Kentucky Derby Prediction: Dunkirk

His bloodline includes some of my favorites of all time, Unbridled and A.P. Indy. His trainer is Todd Pletcher. His running style is a thrilling late charger and he is my pick for the Kentucky Derby. I will be traveling so my friend is placing the bet for me. And for the first time in my life I am not hedging a triple crown race. No box exactas, no win place or show, none of that. Just a good old fashioned Win bet. I hope to find a bar somewhere in Ohio on my return trip to watch it. GO DUNKIRK!

Road Trip!

Tomorrow morning Winnie and I hit the road for Michigan and the UHWVA National Specialty Show! I genuinely enjoy traveling with Winnie, she is patient and well behaved in the car.

With the exception of Kifli and Krumpli and Winnie's parents and littermates I have not seen any other Wirehaired Vizslas in person, so I'm excited to meet some of the awesome dogs I've seen so many photos of.

I look forward to finally meeting Carolyn of Vidor Kennels. She has spent countless hours in phone and email conversations with me over the last year, either giving me advice or simply allowing me to share Winnie's progress. A dear friend I will be meeting for the first time.

But one of the biggest highlights of the weekend will be when Winnie meets her breeder, Peg, again for the first time since we brought Winnie home to Virginia. I am so proud of how this special dog is turning out, and I do not hesitate to give Peg credit for starting her off on the right foot in a wonderful, caring environment.

I'll have many photos and will post them as soon as I get back. Wish us luck!

Face Gardening

Regarding Winnie's pre-show grooming, it appears that we have taken a bit of a step backward this evening after Winnie decided to do some excavating in the yard.

Catching up on grooming...

With the National Specialty just ten days away, I realized how little I've worked with Winnie in preparation! Hopefully she'll remember how to Stand, I guess we'll do a little practicing this week.

But I'm also trying to get her coat under control. Last night I started working on her out of control facial hair! I stripped a little bit out so the remainder will at least be brushable and presentable. And, most importantly, it's now out of her eyes. I like that hair on the top of her muzzle but I want her eyes to show also!

Puppy time at Vidor Vizlas!

All six of Leah's pups at Vidor Kennels have been sold, but visit the Vidor web site for some really great breedings coming up later this year! Congrats to Carolyn, these are going to be really beautiful dogs!!

Moved in!

Well we are moved in to our awesome new home! (Minus the internet for now, don't ask...) Here is Winnie breaking in the new yard by trying to get Buck to throw the dummy for her.

The front of the house.

The view from the back deck! It's misleading in the photo, the river is very far down the hill, it looks closer in the picture.

We took the week off to move in and were busy almost the entire time. But I did find some time the other morning to wet a line under the shadow of our own back yard. A dream come true.

This is the basement. There is a door going out to a patio facing the river from here, so this will be a fishing/kayaking staging area, and the tile floors make it a perfect mud room. And there will be mud!

A view of the front porch. (Sorry for the random order of the photos, it's just how they uploaded.) The front yard here we have completely fenced in (with wire behind the paddock fence) and both the front and bedroom doors open onto the porch, very convenient to let the dogs out into a secure yard.

Closer view of Buck and Elmo and the barn.

The living room, featuring Sandy finally getting to put her feet up after a long day. Winnie, Scooter and Gromit (not pictured) were not helpful, of course. But they didn't hinder too much (okay Scooter hindered) and they settled in very quickly to their new home.

This is kind of an office, with built in shelves. It isn't a very big house, I worried about finding a place for the dog crates but I think this solution works fine.

This room is one step down from the dog crate room, and we made this part of the room the office. The view from the desk is the river, which should do a good job of suppressing any thoughts of productivity.

The view from the living room at night is beautiful. I absolutely love this house!