Wow! It's been awhile since I posted anything here. I just got back from judging in Sequim, Washington. What a great place! It is on the edge of the US border with Canada. I judged for the Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club and never did make it up to the ridge. I guess I'll have to save that for the next time I'm in that neck of the woods. I really enjoyed judging for this club. They had around 800 dogs, but the quality was good, so the judging was pleasurable. Had an entry of 10 Spinone. I got to meet and talk with Spinone breeder/judge Carolyn Fry from the UK, author of "The Italian Spinone" - considered by many to be the "bible" of Spinone literature after I judged the breed on Saturday. I had several questions to ask her about the breed and we had a very enlightening discussion. Delightful lady and very passionate about the breed.

The club members knocked themselves out making sure the show ran smoothly, especially Show Chair Joe Larson. The show announcer was none other than retired AKC Rep, Bill Holbrook - it was wonderful to see him again. The judges were treated to a Saturday night dinner at the home of the superintendent, Sharon Delabarre. She and her husband, Mel, have a beautiful home in a terrific setting. There was nothing like being greeted by the smiling face of her 10 year old Golden Retriver girl when Cindy Vogels and I first arrived. The Chef for the evening was none other than the owner and chef of Bella Italia Restaurant in Port Angeles, WA, http://www.bellaitaliapa.com/ where Bella and Edward of "Twilight" had their first date. Yes, I'm a "Twilight" fan! We even had the mushroom ravioli which is what the characters Bella and Edward had for their meal. The entire trip was great, even the long drive from Seattle, WA in heavy traffic was fun as the only car they had left was a brand new red Mustang. Talk about a return to my teenage years - I had to make an effort to keep my foot off of the gas pedal.

I'm home for a couple of weeks, so I hope to get busy and complete several cross stitch designs for my company, Pegasus Originals, Inc. http://www.pegasusor.com/ I have just completed a new line of patterns for counted cross stitch stockings with different dog breeds on them, plus a new design for the "Journey With Jimanie" series: this one a stone church near Hiawassee, GA. A new design for a red and white Pembroke Welsh Corgi has just been completed, as well.

Back to Judging Dogs!

Whew! It's been awhile since I've had time to update my blog. I honestly don't know where the time goes - but it sure goes FAST!

I'm finally back in the swing of things with my dog judging schedule. Just returned this afternoon from judging the Rose City Classic shows in Portland, OR. What a class act! The shows are incredibly well run, the site is wonderful and the hotel where theylodge the judges up is terrific. The weather out there was tolerably chilly - especially since SC was having record breaking lows. The first couple of days were foggy when we were taken to the show site, but the last few days were clear and the view of Mt. Hood was spectacular.

Large shows, the Rose City Classic, sponsored by Eukanuba, is comprised of the Dog Fanciers Association of Oregon, POrtland Dog Obedience Club and the Tualatin Kennel Club. The Classic attracts a big entry and quality dogs. I kicked the weekend off by judging the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Northern Oregon's specialty on Thursday. Had a lovely entry and a great time. Judged the next four days and did a mix of sporting, toy and herding dogs. Saturday was the "Big Day" as I was judging the Herding Group that night for the Dog Fancier's Association of Oregon and it was taped to be televised on Animal Planet. I had my formal outfit all ready to go, but had to switch shoes at the last minute. My ankle started giving me problems the last few months due to arthritis, so I had to wear the flats I'd brought instead of the heels. Funny thing was, the flats no longer seemed to fit my feet. I'd lost weight and they were too big! So, I literally glued my feet into those shoes using double sided sticky tape! I got through the instructions and hope I didn't get between the cameras and the dogs too often. Naturally, the quality of the dogs in the herding group were quite high and I was very pleased to give the top award to the Bouvier. A square, rugged, stallion of a dog who I thought could handle cattle with ease. A beauty of a Belgian Sheepdog was second and the Pembroke and Cardigan Corgis couldn't be denied third and fourth. It is so much fun to judge a ring full of such beautiful dogs as I had that night.

I'm off to St. Louis in a few days to judge the St. Charles (MO) Kennel Club.