Day 5: Call me Ahab

I’ve just woken up from a nap. Today we went back to Cape Spear and did an 8 km hike from Cape Spear to a place whose name I need to look up. I can find no words to describe how beautiful it was. The above picture is from the trail association website and it gives you a sense of the terrain. Our hike took us about 3 hours and in that time we only passed one other group of hikers. For 95% of the hike, we saw so sign of humans or human civilization (other than the occasional trail marker). It was a lovely sunny day but still we were pretty layered up due to the wind. I had hair in my eyes like a highland steer for most of the trip. The terrain was so lovely—rocky yet gentle hills, perfect blue sky and royal blue water. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. You may remember from a previous entry that I saw whale spouts at Cape Spear before. At the little shop at Cape Spear, the shopkeeper told us that this was a humpback whale and the small whales we saw on the ferry were minke whales. She said, “keep your eye out for whales on your hike.” The whole hike, I kept looking and hoping to see another whale spout. I felt a little Ahab-ish in my quest to see whales (although my motivations were much more warm and fuzzy than his were). They seemed not to respond to ‘Oh whaaaaale…’ or even the funny whale dance I invented until the last 10 minutes of our hike. I finally saw the elusive spout and Dale and I watched minke and humpback whales for a good twenty minutes. I like to think it was the whale dance that brought them out. It was the most incredible thing to watch and the perfect way to end an otherworldly venture. They say your life flashes before your eyes before you die—if this is true, I hope this is one of the moments I see again. Tonight we’re off to see Ron Hynes… more, perhaps, tonight.

Day 4: "I'm sorry, there is no moose tonight"

I’m writing this at 5 ish—I’m exhausted (or, perhaps just caffeine deprived…) and taking a wee break. Today was primarily a driving day again—each day, it seems we head out planning to find a hike but find the open road so addicting that our hiking plans come to naught: every corner, every hill seems to bring a new surprise and an in unison “wow.” Yesterday we did about a third of the Irish Loop. We stopped just past Ferryland where the Colony of Avalon is; it is the first successful colony in Newfoundland, established in 1621. It is also the setting of Wayne Johnston’s Baltimore’s Mansion. Today, intrigued by the guide book’s mention of being able to see whales from the shore near St. Vincent, we headed the other way down the Irish Loop. It’s still a bit early for the whales and we didn’t really look for very long since we were mesmerized by the vibrant blue of the ocean and the open skies around us. Right now, I’ve got a small handful of perfect oval stones I picked up off the beach at St. Vincent beside me—they’re warm green, purple, and blue and the smoothest surface imaginable. South and west of there, is Cape Race where the Titanic sunk. After St. Vincents, we headed back up and over to Brigus—an amazingly picturesque town.

While on the Trans Canada highway, I read some of the Newfoundland history in my guidebook and found out some things that I’m sure everyone already knows. I bet I wasn’t paying attention that day in school. For example, Newfoundland was an independent British colony until 1949 with their own currency and postage. And, that the vote to join Canada was very close: 51% supporting and 49% opposing. And I also know why my Mum laughed so hard when I asked “how old is he?!” after hearing Joey Smallwood referred to as the only living Father of Confederation. I do remember mentally scanning that famous painting looking for a toddler and calculating that even if he were two at the time of confederation, Smallwood would be at least… well, it’s too embarrassing to tell you how old I thought he was since you could then calculate how old I was when I thought that. I’ll just say, I was old enough to have known better.

