Amazing Tail - Mabels First Trip to the Ocean

A/K/A: Adventures in La La Land When Mom Forgets Her Purse!

NOTE: Since Miss Mabel Lou has been known to hijack this blog from time to time, I asked for her assistance with this post. The italics are hers.

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It was a blah kind of day...no new job listings, no orders and I was feeling kinda icky. So I hung out on facebook where one of my glass buddies posted some beads with a new glass that I had been pondering and suddenly had to have. I phoned my favorite drug glass dealer and she had some in stock. She also mentioned her puppy, Ming, was in the store.

As I planned my trip to the South Bay, it occurred to me that my water-loving creek hiker had never seen the ocean. The reason is rather simple - we have major restrictions in L.A. county about dogs on the beach. Basically, it's not allowed! A quick bit of research revealed there are only two beaches that allow dogs on the sand at all. One on the the north end of the county and one on the south... and I was headed south. And it seemed a "Day-cation" was just the ticket!

I grabbed lots of beach towels, extra clothing, poop baggies, a fabric leash, and a carry all. I got the girl in the car and we were off.

As we were getting off the freeway almost an hour later, I turned and looked at that pile in the back of the Jeep....I hoped my purse was in there somewhere... But it wasn't!

I ran into Pacific Artglass where I hoped to pick up fusing supplies for my upcoming class. I explained my situation and the owner let me have it on credit. Just mail a check! Good thing I shop there a lot! And off we went to The Mandrel for that special glass... I was hoping Donna would let me pick it out and phone in a credit card. But my luck changed. I found a check book in the car! And sweet Donna let me write it for $40 more so I would have parking and dinner money!

We were in the car for a LONG time. Mom was having a fit about her purse!

Back on the freeway again and we were in Long Beach. I've always gone there doing the tourist thing. I had heard it was a pretty town but the tourist areas...aren't. As I got into the Belmont Shore area, it reminded me of trips to the gulf coast as a child...stately homes across from the beach, fantastic little shops and lots of walking areas. My girl was going to love this.

Knowing that these dog beaches are "test programs," I wanted to avoid all potential accidents. So I leashed Mabel up and we walked over the grassy edge of the parking lot and MOOOOOM! Can we not talk about my PERSONAL business???? Sorry Mabel.

Anyway, I grabbed our gear and walked down the coned off part of the beach... a three block area where the dogs can roam! I spread our towel and let Mabel go.

It was fun seeing ALL that water! It was everywhere. But it moved. A lot! And it sort of scared me! But that ocean breeze in my hair was wonderful!

Mabel was a bit freaked as the water kept washing over her toes. Then a pitbull puppy arrived and kept biting Mabel's ankles.

I did NOT like that!

So we hiked down the beach chasing a tennis ball. She met a few other dogs and romped. But she mostly stayed on the fringe of the water.
Soon, Mabel became fixated on the little boy in the photo below. She chased him and frolicked around him...but he wanted nothing to do with her. So she changed her fixation to his toddler brother...which terrified their mother!

I just wanted to play with them!


Which led to her first time out! Mean, mean Mommie! I had to leash her up and take her to our towel for a bit. At first she was upset but then she just hung out and relaxed.

I really LOVED all the kites and kite surfers.... that was fun to watch!

There were probably 50 of these just up the beach from us!

After a bit, I thought if Mabel wanted to chase something, I would let her chase me. So we took off down the beach.

That would be fun if you weren't so easy to catch!

On this trip down the beach, I made a point of standing in the water to show her how nice it was. She was finally staying put when the waves washed over her toes.... as long as it was shallow. Deeper waves sent her running.

Mom, the creek just doesn't move like that!


Then a German Shepherd puppy became enamored of the girl. He was actually chasing her in this shot. He was a cutie and not afraid of anything. He would get Mabel's attention and dash into the water, well over his head! And... Mabel followed! But only so far. They had a great romp!

Then some boys at the other end of the beach began throwing a tennis ball and squealing. This got the girls attention big time!

She raced down the beach to play with them. She jumped and had a blast and totally forgot about that giant moving ocean! Here's a video...


After a bit, Mabel started nipping at the boys. NOT cool!

What's wrong with that??? It's the way a dog plays!! Don't you humans know how to have a good time!???!

