This was my family's first dog. Born in 1974, when i was 8, Misty was mostly Golden retriever with a little bit of German shepherd and a wee bit of Collie. We adopted her as a puppy from my family's best friends, whose dog, Shamber, had a litter of pups... Misty lived a very happy 15 years, five in Illinois and 10 in California.
i adored dogs as a kid... i loved all animals, really, which is why, after a visit with classmates on a field trip to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago at age 10, i stopped eating lamb. It wasn't until age 16 that i eschewed all meat; at 21 i nixed eating fish. Still working on kicking out from my diet products that have whey in them and an occasional bit of ice cream... i don't eat cheese and i'm allergic to eggs...
My fave show when i was a kid was a short-lived Saturday morning series called "Animals, Animals, Animals" with Hal Linden http://www.skooldays.com/categories/saturday/sa1395.htm Not sure if anyone knows that show... i also loved Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/wildkingdom/wildkingdom.htm
When Peter and i went on our trip last month around coastal California, it seemed that we were constantly around animals in one way or another. Camping led us to some close encounters with wild animals and we made friends with dogs everywhere we went it seemed! i was able to get some snapshots of a few of our doggie pals.
Kota the 4 month old, who reminded me of Misty!
Ralph, our 4-legged next-door-neighbor at Limekiln State Park for 2 nights. i adored this 9-year-old retriever mix. i was decidely not a fan of his "family" of four as they left him out in the cold both nights while they got snuggly in their tent. i spoke up on his behalf but was met with disdain and some quizzical looks. Not surprising... the "dad" had murdered a fish and left it hanging in front of my car (with all those veg*n stickers on it) at Peter's and my water spigot. Incredibly horrifying for me...
Anyway, i digress!
This gorgeous gal waited for her fisherman father come up from his boat at Morro Bay. i thought she was a Chesapeake Bay retriever but she was a very sweet, chocolately Labrador!
This is Blue, who lives in Pacific Grove, lucky boy!
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In yet another coastal town in which we stomped around, Cambria, we stopped at what we thought was a fresh fruit stand but what turned out to be something much bigger... Linn's Fruit Bin Farm Store. http://www.linnsfruitbin.com/
One of the Linn family's 10 dogs... on the prowl.
The Linn family owns and operates this cute little store and among other things, makes preserves, jellies, jams and pies from all sorts of fruit, including the "olallieberry" which is a confounding, confusing (make believe?) berry that i'll leave this place to explain: http://www.linnsfruitbin.com/faqs#1
They also had 10 dogs - and a peacock - on site.
Another Linn family dog. Ralph Nader's his name!
Peter and i snuck up behind the store up a semi-private road to catch a closer glimpse of the Linn family home, check out the view (amazing!) and the farm (so many trees, so little time) and to meet some more of their dogs. We had befriended three of them at the store as well as the peacock, which seemed to like hopping up on the roof and jumping back down again. And again. And again.
The Linn family peacock. Gorgeous.
We decided to eat lunch at the family restaurant "Easy As Pie Cafe" back in town, a few miles away from the store. Not a lot from which to choose, but they had a fantastic roasted veggie/hummus wrap that was a tasty, filling treat!
i also got to meet Mrs. Linn and one of her sons, who runs the restaurant. i told them we'd met quite a few of their dogs and they kind of raised their eyebrows... good thing i didn't tell them about the road less traveled to their home. (Can you say "illegally trespassing"?)
Tasty vegan wrap at Linn's Easy as Pie eatery.
Some last few memories of our trip...
A goat right next to the road in Cambria, and on a leash... Why?
A sweet goat, i wanted to "kid"nap him for REAL.
A wild turtle in San Simeon State Park.
Peter in Pismo Beach, trying to help... too bad it was only a mural!
Peter looking the wrong way in Morro Bay, where we picnicked. The rock is truly AWEsome, isn't that right, Crystal? http://www.slostateparks.com/morro_rock/default.asp
Where all good hikes in Limekiln State Park end. Stellar waterfall.
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HERE'S TO A HEALTHY, HAPPY & COMPASSIONATE WEEK FOR ALL OF US!
56 comments:
Misty has such a sweet face!