We’re both quite taken with how quickly the landscape changes. Sometimes it looks like central Alberta, other times it looks like Maine, other times it looks like Algonquin Park, and sometimes it looks like Colorado. More often than not, it looks like nothing else we’ve seen before: each cove and town have their own distinct look and feel. But, as I mentioned, there was a fair bit of the terrain that looked like western central Alberta and, with the open skies, I was thinking a lot about Alberta. It’s not hard to do since Alberta has come up almost everyplace we go and we’re not the ones who bring it up. At the play we went to, people were talking about moving to Alberta; a bartender lived in Sherwood Park, another group of people somewhere else were talking about someone who moved to Alberta and the B&B owner knows someone working in Edmonton. Around St. Vincent, we stopped at one of the few little stores around there and bought a pineapple Crush (never had one before). While there, we talked with the lady who has run the shop for 23 years. Her daughter left Newfoundland at 19 to go work in Alberta and it was obvious she misses her horribly. But, as she said, there’s no work here and so her daughter set out to Alberta where she knew not a soul. A few hours later, we had lunch at a café and one of the people just moved back to Newfoundland from living in Edmonton for 23 years (she too worked in West Edmonton Mall near the dolphin show). I’ve probably met more people who have lived in Edmonton in the past three days than I have in the past twelve years. There’s a strong sense of loss that people seem to have when they talk about the friends and family who have gone west but also a resignation that you need to go where the work is. I certainly understand this since Dale and I went to the US and then to Ontario following work opportunities and my brother Paul and his family are in the US now too. But, as my dad reminded me a while ago, we are descended from people who have followed work across oceans, countries and provinces. Still, I wonder if there’s a Newfoundlander looking out over the expanse of grain fields in Alberta and thinking of oceans just as I’m looking out over the ocean and thinking about fields of wheat.

Postscript: 10PM we went out for dinner and saw some other interesting things. First of all, lest the hipness of St Johnsonians ever be questioned, get this: on a patch of new cement, one local didn’t just sign his or her name—he or she immortalized their homepage’s url in a piece of downtown sidewalk. Also, as if this city isn’t cool enough, they have statues of the Labrador Retriever and the Newfoundland right downtown. They also have a plaque with Lord Byron’s poem about his dearly departed Newf , Boatswain. I mistakenly assumed we were alone in the town square and was caught saying, “ohh….who’s the cute Newf??’ as I scratched the Newf sculpture’s chin and patted his head. Dale, bless him, takes these things in stride and acts like they’re everyday occurrences; well, I guess, they are everyday occurrences. Our evening, I think, was topped off at dinner when our waitress tentatively approached our table and said with great solemnity, “just to let you know, there’s no moose tonight.” I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore and, you know, I’m ok with that.

Day 3; [HR] Puffin Stuff

Today the day started with blue skies and warm temperatures. It seemed like the perfect kind of day to go check out the heretofore mythical puffins. We went to Bay Bulls to take a 2 and a half hour whale and puffin viewing boat trip. It was, thankfully, not a “three hour tour” since we all know what happens to three hour tours; one of our neighbours already calls us “the professor and Maryanne”—a three hour tour seemed like tempting fate. This trip was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had; I’d never really been out on the Atlantic and it was exhilarating. This is the beginning of the whale season and we didn’t see any whales but it didn’t bother me much since the puffins were so magical. We were able to get very close to Gull Island and Green Island and see thousands and thousands of birds. I also learned a number of things about the puffin. Did you know that baby puffins are called “pufflings” (isn’t that a great word?)? And, that after they are full grown they leave the island of their birth and then go to sea for 2-3 years and then return to the very burrow in which they were born? They live for an average of 20 some years and mate for life (“good Catholic birds” our tour guide told us). In order to fly, they must flap their wings 300 times per minute. They’re really neat to see. Our tour was quite magical; between narrations, they played Great Big Sea songs and our tour guide sang a number of songs including a really captivating narrative song about the rescue of a horse who had fallen through the ice: by the final verse, I was near tears and greatly relieved to hear the horse survived!

After our tour, the weather turned colder and rainy so we put off hiking again. We started on a southerly drive that took us on the Irish Loop. Just as we thought we’d never see anything as lovely, we crested a hill or turned a corner and saw something even more stunning. Around every corner there was some new vista or site that took our breath away. I was also amused to see that each town we passed seemed to have a geriatric dog and a round-headed boy on a bike. The dogs all had a knowing look to them—like a canine Yoda. Once, we stopped for a cup of coffee. I was taking photos of a breathtaking cove while Dale went in. As I was taking pictures, I noticed a very geriatric sheltie with matted fur ambling about. I noticed that he methodically peed on each tire of a car parked next to ours. As he finished the fourth tire, our eyes met. He came over to see me and I tried to engage him in conversation. After some awkward silences, he raised his matted snout as a person might tap the brim of a hat. He then proceeded to pee on each of our front tires while maintaining eye contact with me. I said, “You go little buddy—it’s a rental.’ He nodded and set off on his regal doggy way, stopping traffic as he proceeded.

