Monthly Archives: July 2012

60 Years Ago Today

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Thursday, 31 July 1952:

At 6:30 a.m. I had a drip bath. Then I devoured another delicious continental breakfast. Soon after Helen and Margaret appeared in leather shorts ready to go. We got on the bus and wound down the road from Inglerhof into Innsbruck. A boy in shorts ran along beside the bus. He took a shortcut and beat us down the hill.

We passed the palace and theatre where there were two knights in silver armor in the store window. Then we traveled over a bridge above Inn River in Innsbruck where there was a sloping foot bridge. There were rows of wheat and hay drying on pointed sticks with, of course, red tile roofed houses. Little girls were out hoeing in the field, just like I used to do, with red and blue field rakes.

We drove by the sugar beet fields, corn fields, and a grey river. We passed fields of sticks with two cross boards and I guessed it was for the grain. And I spied other sticks with prongs. There were old castles along the way both high up on the hills and near the road. Another boy with leather shorts was washing in the trough by the road.

An overwhelming scent of fertilizer or manure wafted through the bus as I spotted a crucifix by the side of the road with flowers growing at its feet. Then I noticed a house with three different kinds of roofing with rocks spaced around the house on one section. As we continued to drive there were well stacked manure piles, which were square and flat on top. A man in leather shorts was mowing the field with a mower just like at home with a team of horses. There was so much scenery to look at in Austria.

After a while we reached the border to cross from Austria into Germany. Leaving Austria was as simple as Herr Rogers passport getting stamped for all of us.

Once again we crossed the Inn River and came to German customs on the other side. We waited while passports were stamped and cards were filled out for everybody. We wanted to get a picture of the customs official and border. We waited and waited till I finally had to settle for a picture of Helen and Margaret in their shorts by the border.

Then the custom officials herded us back in the bus and a customs man came out to us. Once again I was foiled with my picture taking. But I must say the German customs were really efficient and thorough.

Across the border Dick made an announcement, “It was our second month anniversary together.” He presented each of us girls with a flower which was gathered from along the border. Then we saw a road building crew as we passed what looked like a large factory of some kind. After driving awhile on one of Hitler’s big super highways, the autobahn, we traveled across another bridge over the Inn River again. Either the highway or river was circling, because we kept passing over the Inn River.

I observed benches and waste baskets by the side of the road for picnickers. They were located right in the middle of freshly cut hay fields with groves of trees behind it. Then turned off the autobahn to go to the castle. Dick was hanging out the window trying to pick an apple from each tree en route to the castle. There were summer sales in this little town, Prien, just like in Munich.

We stopped at the Hotel Bayerischen Hof Restaurant which had a long hallway with wooden booths and chairs. I noticed a green and yellow squared porcelain stove. There were snapdragons on the tables with the back of two booths with cute little dealies to hang coats on. The waitress knew only German. For some unknown reason Andre wouldn’t speak any German there.

We had delicious tomato soup with hot plates for the second course of wiener schnitzel. All of us had to be back by 20 minutes after the hour. While three of us got served first the other kids were getting worried about the time. I guess the hotel had to go out and kill another calf.

After the meal Alice paid her bill and then the waitress gave me my bill. We had the same meal but our totals were different. Alice thought she had been cheated because she had paid 3.79 schillings. Actually it was added as 3.17 pfennig and mine was added at 3.30 pfennig. I had been overcharged 10 pfennig and the waitress gave me back 10 pfennig. Alice tried to explain that she still had been overcharged.

In short it was quite an interesting experience as the other kids caught up with us. Five of us used the WC for 20 pfennig. Then we hurried back to the bus via the pastry shop with only a minute to spare.

Our next adventure involved a trip off to Chiemsee on a boat similar to the one on Lake Geneva. There were first and second class rates and it provided a good chance to sunbathe. I had my ever present shorts under my skirt which came in handy. There were sailboats around us as I took pictures of the kids on the boat. We had smooth sailing and nobody got sick. A big crowd waited on the shore to greet us. Then we had a long stroll down the road to a castle.

After we bought a ticket to the museum, we wandered inside with paintings and statues of King Ludwig. Also I observed sketches of the crown jewels, costumes, inlaid ivory carved pipes, and a jeweled bible. There were medals and coins of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. I viewed a baby dress along with pictures of the baby wearing the dress and his family too.

