I took a "Rhodesian Ridgeback vacation day" yesterday and had a wonderful time. Daughter Becky and her hubby Matt came out to inspect the camper and start getting it ready to pull down to the National Specialty Rhodesian Ridgeback Dog Show in Lexington KY at the KY Horse Park the last week of August. (Very near Bryan's Station) Had to get the propane tanks filled, etc, etc....a lot of you know the drill, pulling a trailor around the countryside!..:-)) Anyway....my 4 grandogs were here all day and they had a ball. They made me think about why I love and admire and respect this breed and dogs in general, so much. We had to go for a rip through the woods and watching them work as a pack is a delight. They have this sort of "incomprehensible to humans" sign language they use with one another. You can actually see them silently communicating....one of them stopping, tail stiff and eyes glued on a target...within a split second, everyone else picking up on that que, is zeroing in on some "big game" in the Milo field :-). All of them swerving and weaving at full tilt in the same direction. They reminded me of a flock of wild geese wheeling in the skies...all following their leader by some mysterious means of communication known only to them. Then, here they all come back, the ends of their tongues all spread and inflated and lolling out of the sides of a broad smiles. They flop down in the grass in a kind of diving motion and there they lay puffing and blowing until Cu decides they have rested enough and begins to taunt everyone with her funny spraddle legged, stiff, pounce, pounce, duck, duck, diving, "haff, haff, gruff, huff" vocalizing until someone takes her up on the challenge. Then the rough and tumble leaping and butting and gnawing on one another's eyeballs begins!!! :-)) When I went in to cook dinner I had lots of help. Four strong, muscled, lean,shining, red bodies swarming behind my every step. Eight eyes attatched to every morsel I was preparing..."Whatcha gonna do with that?" "You gonna drop that?" You gonna eat all of that, Grandma?" "Plaatz, I didn't want that piece of apple...I wanted that piece of meat!" After we humans finished eating and treats were passed out all around, I felt someone boring into the back of my head....I turned. It was Katie Scarlett looking at me and sending brain waves. When she caught my eye she started vocalizing. Amazing how they know and realize. Amazing how I understood what she wanted. I asked her..."You want to go outside, again?" All four leapt to their feet and beat it to the door.....and off they went again...tilting and wheeling like the free spirits they are through the fields. It just doesn't get much better than that.......Judy PS....I will make my annual pilgrimage to the spring at Bryan's Station again. Some of my doggy friends are interested in seeing it, too! I will remember all of you when I am there. *********************************************************** cato@primary.net ***********************************************************