Dale came out of the restaurant with a Tim Horton’s cup and I excitedly said, “They’ve got Tim’s coffee here??!?” No. Seems they didn’t have lids so they offered to rinse out and refill the Tim’s cup Dale brought into the restaurant to throw out. My excitement at the prospect of Tim’s made me realize I’m a real Ontarian now. “How is the coffee?” I said. “Warm,” Dale said. After our boat trip, warm was all we really wanted. We stood, amazed, at the view in front of us and smiled at the aged sheltie. No matter how my photos turn out, they’ll never capture what we saw and felt at that moment.

In our few days here, we’ve been so impressed with the people here—they’ve all welcomed us so fully and everyone has been so excited to offer restaurant or sightseeing advice. Even tonight, a couple noticed us looking at menus and offered capsule reviews of four or five places they liked. People have been genuinely kind and sincerely hospitable and I’ve never felt more welcome in a place I’ve visited before.

We ended our evening in a few pubs sampling Newfoundland beers. We went to the Rose and Thistle because our friend Julia said we had to go there; in an odd coincidence, the song playing when we walked in was called “Julia.” Eeeeerie. The next place we went had a guy singing and playing guitar. At one point he stopped and said, “Does anyone have any duct tape?” Pause. No answer. Awkward pause. “Oh well,” he said and continued playing. Not sure what tomorrow will bring but even if it’s half as fantastic as today, it will be amazing.

Day 2: Call me Ishmael

Somehow (perhaps by naming my last entry Day 1?), I’ve set up some expectations that I’d blog each day about our trip. And, so, I find myself back at it. First of all, I woke up thinking “I just had a wonderful dream about the Oilers going to the Stanley Cup.” But, ha ha! Tis real not an aery nothing! Wee hee!

The weather today was a bit iffy and so we plotted out a bit of a drive instead of hiking. We first went to Cape Spear, which you may remember from those CBC shorts, is the most easterly point in all of North America. We ended up spending quite a bit of time there—in part, because the terrain was so stunning and but also because I’d seen whale spouts and was absolutely thrilled by the prospect of seeing more. Seeing whale spouts while standing on a sublime precipice was, for me, one of the most remarkable moments. Last week I was organizing some of my childhood books my parents mailed me and I came across my Animals of Canada book. I remember the day I got it and I remember reading it over and over and over and learning about animals, like whales and puffins, that I thought I’d never see. It’s odd for a prairie kid to find herself scanning the ocean horizon and actually seeing whales. On the other hand, when I looked out to the infinite horizon and listened to the waves, the water looked and sounded strangely similar to windy days in the middle of a Saskatchewan wheat field. Still, I thought it odd to be standing in Canada and closer to Ireland than Alberta.

Later in the day, we took the ferry to Bell Island after a fabulous lunch of fish and chips and cod au gratin. On the ferry, Dale and I saw 2 actual whales (or one swiftly moving one?) I still am aglow from the experience. The two other tourists on the ferry were laughing at their digital pictures of the whale and were debating on whether family and friends would see the photos as valid pictorial evidence. We did some driving around Bell Island and saw some lovely country. I was intrigued to find what may be the most beautiful and lonely baseball diamond in all of Canada (it’s just around the corner from Exile street!). And, was amazed to see that grazing horses were tethered rather than corralled; though it alarmed me at first, they seemed perfectly fine and ok with the system.

Tonight we went to a fundraiser for one of the local theatre companies. It was a very interesting premise: 4 writers, 4 actors and 4 directors would have 24 hours to write, produce and perform 4 scenes. Apparently at 8PM yesterday, 4 writers were given a first line (“Can’t you play by the rules just this one time?”) and two props they had to use (a journal and dental floss). After they finished the play, the directors and actors set about staging it and then performing it. One was really compelling, one very good, one interesting and one, umm, had potential.

Now, we’re watching the Hurricanes game—our second favorite team… it’s 3-3 in the third period. And, while I'm thinking of it, as of this morning, our favourite baseball team, the Tigers are now the winningest team in both leagues. Are you noticing a trend here? I think I should buy some lottery tickets. Oh, and we had Newfie Fog ice cream on the way back from the play. Mmmm… Tomorrow, we propose to perambulate and, perchance, ponder the preponderance of peripatetic Puffins. That blog will be brought to you by the letter “P” and the number 8.

