Lambiedog

Counting

Five people, five dogs, three cars:

 

Three people, four dogs, one car:

 

 
Four people, six dogs, four cars:

  

Savoir-faire at the precipice

 Nene and I met up at the Samulon bench.  

 Nene wanted to move on to the Anna Walker Steere bench, but I remonstrated with him.  It's common knowledge that that bench is located at the edge of a precipice.  Danger is its middle name.

But Nene went down there anyway.

 He parked himself at the bluff edge and dared his owner to do something about it.      

The owner turned to a seasoned diplomat to try to reason with Nene.

     

 Finally I talked him back from the precipice.

Oftentimes diplomacy really amounts to just so much sheep-herding.

A friend to all

 

Out at the bluffs you can meet all sorts of individuals.  People who sit on the bluff benches tend to be very welcoming to me, which is a good thing since I tend to join them without waiting to be invited. 

    

 

Lambie doin work

          A sports figure whom I admire starred last year in a Spike Lee documentary about his work ethic.  Entitled "Kobe Doin Work," the documentary followed Kobe Bryant through a day in the life.

I've been inspired by that film to present this homage, which I call, "Lambie Doin Work."

 
           
         
         
         
         
         
           
         
         
 

    I am thrilled to report that an action version of these electrifying still shots is currently in development at a major studio.

We bristle as one

 

A recent arrival was instantly unpopular.  No one liked him.

 He brazenly peed on our bench, then turned and walked away.

  
 

  The experience gave me insight into how onlookers sensing a threat to their community can be drawn into spontaneous group violence.  

Haiku

  

Mooz bench defaced -- why?

Grieving husband planned for months;

Mindless louts don't care.

Dedication of the Melodie Mooz bench

 A small crowd gathered on the bluff yesterday morning to dedicate the Melodie Mooz bench that was erected  last month.   

Old friends and neighbors exchanged reminiscences with Melodie's husband,  Bill Mooz, as city workers attached a plaque to the bench. 

  

Then Bill sat on the bench and everyone took pictures.

 

As the de facto representative of the canine population, I felt I had an important, albeit subtle, role to play at the event.
  I tried to live up to my responsibility.

  
 

The Berman / Yoshpe bench

 
   This bench is dedicated to the memory of two siblings from a prominent Sacramento Jewish family, the Bermans:  John Alexander Berman and Jessie Antoinette Berman Yoshpe.

    They were the children of William B. and Zetta Berman, who were leaders and founders of such Sacramento Jewish community organizations as the Congregation B'nai Israel, the Sacramento Jewish Federation, and the Sacramento chapters of Bnai Brith, Hadassah and the Zionist Organization of America.

Like her mother and grandmother, Jessie Yoshpe was a leader in the Sacramento Chapter of Hadassah, serving as its president for three years in the early 1980s.  She had two children. A women's book group named in her honor, the Jessie Yoshpe Hadassah Sh'arim Study Group, still meets at the Mosaic Law Synagogue. 

John Alexander Berman was an Oakland doctor and father of six children. 

The memorial bench was erected by Jessie and John's younger sister and brother, Harriet Berman Glaser and Daniel S. Berman, both of whom live in Los Angeles.  Mrs. Glaser lives very near the bluffs park, not far from the Berman/Yoshpe bench.

So here we have a lovely gesture by the siblings of this clearly close-knit family. 

And here, the story would stop, were it not for a curious additional element.  Harriet Berman Glaser's husband, Manny Glaser, this past summer authored a letter to the local paper, which is copied below.  Mr. Glaser's letter, entitled, "Unleashed Dogs Cause Problems on Asilomar," was in response to a letter previously published in the paper entitled, "Yes to Citing Owners with Dogs Off Leash."

Those of us living near the Asilomar bluffs are constantly tormented by people using Asilomar Park as a dog park.  Any day, usually between 4:30 and 7 p.m., these dog owners arrive at the park with perhaps as many as 10 or 12 dogs and proceed to throw them balls or Frisbees and let them race around the park.  All these dogs running about make it impossible for citizens to enjoy the park.

Additionally, homes directly opposite the park also have dogs that bark at the unleashed dogs, making such a racket that the noise is deafening.  The police who infrequently drive by do nothing about these lawbreakers.  These dog owners are oblivious to the signs in the park requiring that dogs be on a leash.

I have to say that Mr. Glaser's criticism seems a bit unfair, as the people who bring their dogs to the bluff are citizens themselves, are bench-appreciators, and are extremely conscientious with regard to their dogs.  The only dog that barks is an elderly dog belonging to one of Mr. Glaser's neighbors.  Yes, this dog does frequently cross the street unaccompanied and bark at anyone on the bluff--whether or not they have a dog with them--to try to get them to throw its ball.  But why would Mr. Glaser tarnish other dog owners with his neighbor's irresponsibility?

    Life is complex.  We're each a mixture of good and bad. Mr. Glaser may not value me or recognize my right to enjoy the bluffs, but his family has created a beautiful memorial to their loved ones.   And, being a dog who turns the other cheek, I appreciate that.

 

Civil servant in distress

 

At the Yoshpe/Berman bench I ran into a firefighter.

     Although he had on a brave face, things did not look too good for him.  He was facing a long way down, without a safety net.   

         

 I offered to catch him, but he did not think I had the requisite concentration for him to trust me. He might have been right.  I did have a lot on my mind.

So I left him perched on the bench, hoping that whoever had abandoned him would come back for him.

 

I look into bettering my position

  

I've been investigating substituting a new family in for my current one.  Nothing personal, but the magic is gone.

So I went out to the bluff and insinuated myself next to a dad/daughter duo sitting on a bench.

         

    For some reason, they did not seem to notice me.

    Then I found another couple:  sophisticated yet mellow, enjoying their wine at sunset.

  I stood by winsomely, then sat there to suggest that I belonged with them.

    But they were too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to me.

 People are so self-involved these days.  

Apparently I'd better stick with what I've got. My family is quite attentive.