There was a section that was dedicated to Richard Wagner, a German composer and conductor. I discovered music by Wagner, programs of opera by Wagner, scenes from operas, letters from King Ludwig to Wagner, and letters from Wagner to the King Ludwig. Then in another area I viewed sketches of furniture, Miessen porcelain, paintings of royal carriages, and a portrait of King Ludwig in a statue.

As we continued on the tour we saw: a throne, pictures of gowns, costumes of royalty, small model of Munich Opera House, costumes from opera, model of Falkenstein Castle, drawings and plans for other castles, and small model of a honeymoon carriage which we saw in the Deutche Museum in Munich. Other paintings I looked at included Walkure, Meistersinger, Lohengrin, and Tannhauser, and Tristan and Isolde. Upon exiting the museum I noticed the heavy thick woods that surrounded the castle.

Afterwards we headed back to the boats and then to the bus. We retraced the road to the autobahn past a little village with a tall, tall pole with peculiar looking things all the way down the pole. I was too far away to see what it was.

Next we came across a bombed out bridge and detoured to the river bottom and back up. We cut off the road before we reached Salzburg in search of our hotel. We knew the hotel was out of the town so there was no use in going in town and back out again. We traveled through a little town with lots of shops, chalets, and a church.

Oh, Oh! Guess what? We got lost! We got on the wrong road or something. Dr. Watkins ran down a road to get some dope on the situation. He came back riding on a truck and told us we had missed the road back a ways. We went back, found the turn, and hit the border “Toute siste.” We pulled out our passports and had community singing while we waited.

A German customs officers came to the door of the bus and was amazed to see so many “schon madchens.” We left our passports at the border since it took up to 30 minutes to process them. So we’ll pick up the passports later. By the Linden tree we turned and traveled up the little road. Here it was! The Sonnhof Hotel in Austria looks quite pretty and new.

Oh! Oh! Consternation, because this hotel was full. There was a group of 28 students who had come over on the Grodte Beer. Three of the students who went back with us gave us some clues about England. They informed us that there was no sugar and hardly any food in the country. Dr. Rogers made some phone calls to someone at the hotel. The manager said that the hotel had turned down American Express a month ago concerning our reservations.

I strolled down the road with Margaret as we followed Dr. Watkins, Dick and Henry. We ended up at the border to pick up all of the passports. A man took us to a hotel near the border where maybe they could take care of us. It looked nice but if American Express had another spot for us they wouldn’t want to pay a lot of money for this hotel.

As we hurried back to the bus the other kids had been watching a soccer game down the hill. Apparently we got more hotel names so we were off in search of a place to stay. On our search I spotted a cow trail. I wondered if it went back to the autobahn. It was an exploration for me. Yep! It did, so off we went. It was getting late and we were getting hungrier. We started singing to take our minds off of it.

I don’t know how we found the hotel but we did. Actually we decided on two hotels to stay. One hotel was the Drachenloch Hotel in the little town of St. Leonhard at the foot of the hills and another hotel. Drachenloch Hotel had been expecting us since 6 p.m. and had dinner waiting for us. In the light of the moon it looked like Hotel Todtmauer. But when I got to my room that I was sharing with Betty Lou and Alice, it was entirely different. It was nice and clean with cold running water in our rooms. As we took our bags down from the bus for two different hotels it caused great confusion amongst us.

Finally, we ate dinner. It was delicious even though it had been ready for several hours. The manager wore lederhosen, which were breeches made of leather. The hotel had rustic halls, dining room, and wonderful service.

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60 Years Ago Today

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Wednesday, 30 July 1952:

As I rolled over in my bed in the honeymoon suite it felt so good that I couldn’t get out of my bed. After we arrived here last night most of us went dancing and Innsbruck lost.

I finally got up around 10 a.m. to a huge continental breakfast. There were four different kinds of jam we could choose from. We had sent out for more rolls and the waitress brought us warm toast to tide us over. We had two big pitchers of chocolate and hard-boiled eggs. All of this food was only 2.75 schillings which was about 10 cents for us. They didn’t rush us or scowl at us or anything. Alicia asked for ein glass wasser and they brought all of us water in wine goblets.

