Oh no, please not Carroll....

Carroll was sort of a new/old friend, as I had known him for a long time, but we became closer the last couple of years, sharing our love of the Whippets when we met at lure courses and slowly building a strong friendship. Before long we made a habit of chatting by phone every night as we lived far apart most of the year. He was always encouraging, always had a good dog story for me, and vice versa; we told each other the same old stories over and over. We planned to have a good long visit playing with his pups at his home in Southern California, only 5 or 6 hours past my 2009 winter rental south of Tucson . He invited me to come and spend some time with him once the litter was born and I planned to do just that as soon as soon as I could leave my home in northern Minnesota where I was supervising the building of a wall in the creek right next to my house to save it from destruction. The wall project dragged on and on, Carroll became very ill but bounced back, and finally on Christmas Eve I told him the wall was done and I was ready to head out! We spoke again for the last time on Christmas Day, as he was headed out to his son's for a Christmas Dinner. He said he felt just fine, but he passed away that night at home, and I never made it to see him and play with his litter of pups. He so wanted to share the fun of watching them and evaluating them with me, and I will always be a little sad I did not make it in time to see my friend one more time. Carroll had a good life with his wife Ruby and their wonderful Whippets. He was sad without her; we all missed her at the lure courses. I miss him still, he was one of the best and truest friends I have ever had. Many others feel as I do about this wonderful man. I don't have a good picture of him, as he wouldn't let me take one, as he wanted me to always fill the frame with the dog he was holding. So here is his great dog, Spike, the finest, fastest and sweetest Whippet I ever had the privilege to judge, devoted to his master, and always able to bring a smile to Carrolls face. I wish I could see all of the great spirits who passed through my life just one more time, to see them smile, and give them each a hug. Their leaving changed my life forever, leaving me hurt on the inside and on the outside. These are only three of many who are now somewhere else, I hope, where I might someday see them again. But for now I must continue, and see what I can make of the time I have left. I hope that I can turn the memory of the ones I have loved, human and dog, into a strength to continue on the path I am meant to walk.

And then to my gifted Whippet, Roxie...

Roxie was special, and she was sick with a strange disorder that made it nearly impossible for her to do the only thing she was just crazy to do, chase things. She couldn't run if it was over 55 or 60 degrees, so after a brief and amazing career competing in lure coursing, she ran with me, after the frisbee, everywhere and anywhere we could find that was cool and dry, even under the headlights of my car, fast and graceful and quick as ever at least 3 or 4 times a week for the 3.5 years she lived after she manifested the disease, Exercise Induced Hyperthermia, or perhaps a version of collapse, her dna and others remain under study at the University of Minnesota. We had a language, and we did a bit of agility for fun, and she almost gained her rally title, but she was not able to do that thing she loved so much, run full out for long distances, wanting to be faster and go farther than all the other dogs. She tried, but her last summer all her systems began to falter and freeze up until we had to give up, I had to give up I should say, as she did not want to at all, despite the pain, she was more courageous than I will ever be.

Dad, Roxie, Carroll and the old me.

And so I say goodbye to my father, Robert Putnam, Sr., a gentleman accomplished in many endeavors, an adventurer and a scholar. He is still desperately missed by his five children and his wife Karla, who brought him joy he had never known before.

Life gets in the way sometimes...

Life just does that, it can just stop you cold in your tracks, You think you have things in order, and you think your plans will move right along when you are young of heart and spirit, but it's

not so. I think no one is prepared to have life start making ALL the decisions and you are making none, or so it seems for a bit, until you put yourself back together again, even if the pieces are a little beat up, and look around to decide which path seems most alluring. With a brief good bye to once again honor the beautiful people and dogs I have lost since 2007, I will introduce you to what is new, and beautiful and full of hope and love.

Life goes on...

My Winter Home

Here is my winter home, this December of 2007, on the shores of Lake Superior, waaaaaay past Duluth donchaknow, almost to
Canada, where it's downright COLD most of the winter.

My Summer Home

Here is my wonderful little summer home up on Lake Superior, way, way past Duluth donchaknow, almost in Canada, where it's cool all summer long.

Blue Dog Revisited

Blue Dog finally recovered from a long awaited face lift in time to be shown with his mates in the DOG SHOW, a presentation by 8 Minnesota canine artists at the Johnson Heritage Post in Grand Marais. 118 paintings and 3 very heavy cement and mosaic dogs were shown from the end of July until after Labor Day, 2007. It was a delightful show, the town was full of tourists, it had not begun to rain, and the artists were all so laid back there was no discussion about whose work went where, no competitive edgeiness that sometimes accompanies group shows, and no one was left out who painted dogs and wanted to show. We had high quality work, and I wonder how many shows comprised of just dog paintings have ever been held, not counting the famous AKC museum in St. Louis. Many dogs attended the show, live dogs, that is, including my Roxie in her gorgeous Saworski Necklace. I'll try to find some pictures of my red beauty showing off and being sedate in crowds of admirers, microphones shoved in her face, and having to pose next to cement dog, of ALL things. But here is Blue Dog, a 3' x 3' oil, in one piece.

