Wednesday, December 31, 2008

last day of 2008

and my camera froze up and I didn't get to finish this video session...
with all this beautiful snow, I will have to go back out and try again.

Funny dog story I wrote last night here.

more to come...

Friday, December 26, 2008

video and problems with video


dec 26 at glencadia dog camp from glencadia on Vimeo.

1. It's hard to keep the lens clean while I do this.
2. I tried the group thing again, categories.
3. Brooklyn pulls out a come from behind surprise victory.
4. Ran out of batteries.
5. The dogs are loud and rambunctious BEFORE breakfast. A lot of this is early when I let them all out in the yard. Crazy time. It gets calmer for the rest of the day, after eating and going for a walk and running... and right now (6 pm) is totally quiet. Not a peep.

I will embed video soon.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

merry christmas


christmas day at glencadia dog camp from glencadia on Vimeo.

It's warm and everything is wet. I wanted to try my color themed video thing again because my results weren't good enough a couple of days ago but the weather didn't cooperate. On the other hand, it's easier to get water and we can let everyone have outside time all day: it's plenty warm.

I have a pile of stuffed animals (someone gave them to me to take to an orphanage in Africa but I exceeded my weight limited with other sutff) and was thinking of handing them out to the dogs for Christmas. But it would make a polyester mess. And they might fight. I was thinking of handing out some turkey scraps, but it drives them crazy. So Christmas was a little quieter than it might have been.

The various clips are not in chronological order. You might notice a high energy level as the sun is low in the sky. That's early, before breakfast and before clean up. That's a high energy time.

Right now, on the other hand, they are completely quiet and the place is clean and everything is much mellower but the video is done for the day and I don't want to upload another one right now, although I might go shoot some more.

In short, I did the attendance in the morning (and video) right when I got out to the barn, so it's kind of crazy and messy.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

snow and reaction to snow, as depicted in video enclosed and sealed below in blog entry for your convenience

Actually, video is uploading and includes 2 days of dogs and ice and snow. Estimated video release time: 5 pm EST.

Included in 15 minute video: dog sledding activities, many dogs doing much romping in much snow, horses romping in snow, cats and chickens decidedly NOT romping in ABSOLUTELY NO snow, thank you, dogs begging, dogs knocking into my video camera, my son Ollie, 6, playing Silent Night, and FULL FRONTAL NUDITY. Okay, no nudity (thankfully, as it is cold and snowy).

Well, without further ado, here for your imaginary viewing pleasure, is the absence of the above described video.

Monday, December 15, 2008

power to the people, to the dogs, to the horses... no

ice storm in upstate new york - kewego
see glencadia.blogspot.com for complete coverage
Keywords: dogs horses ice storm



Here is a lower res version of the ice video.

The storm was quiet, beautiful but destructive,. The ice kept coming. I walked out to the barn at about one in the morning and heard the trees falling from all sides, far away, close by, some more creaking. It was a gentle rain, so I could hear the trees far in the woods creaking, then going down. “When will it stop?” If the ice kept building up, I would think all the trees would fall.

Now we have high wind.

Because the electricity wires are above ground on poles, so the slow steady rain at 2 degrees below zero was a catastrophe. I’m sure it is cheaper to string them up there like that rather than bury them in the ground. It must be.

Four days without power and they just brought online the houses on the road across the field. So now we can see their lights. “Not fair!” Ollie said. “They shouldn’t put the lights on in part of the town until everyone gets power.” It means only a short drive for as much water as we want.

All people fine. All dogs fine. All horses good. Cats, chickens well. Hawks, crows good. Guys with chainsaws employed. Coffee shop with internet, busy. It's a goddamn local stimulus package.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

still no power

Three days. It's been nice in a lot of ways. Some ways not so great. Well, my battery is still low. See you soon.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

ice storm: electricity out (and internet)

We have heat in the house and the barn (wood stoves) and water (hand pump) but no electricity since Thursday night. And we might go another few days, maybe a week. I wont be returning messages (email or voicemail) with the regularity you might expect. New post coming when I can. Thanks.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

video misfired twice

Tried to upload it a couple of places... let's go with Vimeo:
http://www.vimeo.com/2446881

I'll check it again soon. Video starts with Pepper then goes to all the other dogs.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

things

Stills here.


glencadia dog camp november 29 glencadia.com from glencadia on Vimeo.