The hotel had a beautiful lobby and some sitting rooms. The window boxes along the outside looked like opera boxes which were filled with beautiful begonias and other flowers. Lawn furniture was provided for enjoying the sunshine.

At 11 a.m. part of the gang headed for town. I decided to throw off my procrastinating and get letters off to all three of my aunts. I spent the better part of the rest of the day seeping in the beauty of my surroundings which included the mountains, hotel and town.

Later I airmailed the letters home for 6.20 schillings and regular mail to Sweden for 2.40 schillings. Then I walked down thru Ingls, Austria, about 5 p.m. going in and out of several little shops. There were lots of pretty jewelry and trinkets. I contemplated taking a bus down to Innsbruck, but I reconsidered when it started raining.

I hurried back to the hotel and found a little writing room where Carmela and I discussed our experiences so far. After the rain subsided I went out and back to my room. I ran into Dr. Watkins who had been sightseeing today and here I was under the delusion there was nothing particular to see.

Dinner at the hotel was over at 6 p.m., so we caught the 6:30 bus downtown and to the operetta. I enjoyed the bus ride even though you did have to hang on for all you were worth. It was a beautiful view of the valley, Innsbruck, and mountains. I noticed a little wooden teepee by the roadside and cute little garden like a patchwork quilt. Oh, what a beautiful shot!

On the bus there were two men with red jackets on that looked like native costumes and had musical instruments. Dr. Watkins pointed out the palace, museum, and church where Emperor Maximilian was buried.

After getting off the bus, we stopped at the Museumkeller Restaurant where the kids had eaten earlier. It had loads of atmosphere as I ate wienerschnitzel, soup, and vegetables for 40 cents. For 50 cents more at another place I could have had the same meal with a cleaner table cover.

Here in Austria the restaurants didn’t charge for the table cover like in France. Each roll or piece of bread costs 45 Groschen, which was about 2 cents, or 8 francs in Strasbourg, which was about 4 cents.

When we had finished we dashed over to the Landes Theatre. The theatre was not real elaborate but interesting. I bought a ticket for 80 cents or 20 schillings. In the city the streets were fairly wide and I noticed shops didn’t pull iron blinds down on the windows here. So I could actually go window shopping. They had cute little round waste baskets that hung from the light posts like in Strasbourg. However, the baskets were not white.

When we finally scurried off to the theater for the operetta, a lady in a uniform rented to us opera glasses for 2 schillings and program for 20 schillings to us.

I found myself on the 7th row with a big aisle in front of us so we didn’t get stepped on. The circular auditorium had boxes five stories high directly above each other. At this operetta there was no dressing up. Everyone just came dressed as they were, I do believe. Local advertising flashed on the curtain while the orchestra played the introduction.

The Strauss operetta, Gypsy Baron, had three acts and three changes of scenery. Strangely when people clapped after one of the leads sang, the lead would sing another number. The crowd encored one Gypsy and Baron duet so they bowed and sang another song. Then there was another encore with a general and dancers. All of this was a new wrinkle to me.

There were such incredible costumes, but at the same time most of the male singers had a little too much tummy. Eloise and I slept on each others shoulders between the second and third acts. Alice poked at us to look up and there were people looking down at us with either curiosity or disgust.

When the operetta was over, we dashed down to the street car stop. At a little street side stand I grabbed two frankfurters and a piece of bread with mustard for 4.50 schillings. I just couldn’t resist. Herr Watkins got a Salzbourg for 3.80 schillings.

Eventually we realized Hermine and Cherie were not there. The doctors went looking to find them. Dr. Rogers went down to the bus stop. Soon after they casually strolled up just before the trolley arrived. We had a brisk walk from the trolley to the hotel up the winding road. “Mein bed where art thou?”

As I changed for bed I contemplated how the Austrian people seem to be a cross between the Italians and Germans. They seemed on first impression to be more openly curious and carefree than the Germans, but not as open or direct as the Italians.

 

60 Years Ago Today

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Tuesday, 29 July 1952:

For breakfast we had rolls and chocolate with no jam. While we ate Betty, the little girl, talked to us. Hurriedly we stopped to take pictures of Betty in front of her house before we left. This made us late and we had to pay a 50 pfennigs fine.