Wonder wondering when it will stop raining...

It's been about 6 weeks of rain now broken with only a few decent days in Northern Cook County, MN, with floods yesterday, and NO FUN at all for puppies. Of course puppies make fun where they can find it, so one good quilt has two holes dug in it, chewies are being devoured by the boxes full, Roxie is being tormented, and playing "Ring Around the Car Instead of Getting In" seemed like a good game yesterday morning with Mom standing in a raging downpour, then on hands and knees begging Wonder to jump in her crate with the treat and chewies so we could drive to Thunder Bay to meet our new vet. And she looked so pretty on my bed just moments before I discovered the quilt holes and began preparing to leave for a day in Canada, so at least my image of her is this one, it's not the real Wonder. She's 6 months old here, Surrey Hill's Kentucky Wonder. In a week we go to Arizona, and she can wonder what happened to the rain!

Bejeweled

The elder of the two princess Whippets in the yard yesterday, Roxie, agreed to pose for me in her lovely crystal necklace made by another Whippet person out east. We had the first 85 degree day of the summer, as it's been 60s and 70s mostly, and I love it, but Roxie was hot from running with Wonder pup, the younger princess and so she is seen relaxing in a chair after being soaked down with the hose. I'm sure she is dreaming of the days when she ran at the lure course competitions, and keeps herself sharply tuned by hunting the elusive squirrels and chipmunks that taunt her from tree to tree.

Where's the food?

Roxie and the fast growing pup, Wonder, have a new favorite viewing post. From their vantage point they can watch for oncoming dogs, squirrels, chipmunks and stray children for whom they run to the fence and look terribly forlorn and captured in my zoo. It works everytime.

Wonder

Roxie found a friend! Her name is Wonder, and she is 10 weeks old here, and having a very good time with her new family, her new yard, and lots to see and do. She's not Wonder Dog, nor Wonder Woman, but Surrey Hill Kentucky Wonder. She is everything naughty and nice a puppy should be. Of course she is a Whippet, although she could still almost pass for a Beagle Lab Steet Dog cross at this age. Soon she will be elegant, swift and cunning I am told.

Angel Wings: Version Two

In attempting to correct a fault I perceived in the painting, I found myself painting nearly the whole head over again. I wished that I had just left well enough alone. But too late now, so I am looking at these two on the blog wondering which I prefer. Hmmmmmmm.

Angel Wings

This is the second of two paintings of the Whippet puppy, Wings. Acrylic paint this time, and I haven't worked in acrylic for a long time, so it was challenging. It's too cold to work outside this week, and I can't use chemicals in the house and still breathe, so I played with transparent washes, colored pencil and a pen to create this one. It is also 16" x 20" and the colors are again quite soft, but an array of mixed hue pastel washes of this beautiful puppy. An old friend was the photographer, and as always allows me to use her wonderful work when I find one that suits style or my spirit. I think my dear friend has memorized my favorite poses by now, and this is one of them, but of course the puppy had to have the gorgeous head and neck to contribute to the beauty of the art.

On a Wing and a Prayer

This is a small oil painting of a Whippet puppy who lived with me for a few months. He was very sweet, and so photogenic my favorite photographer friend took many photos of him for me, and allowed me to use them as inspiration for my paintings. I called him Wings, and Roxie thought he was great fun, as you can see in previous posts. This painting is 16" x 20", and is very subtle in color, so hard to know what different monitors will see. I'm out west again, in Green Valley, Arizona, where it should be very warm by now, but there is ice on the water of my neighbors fountain inches thick every morning and the wind is blowing like mad all day long.

Roxie's new life

Roxie is now an only Whippet, and her lure coursing career is over, abruptly cut off by the discovery that she has a disorder that prevents her muscles from dissipating heat. After 13 days of competing, she was just 50 points short of her Lure Courser of Merit title. We had to quit, but fortunately Roxie can still enjoy chasing the frisbee in very cool weather if I carefully monitor her actions. She was the best lure courser I have ever owned or enjoyed seeing on the field. She is now the perfect model as you can see here. We are actively looking for a doggy friend for her to play with. She can still run and play and do lots of things, but extreme excitement and lengthy runs are a thing of the past. Her she is, looking like Greta Garbo, on a chair of her selection.

Rosie the Road Dog

Rosie is a local favorite along the little road I live on. Probably the last of the "running free" dogs, as her mistress says even our little country road is getting too busy to be safe for loose dogs. Rosie has been lucky enough to live her life at her Mom's resort on the North Shore of Lake Superior, where she goes from cabin to cabin begging for toast and pancakes from the visitors, and telling them she loves them more than anyone else. Rosie used to run the 1.5 mile road daily with her owner, and with her favorite people. Probably the ones with the most treats:) She actually ran about 15 miles each trip as there was a lot of hunting to be done along the way, but as she has grown older I see her trot or walk the road about twice a day. On arriving back home, she is well known for plopping herself down on the warm road and forcing drivers to go around her, giving the evil eye to tourists who unknowingly dare to honk at her as one might do elsewhere. The rest of us just roll down the window, exchange greetings, and politely go around Rosie. This is a small acrylic painting, just 8" x 8".

