Jennifer Zalewski Studio

The abysmal hot weather has kept up (apparently this is the hottest summer we’ve had in 5 years- ugh!) but I’ve tried to get the boys out daily so they don’t go stir crazy. I joined a local all-breed dog hiking club with Jack, which has been super fun. Last week we went to Chimney Bluffs State Park, along Lake Ontario, which was absolutely gorgeous:

It was a 2 hour hike with a lot of wading in Lake Ontario in between rest stops, so the dogs had a lot of fun and kept nice and cool. I was able to get Jack in to his chest, but the waves made him a bit nervous. The water was the most seaweed-y I’ve ever seen it! We came home smelling like fish and it took me about an hour to pick all the seaweed out of my hiking sandal velcro, lol. There were quite a few breeds represented: 2 greyhounds, a smooth visla and wire-coated visla, a mini poodle x golden mix (I guess called a “mini goldendoodle”), a golden retriever, a Great Dane that made Jack look like a tiny whippet lol, and a South African Boerboel.

Today we had a greyhound gathering at the local dog park, with one of the fields reserved just for greyhounds only. Because there wasn’t anything too strenuous (no long walks or hikes)- I was super excited to get Cliffy out. Poor boy, he loves to walk and meet new dogs, but his back problems have curtailed most hiking activities. I was thrilled that he would be able to socialize today! And Jack is, of course, happy to do ANYTHING.

It was rather pleasant outside, considering the recent weather (humid, but only in the high 70′s) but Cliff was so excited to be out that he started to get a little… I don’t know. Overwhelmed? Over-excited? His breathing -normally raspy in humid/hot weather- got extra heavy and he got super warm. I rinsed him down but ended up leaving a bit early, just because he was getting so overly hyped-up and it was causing some breathing strain. It sounded like the poor thing had some crows flapping around inside his chest and I didn’t want him to pass out, or have a heart attack or something! Outside the pen, we took his muzzle off, and did a small cool-down walk with just himself and Jack.  With the muz off and away from stimulation, he seemed to calm down a bit. We rode back home on the highway with the windows down to let the air flow in, and stopped at Tim Horton’s for some timbits at the drive through, which the boys enjoyed. At home, Cliff settled right down and regained normal breathing. And napped. He had a good nap (okay, we all did).

Several people at the gathering commented to me about Cliff’s thinness. A few were startled at his age and assumed because of his thin condition, he was just off the track.  One lady repeatedly asked me if something was wrong with him, was I sure, etc? She just couldn’t believe he wasn’t sick, given his boney-ness. One of his people friends didn’t even recognize him. I felt SO bad! You know, you have a dog you see everyday and get used to their appearance- it’s kind of startling when you get comments like that? Cliff gets almost 6 cups of premium food a day (a mix of Natural Balance canned and meatroll, and CSFTPLS dry- comparatively, Jack and most other greys are allotted 4 cups per day), plus “extras”- an egg, boiled chicken, oatmeal-  plus we go through almost a box of Iams biscuits every couple weeks. He gets “junk food” -snausages, jerky treats, etc- galore. He’s built very tall and lanky anyway, but in his “golden oldie” years is having a hard time maintaining anything. He’s been diagnosed as healthy by his regular vet (who he visits every 6 months for wellness visits) and by his orthopedic specialist- so that must be something, right?

Maybe now that we’ve moved, I’ll start him at a new vet clinic, so “fresh eyes” can look at him? Or is it worth continuing at our former vets for the rest of his life, because they “know” him? I don’t know.

Anyway, that is our excitement for the week (except for Jack killing a baby squirrel, but the fiasco is too gruesome for blogging!!).

-Jen

Just a few sketches from last month… I’ve been remiss in getting them up. All done from life, which can be a pain with wiggly greyhounds!

Cliffy laying on his bed

Another Cliff. I can't believe he sat up and posed for me for so long!

Jack working on a bone. He was very fidgety as he rolled it around, trying to get all the meat off. Hard to draw...

Much easier to draw then greyhounds, because they don't move around! LOL. Daylillies from the Boondocks.

Sketching is great art practice and I have been trying to do it regularly. My art prof in college always said you should do it DAILY- that’s tough work- but once or twice a week I can do!

It is super hot this evening- I AM living in New York, right? Not Georgia? Oh well. It’s 9 PM and STILL icky out… and it’s not even August yet!

I feel slightly guilty working on a new woodcut, instead of unpacking/organizing in the new house.  But it’s really too hot to be moving furniture and boxes. Best to toss the boys a few bones, pull up a (fake) Adirondack chair near the garden, and work on some art. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway.

I’ve kind of moved away from working on MDF… it’s SO easy to carve, my gouges tend to get a little uncontrollable and skitter around like drunk drivers. You simply can’t get a good “bite” like you can with linoleum so I end up making lots of technical mistakes. Alas, I have a pile of it and I *told myself* I HAVE to use it up- waste not, want not. Right?

This new piece has been noodling in my head for about a week now… a piece based on Cliffie and his dang jimmy-legs. He’s the most active dreamer of a dog I’ve ever had! It’s pretty amazing. I mean, within moments of him falling asleep, his little toes begin to curl, then spasm, and within seconds his big, long kangaroo legs begin galloping around like maniacal possessed things. It’s especially bizarre because, like many older male greyhounds, Cliff has been experiencing more degeneration and weakness in his back end–and yet it seems his dreaming is more crazy/active than ever. How does that work?

