Go North for the winter

On the chilly, wintry, sleety day after Christmas, Florian and I did what any sensible couple would do--pack up the dogs and head north, right into the storm.

We wanted to visit with my parents in New York City, while also checking out the groovy upstate NY town of Ithaca. A trip to the city is always fun, and Fozzie loves to get the chance to bond with his granddad. He just likes being around groups of people in general, but seemed to like most being in the TV room watching football with the guys. 



Although eventually he settled in to watching Rachel Maddow with my mom in the other room, and had to be roused when my dad came to bed. Fozzie is just the perfect man--a sensitive, thoughtful, progressive jock. 

He is mostly accepting of Dizzie, despite Dizzie's obsession with sniffing his nether regions.

Dizzie got his dreads shaved over the summer, and I think his hair has grown back to a perfect length now. 

 










The city is great and I have to say that I enjoy the dog walks in Morningside Park, right near my parents' place. 








 
Even better was a trip to Long Beach with my parents. We love going to the beaches around New York in the off season, when no one is around and the dogs can run free. 

Fozzie is so much fun to watch when he runs. 

With a vast, wide beach, hordes of seagulls, and crashing surf to explore, the assumption is always that the dogs will run safely on the beach, close to their humans, and have no interest in boring stuff like cars, roads, and little shuttered beach houses and businesses.

That assumption does not take into account the fact that said structures may have rats or cats residing around them, and that Fozzie's prey drive eclipses all else. 

Silly me! No harm done; eventually we rounded up Fozzie and got him back into the car. 












It was awe-inspiring to see the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy all over. 

Two months later and still major damage. 

I hope that all the storm survivors--and all of you--are having a safe and happy New Year.

I'll have pictures and stories on Ithaca--and our meeting with a very special and famous Ithaca resident--in my next post!