Fall Clean-up: Though the weather reports were frightful...

A particularly big gust comes through.(click to enlarge larger images)

We dodged a bullet on Saturday--the predicted rain mainly held off until the evening, and we managed to get pretty much everything done in the allotted time. It's a less thorough job than some we've done--didn't get quite enough wood chips.

But it'll hold up nicely until spring--by which time we'll hopefully see the bulbs that were planted send up flowers--they certainly got quite a good soaking on Saturday night. Flowers and shrubs don't really improve the run as a canine recreation hotspot (unless they're edible), but they do beautify a formerly neglected and still somewhat isolated corner of our community; making it a more friendly welcoming place for passersby--and our dogs would wholly approve that message.

We don't take attendance, but I'd estimate about 20-25 people showed up at some point--that's about half the number that showed up for last spring's clean-up, but it was enough to get the job done. No doubt a lot of people who would otherwise have come were looking nervously at the forecast, but in fact conditions were fairly pleasant for late October. Clean-up Day is very much a rain-or-shine event, because we need the equipment the Parks Department provides on the pre-assigned date.

Knowing the rain could come at any time encouraged us to hasten our labors, and in spite of a few momentary showers, and some impressive wind gusts, we all got home safe and dry. Bailea, our run manager, was still busily working on the new plantings as I left--with the help of two boys from the family who sell flowers across the street from the run--I'm never quite sure if we adopted them, or they adopted us, but it's nice to have company down there, isn't it?

Here's Bailea--who goes online maybe once a year (if that)--but tells me her mom loves to read the blog. Wave hi to the internet, Bailea!


Norma--who works at maintaining and beautifying the run pretty much all year round.

And here's Norma's dog Cheyenne watching Sophie and Nala play tug-o-war with a stick. Yes, that's very helpful, girls. Now if you'd just chase each other around the run at top speed, while we're trying to work--

That's the spirit!

Tina is a very new arrival to our run, and to dog runs in general--also a very new mother (gave birth to four puppies a week or so ago). And we hope to see a lot of her and her family (human and canine) in the coming months.


ECW (Extreme Canine Wrestling) is one of many complimentary entertainments provided to Clean-up Day volunteers--here, Izzie pins Bruce--who later pinned Izzie--who later pinned Bruce--then Izzie started chewing on Bruce's ear--we should probably consider hiring a ref someday.



These people all worked very hard on Saturday--I want that understood--but the photos of them standing around talking and chewing gum while their dogs cavort around them just look cooler.







Benson watching Reese plant bulbs--he's sure there must be some good reason for her being out there, while he's in here, but he can't for the life of him figure out what it is.
Not trying to be artistic here--this closeup of Benson is soft-focus because the light was awful for photography on Saturday.

Tina greets Chucky.



No group photo this time, sorry--we had to really hurry things up, in case it rained. Thanks to everybody who thumbed their noses at the weather reports, and showed up anyway--and to those of you who couldn't make it, can I just say--see you at the next one?