Day One in Newfoundland; Columbia Doesn’t Fib

Travel, especially by air, is an odd thing. This morning we woke up in a hotel by the airport in Mississauga, a few hours later we were being tossed about by the winds on Signal Hill in St Johns, Newfoundland. While atop Signal Hill, we fully understood why our Frommers guide advises not to bring pets and small children up to the top of the hill: “the winds here can get very high and could literally pull a small child out of your arms.” Hmmm, I thought. But, once there, I started to believe it. One moment I was on the sidewalk, the next, I was not. On the upside, I did quickly verify that my new Columbia Titanium jacket is indeed as wind and waterproof as they promised. I really thought that if I’d been wearing my contacts, they’d have been a sea in no time. I think I saw some flakes of snow this afternoon—though, to make our B and B host feel a bit better, I told him I might have been mistaken-- it could have been “fluffy floating rain.” I think the high in Windsor was supposed to be in the upper 20s C or low 30s. The day before yesterday, I trimmed back my tulips—here, daffodils are just blooming.

After dinner, we went to a bar that offered 3$ Guinness and 2 for 5$ bottled beers. In the near empty pub, we met two cool guys from New Zealand who, with two other people, started out in Vancouver and then drove across Canada in a van in a little over 2 weeks. One of them showed me his photos and short videos on his tiny and impressive Canon digital camera. “This is me just after I met a bear…see, there he is. We just stared at each other for a few minutes. I took this photo before backing away.” Oh my. “Oh, this is the moose we saw.” “Please tell me,” I said, “you didn’t get that close to the buffalo you said you saw.” ‘Mmmm… ," he reflected, "not really.” He also showed me photos of the Viking settlements and an iceberg they saw a few days ago. And photos of the McLobster you can get at local McDonalds. It was all pretty impressive (McLobster, not so impressive though I love that they took a photo of it); they had seen more of Canada in their two weeks than, I would guess, 95% of Canadians have seen. They seemed to have been pretty thoughtful, reflective travelers. My new pal worked as a metal worker in the film industry and made a table in XMen III! Unlike the biker I encountered in New Hampshire who swore he sold Kraft Foods his recipe for their Kraft BBQ Sauce, I actually believe him.

In our quest to know a region through its beers, we sampled a number of beers including Black Horse. The bartender said, “Is this your first Black Horse/? Well, it’s like good beer strained through a dirty sock.” Hmm…thanks for telling us after we ordered. Anyway, after the Black Horse, our New Zealand friend suggested the Quidi Vidi Honey Brown which was a very nice beer indeed. It also had a map of Newfoundland on the label which helped us learn about our NZ friends’ travels to Labrador.

I will finish off this entry to cheer on the Good and … I’m not going to finish that sentence. I think I jinxed us last time. Oh no… I might have done it again.

Postscript: The Oilers are going to the Stanley Cup!!!!! Hurrah hurrah!!!!!

The Good and Virtuous Oilers

For an Oilers fan, these playoffs have been amazing. I've been really excited by the great Oilers performances this month and have enjoyed seeing some top notch hockey. I've also been very moved by the Oilers fans and by my home city. I've never been more proud of my city than I was when Edmontonians responded to the booing of "Oh Canada" in the US by singing the American anthem en masse at the next game.

I'll point you to my brother's fine posting about the Oilers-- he says much of what I was about to say. Paul alludes to the yearly heartbreak of watching the Oilers in the playoffs; it's something to which we became accustomed. Even this year, when it seemed the Oilers wouldn't make the playoffs, I changed my MSN IM name to: "Oh, Oilers, why must you break my heart each year?" Paul, Dale and I grew up watching the Oilers in their glory years so it's no wonder we're so thrilled to see a new era of Oilers fans and Oilers legends. But, we're also Oilers fans living out of province and Oilers fans who have lived/ are living in the US.

For many of us, especially Edmontonians living away from Edmonton, there's more to this series than great hockey. When Dale and I first moved to Nebraska (in the pre-internet days), NHL hockey scores came after the dog racing scores in the local paper. When we lived in North Carolina (where we actually heard a fan at a Hurricanes game say "C'mon, skate, y'all"), hockey was the one solid link we had to our homeland and, perhaps, our Canadian selves. During the playoffs, Dale and I would trek out to whatever sports bar in Greenville, NC we could convince to turn on the Oilers game. Each series would have a pretty solid glimmer of hope and then, more often than not, a heartbreaking ending. Still, Dale and I would sit in a corner, two voices in a silent bar, cheering our team on until the last minute of play. At the time, there was serious talk about the Oilers leaving Edmonton for a more lucrative (i.e., American) market. Sometimes it seemed like every loss was one more nail in the Oilers coffin and every victory a respite. Sometimes it seemed like our cheers were not only pleading for another goal but for the future of our team and, perhaps, for that little bit of Canada that we could hold onto in the steamy southern clime.

