My Secret Crush

I guess if I'm blogging about it - the SECRETS OUT!

Good thing Due can't read!

"BEN"

Don't get me wrong. I do NOT consider myself a 2-timing hussy (Due - I still love you).

I have NEVER actually cheated on Due - but I have admired BEN from afar. Fine - I hear that's often referred to as "emotional infidelity" - get over it - I'M A DOG!

(Mom's got her Clooney thing...I've got my Ben thing).

I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. Ben even drew a lovely Valentine for me at the beach and posted it on his blog.

BEN lives 3,000 miles away - in a wonderful land filled with surf, sand and sunshine. Since Mom grew up in Southern California - she has assured me that SAN DIEGO is indeed - almost heaven.

What makes Ben so fascinating (besides his drop dead gorgeous red-headed looks of course)...is his character. He's smart, he's charming, and most of all - he makes me laugh. (Yea I know - sounds like Clooney). Ben has an amazing story. He, his golden brothers, and more importantly - his peeps - are awe inspiring.

Here is the short version of Ben's story.

BEN was hit by a car just days before Christmas of 2008. His original people (or as I like to think of them, "Pond Scum with Legs")....did not take Ben to the vets...FOR 3 DAYS. (Gee - so sorry his little accident got in the way of your holiday plans). So 3 days later - with a broken leg and an infection that is getting worse by the hour ...they - in true "Pond Scum" fashion, sign him over to the vet.... as in..."here, you take care of him, we're outta here".

Fortunately the Vet (Dr. Burns...who I bet looks like George Clooney) - contacts the Southern California Golden Retriever (SCGR) Rescue - who literally "came to the rescue".

Ben (Hogan) goes home with his foster peeps...who have already have 3 golden boys of their own. Lance (Armstrong), Tiger (Woods) and Coop (as in Cooperstown). After months of surgeries and meds, cones and vet visits - the decision is made that for Ben "Life is Better on 3 Legs than 4". He joins the world of tri-paws and shows all of us what one can do with a positive attitude.

Now BEN is living the good life. His Foster Peeps (and their 3 golden guys) took a vote - and in a unanimous decision decided that BEN should be a permanent member of the family. So now he's got 3 brothers, gets to go to work with Mom, LIVES IN THE LAND OF SUNSHINE. Sweet. (And of course he has me....pining over him from the big city)

Ben's peeps do a lot of work with another amazing organization, Homeward Bound.

It's like the underground railroad of golden rescues. A network of Angles pick up goldens and transport them to the nearest foster home or rescue organization. Ben's peeps continue to foster additional pups in their home.

If you have the opportunity...you too can help save another Ben.

Check out Ben's blog, and you just might fall in love....just remember...hands off - he's mine!

Thanks to Ben's Mom for sending us these photos to include in my blog post.

Of course I might just might put my copies on the fridge!

****NOTE From Mom - yes- the font size is all over the place in this post -

I tried to fix it. Can't figure it out. UGH!

THE Tree

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a New York Tradition. Mom thought it would be fun to take my picture in front of the tree as my "blog Christmas Card". I had other ideas.

Everytime Mom got me in position....I'd walk towards her!

Lots of people stopped to pet me - and one nice lady even tried to help me pose....

I think Mom gave up - so here's a nice shot of the tree itself!

We walked around to see the skaters...and as we were sitting on a bench - this nice girl from Boston asked if she could pet me - SURE....turns our her name is Abbey too!

I hear the snow storm is currently in some place called "New Jersey". Hopefully it will be here soon. I've been told we held off on Central Park until tomorrow - hoping (and praying) for a LOT of snow to romp in! We'll see. Check in tomorrow to see what happens!

My Newest Pal

Welcome the newest member of my gang. The Beaver. Shiny coat, big flat tail - could be fun.

I thought it was time I introduce you to my Gang. I asked Mom to gather them all together for a group photo. I admit - not everyone made the photo - Mr. Hedgehog, Froggy and the football are still in the basket - oh well.

When we moved to NYC 3 years ago - Mom thought I had outgrown the childish notion of "toy pets" and somehow my buddies didn't make it in the packup. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING!!! Fortunately our new neighbors across the hall set Mom straight and started my new collection.

First up - My favs. "Teddy". He's a lobster Mom brought back from her travels to Boston. - And Yes - we named him for the Senator. He makes a "plop plop plop" noise - like he's sinking in water---a big pot of boiling water - (Did I mention Mom loves her Lobster Rolls!)

My Current #1 - Squirrel Man. He has a velco belly so you can replace a dead squeeky!

"Harvey" - yep - Jimmy Stewart fans here. You always need a Harvey in your house.

Next is "Kenne". He's not really a dog toy - Mom picked him up at The Colony in Kennebunkport, ME.

He quickly lost his nose. Oops. (Mom doesn't know - but I saw her cut off the nose - I think she was afraid I might eat it - please - unless it was coated in BACON I doubt it would have been an issue!)

"MOOOOOOSE". And yes - you have to say it that way. Kind of goofy - just like a moose. Gee, think Mom's got a thing for Maine & New England....I see a theme here...

"Mallory" - I know - girl name, boy duck. Give me a break - I'M A DOG!!! I like to take Mallory for walks - but Mom makes me leave her with the doorman.