With all these dogs around, do I sense a new adoption in the future?
I loved seeing all the friendly faces from your trip, and learning a bit more about you. What if the whole world loved animals as much as you do? It would be a much more bearable place, methinks...
That photo of the rock from the bay is incredible... Such gorgeous sights! I hope around this time next year that I'll be able to make a trip out west and see some of these amazing things.
Dear Kleo,
Your roll call of dogs strikes happy memories! All of our dogs have been rescues and have repaid us with so much love!
Paw in hand hugs!
JudyMac
Thanks for taking all of us along on your vacation - and for taking the road less traveled (even if it was trespassing). (-:
such great photographs of all the animals!! they truly are amazing (especially dogs), and make life so much happier - my sheltland sheepdog just turned 10 years old (I've spent all those 10 years with her), and my family and I can't imagine being without her!
It seems like you're having an amazing trip! I look forward to reading more and seeing more photos.
Wow so many dogs! Sounds like a wonderful time. Sorry about the mean guy with the fish. Some people!
That wrap looks good. Still a little jealous you live in San Diego & got to drive along the coast. But oh well. Maybe some day I'll make it out there.
I LOVE CAMPING!!
You two animal lovers are magnets for sure. I'd like to think that they recognize compassion instinctively. Don't you just love those ollalieberries and Linns? I'm a longtime fan although I haven't had any in quite some time. I wonder if her pies are vegan. Next time I'm in the area I'm going to have to pay them a visit.
I love all the dog pictures! Getting to pat pups when traveling is so comforting, it feels like home to me. My family has had dogs since I was born, one rescued from an abusive family and one stray that adopted us after I gave her some food (I was in 5th grade, it was love at first sight). I think it has made me pre-disposed to veganism!
Unfortunately, it hasn't worked for the horrible fish murderer. Sorry you had to deal with that.
A peacock! He must be tough with the 10 dogs ard :)
A goat! Here we only see dogs/cats/birds... goats are found only in zoos or the goat farm :S
The vegan wraps look great! great post!
oooh misty is such a gorgeous color! and all those dogs are painfully coat. i'd be freaked of a peacock on the roof, though. haha.
Sniff....I want a doggie...right now....what a trip! And that store sounds like a pretty amzing place!
Well, U know I love dogs. I did a beaded portraits of both of my dogs, Moosie & Tawny. Moosie was a Golden, and Tawny was an Airdale. I don't have any dogs at the moment, but someday, I'll have one again...
Thanks for sharing all the photos of your doggie pals. Also, thanks for stopping by my blog. Your comment was very sweet:)
what a sweet post! you are so sweet!
Thanks, and I am feeling much better.
we stayed at a place in santa fe that had several peacocks running loose around the property and boy did sadie (our border collie) love them. :) shasta (our pomeranian) was a bit more skeptical and only barked from a distance.
thanks for the words of encouragement about the toofs. i need all i can get. :)
Gosh, you've been a vegan for WAY longer than I have Kleo. I think you're a wonderful person for loving animals the way you do. You're an inspiration.
what a beautiful post! my dog is a 6-year-old black lab/hound mix from a humane society in portland, and she's the best companion i've ever had! (well besides mi marido) dogs are great... i loved your stories and all the photos, too!
Aw...the fuzzy ones always find you and Peter because they know you're good souls. Loved all the photos--except the one of the goat. That made me so sad...I pray that his wonder will untether him.
As a littlle girl I also loved animal shows. Hey.... Wait. As a 42-year-old woman, I still love animal shows. Animal Planet is always on in our apartment.
I must say that Peter is extremely photogenic. Has he tried modeling?
Thank you so much for the comment and warm wishes for my parents - even though they've only been married 19 years, they've been together since the '70s!! Incredible. I hope your parents have a WONDERFUL anniversary - 51 years together is definitely worth celebrating!!
Yes, chickpeas certainly are my favorite legume now - black beans have moved to 2nd place, haha.
I love being a part of this blogging community now, instead of just following along silently (as I have been doing for a quite a while, before I started my blog) - we all learn so much about one another through words and photos. It's so inviting :0)
sorry for all these lengthy comments - I'm quite long-winded when I talk and write, haha. But I forgot to thank you for your compliments on my writing - it is one of my greatest passions; especially writing about my OTHER passions (veganism, animals, food, cooking...). I'm praying that I will have a chance in the field of journalism!
