The Wonderful World of Shop Dogs

 We have a wide variety of dogs that make the store their home.  There is Gunner, Tug, Linus (aka Frank), and Brewer.  On top of that, there are dogs that just randomly show up with their owners.  Take Cole, a monstrous Great Dane.  He is an enormous dog, and he's only a year and a half old.  He's 115 pounds now, but his father is 180!  His back was not quite up to waist level, but his head was about stomach to mid chest high.  A little skittish, but very well behaved.  He seemed to like Frank a lot.  In fact, in this photo, he is watching Frank with quite a bit of interest.

Frank and Brewer were hanging out today, too.  Brewer, a Great Dane/Doberman mix, is a lovely dog, sweet as he can be.  He is a big dog, size LARGE, but he was dwarfed by Cole, whom I would have to say would be called XXL.  Frank the Pug? XS.  Brewer is wearing Frank's bow tie, which is the new symbol for dogs who are coming up in the world.

Affton 5 Run - Official Pace Vehicle

It didn't happen if you didn't get your photo taken with the Minion.

Today was the second annual Affton 5 run.  It's put on by the fine folks at the Affton school district, with the help of faculty, staff and students.

I was the Lead Pace Vehicle.  Me and the trusty black spray painted mountain bike (not to be confused with POS Blue, which is another spray panted mountain bike) lead the field of runners through the Affton schools (Rogers, High School, Mesnier, Gotch, and back).  It was pretty much a blow out.  The guy that stuck close to my wheel was almost a mile ahead of the second place guy by the time we finished.

Adult and young'un alike had a good time, as the weather was spectacular for a run.  And we got free bagels and chocolate milk afterward, too!

Eli's Harry Potter Birthday Party

 For Eli's 8th birthday, he wanted a Harry Potter birthday party.  So the beautiful Mrs K made it happen for him in a big way.  The first photo shows Hanna, hard at work on the Hogwarts Express 9 3/4 platform sign that awaited the kids at the front door.  She did a fantastic job.

 Next came Eli's Quidditch outfit, complete with "Potter" on the back.

 Deanna went all out on the grandparent's basement, complete with stone walls, floating candles, and a nice spread for the kids to eat cake.

 And what Potter party would be complete without the sweets?

 The Quidditch field was super cool.  The goal rings were hula hoops on stakes.

 The sign to let the kids know where the action was.

 Max and Deanna, both dead ringers for Weasley kids, explain the game to the party goers.  At first, the idea was to have the broomstick between their legs during play, but that was a bit...awkward.

 After the brooms were broomed, the action was fierce.  The kids LOVED the game!

 What can you say to this?  An awesome cake for an awesome dude.

Everyone was anxious to get some of that Hogwarts cake.  A shout out to Deanna for making a wonderful party come together for the junior Kakouris kid.  And thanks to Hanna, Tyson, and Max for helping with the party.  Of course we can't forget Grandma and Grandpa for allowing the Hogwarts Express to crash into their home!  Thank you!

Car Watching - 1966 Ford Mustang

When someone thinks "classic Mustang", this is almost surely the car they conjure in their mind.  This one is a 1966 Ford Mustang.  It has the 289 V8 (I would love to see the VIN number, but my guess it's a C-code), styled steel wheels, a Rally Pack on the dash, but no dual exhausts or trumpets.  It was very well done.  I love the red on red, and the convertible boot is red as well.

And it was parked right in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house, just waiting for me to photograph it.  Right-click the photo, it's huge and it's got really nice detail.

Rex - The Dog who Stole Easter

Remember in "A Christmas Story" when the dogs busted into the house near the end of the movie and ate the Christmas ham? (Or was it turkey?)  That's sort of what Rex did today.  He wasn't...ahem...secured in his crate when we were all gone this afternoon.  And there happened to be a nice bag full of Easter candy on the dining room table.  He didn't eat the Skittles. 

Good thing Grandma will have lots of M&M's for me on Sunday.....

Great Mountain Bike Riding at Greensfelder!

Yes, it's a selfie.  But my bike is in the background, so that's good, right?