Feeding: you can see Jim sitting and watching them eat. That's the procedure when there are more than one in a room at feeding time: watch and see who eats how much and referee the enterprise.

By the way Layla held out the longest, not eating, or eating little. Finally we broke down and gave her a can.

Boo also needed some special incentives to eat.

More Facestat pages for more dogs coming soon.

Friday, November 28, 2008

facestat and other things

Dog videos and more dog videos... (including todays) let's try something different.

I put some of the dogs pictures up on facestat. People vote based on a person's face (trustworthy, attractive). Mostly silly kids. I added a couple of dogs. Let's see what they say about your dogs.

Yoshi

Spencer

Bailey

Wellington

Can only add three a day. I wonder if they will kick me out for putting up dogs?

glencadia 2008-11-28 - kewego
see glencadia.blogspot.com
Keywords: dogs glencadia pets



I have videos that pre-date this blog by over a year, for the record, but here are a few old ones of dogs here now:

And here is a link too a very old video of Wellington.

Shiloh and Otto, years ago. More from that same day in 2007.

A long time ago, Moki.

day after thanksgiving

Here is yesterday:


Thanksgiving Day at Glencadia.com Glencadia Dog Camp - Click here for more amazing videos

Manhattan trounces Brooklyn!

I have more in the camera from this morning... and by putting the name of the dog in the blog entry, you can do a search and find the old images of your dog. Or look up your dates in the reservation system at glencadia.net and see your dog a couple of years ago.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

every dog here

Here is the very long movie:
http://www.vimeo.com/2354066

Here are the stills taken from the above movie:
http://glencadia.com/november26%2D2008/

Embed:


glencadia dog camp november 26 from glencadia on Vimeo.

Here is a list of all the dogs:
emily
Daisy
Nova
Romeo
Grace
Boo
Hermione
Jackson
Tango
Gunner
Spencer
Charlie
Shiloh
Annie
Lela
Bill
Panko
Clementine
Maggie Blue
Brady
Moki
Zeppy
Bailey
Theo
Kizzie
Bart
Layla
Wellington
Lucky
Apple Ginger

See you later. Happy thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

all the old friends

Rain, rain, rain. But at least it's a little warmer to we don't have to go so far for water.

It's really nice to go out to the barn in the morning and find all my old friends, the old timers, the ones who have been here a million times who I completely understand and who know the whole program, from the van to breakfast to taking turns going for a walk. Nice to see so many familiar faces. And it was relatively lonely around here the past few weeks (slow time for travel).

Funny how when there is more to do, I do more work but still have more incentive to do a more comprehensive job with this blog.

Not to bring up the economy on the dog blog (even on the stupid dog blog: I know, another great depression, shut up already!) but we're down a little bit from last year. I was thinking of buying an ad, either a underwriting credit on WNYC or on Google for dog boarding searches for New York City. I was also thinking of casting a wider net and advertising in Westchester or something like that, for pick up on different days and we drive more. Something like that. We're only a bit down from last year but when things really get bad I have a feeling people might not be flying off on vacation and sending their dog to camp as much as they used to... something tells me my service may be less in demand. But there are millions of dogs in the area. Enough of this topic.

Anyone who feels like recommending Glencadia, you can click here is you are a member of park slope parents. No big deal... thanks.

And I was just thinking how I got in a nice groove with the dog camp: construction is done, Jim's been here so long that he knows all the dogs like I do (or better) and can do everything I can and more, the internet part of it is going well, the dogs seem to know what to do (mostly returnees who are at peace with the process). My mother in law watches the kid. Everything is good. Just in time for a great depression.

Here is my mother in law's website, that I made, and I'm pretty happy with it: http://aenne.info

Now to the dogs: Little Boo is nervous. He will come to me but just seems nervous... he's with the little dogs now and I'll get him to come around.

Other new dogs seem to have settled in really well (Annie, Daisy) and all the old timers seem fine.

I have a new attendance sheet system so we can check off and make notes and get the names right.


Glencadia.com Glencadia Dog Camp November 25 - For more funny videos, click here


MVI_1850
Uploaded by willep1

Friday, November 21, 2008

classic glencadia video

Today's video has many of the classic glencadia elements: dogs, pumpkins, kids, buckets, horses, cats, geese. Only, some of it is in the evening and some of it is at night. You get to see the dogs going to bed there somewhere. And the video is about 11 minutes long, so stick with it.