I tried getting her attention and running away...something that works well in the creek. But she stayed with the boys!

Who wants to chase YOU when there are fun boys to play with!

Yes, I'm starting to realize, Mabel would LOVE to have a boy of her very own!

Can we....
Don't even go there!

I had the boys come in from the water, knowing she would follow. I had to double leash her and practically drag her to the car!

But I just started having fun!

I was kind of worried because she drank a bit of sea water. I found a the dog watering fountain at the edge of the parking lot. It was kind of cool... a button about waist high that puts water into a bowl about six inches off the ground.

We drove over to 2nd Street and found a burger joint with tables outside. Mabel got her own patty

Which you fed me way too slow!

It was a great Day-cation. Nothing like sea air to clear the cobwebs.

Mom, Can we go to the beach?

Yes, we'll go back.

Now???

I've created a monster!

The Princess Is Picky!

Note to Snowbrush - I tried to comment on your blog and got a bounce. You may want to check your email prefs...

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This morning, I finished my left over avocado omelette from our Sunday breakfast out at our favorite dog-friendly dive. As usual, I had a few bites left over and placed the plate on the floor for the Ruler of My Roost. She devoured the eggs.

I got another plate for my left over pancakes, heated them and enjoyed, saving some bites for the girl. Only this time, I placed the plate on top of the first plate. Princess Mabel just about had a fit as she licked the bits of pancake and syrup because the two plates stacked together made a noise!!!

She sat there and stared at me until I separated them. Good thing I'm so easily trained!

Trump Got It WRONG!

It big news here in Cali that Donald Trump, owner of the Miss USA pageant, has ruled that the bigot we call Miss California will keep her title in spite of not revealing nude photos to the pageant and spending her time working against gay marriage.

Ms. Prejean, the bigot in question, states, "I exercised my freedom of speech and I was punished for doing so."

Well, honey, your freedom of speech shows you to be an idiot and a bigot!

And really, if she stood up there and stated that African Americans or Asians deserved to not be treated equally, would she still have that crown, Mr Trump? I think not.

When you isolate one group of people and treat them differently, that's not right. And it seems gay people are the last frontier of bigotry in this country. Enough is enough.

On the Rocks - Self Portaits

What's Wrong with this Picture?

And... just after I took this photo, I realized I had been walking around with my pants wrong side out! Some days, I really shouldn't bother!

And how was YOUR day?

H - O - L - Y....

A Facebook friend was giggling a bit about typing quickly and misspelling my name - leaving out the second L. It reminded me of a family story from my pre - K days.

When I was a toddler, my mother could NOT get me to spell my name with the second L, nor could she get me to write my O as a round letter and not a square. She also repeats herself ad infinitum. So, when people would ask my name, my answer was a bit long winded:

"Holly. H - O - L - Y. Two Ls and the O is round. "

Doggie Porn

I thought the mood around here could stand to be a bit lighter so please enjoy the Doggie Porn....Mabel Lou at in her most intimate moments.

By continuing to read this post, you are certifying that you are over 18 in dog years!

That kissable tummy...

Those toes...

That Elbow...

Her lips, her nose...

Those eyes...

Her thighs....

Oy! Those lips, that tongue!...

Mabel, what the heck are you doing? You simply can't use Momma's computer or blog to "advertise" your "services!" Naughty, Naughty girl! Bad Dog, bad BAD DOG!

Reeling from the News

I wrote at length about our local homeless population back in late November '08. I know many of the folks to live at the creek very well and, with my current financial situation, have felt some degree of comfort knowing that if I had to move there, I would be among friends.

About a month ago, I saw a post on a local neighborhood blog that put some fear into my heart about "my" creek and the homeless that live there. The area I hike is "supposed" to be maintained by the golf course. They have failed to do what the city required of them...which was very little and so now 260 acres... i.e, where I hike and many friends live (in tents), is to be dedicated to Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to be taken care of since apparently the golf course is unwilling to do so.

Step one of that process is to move the homeless out. Thinking that all things our local government does will take decades, I decided not to concern myself with it. After all, it took almost 20 years for the golf course to be permitted and built. But someone has fast-tracked this.

Last week, "homeless advocates" mapped the area by helicopter and on foot. Then they went around and told all the homeless to vacate by Tuesday or they would throw their stuff away! In this economy!!!???!!!!