"Rupert" - because he's a Fox!

Now it's time to get that "new" stink off of the Beaver. Can you tell I'm not trilled this turned into a Kodak Moment!

The big flat tail comes in handy when trying to swallow the entire head of a beaver!

Now I just need to come up with a name. Mom picked him up in New Jersey - I was thinking "Frankie" as in Frankie Valli, Jersey Boy. Any suggestions?

Nature's Fury

We headed to Central Park this morning to see for ourselves the destruction we've heard about from Tuesday night's storm and to see how the clean-up is getting along.

To help understand the scope of the damage - here are images of 2 trees - right next to each other. It helps you imagine the "before" look - and the "after" look.

Untouched - and beautiful

Not so lucky -

I imagine they trimmed the damaged branches to eliminate an immediate hazard - and that the rest of the tree will follow soon.

Huge trees just blown over - this one completely uprooted.

And this one just bent in half.

It seemed everywhere I looked in this area (west side - near the tennis courts and 96th Street) I found caution tape, damaged trees...

And fresh, steaming piles of wood chips.

The power of nature amazes me. The beauty of a sunset, of snow capped mountains, luscious green valleys, and majestic coastlines (Hmm...I must have Maine on my mind! ). And then you see how destructive and dangerous nature can be.

The park will recover. The storm damage is centered in the northwest section. It took us a while to get there. As we first entered the park we were thinking, "hm - not so bad" then after brunch we headed further north - and it was indeed devastating. You can follow the progress of the recovery by checking the Central Park Conservatory website

On a happier note - although my dear Due slept in AGAIN today, we met a great pup at brunch. This is Maddie - and Maddie is a pit bull mix rescue dog. It started to rain during brunch so Maddie and her folks, and Mom & me - huddled under one big umbrella in order to stay dry. The important thing of course is that the BACON stayed dry!

What a face!

Mom's working on some new designs, and I'm doing a stellar jump supervising the entire operation. I'll try to post some photos of our "studio" soon. Until then...

Copyright 2009, Central Bark Designs, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Rain Delay

Our weekly Central Park Adventure was called on account of rain…

Mom and I headed out this morning – but the rain came before we crossed First Avenue. And apparently Due was sleeping in….

We’ll try again tomorrow. I’m anxious to get back to Central Park to survey the progress on the storm clean up.

Instead of Central Park Mom braved the heat to head out to Brooklyn....I found a cool spot on the hardwood floors and relaxed.

I haven’t been to Brooklyn since we first arrived in NYC 3 years ago and stayed with our friend Jennifer. I soon headed back to DC while Mom found an apartment and got things ready for my triumphant arrival.

Although Brooklyn is a lot of fun, and Prospect Park is close to dog-heaven – we decided on Manhattan. I can’t go on the subway – so I have not been back to Brooklyn since.

Mom went to check out the Artists and Fleas Market in Williamsburg. (Which apparently is a neighborhood in Brooklyn). We have a company, Central Bark Designs, where we create hand painted placemats for pets (see sidebar link to our etsy store!). Mom wanted to see if our mats would be a good product to sell at Artists and Fleas.

Located at 129 6^th Avenue (L train, Bedford stop) and open from 12n to 8p on Saturdays & Sundays, they have a great array of jewelry and vintage clothes.

Since it’s in a warehouse, it is a great place to shop rain or shine. The vendors change from time to time so you should keep going back to see what’s new. There are lots of pubs and cafes in the neighborhood to enjoy after your shopping spree. Although it’s not the right fit for our mats, Mom said she is looking forward to going back. Sounds like a great place to take Sarah A. on her next visit to New York.

One of the reasons Mom wants to go back is the Ice Cream truck she found. (And has been raving about).

This was NOT your neighborhood Mr. Softee. Parked on Bedford Avenue between N. 6^th & N. 7^th streets was a creamy yellow Van Leeuween Ice Cream Truck. Artisan Ice Cream – from a street truck. And this was not any street truck. After doing a little on-line research, Mom’s discovered 2 brothers (Ben & Pete) started the company and that the truck is actually a retrofitted postal truck. Talk about recycling!

As an animal lover (which of course is obvious) I was happy to hear that they give 1% of their profits to Wildlife Direct. A grassroots organization in the Congo whose mission is to actively protect critically endangered species.

CLICK HERE to find our more about VanLeeuwen Ice Cream. (You can even follow their tweets to find out where their trucks are!)

The ice cream is amazing (or so I’ve heard). Mom had the mint chocolate chip with hot fudge sauce. It was rich (18% butterfat!), with a subtle mint flavor and lots of chocolate chips. And there was not one drop of artificial green food coloring! It had a freshness to it you just don’t find in other ice creams, especially ice cream truck ice cream.

Of course I have to take Mom’s word for it, as she did not bring any home. The excuse given, was that it would have melted…I might let her get away with that one.

After enjoying her ice cream it was back on the subway for a quick stop in Chinatown before heading home. And look what she found on Canal Street…..

Now that Mom’s had Van Leeuwen…. I’m afraid she’s kicked Mr. Softee to the curb!

Copyright 2009, Central Bark Designs, Inc. All Rights Erserved