Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.
Six years ago, a special angel dog got her wings. Heidi was almost 10 years old, and that is about the average lifespan for a Rottweiler. Still, her passing was unexpected, and it shook my faith hard that she was taken from us on the day of Christmas Eve. I don’t know if I’ve ever really gotten over that.
Heidi, we still love and miss you, and think of you often, not just on Christmas Eve.
Well, sort of! Since Axe didn’t finish his championship at home this past weekend, he’ll be home for the holidays only, and then heading out on January 3 to Texas, then Florida, which is way more exciting than what his human family members have planned for themselves for January.
As you’ve guessed by now, if you’ve been following Axe’s championship quest, our much-hoped-for 3-point majors for Rottweiler dogs did not hold for any of the three Christmas Cluster shows at the Rosemont Convention Center. Oh, I guess that should be Donald E. Stephens Convention Center now, but I don’t call the Sears Tower the Willis Tower either, so bear with me, please.
Despite the lack of majors this past weekend, I still have good news to report. Axe went Winners Dog and Best of Winners at Friday’s show for 2 points, giving him 13 total points. Now he needs just one more major win to earn his championship. On Saturday, he had a successful debut in the Rally Obedience ring, qualifying for his first Rally Novice leg with a score of 94 points, which was good enough for 3rd place. Have I mentioned before how much I appreciate Axe’s handler, Julia Foster? Not only does she make him look good, she gets him to work well with her, too.
I’ve added Axel’s November show photos to his gallery for you to enjoy.
So, when your dog is out at the shows, and even when your handler is excellent about keeping you informed about your dog’s progress, and even when you know that AKC doesn’t update the points progression daily, do you keep checking it? Every day or maybe even more than once a day? Waiting eagerly for the next update?
Or is that just me obsessing about Axel?
This particular Rottweiler, URO1 Sciroco’s Freya vom Viersen (Freybie to her family and friends) is working very hard to make sure that the comforter does not fly off the couch.
And this post about my hard-working Rottweiler successfully concludes my participation in Jenni’s NaBloPoMo 75% Challenge for 2009!
(NaBloPoMo | 75% Challenge: 274 of 274 – DONE!)
We are in Honolulu for a week or two every winter, so we have had many opportunities to see the world-famous big waves of the North Shore of Oahu. Theoretically, that is. Despite the fact that Waimea Bay is internationally known for big waves, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone by there during the 18 years I lived there, and during yearly trips ever after, and seen it looking as flat as a glass tabletop.
Dan and I have been married for 16 years, or 17 trips to Hawaii for him, and he can count the number of times he’s seen big surf on Waimea Bay on one hand, and still have fingers left over.
We once again missed the really big stuff during November’s trip, although it was out there. I had to laugh when I heard one of the news interviews with various surfers and surf watchers. A woman who had moved to Hawaii in 2004 said that it was the first time in the five years she’d lived there that she’d seen big waves on Waimea Bay. I heard her loud and clear!
The really big thing that we missed was “The Eddie” — the 2009/2010 Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau. This tournament is held in memory of legendary Hawaiian surfer and waterman Eddie Aikau, who was lost at sea in 1978 when the voyaging canoe Hokule’a capsized. Aikau was lost in the last rescue attempt of his life as he went to seek help for the rest of the crew. The tournament holding period runs from December 1 through the end of February, and wave face height must be 40 feet or more for the tournament to be held. It has been held only eight times since its inception in 1984, including this year’s exciting competition held on December 8, won by Greg Long.
You can see videos online at Quiksilver’s site, like this highlights video:
Watch the video for Heat 8 (actually Heat 4 of Round 2); you’ll see 100-point rides from winner Long and Ramon Navarro:
Also check out these highlights from Riff Raff Surfboards. We encountered some heavy traffic and crowded conditions on the one day we headed up to the North Shore, but nothing like what you’ll see in this video!
Although I grew up in Hawaii, I’ve never gone board surfing and certainly I’ve never surfed big waves! I was never a really strong swimmer and always nearsighted, so water sports weren’t a huge draw for me. I could sit and watch the ocean and surfers for hours, though. I love the Internet for making it possible for me to watch the entire tournament online on a frigid December day in Chicago.