Thanks for the raceplace link! Sounds like you had some great travels.
Once again, K, great post! You made so many animal friends on your trip. I can't believe what a jerk you wound up next to at the park. But the peacock picture made me forget him for a moment. And the waterfall.
The veggie wrap looks like a great find!
Well thanks for the fabbity fab fab comment about my poop cake (hee), I really take comments about my food to heart.
I loooooooooooove Harry Potter. Yes, I’m a Harry Potter junkie (but not the movies…which are complete crap. I think Tim Burton should have directed them. I do watch them…just to criticize everything that’s not supposed to be in there. I’m weird.).
There’s much to me that you’ll find throughout my bloggy that you’ll find strange. I don’t know if you’d want to read my older posts do to my crazy ramblings (aaaand my old blog is lost somewhere in the internet…). Maybe you can read my Las Vegas journal post (which is extremely long, you can’t miss it due to the pictures). That was a very odd vacation. I became best friends with the Whole Foods there. :-) I need to add you to my list of bloggies that I check up on, by the way.
Gorgeous Dogs!
Thanks for sharing your exciting trip. Especially loved the pictures of the food, guess I had better go and get some lunch.
Thanks for stopping by to visit. I love your vacation! What neat doggies to meet. The kids and I volunteered at a dog carnival fundraiser for PALS Saturday. It was so fun, there were contests the dogs could enter, obstacle courses, and many PALS available for auction were there to show. I enjoyed hearing a professional dog trainer present a few training tricks, but I was a little disgusted that she used summer sausage sticks dropped from her mouth to reward the good behavior.
Although busy with painting the east side of my house, I have also been spending alot of time swimming in our easy set pool and lounging around reading books. Next week we will go on vacation. Good reasons not to blog, eh?! :)
I said many PALS available for auction were there .... I said that wrong. Many dogs in need of adoption were there to show, I would hate it if they auctioned off the dogs!
cool ode to dogs post - I love looking at each & every furry face. You & Peter sure have fun travel adventures and big hearts for our fellow Earthlings.
your posts never fail to make my day.
LOVED LOVED LOVED MARLIN PERKINS! Thanks for the memory...those shows were my fave too! As a kid I used to pretend at least once a week I was a ring tailed lemur. Why that animal...no clue. Just thought I'd share.
xoxoxo
I want a dog named Ralph Nader! How awesome. Looks like you had a wonderful trip and all those gorgeous dogs......Thanks for taking us all along with you through your pictures.
Howdy Kleo! I'm finally catching up on commenting on your blog. What a wonderful post. I enjoyed reading about your first dog. What a cutie!!! What an assortment of animal friends you made on your trip. I love that the one dog's name is Ralph Nader. A few years ago, I had a red/white/blue betta fish that I named Ralph in honor of Mr. Nader :) Those people sound like jerks at the State Park. I would have been horrified too at the dead fish. So sorry you had to encounter that. Hope all is well. I'll be in touch soon. *BIG HUGS* Emmy P.S. Be sure to give Mattie a hug too!!!
what a great post. I love ALL dogs too. i wsih someday i could quit the state and opena sanctuary that includes all dogs neglected, ignored, abandoned & abused. then kody can tell them what it's like to be super-spoiled.
i am smitten with your conviction, your enthusiasm, and your willingness to share it wll with the rest of us. even in the face of those who could seemingly care less about veganism (hello mr. fishkiller) you remain positive and true to what you believe in. i love that.
also LOVIN the doggie love!
Thanks a lot for your advice, I actually do keep a food journal; I think it's important to see if I'm getting all the right nutrients.
The nerve of the guy who (1) left that poor dog out in the cold, and (2) killed a fish and left it on you car!
This is why I love you, K. You and I are soooo similar. Hats off to you for starting so young.. I became vegan just a few months after my 23rd birthday.
What we humans must bear in mind is that we are in full responsibilty of our planet and the living things in it. I wait for the day when everyone finally realizes that animals too are living things like us.