Fantastic weather today for a mountain bike ride.  I chose Greensfelder because it's the hardest trail around.  I did two loops of the long trail (Dogwood, Greenrock, Race Loop), one in each direction.  Very satisfying and quite a lot of fun.

Food as Decoration That Tastes Good

I hate rice.  Mostly, I hate wild rice, with brown rice a close second.  White rice is neither here nor there.  The beautiful Mrs K knows that I hate rice, so she usually makes an effort to church it up so I won't feel so affronted.  This time, she did a job that a chef would be proud of.

There is the rice.  On top of that, there is garlic humus.  And yes, yes, yes.  Sitting atop that lovely combination is bacon.  Bacon!  And there's bacon on the asparagus, too!  Oh yeah, there is meat there as well, which was also good.

Let this sink in:  Humus.  Bacon.  Humus and bacon hiding the rice.

There is good in the world, and it starts with humus and bacon.

Rolf the Great Dane - The biggest Dog I have Ever Seen

Meet Rolf.  He is a very big Great Dane.  I had the pleasure of meeting him last night as his owners strolled by the store last night.  He is five years old and full of energy.  It was hard to catch a good photo of him because he was pretty nervous about being in the store.  I wish I could have gotten a good shot of his face.

His back is just about the same height as my belt.  His head came up to my chest when he stood at full attention.  He is without a doubt the largest dog I have ever seen in person.

Happy Birthday, Elijah Oliver

Eight years old today!  Happy birthday, Eli!

Old Records

 Rooting around for things to use for Eli's birthday party, I came across a pile of old 45 rpm records in Grandma and Grandpa's basement.  It was a treasure trove.

 The Osmonds.  Wish I would have looked for the copyright date.

 Cher.  What more can you say?

 "I'm Rick James......!!"

The crown jewel.  Oh, Mickey you're so fine.

Rapid Fire Photo Bombing

I love Max and Hanna.  I really do.  They are such crazy teenagers.  And I have 17 more photos, almost all exactly like this one, to prove that you don't leave your phone unattended for even a moment.  The first photo I really like.....

....but because I like to show them MY sense of humor, I'll post one of the less flattering bombs.

Car Watching - Tesla

My favorite view of the Tesla is the rear.  But here I took the only view I could get on short notice.  The Tesla is an ordinary car at a glance, but look closer and you'll see curves and lines that really show it's beauty.  Next one I see, I'll take rear end shots.

Car Watching - 1972 Dodge Challenger

 Although I didn't take these photos, a coworker did and sent them to me today from our parking lot.  For my money, it's a 1972 Dodge Challenger.  It could be a 73, so correct me if I'm wrong.

 It's looking good, except for the "take it to the drag-strip" wheels.

And it appears to have the goods under the hood, too.  The 440.  Thanks, Jeff!

George Kakouris - 23 years

Every couple of years on this blog I point out the anniversary of my dad's passing.  I'm always reminded by it because Eli's birthday is in a few days, making the first part of April more memorable.   I actually remember this date much easier than I remember his birthday.

Even though he has already been gone for 23 years, I am still not at the age that my father was when I was born.  He was FORTY NINE when I was born.  If Deanna and I had a child right now, I would have a heart attack.

Funny how time flies, though.  It doesn't seem that long ago.  Maybe because I keep him alive with jokes and stories with my kids and others.  I usually start off BMX stories with "back in the old days when my dad drove me to races....", etc.  Still sort of a heart break that my kids never knew him.  Even Hanna, my oldest, missed him by almost 10 years.

Career Day - Kids grow up so fast these days!

I never remember having anything that resembled a "career day" when I was 8. To be honest, I don't think I even heard the term until I was in college.

And that may be why our children will be better than us.  Our kids have career days.  And they dress snappy when they have to.  Take our young man here, Eli Kakouris.  He was more than happy to break out the coat and tie.

So...what's it gonna be?  Electrical engineer?  Physicist? Bicycle store manager?  Er...scratch that last one.  That's why we have career days, son.