We were off to the French Rococo Linderhof Palace. The guide book I bought tells all about it. The young guide looked like the French actor, Peirre Aumont, to me. Although Linderhof Palace was much smaller than Versailles, it is evident that it was modeled after it. Linderhof Palace had a Hall of Mirrors just like Versailles and was used for some kind of living room. I tried to take a picture of it.

Then we continued on to see an Oriental house for teas and a cave where Ludwig II had an opera put on for him alone. I could see beautiful peacocks on the grounds. Afterwards, we went to the lady in the shop who accused us of taking six slides. Dr. Rogers didn’t argue and paid for the slides.

After the palace we traveled to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a mountain resort town in southern Germany. On the way we saw a golf course and found the station to Zugspitze. We drove back to town to look around and Hermine and kids bought ski boots. There was a bowling alley and service center with a snack bar as we got on the train. It seemed our Zugspitze train ticket was punched every time we turned around. What a beautiful trip up on the train! People on the train taught us Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart, a popular song.

After getting off the train, Helen lost her ticket just before we got to the cable car. We heard a story about a serviceman falling out of the car. Such beauty! Finally, we headed toward the Austrian border and Innsbruck.

 

50 for 50 #30 – Popsicles

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Meadow Gold Twin Pops

I’ve loved Popsicles for as long as a can remember so they are another perfect way to celebrate my 50th year. I love all kinds and shapes and colors but the classic “twin pop” is the one with the most memories. I don’t know how many times I’ve bought a bag of twin pops and eaten all of them in just a day or two. One particular summer comes to mind that I ate lots and lots of Popsicles. Bill was doing an internship at INEL in Idaho and staying with my parents. So after work, all alone in our hot apartment I would eat Popsicles one after another, after another. The apartment was littered with wrappers and Popsicle sticks.

me enjoying a rootbeer twin pop

As a child I made Popsicles in ice-cube trays with toothpicks for sticks. I made them with Wylers or Flavor-aid. Koolaid was more expensive so I rarely used that. I mixed them up using less water than for a drink so the Popsicles had more flavor. I actually put up a sign on the door and sold Popsicles to my neighbors. My mom was very good at teaching me about profit. I paid her for the supplies out of my sales.

As an adult I’ve made Popsicles in small paper cups out of everything from fruit juice to homemade yogurt with fruit for added flavor. If I didn’t have enough Popsicle sticks I would use plastic spoons or even forks. They work surprisingly well. I think there is nothing better on a hot day than an ice cold Popsicle! Unless it is three or four Popsicles!

28 July 1856 – Leaving Iowa City – Mary Taylor

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During their stay in the Iowa camp, the emigrants employed themselves in making carts and doing other preparatory work until July 28th, when the camp broke up, and the handcart portion moved off, nearly a mile for a start, and then camped again. (From Historical Department Archives, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

From John Jacques:

As only a very limited amount of baggage could be taken with the handcarts, during the long stay on the Iowa City camping ground, there was a general lightening of such things as could best be done without. Many things were sold cheaply to residents of that vicinity, and many more things were left on the camping ground for anybody to take or leave at his pleasure. It was grievous to see the heaps of books and other articles thus left in the sun, rain and dust, representing a respectable amount of money spent therefore in England, but thenceforth, a waste and dead loss to the proper owners. The company was divided into Hundreds and Tens, with their respective captains as usual with the “Mormon” emigration of those days. Many of the carts had wooden axles and leather boxes. Some of the axles broke in a few days, and mechanics were busy in camp at night repairing the accidents of the days.

 

60 Years Ago Today

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Monday, 28 July 1952:

After getting up at 6:30 a.m. in Munich, I had a quick bath using the basin. My keys to the suitcase and hangers were still missing. I guess I’ll leave them In Germany for a souvenir for someone else. Again I had a continental breakfast. The hotel had a couple of lobbies and it was raining outside. I retrieved my raincoat which was folded neatly in my bag.

Then I walked across to Tele-tel to mail four postcards air mail for 50 pfennies each. We gathered the crew up and took the long way to American Express through Konigsplatz Square. However, I didn’t receive any letters. Dorothy was back from Heidelberg by now. I’ve had it here and I’m ready to move on.

We headed out of Munich through Starnberg and then on to Oberammergau, in the Bavarian Alps. Then we ate chow in Alte Post. I had wienerschnitzel and strawberry pie. Oberammergau was famous for its Passion play that has been performed for over 300 years. It included a cast of over 1400 people who were made up of German natives or people who have lived here for over 20 years.

