Ornament bombing

While walking in SF's Golden Gate Park around Stow Lake with Tomokee this weekend, we came across a few shrubs and bushes that had been decorated by person or persons unknown. This is sort of like yarn bombing, but with ornaments.

Birthday

Tomokee turned seven recently. This means that in terms of dog years, he is a "mature adult". We don't know if he's actually there yet. Happy Birthday, Tomokee!

New balls

Tomokee loves tennis balls. From immediately after breakfast to about 9PM, he's got a tennis ball that he's fetching, dribbling, or just holding in his mouth. He slobbers them pretty badly and they also get coated with dirt from playing outside. We clean them frequently by giving them a light wash in the washing machine without soap and letting them air dry. Eventually he pops them and that's the end.

What he loves more than anything are new tennis balls. By new, we mean balls that are new to him. This bag of balls is a gift because they have been determined to be no longer suitable for competition practice. Usually we hide them in the closet and just pick one for him, but this time we let him select one hmself. I don't know what are his criteria, but he managed to select one after some snuffling around in the bag.

Carmel Poodle Day

We went to Carmel-by-the-Sea this past weekend, and unfortunately it was Poodle Day in Carmel. I say unfortunately because the poodle is Tomokee's least favorite breed. We spent most of the time dodging poodle encounters. Here they are on the beach enjoying some off-leash play time.

Here are a couple of them in the garden of the dog-friendly Cypress Inn.

These two are named Boo and Bailey.

Here's a close-up of Boo's hair style, which is apparently called a mohawk cut. The pink stuff is ribbon and other trimmings.

Bagfoot

Not long ago, Tomokee got some sort of scrape or something on one of his toes. We needed to prevent him from over-licking the toe because that can cause a hot-spot of irritation. A cone of shame would normally do the trick but not so with feet or toes. So, I sewed up a bag to cover his foot. I put some Neosporin on the toe and put the bag on, and off he goes. The bag has velcro fastening at the top.

Transfixed

Tomokee was in this frozen posture by the side fence for most of the day. He was staring at some sort of hole in the dirt and once in a while he let loose with some barking. We finally decided to dig out some of the area but we did not see anything obvious. There appears to be a tunnel along fence, so we plugged up this one end.

Is that a camera? I must be in this shot!

The other half's new shoes warranted a photo.  T-dog does the old AOL "Me Too!" bit.

Dog toy as pillow

One of Tomokee's recent favorite toys is this squeaky toy that is shaped like a donut. For some reason, he also thinks it works as a pillow.

Carmel visit

We recently went to the lovely Carmel-by-the-sea and it was a gorgeous day. Tomokee enjoyed his walk along Scenic Drive overlooking the water.

Bison

Last year, the bison paddock at SF Golden Gate Park gained some new herd members..
The old and young bison are all mingling now. I don't think Tomokee actually sees them. If he did, I'm sure his reaction would be very vocal.

Tiled Steps

We took a hike with Tomokee up the Moraga Steps in San Francisco's sunset district. At the top of the steps is the tiny Grand View Park, which provides great views of the city.

Many of the tiles on the steps were sponsored by residents who got their names engraved onto them. Eagle-eyed Bruce spotted one tile that was engraved with something a bit more unconventional.

Happy New Year

Tomokee wishes you all a happy 2012!