For Edmontononians, these playoffs are more than just a sporting event and the Oilers are more than just a team. As Edmontonians living outside of Alberta, we often hear our fine, vibrant city dismissed or see it ignored. In the Globe article, they quote Kevin Lowe as saying, "Underneath the surface is Edmonton's pent-up need to say to the world, ‘we're here too." Lowe's right. Oiler Pride is pride in our team but it's also pride in our city. For all these reasons, I say, "Go Good and Virtous Oilers! Go!"

Site of the Month? Site of the Year?

My groovy pal Brett tipped me off to this site which I'm calling the site of month since it's a veritable treasure trove of wacky weird stuff. I've hardly scratched the surface of this gem but I'm already hooked! Here are a few favourites. The advertisement urging us to "Beware of Stale Coffee": "People should be afraid of stale coffee. Science tells us it often leads to 'nerves,' headache and indigestion. But fresh coffee is healthfully stimulating." Poor Helen-- she's so misunderstood.
Also, check out the Worst Comics Ever and the Mr Coffee Nerves comic. Or, the Orphanage of Cast-off Mascots! Who can resist Plywood Pete or The Undead Lard Can Man or The Radiant Roast. I really have to stop... Please post your favourite Lileks.com finds in the comments section-- this truly could be the site of the year. It's a really good thing I'm on holidays now.

The new Mark Knopfler (and Emmylou)

Has anyone else listened to this? I've had this CD for a few weeks and am still trying to sort out how I'm feeling about it. I realize that I have very few critical faculties when it comes to MK. Knopfler's been a musical paramour of mine since I was 10 (I know, I know...) and I have a hard time not liking anything he does. However, this one's taking some effort. And, I wonder if I'm being harder on this album because I don't think it's fair that Emmylou gets to hang out with MK _and_ Daniel Lanois? (and, while I'm at it, would it hurt MK or DL to collaborate with librarians once and a while??) It took me a while to really appreciate Shangri-La but once I listened to it carefully and at length, I think it's one of his best. I have to thank a faulty CD drive for that-- my copy of Shangri-La lodged itself so thoroughly in my laptop that I had to have it surgically removed. Any thoughts? (About MK not my poor laptop who still has a shard of Shangri La rattling about its insides). Anyway, off to cheer the good and virtuous Oilers onto victory.

From the "I can't believe this was 'de-accessioned!'" category

Dale found this gem for a quarter at the Windsor Public Library. Dogs and baseball... makes me smile just thinking about it. PS: if you want to be surprised by the ending, don't read the title!

Two new photo sites

Two friendly visitors to the cafe have pointed me toward two lovely photo sites worth a leisurely stroll through.

The Open Democracy site has some interesting articles and slide shows of current work in progress. There is usally a write-up and a slide show. See, for example, the Made In Italy feature.

Also, worth two or three strolls through is the site accompanying the book Black Gold Tide by Tom Kidd and Tom Morton.

Site of Week.2: What Not To Wear: The Jane Austen Edition?

I'm a bit behind on my sites of the week so here's another one: Dress Mr. Darcy. You too can dress Mr. Darcy (the Colin Firth variety) and Elizabeth in any number of stunning ensembles. Although followers of Miss Austen might pelt me with the hardcover Oxford editions of her collected work for saying this, you can also dress Mr. Darcy in Elizabeth's clothes. In case you were wondering, he looks surprisingly good in Elizabeth's dark purple dress, pink bonnet, pink purse and white parasol. I selected the boots with this ensemble-- the shoes seemed a bit too precious. I'm not sure what to do with the chairs. You can move them but why...? If there were a fern to move around too then, well, that's something but two chairs... So much for productivity. Enjoy!

Site of the Week: "he's shaggy, he's blue and he knows how to chew"

This week's site of the week features the Cookie Monster as Isaac Hayes. Really, could anything be cooler??