While I am terribly worried about all my friends - especially Margaret and Tim (who also lives with his twenty-ish nephew now). Even if they tell Margaret to get out, who knows if she understands. She's lived in the creek for around 30 years! What is she going to do???? Tim holds a job and will figure something out.... but Margaret just won't get it.

And it that isn't bad enough, step two in this nasty process is to fence off the area and make it accessible only from sunrise to sunset. No more staying too late by the stream and wandering out after dark. No more coming home from a too-long meeting and rushing out there for a moonlight hike to restore my sanity. I literally feel like the walls are closing in on me.

I'm really starting to hate California...it's not enough that our stupid governor spent us into the poor house and actually wants to raise our already exorbitant taxes in a depression (which, by the way, where are they getting the money for that expensive advertising campaign to get us to vote yes on the taxes if we're so broke???). But now that they are taking my creek away, I just want to move somewhere cheap, buy at least 30 acres and build a house in the middle.

If I only knew where that was... and had the money to get there.

Gone...

I was robbed 8 days ago. Thieves broke the back mini window in the back of the Jeep and took my purse while Mabel and I were hiking. It took 6 solid hours of phone calls and errands to close bank accounts, credit cards and get my window fixed. I'm still dealing with the aftermath of re-routing direct debit and automatic credit card payments, and waiting for a new driver's license.

Aside from my cheap, Ross Dress for Less purse and the 20 bucks in my wallet, they did get a free tank of gas of my Visa...which Visa will pay for. Funny, but I canceled my Discover Card waiting for the cops because I could remember their phone number - 1-800-Discover. But I didn't know Visa's... I do now: 1-800-Visa-911. (You must know the name of your issuing bank; then this number can refer your to the proper theft / fraud phone numbers.)

But the one thing I mourn the most is my wallet. My big time Hollywood producer wallet. Those stupid-ass thieves certainly have no appreciation for that wallet, Il Bisonte #C237. And I fear I will never be able to afford to own it again.

I have loved and adored this wallet - mine was black - for two decades. This was actually my second one. I carelessly left the first in a McDonald's bathroom in Anaheim a decade ago. Then as now, I pray that whoever took her, loves and adores that wallet the way I did.

I seriously planned a blog post about my Il Bisonte over the winter. That wallet and a coat with an inside pocket are my favorite way of safely moving about large crowded places. I was so excited to have found a ladies winter coat with an inside pocket at Penney's Outlet. This little luxury is normally saved for men...which is why I wear men's coats. And this purple ladies jacket had an inside pocket that fit my Il Bisonte.

It wasn't that it was made from fine Bison leather that grew so soft and supple with age. The Il Bisonte was the elegant and super functional design. It was a must for any international traveler or production person.

I'm going to blame owning this wallet and my need of jackets with inside pockets on Catherine MacDonald. She was our travel coordinator on the movie I worked on in Argentina. A raven haired beauty from Texas who settled in New York, Catherine moved about the world with such ease and confidence. She prepared well for potentially dangerous encounters (purse snatchers were notorious in Buenos Aires) and then she rolled with the punches. I'm certain she taught me about the Il Bisonte.

Later when I found myself in Manhattan wrapping a job, I made my way to the Il Bisonte store and ponied up the $130 for my first one. The wallet is extra wide - not so much an issue with the advent of the Euro. But in my heavy duty travel days, I quickly discovered that not all currency was the same size at the dollar. Many countries had wider money. It would stick out and people could see what I had and the money got torn. Or I folded it up, which made my wallet too fat to close.

I quickly fell in love with this Il Bisonte for other prodution needs. Keeping track of receipts for the company? No problem...lots of nooks and crannies. Needing a safe place for my passport? It fit in the wallet when it was all folded up. And the Il Bisonte has an elastic band that wraps around the wallet when you put too much junk in it...so it holds together no matter what!

Without fail, everyone in production who saw my Il Bisonte, bought one! I remember being at a dinner with two art directors and five or six production people. When it came time to pay, we all had the same wallet! And they blame their love of this wallet on me!

But sadly, I am no longer grossly overpaid for my time and the now $237 price tag is too much for my paltry income. I bought a seven dollar wallet at Ross. And I hate it. And I probably always will.