ready. Prosecution was a bit spotty, though several on the team were committed, and even got passionate. Especially when one began on the Italian immigrants who wouldn't assimilate and wouldn't become citizens (remember - in 1927 it was the Italians who were going to destroy American civilization by immigrating here in such vast numbers). The head of the prosecuting team clearly wanted to hang Sacco, at the least. If he had to take Vanzetti with him, well, OK. The needs of the many trump the needs of the few.

That was the real issue of the trial, and I heard some interesting opinions about it. I tremble for the Republic, but then, look at the last six years.

But it was all in good fun, and Dr Judd rewarded me with a salmon sandwich and two beers at the Boone Saloon.

Then I went back to my office and took a nap.

.

Maeráed and Máire are back from Ireland ...

... though Maeráed was dead tired from jet lag. They got in last night and Maeráed was up at the crack of dawn thinking that if it was light she should be up. I met them at the Mellow Mushroom. Even though she was so tired Maeráed still insisted I take her up to the bar so she could watch pizza being made. Her mom showed me pictures of their trip, including a little cell phone video of them dancing Irish dances. Maeráed has added to her Irish vocabulary. When I asked her if she was going to Ireland again next summer she used her new favorite phrase, "I haven't got a clue."

Vietnam, just for Maeráed and her family ...

... and the Vietnamese part of my family. Here are some pictures of Vietnam, most of Hanoi and taken about three years ago.

We got caught in the Fourth of July parade ...

... through downtown North Wilkesboro. Carmen and I had gone over to the Liberty Theater to watch "Ratatouille." It is Pixar's latest animated feature and was a lot of fun with some beautiful animation. We came out just before the parade started down Main Street so we walked down to the Key City Grill for dinner - but it was closed. As we walked back to the car the parade was upon us. It was billed as the Emergency Vehicle Parade and that is exactly what it was: 93 vehicles all with their sirens, klaxons, bells and whistles going off at maximum volume, stretching for a mile and a half.

The vehicles were from places like Cricket, Traphill, Wilbar, Boomer, Little Brushy Mountains, , and McGrady. Some came from as far as Blowing Rock and Glendale Springs. There were also several huge army trucks trundling along on tires about the size of my front door.

When we could hear each other again we drove over to Ruby Tuesdays where we had a great, though distant, view of the fireworks while we ate dinner.

I am trying to get down to the YMCA more often ....

... especially since I hopped on the scales the other day and almost fell right off from shock. I didn't know I weighed that much.

So this week I have gone to both the cycling classes in the morning, the ones taught by April and Heather, both mothers three times over and both with what looks like 18 inch waists. Those little meanies. I immediately figured out why I am so heavy - I have been away from cycling for too long. Even the hour class was almost too much for me.

Thursday I got out ol' trusty rusty the bike and pumped up the tires. That wore me out all by itself. Then I went for a quick rip through the neighborhood. Felt good. Today I rode it down to the 'Y' and spent about 20 minutes using the weight machines. The little computer program for my exercise program said I have not been exercising since 14 April. Then I rode back and tried out the latest extension on the Greenway - very nice btw.

But all this exercise has a bad effect on me. My face gets red, my breath starts coming in pants and gasps and I break out in a heavy sweat.

Must be allergies.

And now for something Cuban ....

.... just for Carmen. Ruben Gonzalez and 'Siboney'.

And something Spanish - the classic 'Malaguena'.


The Chinese characters are thrown in just as a homage to globalization.