And, C is For Cookie, a classic through and through.

The future of libraries?

If you've read Endymion Spring, there are some interesting connections here. If you've not read it, what are you waiting for? Maybe you're waiting for me because I said I'd lend it to you. If so, my bad. I'm sorry. Anyway, here's an interesting article from the NY Times:
"When Google announced in December 2004 that it would digitally scan the books of five major research libraries to make their contents searchable, the promise of a universal library was resurrected. Indeed, the explosive rise of the Web, going from nothing to everything in one decade, has encouraged us to believe in the impossible again. Might the long-heralded great library of all knowledge really be within our grasp?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/magazine/14publishing.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Forgotten Detroit

Our pal Dave sent along this link to the Forgotten Detroit website. It's a fascinating (not to mention sobering) look at Detroit architecture. As the site notes, "Detroit is known for one of the most stunning collections of pre-depression architecture in the world" yet, in the past several decades, "several of these treasures sit vacant, waiting for economic revival." The photos are nicely done and richly evocative. See, for example, the waiting room of Michigan Central Station from today and from 1913.

New CBC podcasts

I do love CBC radio but somehow I keep missing the shows I really like, like Definitely Not the Opera. Happily, CBC's just released some new podcasts including one for DNTO. Ideas and As It Happens are also available in addition to their great CBC3. Hurrah! http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/

More on The History Boys

Alan Bennett's The History Boys has been named as play of the year by the New York Drama Critics' Circle.
The classroom drama tells of a group of young men trying to earn university places at Oxford or Cambridge, and the teachers who inspire them.

Also, Special awards were also given to the current Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, in which the performers play all of the show's instruments
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4768355.stm

Ah New York...

"Ah, what can ever be more stately and admirable to me than mast-hemm'd Manhattan"-- Walt Whitman, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"

"New York is where I'd rather stay./ I get allergic smelling hay./ I just adore a penthouse view./ Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue."-- Eva Gabor

We've just returned from a fabulous trip to NYC and I'm sure it's going to take us both a few weeks or months to process everything we've seen and done. It was, like our last trip there, an absolute dream. We walked around a lot and just took in the magic. I'll post some photos next week-- I still need to get them processed (I'll write about that shortly too).

Until then, here are a few of the amazing things we saw or did. We saw three plays: The History Boys which was incredible and amazingly acted. It featured the original UK cast including Richard Griffiths (Uncle Monty from "Withnail and I" and Harry's Uncle from Harry Potter) and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime in Harry Potter as well as numerous other things).

Also The Lieutenant of Inishmore which the NY Times adroitly describes as both gruesome and gleeful; it too was superbly acted. Speaking of gruesome and gleeful: we also saw a remarkable production of "Sweeney Todd."

Other highlights included seeing Kenny Garrett at Birdland and, at the last minute, a production of Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera.

We also took in some fascinating art shows: the Whitney Biennial--a few very interesting works. The Cloisters was magical and the Met-- stunning but also overwhelming. I spent an hour in a teeny tiny room of photos which I plan on writing about soon. The International Centre of Photography featured a really compelling exhibit of contemporary African photography.

Also captivating was the Darwin exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History Having just seen the great movie The Squid and the Whale, we also had to check out the aforementioned squid and whale. I expect I've got some poorly lit photos of the whale I can bore you with.

As always, Dale researched some great new restaurants-- one even had an extensive cheese list! I felt like Wallace and Gromit. In his research, he also found what might be one of the most perfect cafes ever-- 71 Irving Place. Our friends Brian and Aki also took us to the famous Magnolia Bakery-- made even more famous by the SNL video I'm sure you saw about cupcakes and the Chronicles of Narnia.

Finally, I have to admit it was a doggie dream world, especially in Central Park. We met a lovely pug named Lola and I spent perhaps a bit too much time loitering around the edges of dog parks cooing at Yorkies in NY Yankees t-shirts as they cavorted with Prada-collared Weimaraners, mangey mutts, and tracksuit-wearing pugs. In retrospect, I see these democratic dog parks have a Whitman-esque quality to them ("Song of My Dog"? "I Sing the Doggie Electric"?). Pictures to follow...though, sadly not of the Pugs, Yorkies and Weimaraners. Stay tuned.