Introducing...Talullah!

We drove 5 hours to Gardnerville, Nevada (South Lake Tahoe roughly) on December 11 to be interviewed by this pup. We woke up early before meeting with the breeder at 9 am and watched some TV while we drank our coffee. Saturday morning TV isn't very compelling unless of course you're eight-years-old. We ended up tuning into the 2006 Harrisburg Kennel Club Dog show; the herding breeds were up next. We paid particular close attention to the representatives from the Aussie and Sheltie breeds of course, and both were beautiful. The Sheltie was particularly stunning with his daisy-cutting prance, keen expression, full, lion-like mane and shiny, tri-color coat. 

Trav called it - and then the judges called it; "Musashi" the Sheltie won best in show. As soon as Musashi's name was announced I recognized him from Talullah's pedigree. The name was familiar, but his credentials were not. Turns out this dog, Talullah's grandfather, is a Sheltie superstar. I had been searching for a well-bred dog from breeders who choose their stock carefully with the intent of enhancing the breed - not a descendent of a champion show dog, but no one is complaining. Musashi's granddaughter is a smart, sassy little love-bug. 

"Musashi" a.k.a Champion Pop Star SS of Northern Farm ROM

Talullah subjected me to the sniff test and I plied her with treats. Pretty soon she was curled up on my lap, thoroughly enjoying some pets. I'm pretty sure she became our dog at that point. The journey home was a little harrowing.  Donner Pass, (elevation 7, 085 feet) was receiving its first snowfall of the year and Caltran was at the summit making sure everyone chained up. Luckily my chains were in the trunk and we were on the road again in short order but it took a long, long time to get home. The good news is we didn't have to resort to cannibalism.

My Christmas present.

I must have been a very good girl....

Our Christmas tree - or 'Chritmas' tree as they say here in some parts of Western Addition.

Our neighbors Kim and Mac in Portland sent us this photo of our house. The city and outlying areas have received over a foot of snow in two days breaking a 40-year-record. Snow days are the best(!) and city skiing is super fun - we're sorry we can't be there.

Bumpwatch 2008

20.5 Weeks, but who's counting?

This is Broderick street, a few blocks from our place. It has a lovely cascading row of painted ladies. They're so fun to look at - every time you walk by you notice something new about them. It's fun to try to figure out which houses were once twins before facelifts and remodels.

The view from Alamo Square

Get the Funk Out laundry

Hello Kitty! I ran into this friendly, handsome fellow at a neighborhood pet store. Walmart greeters could learn a thing or two from him.

San Francisco's propositions nearly spanned the alphabet, 21 in all, and 12 ballot measures. My favorite was proposition R: Should San Francisco name the new sewage plant after Geoge W. Bush? That was a tough one.

AA Market: wall-to-wall alcohol

My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. ~Edith Wharton

We lost our beloved Cecil (a.k.a Queeder) unexpectedly on Friday night to a splenic tumor which ruptured his spleen. He was a few weeks shy of his fourteenth birthday and an endless source of joy and humor for us. He was both simple and exigent, regal and bumbling and more than a little vain - like a Brittish colonialist from a by-gone era; the sort of gent who attributed his well-being in old age to a gin and tonic every afternoon and leisurely strolls in the gardens. Travis lovingly dubbed him "The Expector General," as it seemed he was always anticipating something...a treat, some pets, a walk or just some conversation. His royalty was my shadow and my best friend, my sweet, sensitive and fiercely loyal beautiful boy. We will miss him dearly. Rest in peace sweet Cecil.

Making fun of Gabe and Cecil is a favorite past-time around here. We got some laughs out of these shots.

I got sumfin in ma toof

"Before" pics

So this is our new flat. The three-story apartment building we live in was built in 1900. As you can see, much of its Victorian architectural heritage is intact: crown mouldings, coved 12 foot ceilings, wainscotting - both wood panel and floral-etched plaster, a large bay window, a built-in china cabinet and two hand-crafted fireplace mantles. Trav and I are Victorian architecture enthusiasts so San Francisco is a real feast for the eyes. It's going take some time, but we're looking forward to putting our signature on this place.

This is the front hallway. To the right is the double-parlor with the bay window (see below). To the left is the entry (see below). The hallways in this flat are typical for the period, very long and narrow. This section is just the beginning. It winds around the corner for a short stretch and then into yet another long narrow hallway. Notice the floral-etched wainscotting to the left.

Double Parlor

To the right, off the entrance hallway is a double parlor. There are pocket doors which separate the two rooms - perhaps so the ladies could plot their suffragette revolution while the gents smoked cigars and talked business. The front parlor has a large bay window which Gabe has made his station for his manifold sentry duties. He resisted temptation to jump up on the window seat for the first few days we lived here. He would look at us longingly and then look at the window seat and back at us, kinda like this... 

After a while we gave in. Lacking a flock of sheep, the poor dog needs something to do with his time. Looks like we're going to have to special order a very large dog bed.

Entry way

We're thinking some leopard-print wingback chairs and bookshelves are what this space needs...

more hallway

To the right are the bathrooms. In older homes in SF the "split bath" is common. This basically means there's a full bath and then a half bath right next to it. The logic of this arrangement escapes me...I suspect it has something to do with economizing plumbing.

At the far end of the hallway is the master bedroom (and an old Sheltie) which so far looks like this:

The colorful panels are yesterday's arts and crafts project yet to be hung as wall art - Kimono fabric stretched over canvas stretchers. I need a job.

oh but aren't they pretty?

And finally...the kitchen and dining room

Victorian houses were built with separate public and private spheres in mind. Each room was assigned a purpose and a degree of formality based on its location in the flow from front to back. The front of the house, or front parlor, was reserved for formal social gatherings e.g., business associates, new acquaintances, gentleman callers etc. The back parlor was typically a less formal space where close friends and relatives would be received. The entry way served as a filter of sorts, a place where servants would greet visitors who in turn would present a calling card and either be received or turned away by the home's occupants. In the grand victorians, a front staircase served as the setting for formal greetings while the back staircase was reserved for more utilitarian purposes. What fuss! Next in the flow was the dining room and finally the kitchen where the real work of everyday living took place behind closed doors.

As you can see (sort-of, my apologies for the underexposed photo), our kitchen has been thoroughly modernized but the dining room still hosts vestiges of its victorian past.