The Passion story was about Christ and had no pause in the play. It ran from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a two hour lunch from noon to 2 p.m. There were no artificial effects or makeup in the play and natural light was only used. If it rained, the play would go on.

A middle stage and sliding stage was used. A set was prepared and then slid forward. The supposed Last Supper table had been used in the play for over 200 years. We saw a showcase of costumes that had been last used in 1720 and Oriental costumes 120 years old. All other costumes were still in use. Swords and other objects were in different dressing rooms for each group of characters.

Afterwards I ran down to the café where we ate at the Gasthaus Alter Post Hotel owned by Anton Preisinger, the owner, who had played Christ in the theater in 1950. I got an autograph of Stak at the famous White Horse Inn. We hurried through a typical graveyard to a church. It was a Rococo Baroque church which was ornate and elaborate for such a small church. St. Amanda’s bones had been taken from the catacombs and buried there. The Trinity picture hung above.

Then we wandered around shops and at 4:30 p.m. we met the whole gang at the bus. It was still raining and little kids were there to meet us and take us to their homes. We drew cards to determine which house we were going to stay at. I drew a little girl named Betty Eder that had long dark pigtails and a cute smile. Henry and Dick were in the same house with some of us girls. We met her mother as she greeted us at the door.

As we talked with the little girl in our broken German, she was very hospitable. Alicia and Henry took the lead in the conversation, but I managed to get out a few words now and then. The little girl, Betty, showed us a picture of the surrounding country we would be seeing and explained some of the things to us. Alicia asked her about the Bible and she brought out a catechism book which was a summary or exposition of their doctrine.

There were pictures of the family in the living room. Unfortunately her father had been killed in Russia during World War II. Horns from animals that her father had killed made up decorations around the pictures. They had a beautiful stove with carving on the outside of it. I felt that I had received a really good lesson with the opportunity to stay with these people. I saw the suffering of this German family and their needs were just like anyone else.

My bedroom on the second story was clean as a pin with big feather comforters and two huge pillows. I spotted a huge wash basin and pitchers with a big tall square varnished stove in the corner. The modern toilette downstairs had a picture of an open window and a poem on the wall that said “Machs Fenster auf Lass frische auft herein der nachste wirddin dankbar sein!” At 6:30 p.m. we bid them adieu to go to the hotel post to eat. It was still raining and I had on my Vesuvius Sandles for a free foot bath.

As we arrived we discovered there was a private dining room just for us. Everyone reported each of our own experiences and good fortune. Eloise and Virginia claimed to have had ein bad or a bath. My meal was kind of like a hamburger steak, but it wasn’t cooked quite thoroughly. Sadly there was no dessert but otherwise it wasn’t too bad.

We scrambled off to the Oberammergan, the Passion play. It turned out to be in a cute little theatre dealy with our own theatre Passion play guide. He came over to sit by us and tried to explain what was going on. He said it was in a German dialect so we wouldn’t be able to understand it even if we knew German. Since we didn’t know German, we were left to decipher for ourselves with the guide’s help. However, the first part was typical music with three musicians. One person had a double guitar and another had a Zither. Two little girls and four boys sang and yodeled a cuckoo clock among other sounds. Then three funny guys in typical dress with leather shorts did likewise.

Then came the play. The play turned out to be a political brawl and I couldn’t understand any of the jokes so I napped now and then. Our small Oberammergan guide thought we didn’t enjoy it very much cause we were catching up on our sleep. We just couldn’t understand it.

Outside again the rain greeted us as we left the little theatre and headed for the bus. Some of the kids were left off along the way. They were bragging about the baths they had had and we didn’t know whether to believe them or not. Then we stopped in bar for a drink where I got a really nasty orange drink. Those of us staying at the Eder house had a dark trail to walk along to get to the house. Mrs. Eder was still waiting up for us and showed us where the kitchen was located.

 

Guide Dogs for the Blind Jargon

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A few months ago there was a really fun blog post about the jargon that goes along with puppy raising and training guide dogs. It was originally posted here on No Bones About It: The only official blog of Guide Dogs for the Blind but I thought it might be helpful for those who are following the progress of my puppies but are not directly involved with GDB. I hope you enjoy this.