I saw great blue heron today, a migrating bird, who stopped by our pond. I usually only see them like that: for one day. Oh, and a lot of shooting stars as I drove home last night. It was a clear, moonless night and two of the shooting stars really seemed to come right at me.

It's cold but I like it: that cold air, it really wakes you up. Going out to get more wood at night... I think the dogs like it fine to, except for Theo. Here in medium upstate New York, you're only halfway up there. You still have tons of big cities north of here: Minneapolis, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal. There are millions and millions of fools way north of here.


Glencadia Dog Camp Nov 21 Glencadia.com - Funny bloopers are a click away

Friday, October 17, 2008

splicing in and out

Napoleon is reluctant and Rocky has a break through (instead of the usual break out)!

Also geese, fall colors, pumpkins, and a helicopter.


october 17 glencadia dog camp glencadia.com from glencadia on Vimeo.

http://www.vimeo.com/1992550

Monday, September 8, 2008

summer season is over

Still feels like summer. Looks like summer. Could be mistaken for summer.

But it's not. From 40 dogs to a mere handful. And my blogging performance is also down... we even went to the beach for one day. Can't travel in the summer. Even though school started, we went. One whole day away from the ranch in the whole summer. Jim and Shannon held the fort down. Now Shannon is bear hunting. We'll see what she gets.


MVI_0613
Uploaded by willep1



MVI_0620
Uploaded by willep1



Online Videos by Veoh.com

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

ethiopian hopscotch

Off topic: From the Layla House orphanage 2007: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. You throw the rock to each square, then hop over there and kick and hop without touching the crack/line the stone to the next square. This is very hard! Try that kick/hop trick if you think it's easy. <


ethiopian hopscotch from glencadia on Vimeo.

does this finally work or what?

Did you see this?


Tuesday, August 26, 2008

corner a cat and a riddle

Stills here. Click to enlarge.

By the time I got out to the barn yesterday morning, Shannon had taken care of all the dogs and even given them all a walk and things were so nice and quiet and mellow I just let sleeping dogs lie... and didn't do much video taping. I will do a more complete entry tomorrow, and the weather should be just as nice as in the last few entries.

Bray, Shannon's son, is in some of these. You'll see a cat cornered by accident, some other stuff I can't describe in depth at this moment. And the videos are a mess... but here they are:

Try this link: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v15770408Cm73FS5J


Friday, August 22, 2008

hay in, swimming day


august 20 glencadia dog camp from glencadia on Vimeo.

Or this?


glencadia august 20 from glencadia on Vimeo.

Does that work?

Here are the stills.

LINKS FIXED.

Do go back to the previous real entry (not the dweebs, the one before). That was some good stuff. Today is only okay.

More video to come today (in case that video link doesn't work).

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

look at the previous entry!

I finally got all the videos uploaded. It was a pretty good entry and I'll try to get a good one tomorow. Or maybe I should just borrow these dweeb's video... I think I hate this video.

eating tomatoes, hay wagon

Here is some background to increase your enjoyment and understanding of the videos. First, I just cut my finger on a can. How does this information increase you're understanding and enjoyment of the blog today? Not much but it does slow me down in terms of typine and incdreases yhe likehood of a typo. Okay, a bandagE shoudl help that.

Now I have a bandage. Better. But I also have a baby in the sling and have to type standing up.

When I download the video in HD, they are worse, sort of ghosted... and some old videos were in the camera. Some of those dogs are already home.

Also, to make editing simple, I just mash them all together, but that's reverse chronological order. Which makes the story line whacky (first Duece eats tomatoes off the vine, then he learns where they are).

So the hay is drying in the field: you might notice it. And you will see the hay wagon the hay man left here. A big flock of swallows is sitting on the line out there. Is that yet another sign of fall? You hear us chatting about it. We might have hay bales this afternoon. Hope so but it will mean a lot of work.

Lela gets to go out in her own yard all day and does get quite work out going in and out... because she doesn't sit still. And a walk. And I let her have a few minutes in the big yard every day by herself. But I would love to let her run a little in the field. I almost let go of the leash today... but decided not to. Instead I took her for some barking at the ponies, which is another of her favorite activities.

Jackson is coughing. I have the two of them (with Cassie) away from the main group... pretty far away actually... because I'm concerned about that coughing... you can hear it in the video.

