Well, it’s happening.
After all these years publishing Chelsea Update, I am taking a vacation.
For a WHOLE WEEK.
Buzz, Ryan, my friend, Nancy Jennings and I are headed to Syracuse, NY for the 2018 Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever National Specialty where we will be surrounded by hundreds of other foxy-looking, little red dogs and their owners.
It will be a week of competition, renewing old friendships and making new ones.
This will be the second time I’ve gone to a National Specialty as this show moves around the country each year and well, as readers know, for the last seven years I’ve been working pretty much 6-7 days a week bringing you all the news that’s fit to publish about Chelsea.
But, in honor of this, my 60th year on Earth, I decided it was time to do something fun for me that of course, also involves the two boys.
For 11.5-year-old Ryan, this will be his first (and last) Specialty. He’ll be showing with Nancy in Excellent Rally. He’ll also be strutting his stuff with other 11-plus-year-old Tollers — there are five of them entered — in something called Veterans Sweepstakes.
Think Westminster for old-timers.
And while he’s wagging his tail and having fun while eating treats in the show ring with Nancy, I, along with many of the folks standing ringside, will be balling our eyes out outside the ring. In awe of these faithful companions that have lived this long and are still game to play “show dog.”
A tribute call, if you will. It doesn’t really count for anything. Other than to honor these white-muzzled, age-spotted veterans.
Buzz will have a busy week, too. But since he usually gets most of the press, I’ll wait until we get home to let you know how it went.
So, what does this mean for readers? I’m hoping that I’ll have a new story or two publishing each day while I’m gone, but the upgrade and redesign of the site is underway so, glitches happen.
And I will be on vacation until Sept. 16 and I’ll be back to work on Sept 17, digging out from all the email that arrived while I was away.
(And as always, thank you to my friends who drew the short straws and are taking turns staying in my house while I’m gone. You know who you are and, yeah, I owe you.)