The way people treat animals like commodities sometimes makes me sigh.
By the way, I just had to write another tribute for you, K. Keep it up!
Veg*ns Are Hot To Trot!
kleo, you have got to be one of the nicest (if not THE nicest), most compassionate people I've ever "met" - I'm so glad that you are enjoying my writing; your words mean a lot, since writing is one of my biggest passions. I hope you will continue to follow my blog - I'm hooked on reading yours, haha.
by the way, I occasionally contribute product reviews on a food review website called I.ATE.A.PIE.NET (I'm the lone vegan voice on there!) - I will be posting about it today, since I have a new review up!
Even though oatmilk doesn't have B12 and isn't as high in protein as soymilk, it does contain a substantial amount of calcium, 2g fiber, and other nutrients - and you're right about the tradeoff for certain products: great taste beats it all sometimes :0)
Yes, I completely agree about Dr. McDougall - his products and level of knowledge are incredible.
Aww I love this post - so many beautiful animal friends. It makes me incredibly sad when people chain up their dogs. I mean, if you're going to have one, don't you want it to be a part of your family? The things people do often don't make any sense to me...especially in regard to animals. And that fish by your car - ick!
hehehe - a dog named Ralph Nader. That is priceless. =)
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I envy you. I would love to go on a trip of any kind. The puppies are so cute.
That man who left the fish at your car is SICK and why in the world would you live your fur baby outside in the cold. I am sorry you had that happen.
I am suppose to go back to work July 23, how about we finally get together before I go back to work. Email me!
What great photos from your trip! We used to take trips up the California coast when I was a kid, and your pics brought back lots of great memories.
I've missed you, Ms. K!! I'm so happy to be able to catch up on all the blogs now. This post was really cute (and inspirational). The dogs were all so awesome (so cool that you encountered so many of them!) but the peacock and the goat stole my heart. I love goats so much. And of course, all the gorgeous CA scenery... the last time I was in Moro bay was 2003!!
Misty looks like a darling and those animals that you featured are so adorable! And that veggie wrap looks absolutely lovely!
i can't wait for the day when i can adopt a few animals who need homes!
i'm very excited for my own trip through california - i'm leaving next week. looks like you had a lot of fun.
Misty looks like she was a great dog... her eyes are so kind and soulful.
I love that you got to hang with so many cool dogs on the trip.
Looks like you had a great time.. beautiful scenery as usual!
i'm totally getting a goat someday . . . and i wonder what the rules are about gazelles . . . i really like them. maybe i'll try to get one.
Oh my gosh, I LOVED looking at all those beautiful dogs. Serioualy, all those beautiful faces put me in such a good mood. What a cool thing to do on your vacation (i.e. take pics of all the dogs you meet)! Thanks for sharing :D
another rescue-dog mom here! Yay for mutts! The animals thank you <3
you're way too sweet!
ditto to you when you visit THE valley :-)
What a wonderful holiday you had and managed to get home without dog-napping any :)
Isn't it sad we always bump into someone fishing or hunting on our journeys ? You wish you had the time to show them how much more fun it is to use a camera to capture pictures of beautiful creatures rather than wipe them out.
Thanks for the great photos.
I love to cook, so hopefully there will be a cookbook in the future but not anytime soon :)
LUV LUV LUV the doggie pictures!! And learning more about you too!
Way cool!
What a fun trip! And all those adorable dogs! That poor goat, I would have wanted to untie him too. And good for you sticking up for Ralph being left out in the cold!
you rock ; ) check it out http://veggieway.blogspot.com/2007/07/dear-amy-aka-crunchy-domestic-goddess.html
Congratulations you have just been awarded a `Thinking Bloggers Award'. Details at http://winsomegunningartwalk.com
What a great story about your choices & the animals that inspire all of us!
I love all the animals & great pics from your trip and that family who made their dog sleep outside while they were all warm in their tent- grrrs.
Great post. :-)
Thanks for your comments on my series of kosher meat posts. I don't say it enough, but I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback and support. I know from tracking numbers that lots of people read my blog without leaving comments, but I really do appreciate getting the comments from readers, and nobody's better than you at that!
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