Red Dog

One of a trio of paintings in oil, 3' x 3' on canvas, that I have been working and re-working for a long time. I like them all, but this Whippet has the most presence, at least for me. I can imagine several motives and feelings behind the gesture, but prefer to leave it to the viewer to imagine what this dog is doing, thinking and feeling. Red Dog is the most design oriented of the trio of paintings, and can be viewed turned on any edge while the composition remains balanced.

Yellow Dog

Yellow Dog is another of a trio of 3' x 3' canvases named after the primary colors. The Whippet seems to be waiting his turn to get out of the kennel, or maybe is waiting for his human to come and get him? Or maybe he sneaked out of the run and is planning his escape, checking out which direction to run. I like this painting because of all the lines on him, and because his feet seem just right.

Blue Dog

The Blue Dog painting needed a major facelift, and so here he/she is with new lines drawn to try to get the planes correctly on the canvas, 3' x 3'. This is an oil painting. You'll see more of Blue Dog when he recovers from surgery.

A perfect slip!

Proof that I CAN slip a Whippet without strangling the dog, myself, pre-slipping, or slipping after the fact! Photo by Gail Wieberdink.

Roxie in Duluth, Labor Day, 2005

Here is another photo of Roxie, my wicked redhead, last fall in Duluth, running her heart out. Photo by Kent Standerford, Big Paw Prints

Roxie gives her all, Always!

Roxie started lure coursing again in Spring, 2006, with a wonderful two days on the field, taking the Best of Breed both days and the maximum total points of 40 each day, putting her at 220 and more firsts than she needs for her Lure Courser of Merit title. She's always exciting to watch, barking and yelping her way around the field in her eagerness to catch the plastic bunny. Roxie won her Field Champion title and the Minnesota cup last year handily, and has only run 11 trials in her short life. Living practically up on the tundra, really northern northern Minnesota, I find the distance to go to trials a trial:) But with Rock saying, Let's go, Ma! I'll try to get her to more events this year. Photo by Kent Standerford, BigPawPrints.com.

Frisbee Fun

Spring has arrived and it's time to start conditioning Roxie and her friend Wings for lure coursing. Roxie is beginning to pick up speed and strength from the hard running after a winter of nothing but two mile walks nearly every day. 7 month old Wings follows Roxie on the field I use for excercise, and wrestles the frisbee from her - proudly carrying it back to me. Tonight he got an extra session in the yard and finally managed to catch two gentle lobs. Passersby must surely have wondered what I was jumping up and down and "yoo-hooing" about. Photo by a fellow artist up here on the Big Lake, Tim Young.

My human family...

Last weekend my father, his children, his grandchildren, his great grand children and his friends celebrated his 90th birthday. Lest it sound like a somber affair of old people and decrepitness, it was in the grand tradition of lots of drink, lots of stories, lots of great food, and many tributes to the Patriarch of our family, including a wonderful poster made up by my youngest sister, portraying my Dad in the position of Tony Soprano. We all had buttons with pictures of Dad from age 10 to 90 to choose from to wear, and a most amazing cake with an airbrushed portrait of Dad on the frosting. My Whippets were in attendance, and somehow we got a decent picture of Dad with his five children. A splendid party, good stories from old hunting and trap shooting buddies of times forgotten by the youngest party goers, or never known by some. Lorelei and Chuck Delaney were in attendance, owners of Armstrong Kennels, and the Annual Game Fair in Anoka. Lorelei one of the trap shooting buddies who went on to World Renown for her skill. Dad was the president of Minnesota Ducks Unlimited, made trips to the Artic Circle, supplied the snow geese for wildlife artist Francis Lee Jacques' dioramas at the Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota Campus, and one year as a good friend reminded us, he won the Grand National Trap Shoot.

An Armload of Whippets

You can't have just one! They love to be in a pack, the bigger the better. I should have two looking over my shoulder, and at least one more at my feet. Photo by Laurie Erickson, professional pet photographer.

Roxie with Wings

Diffident Roxie puts up with lots of kisses and hugs from the visiting pup, Wings. His whole name is Comet's Fallowfield Wingwalker and he loves Roxie with all his heart. She does not always reciprocate, and sometimes just has to squeeze his little ear between her teeth just hard enough to hear him squeak! Naughty, naughty. Photo by Laurie Erickson

Amherst Woods Forever Windrose, FCh

Roxie as a puppy, waiting at the window for something to bark or fly. She is about 6 months old in this photograph, near the end of the summer of 2004.

Home Again, Home Again

Oh Deer! Finally home from Green Valley, AZ with all the deer watching our progress as we pass Duluth and travel onwards toward the north country fair. Roxie and new puppy Wings are surprised at the cold.