I saw this great Scottish terrier logo in a magazine, and sent it to Madeline and Diane.
Based on recent events, Diane said that she thought Bruce would prefer to have a possum in his mouth then keys. Bruce cornered a possum in their backyard recently, and he received some scratches on his nose So of course I had to draw this…
At one point during our visit to Jen & Greg's house, my Shibas got a wild hair. They had spent the afternoon exploring the large property, and had access to many different areas of the yard, a lower patio, a second-story deck, and much more. We were talking as they were mulling around. Then suddenly... Aki darted out from the brush, having run up a steep hill from the lower patio, bursting forth unexpectedly:
And not a second later, a second idiot emerged in pursuit:
The chase was on! And it was drawing a crowd!
After a few laps around the yard in erratic circles, the big dogs retired to their swimming pool, and my guys relaxed in the shade under our chairs. As if nothing had happened. Until...
Diane & Madeline, aka "Tag Team Tompkins", the dynamo mother-and-daughter duo has some fantastic new letterpress prints, hot off the presses of Skylab! They're also featured in the special Halloween issue of Better Homes & Gardens, on newsstands now. Hurry on over to their Etsy shop to get your favorite quotes, immortalized with Diane's cut-paper silhouettes, and Madeline's hand-lettering. I just purchased my favorites, the two prints above, and bought frames for them this morning. The printing quality is so high, with a heavy white paper and crisp inks. They look incredible as soon as you pop them in the frame—no mat required! I love how their work is so balanced: lovely, but with teeth—many of the quotes have dark undertones. I've been fortunate to know the Tompkins family for many years now; they're my unofficial home-away-from-home here in KC. Great people. So what are you waiting for? Get some prints!
Madeline graciously surprised me with this print, and although the image features a Scottish Terrier, I'm reasonably sure that she had my Aki in mind when she lettered it. (It's certainly Aki's attitude!)
Madeline hosted a Memorial Day BBQ for her parents, Kelly, Erica & her daughter, Bob & Ana, and me. And she graciously allowed me to bring the brats with me, who had fun trying to keep Bruce in line, as usual. Wish I had caught more of the "Shiba roars" on video. All three were really wound up... and tired that evening. Yesss!!!
While the dogs wore themselves out, we indulged on key lime margaritas, grilled steaks and corn on the cob, and no less than 1000 other delicacies. (Seriously, Madeline is going to have to get a bigger dining room table if we keep partying like this.)
Oh, and Diane made pie. Sweet, sweet pie...
Meanwhile, in the back yard:
"We'd like some steak, please."
Planning the jailbreak:
Bruce, in his natural habitat:
Not surprisingly, Wayne was the dogs' best friend. Taylor wouldn't leave his side, and it made Bruce a lil' jealous:
Cool sign in Madeline's collection:
I'm pretty sure it says, "Thanks, Tompkins family, for your hospitality and all the yummy goodies." :)
I had the most satisfying, low-key Thanksgiving celebration with the Tompkins family. They invited a few family members over, along with Natasha & me. Ben & Yumiko & the kids were conspicuously absent, but I'm sure they enjoyed something delicious in Japan. Diane & Wayne have the most amazing house, with a recently-renovated eat-in kitchen full of natural light. The whole place smelled amazing!
The bird, deconstructed
Feta-stuffed mushrooms
Sweet potatoes & cherries
And the pièce de résistance, the pie shelf. There was a dangerously high ratio of pies to people: almost 1:1!
Busy day today: Sears had my new microwave installed early, then Madeline & Bruce came to visit, with fresh croissants (ham & cheese, and chocolate!) from the Roasterie Cafe. Drool... Then we all went to Stoll Park for a Shiba Meetup, where we saw Tracie & Pete with Rinnie, and Sara with Miso, Shelby and her other 3 dogs. A good time was had by all. Then Bruce & the shibas received baths, and slept all evening while I enjoyed "Zombieland" for a second time, with John & Mike. Dos Reales capped off the evening. "That'll do, pig." Or as they say in Japan, [豚, 大丈夫ですよ。」
Madeline is scotty-sitting for her parents while they're in Japan, so I suggested that we have my patented Shiba Squad wear out the scotties. (In truth, after they get together, they're ALL tired!!)
I was grilling bison burgers and had a plate of cheddar & buns on the side shelf. I went into the house for a MINUTE to check on the other dishes, and when I came back, the plate was EMPTY. And then Taylor burped at me. Nice. He must have leaned from the steps onto the side of the grill. Quite an acrobatic feat for such a portly little guy.
Off to the Meetup: I arrived at the dog park in Lee's Summit for our Meetup, just in time to get this cool shot as the sun was setting:
Shortly after we arrived, the shibas excitedly swarmed a scotty.
Who wasn't Bruce. Happy Tails dog park has agility equipment. I have ALWAYS wanted to try agility, and suspected that the shibas might be good at it, if they ever choose to listen to me. Aki was apprehensive but capable. And Taylor was ready to go! He showed very little hesitation. We might have ourselves a contender...
Maybe the best part was watching Aki & Taylor trying to roll Bruce over...and being thwarted by his low center of gravity. That lil' Bruce is quite a fireball!
P.S. Was talking to a friend on the phone and mentioned "Bruce the Scotty" which he misheard as "Bruce Biscotti". A new nickname!
This morning I met up with Madeline & Liza on the Plaza for Three Dog Bakery's annual Easter egg hunt (for dogs). It was our first time...and because I had to wrangle both dogs myself, I didn't get many good photos! But we had a good time & the dogs "found" 30 eggs (they were all over the ground in plain sight, actually), containing tons of treats & a few coupons for even more treats. The dogs had to touch each egg with their nose before you were allowed to pick it up.
And the pièce de résistance, the pie shelf. There was a dangerously high ratio of pies to people: almost 1:1!
Busy day today: Sears had my new microwave installed early, then Madeline & Bruce came to visit, with fresh croissants (ham & cheese, and chocolate!) from the Roasterie Cafe. Drool... Then we all went to Stoll Park for a Shiba Meetup, where we saw Tracie & Pete with Rinnie, and Sara with Miso, Shelby and her other 3 dogs. A good time was had by all. Then Bruce & the shibas received baths, and slept all evening while I enjoyed "Zombieland" for a second time, with John & Mike. Dos Reales capped off the evening. "That'll do, pig." Or as they say in Japan, [豚, 大丈夫ですよ。」
Madeline is scotty-sitting for her parents while they're in Japan, so I suggested that we have my patented Shiba Squad wear out the scotties. (In truth, after they get together, they're ALL tired!!)
Shortly after we arrived, the shibas excitedly swarmed a scotty.
Happy Tails dog park has agility equipment. I have ALWAYS wanted to try agility, and suspected that the shibas might be good at it, if they ever choose to listen to me. Aki was apprehensive but capable. And Taylor was ready to go! He showed very little hesitation. We might have ourselves a contender...