Jargon, Jargon!

By Steve Grunow
Dog Placement Coordinator

Like many organizations, Guide Dogs for the Blind has a culture and jargon of its own, especially when talking about the dogs. Out in the kennel complex the eyebrows of the uninitiated might be raised when overhearing bits of conversations like the ones that follow. The “Guide Dog Speak” words and phrases (in bold font) are defined at the end of the sample conversations.

Veterinarian: “This Lab, Buddy, has (1) hips to die for, but his (2) ears are really ugly. I’m hoping for a (3) good bite when I open his mouth. Today is his birthday; hopefully we’ll have time to (4) shoot him later.”

Instructor: “Gee, I don’t know about that new dog. When he gets (5) jacked up he can be pretty (6) rampy. He acts like he thinks he’s here (7) on a date. On top of that he is a (8) CF5, and he can be kind of (9) sharky in (10) CR.

Kennel Staff person: “I can’t come to that meeting right now. I’m right in the middle of a (11) whelp”.

Instructor: “Watson had an (12) experienced raiser who should have known how to feed him right, but Watson had to be kept on on (13) sawdust and peanut shells for a while after he was (14) recalled.”

Instructor: “Zeus is (15) a lotta dog. He’s (16) loaded on the clicker but he still (17) plays keepaway. He’s (18) high end and a little (19) mouthy. He has a problem with the (20) layover. He seems (21) to have his own agenda. And he isn’t very (22) responsible. He’s (23) from the outside. Those other (24) N dogs on his (25) string are like that, too. Some independence seems to be (26) in that pedigree. He does some (27) keying on (28) workouts. Maybe we’ll put him on the (29) food protocol for attentiveness. “

Instructor, in response: “That’s too bad; I (30) dropped him this morning before eye exams and he was an angel about it. I think that he’s scheduled to be (31) cut next week and maybe he’ll have a better (32) work ethic a while after that. “

Instructor: “Flora is a pretty (33) honest but I don’t know how (34) sound she is.”

Kennel Staff person: “Trapper is (35) in the dryer on low. He’ll be done in about half an hour.”

Instructor: “Daisy’s stools today were just (36) beautiful today! We still have to get rid of her (37) happy tail before we can do much with her, though. And Daisy is still a (38) garbage mouth – and her (39) roommate drives me crazy when he keeps (40) finger painting in their run.

Instructor, in response: “I know what you mean. And Daisy has also been (41) tanking a lot lately, too.”

Breeding tech: “Harvey is still (42) intact. We’ll need a couple of (43) straws because we’re going to (44) collect him a couple of times this week if we can. Harvey (45) loves his job but he doesn’t seem to do well when he’s been (46) frozen.”

Instructor: “Mikey is such a (47) smooshy marshmallow! Any unusual thing happens and he immediately becomes (48) wet mouth.”

Instructor: “Darn! Spike is finally (49) bombproof and now we have (50) to pass him back!”

Instructor: “Tulip keeps going to (51) hot spots and she’s so active that last week we had to (52) musher’s wax her.”

One puppy raiser to another: “I (53) started that puppy. But somebody else will have to (54) finish him off. He still does lot of (55) counter surfing. He can also be a little (56) doggy. He’ll be my first (57) transfer puppy.

Instructor: “When Fred first began training, he had a really bad (58) recall. So we did a lot of (59) FIR’s with him and now he’s almost a (60) Velcro dog.

Instructor to apprentice: “Some challenging dogs do a lot better in a (61) GL.”

DEFINITIONS
1. Has hip X rays showing that the head of the femur fits firmly into the socket in the pelvis, indicating that there is almost no chance that the dog would have hip dysplasia

2. Dirty, infected, needing treatment (common in many floppy-eared dogs)

3. Teeth straight and regular with the top incisors just overlapping the bottom incisors (as opposed to an overbite, an underbite, or a wry – crooked – bite in which the teeth are not positioned properly)

4. Give the dog injections/ vaccinations

5. Excited/ aroused

6. Rowdy/ impulsive

7. To be bred

8. The most challenging “type” of dog to handle and control on  a “control factor” scale (of 1 to 5) which assesses a dog’s activity level, physical toughness, distractibility level, and assertiveness, in order to later help select an appropriate handler to match with that dog