Duece does love tomatoes. Fenway, less so. Maggie got free run of the place this morning, since she is going to be here so long, and she took full advantage of it to bite my cat. The cat seemed fine but spooked and is hiding somewhere in the barn. Maggie has a small and well-deserved cut on her nose. Rocky ran into a root in his hole and had to chew it out of the way. He also demostrated his lack of interest me saying, "Rocky Come!"

Reilly took off when it was his turn for a toot and hung around the barn. Same with Pony. Shannon was still feeding other dogs and I guess they figured, where there's food, there's me.

I think Shannon talks a little. Shannon is my neighbor who works here in the mornings, when she isn't cutting trees, breaking horses, fixing tractors, shooting deer or slaughtering cattle.

Adelaide does not knock over my son. But she is working on my daughter. But she did learn that if you bang the screen door with the right rhythm, it comes open (my dogs know this and maybe showed her the technique). She ran in the house and made the bed dirty. You may hear my wife yelling for me to come "get this dog." That's the dog in question.

Luna realized that you can go under the hedge and into the lawn by the house. I don't want the guest dogs to figure that out (no dogs inside the picket fence, no children outside the fence, that was the idea, as a general rule), but she was quite polite about not going under the hedge after I told her not to.

Ollie is quite taken with Licorice's tail.

Freddy: somehow I remember not to let him free with my kids but I can't remember why. When I go for the second round when the battery is charged, I will have no kids around, damn it.

My memory was full and my batteries ran out before I could really finish. So after this, I will go out and make some more.

Stills here. Next time I don't do HD.

Video won't be available for a long time. Still converting, then I have to upload, and then it has to process. Maybe 2 pm EST... thanks.

Three hours uploading and this is it?

Okay, I had to split it into two parts. Here is one half.



And the next part:


august 20 glencadia dog camp from glencadia on Vimeo.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

holding court

I hold court in the video today. You can also see the medicine board that Jim does. He's great about that.

Cassius is fine. Spencer got cranky when he didn't get his breakfast fast enough and started fighting. Mendl stop listening to me. Willow won't stay off her wound. Lela and Lily yell at each other through a fence. Beegee is jealous but fine. Peter limped, but is fine now. Except for that cough... keep me posted on that. Darla, fine. Harley is hot to trot.

I'm working on an attendance sheet which I can use in the videos to make sure I get everyone every day... but not yet.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

wagon rides, swimming, pony barking: camp activities resume

Back to summer. That was a lot of rain. Here are the stills. The stills are in the order of scenes in the video, if that helps, but the whole thing is in reverse chronological order. Some pretty cute stuff today (a dog walking a dog, some dogs getting a wagon ride).

We really could use a dry week.

Not so many videos in the rain. I don't mind the rain and most of the dogs don't either but the camera does. I had a million things I could blab about but I no longer feel like it.

The video is exporting to a lower res version, then I have to upload it. It's 11:28 AM EST now and I'll publish this. Video might be available in a few hours.

12:39 PM Don't tell me it didn't work: http://www.vimeo.com/1539279


glencadia dog camp august 16 2008 from glencadia on Vimeo.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

Thursday, August 14, 2008

blackberries (thanks for reminding me Lily), tomatoes, make Willow sit still... Mickey and some cats... Roux found the chickens

I have some still from the video for today. The stills should be pretty high res and the video less to.

These are the important points: Beegee is good now, but rather than being nervous, she is completely jealous of attention. If we pet another dog, she goes after the other dog... No harm no fowl but it means we try to keep her by herself when we're around. That's a new one (700 dogs, never saw that before).

Allie is fine.

Willow got a small cut: i don't know how. I put hydrogen peroxide on it and now she chews it. I don't have a collar to put on her head but if she keeps up I will buy one when I go to town in a minute. It's a nothing little scratch, unless she chews it open.

Duece, Maggie and Mingus go with me to vegetable inventory.

Peter seems to have hurt his leg on a walk. I mean, he pulled a muscle or something. Between his heavy breathing and his leg, he's going to have a quiet few next days. Maybe he can sit in the recovery room with Mickey.

Lily eats blackberries. She's right, they're great and I should go pick them when I'm done with this.

Charlie is quiet. I'm pretty sure he came with the other small dogs on a walk but since I can't hear him, maybe not. Anyway, he's fine.

Since Tizoc went home I haven't found the right companion for Lela.