He looks harmless, but kicks like a ninja. Believe you me.

I’m currently down to 3 bruises- unfortunate byproducts of having to share the bed with a huge, black-belt-worthy kicking greyhound. I wonder what dreams cause him to run and jump like he does?  It kind of brings me back to one of the most beautifully written pieces I’ve ever read, “The Sounding of the Call”, one of the final chapters of The Call of the Wild:

Irresistible impulses seized him. He would be lying in camp, dozing lazily in the heat of the day, when suddenly his head would lift and his ears cock up, intent and listening, and he would spring to his feet and dash away, on and on, for hours, through the forest aisles and across the open spaces where the nigerheads bunched. He loved to run down dry water-courses, and to creep and spy upon the bird life in the woods. For a day at a time he would lie in the underbrush where he could watch the partridges drumming and strutting up and down. But especially he loved to run in the dim twilight of the summer midnights, listening to the subdued and sleepy murmurs of the forest, reading signs and sounds as man may read a book, and seeking for the mysterious something, that called-  called, waking or sleeping, at all times, for him to come.

Jeepers, I get teary-eyed just flipping through my book and typing that! What an amazing story. I wonder if my greyhounds dream that way, of primitive times generations removed, and existances before they were even born? Or do they just dream in a dislocated-crazy-patchwork fashion, like humans do-? I guess one of life’s mysteries.

For the first time in my life- I mean EVER, I think- we had a camping trip without any rain. No drizzle, no downpours, not even a sprinkle. It was a little warm, but being the beginning of July, not too surprising. A nice time!

Short and sweet hike in Fernow Forest, near Rollins Pond.

We stayed at Rollins Pond campground, in the Northwest Lakes district of the Adirondack Mountains. It was Jack’s first trip, and he had a blast! I’m very proud of him. We had only one slight hiccup, and that was after I set up my tent. I had taken him out of the ex-pen and was walking him towards the car, when he kind of sidestepped and leapt at the tent. My Mom (and Dad) who we camped with, witnessed the whole thing. We aren’t sure whether he thought it was a super-sized inflatable dog bed, and tried to jump on it? ROFL. It was really amusing. Thankfully, my trusty tent withstood the 75 lb. greyhound!

Bog near Floodwood Mountain

The first night was amazing, because our camp site was right on the water and there must have been 20 or so loons calling all night long. They have a very eery voice, halfway between a turkey gobble and wolf howl? And they are large, large birds. At one point in the night, I woke up to them howling so loudly… I looked over at Jack, and could see him very alert, ears so erect I thought they’d fly off his head! Old hat to Cliff- he slept like a champ. Of course, the boys are used to a dog door so we were up a few times, but other than that it was nice sleeping.

View from Floodwood Mountain

One morning, Jack and I climbed Floodwood Mountain, while Cliff spent some quality time at the campsite with my folks. It was a muddy, rough climb, shrouded in forest the whole way- definitely not as scenic/dramatic as climbing Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain near Old Forge but certainly steeper.  We only had one little peep out at the summit, and it was crowded with another family so we didn’t stay too long.

...but long enough for "someone" to get a good drink and power nap-!

Sundown on Rollins Pond

We didn’t see too much wildlife this trip. I went out kayaking once though, and saw one of Rollins’ loons in a small inlet. As soon as I picked up my camera he ducked under water, and dove off into the murky reaches. Never saw him come up again, although I hung around for awhile. But surprise surprise, I did spot one of these, sitting far above the shore:

(Taken with my new Canon SX20 IS. Zoom wasn’t too bad. I don’t think the color is as vivid and rich as the Olympus and Kodak I tried out, but oh well. You can’t have everything, I guess.)

Pretty neat seeing such a bird, especially on the Fourth of July! He hung around for a bit preening himself before taking off into the mountains. It’s the first time I’ve really seen an eagle “in person”, in the wild!

We have one more camping trip planned for the summer- another one to the Adirondacks. This time we’ll be in the Hah-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness area, I think, farther south and central. Wishing for good weather that trip, too. )

Getting settled into our new home. It’s been wicked hot lately, so we haven’t been able to get much done, but I’ve unpacked most of the boxes and one evening even weeded the massive garden (aaaaahhhh!).

The Blue Hippo has made his appearance!

Thanks, Jack, for jumping in my picture and urinating...

I admit, it doesn’t look much better than pre-weeding. But it was really nice to get in there and yank the things I KNEW weren’t valuable… some stuff I couldn’t tell, so we’re waiting to see if it blooms…

I was very excited to find a 2-inch slug while in there (lovely, right?) and a toad that hopped at me when I yanked up its hiding spot. It startled me- I jumped back screaming bloody murder! No greyhounds came to my rescue (thanks guys) or even to see what I yelled about. LOL.

The "Security" patrol

But he DOES look fierce, right? ;o)

And yes, I have a new “blog home” too, finally! I’ve been wanting to incorporate my website and blog together on the same site FOREVER. Finally did it. We still don’t have internet at my house (Verizon troubles, sigh) but a technician is coming to sort things out tomorrow. Right now I’m only able to publish remotely – it’s tough being disconnected! lol. But I hope you like the new ‘virtual’ digs. Please bookmark us here, and check back often! Lots of fun posts coming up- pics of the new art studio, camping with the pups up in the Adirondack Mountains, and… yes… a photo of the supersized 2″ slug. I promise. ;o)

Jen

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