Mickey is so friendly, he even likes cats. His testicle sack, now empty, was a little swollen. I made him sit in a small area for two days, with either Duece or Gus to keep him company, as he needs company, but I guess I should have gone for three days. So I started him on antibiotics in case he burst a blood vessle... my dog had the same after castration and healed fine, but we are monitoring. He's as sweet as can be: I can't believe he was in the shelter a week ago. He has had quite a week. I guess he figures this here is his new life. Anyway, he loves cats and can't stand to be alone, so his people should get him another dog, a cat, work from home, or take him to work.

My kids showed up at the end there very stylishly dressed. Shannon was here doing dogs in the AM but she's not in the video. Shy I guess.

Just about every dog should be in here if you stick with it.






glencadia dog camp august 14 - kewego
glencadia dog camp august 14 - kewego

glencadia dog camp august 14 - kewego
see glencadia.blogspot.com
Keywords: dog cat

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

cold and rainy for august

Here are the stills.

Beegee was quite nervous last night but she is doing better... still, she needs some more time to warm up and is spending more time with kids and people before we let her play (first she should be comfortable with us I think).

Allie lead a whole group off the wrong way. Simon of course was not gone but not coming. That whole adventure ended fine... just took a little while to round them all back up.

I tried to get a shot of the dogs when they don't know I'm there. The energy level is high in a lot of these videos because I do them in the morning, when they are most excited. I could make more when it's mellower.


august 12 at glencadia dog camp from glencadia on Vimeo.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

geese already?

Story lines which may or may not be reflected in video (and more are coming):

Mickey loves Duece, which is quite cute and funny and I know I shot some video of it but don't think it made it online... will try again.

Mickey seems completely recovered but I want to make him chill another day.

Charlie howls. Not his fault, he's a beagle. As I write, he is completely quiet and has been for hours. Funny guy. But he woofs it up in the video. And I should shoot video later in the afternoon when the dogs are mellower...

I wanted to do a Laurel and Hardy with Gus and Willow but I don't think I quite got it. Ollie kicked Gus to make him sit -- and I turned off the video and gave him whats-for. I want him to be tough and confident with dogs, but he's not suppose to kick them... not much of a kick, but still. And poor old Gus is the last one to kick!

Meanwhile Willow knocked Lotta over and she swore at him as only a not yet 2-year old can: "bad, bad doggie!"

Geese already, damn it.

Tomatoes on the way... already here but the period of tomato excess has not arrived. Corn excess now.

Lela and Tizoc remain together... it's working, why mess with success?

Much more to come, either today or tomorrow. The camera is full of stuff. Visitors from Brooklyn here.

Video here?
http://www.vimeo.com/1497411


glencadia dog camp august 9 2008 from glencadia on Vimeo.

Friday, August 8, 2008

canoeing and other camp like activities

Here are the stills. Click on an image to see it bigger.

They come from the videos. Here are some points: Chicken has something on her leg that we don't know what it is... Tizoc and Lela seem to get along fine so I might just leave the two of them together. There is a big small dog group, so they have the big yard for now. Gus was nervous the whole trip up and still doesn't seem too sure of this whole thing. It's great how Noah and Lily act like they live together even though they are just neighbors. Loyal to each other. We had a little trouble getting Jake out of the water. Noah got to go on extra trips today, don't know why. Cassie and Jackson have what I consider an excellent space-- quiet and they seem to like it. Willow -- fine with big or small dogs. Who else needs a report?

Video still uploading. Or is it ready?


glencadia dog camp august 8, 2008 from glencadia on Vimeo.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

beautiful sunday



And, for the record, this is the 201st blog entry on this blog. Almost a year since I did the videos this way, although I have been posting videos for a couple of years. Always trying new stuff, like a new setting on the camera today. But mostly dogs running around again and again...

....the smallies do get a turn on the big yard but later in the day -- make any more video of that, then compress it, then upload it? Maybe I will. If Ollie will help me, we can take all the little ones out. Duke only comes to Ollie and I'm not too sure about Joey. He seems to come well now but sometimes he runs straight away from me. He didn't like that thunder yesterday.

The video is uploading. Looks very high res on my screen here. Vimeo looks the best of the video hosting services I've tried but they mis-fire a lot, at least for me.

Murphy Brown didn't bother any horses today but he did shoot off into the tomatoes, which smell great. Soon it will be tomato over flow time, when we have tomato salad and fresh tomatoes in the sauce and soup and for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This week it's starting and when they come, the whole kitchen should be full of them. But not if I stand here writing this blog. Where's a bag? a box? an old bucket? See ya.



Here is an old video:

Saturday, August 2, 2008

manhattan wins 3-2, murphy brown does not like horses, tomatoes coming in, a lot of chocolate labs

The still are here, more or less in the same order as in the video, although the video is not in any particular order. We went to hula dancing at Jacob's Pillow last night and a few hula dancers may slip in here somewhere.

Highlights of the video, as in the title of this entry: Murphy Brown hates horses, and in fetch competition, Manhattan beats Brooklyn... some labs swimming, some small dogs rolling in the tomatoes and a cricket.

Oh, where is the video I made at the end of Tizoc not being able to get down the stairs? And a couple more are MIA... tk.

Did this work?

http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoafYBsN.html






glencadia dog camp - kewego
glencadia dog camp - kewego




This didn't seem to work:
http://www.dailymotion.com/willep1/video/x6bl6w_clip20080802b



Online Videos by Veoh.com

Video failed here? Try it again?

Try again on YouTube? Nope.

This one is very low res... but I think it worked.

Friday, August 1, 2008

sorry... come back later

I most likely won't get a good, comprehensive blog entry up until Saturday... Things are good now, although last night was bad: car broke down, truck turned over on the highway, dog wanted to bite me, another one seemed to get stung by a bee or something... but we did it and it's quiet and nice now. Thanks for your patience.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

missing dogs videos

More stills here. And look at the entry for today below... scroll down.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

not a proper blog entry

While I'm pulling the videos off the camera, here's some thought and updates and so on... mostly about the dogs. But maybe not.

This is not the best video I've ever made and not all the dogs get the full treatment. Come back tomorrow for a proper Glencadia dog video and not all these ducks. Here are the stills for today, so give you a hint of what is in the video, unfortunately.

But wait: I will post another one of these later today with more running around and I will have a full length feature film with Mackey and Sheila... but they only make cameos here now and are fine, very loyal to each other but good with everyone and only get a C for walking around with no leash (mostly Sheila gets a D and Mackey gets a B and they get a C average).

Maggie Blue has been very good, I mean by Maggie Blue standards. She doesn't like Freya though... Parker still doesn't listen but gets away with it by being cute. Theo is popular with everyone, the way he just quietly stands next to you and looks you in the eye, very effective. Freya would be allowed to jump the fence at will if she didn't have this disturbing habit of licking her lips when she sees a chicken. Helmut was asleep during the shooting of the video below. Muri is terrific and come with us on the walks I shot this morning. Cleo does her usual running in circles.

After a terrible week, Jim is back and out there fixing the fences. Freya and Lucy and the thunder: there are a lot of holes. They can't get out of the dog area but I like a dog to stay where I put them. And the fences are not supposed to be optional, respect them if you feel like it... no, they are supposed to work whether the dog likes it or not. Seems fairly obvious. If Jim wasn't around, looks like I would have to do it but I wasn't getting it done... so I'm very glad he's back. We have leaks in the barn roof, I want to install a hand pump in the well by the dogs (to get water in the winter), line another chimney fro wood and burn no oil this winter, fix the van window, and Jim is going to do all that. Now you know, Jim.

Shannon and her son came by to help with the dogs. You'll see them in the video, if I ever get this sucker uploaded. Nice to have the kids around... and they are big enough that I think they can handle it. Plus Shannon lets Bray do any damn thing: drive a tractor, shoot a gun, ride a motorcycle, a stallion... he's my son's hero, 3 years older. Country style child rearing, it has it's appeal. I had some cousins like that in Vermont and they seemed quite reckless... but they all survived into adulthood and are still reckless. The mother's getting old and she stayed reckless too, still jumping horses at 68. I guess it's a family tradition. Actually, compared to the Fishes of Randolph Vermont, Shannon is careful.

Last night I was driving up the Taconic and I had one of those quick temperature drops I used to love. As soon as you leave the city, you get into the highlands, 1100 feet, and getting away from the concrete and into the mountains so quickly, you can shed 10 degrees in half an hour. When we first left Brooklyn and I didn't drive that way very often, I would find that change in the air exhilarating.

On the Taconic, you feel like you're in the country even when you are in fact in densely populated suburbs. Apparently, it's one of the world's oldest highways, designed for beauty, since it doesn't go to any major population areas. No on ramps, no breakdown lane: the grammar of highways had not been invented.

And the deer: you might think having grass right up to the edge of the highway is asking for trouble. You might also wonder about the wisdom of PLOWING the grass, exposing grass when there is none elsewhere, in the winter. Why design system like that? It's suicidal.

It seems the white-tailed deer was practically extinct in the 1920s and not a concern. Hard to believe now, but that seems to be why the Taconic is designed to produce carnage.

I haven't hit a deer yet. The other night the raccoons and opossums were out as I had never seen. I think that the days and nights of heavy rain had kept them from their rounds and they were all out in force. But it was still wet enough for the frogs to hop around, looking for new ponds, so I had to do a lot of bobbing and weaving.

Well, I could continue on any number of subjects other than everyone's dog. The dogs are all well. We had so many holes that we couldn't make effective small dog and large dog and old dogs and young dogs kind of groups but that should change in a few hours.

And this video includes:

1) Almost all dogs somewhere.

2) The duck saga: One duck met an unfortunate and premature demise. The other did not get along with chickens, which was where she went, escaped from the chicken house and waddled back to the pond. In a lot of videos you hear here in the background, quacking away. I assumed she was hungry, so the kids and I went down to the pond to feed her. She ate a little then followed us around as we paddled a bit, leaving her food on the shore.

She was not hungry. She has plenty to eat over there in the pond. She was lonely. How about that.

3) Ollie, my son who is 6, making videos. Take a Dramamine, you might get sea sick. He shot me trying to corral Moki into some kind of confinement.

I'm done. Thanks.


a duck, some dogs, maybe a chicken and a cat, three spoons and some electrical wire: I can make this sucker fly from glencadia on Vimeo.

VIDEO HERE.

Friday, July 25, 2008

rain, rain, rain

Start downloading the video (hit play) then come back up here and read (if you feel like it). Suggestion.

So last time I complained about the weed, etc. but I did not fully explain why the blog was almost impossible: rain. We had 10 inches in the past 48 hours and there was no way to make video outside. Inside, it's dark. Ergo, no video.

Also, I sent the girls (teenagers) out to make video and I got something... 2 minutes although they were out with the dogs all afternoon in a lull in the rain.

Although everything does seem to need work, today it doesn't bother me. No door shuts right, the faucet leaks, the fence had holes (thanks Freya).

The stills from the video here.

Okay, in today's video Freya goes on every walk (since she can jump the fence). Amber and Dakota are nervous but I think they are coming around. Moose wouldn't let me try to make nice-nice with Amber and Dakota. We've got some swimming in here, some fetch in the yard, some running in the fields.

A nice group of small dogs now... Have to get Charlie and Lucy together (the two Robins)... Maggie growled at Freya and Freya would not go near her again.

We had a little trouble with Muri disobeying offleash... just being naughty, little bugger. Meena is great offleash.

Parker! I spaced on her name. She's doing great in my small dog group. Shannon is in here somewhere... great to have such intelligent help (who gets dogs).


july 25 at glencadia.com from glencadia on Vimeo.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

update, text only

My camera is full of videos, my garden is full of weeds, my lawn need mowing, the barn roof is leaking (storm in progress), my fences are dilapidated, my hay is too high, my garbage cans are full, my websites need updating, my data need organzing, my beans need picking, the peas need shelling, my library books are overdue, in short...THE BLOG IS BEHIND.

I just made some videos of the dogs looking out at the storm and being comforted about thunder but it was dark (inside, not so much light) and the lens of the camera was all steamed up and everything is dark and blurry. And I had Shannon take them all out yesterday in the rain but she couldn't find the camera, which I left in the van and... nothing to show.

But Shannon, who's working here now, cuts wood, hunts deer and turkey, breaks horses, butchers cows, grows a great garden, fixes machines and doesn't look half bad doing it. And now dogs. Stay tuned!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

t shirt design again



Anyone want a t-shirt with that on it?

And look, I've got glencadia.com working now... in case I start some other "Glencadia" businesses --which I may well do... got a lot of ideas ... no money though. Dog business I could start without borrowing... And I seem to have a lot of kids and who knows, but that was the idea.

Anyway, how do like the T Shirt?