9. Plays roughly, “dominantly,”  often nipping at the neck area of other dogs

10. Community run (periods of time when groups of dogs run together for exercise and for their interactions with other dogs to be evaluated)

11. A mother dog’s act of giving birth (“whelp” can also refer to a puppy, or “to whelp” means for a dog to give birth)

12. A puppy raising volunteer who has raised at least one previous puppy for Guide Dogs

13. Diet/weight loss dog food

14. In this context, returned from its puppy raiser home to one of the Guide Dogs campuses to begin formal guide training, usually after having spent about a year in the  puppy raising home

15. Big, strong, active, assertive

16. Has received treats paired with hearing clicks from a hand-held training clicker enough times that the dog has learned that the click indicates that a treat is forthcoming/ the dog has learned that a click from the instructor indicates that the dog is performing the appropriate behavior

17. In the context here meaning that the dog doesn’t come when he’s called; instead, runs and tries to get people to chase (undesirable behavior in a working Guide Dog)

18. Very active, assertive, often inattentive, challenging to restrain or control

19. Puts mouth (not biting down) on people or on other dogs, sometimes in play, sometimes in excitement or greeting, sometimes in protest of what that the person is doing or directing the dog to do (not desirable in a Guide Dog)

20. Having the dog lie down and gently rolling the dog over onto its side, for example to check the dog’s abdomen

21. To be independent, inattentive, friendly but not very eager to please

22. Capable of continuing to following commands/working without needing moment-to-moment observation/supervision by its handler; seeming to enjoy doing its job

23. Purchased or donated – not from Guide Dogs’ own breeding stock dogs

24. Each litter of puppies is assigned a letter of the alphabet and all the pups in that litter are given names that start with that letter (so dogs which have names starting with the same letter and which are at Guide Dogs at the same time, are often litter siblings)

25. Group of dogs assigned to an instructor/team

26. Pedigree = family tree; so meaning a trait(s) that are evident in other dogs of the same lineage, so those characteristics are often  assumed to be highly influenced by the dog’s genetics

27. Staring tensely at something or someone in the environment with which the dog is apparently uncomfortable (undesirable in a Guide Dog)

28. Training sessions

29. A structured plan for rewarding a dog with food treats when the dog is paying attention to the handler

30. Put eye drops into the dog’s eyes

31. Spayed or neutered

32. Be more attentive, less distractible, more focused on work

33. An eager-to-please dog that tries hard to do as directed (if the dog makes mistakes it is usually due to the dog’s not understanding what is expected, or being afraid or unable to follow directions – as opposed to being overtly ”disobedient”)

34.  Confident, outgoing, unlikely to panic in new situations

35. In a crate in the bathing room with a blow dryer aimed at the dog in the crate to dry the dog after a bath

36. Normal, solid, well formed, usually said of a dog which had previously been having  diarrhea

37. When a dog’s tail gets sore from the dog wagging its hard against the bars or the walls of a kennel run

38. Serious scavenger, loves to “vacuum” the floor or the ground for food or other items which are interesting to chew (not desirable in a working Guide Dog)

39. When two dogs are paired in a kennel together

40. Stepping in feces then tracking it around the dog’s kennel run

41. Drinking a lot of water (can be related to boredom, stress, or a potential medical problem)

42. Unspayed or unneutered, an animal capable of breeding

43. Containers in which semen can be stored to do artificial inseminations

44. To get semen from a male dog, often to be frozen to be used for later artificial inseminations

45. Breeds easily and readily and without much human assistance (surprisingly to some people, some dogs do not seem much interested in breeding)

46. When previously frozen sperm from this dog is thawed and used for artificial insemination, the conception rate is often low

47. A temperamentally “soft” dog, sweet, easy to handle, affectionate, loves being touched

48. Drools, often as a result of stress (not desirable in a working Guide Dog)

49. Outgoing, confident, able to handle any situation that might come up (very desirable in a Guide Dog)

50. A new Guide Dog is fully trained, but there currently isn’t a suitable student in class that seems like a good match for that dog, so the dog needs to remain in the kennel until the next class begins

51.  Skin sores that can begin with a small irritation and then get steadily worse if the dog chews or scratched at the sites

52. Put a product designed for sled dogs on the bottoms of the dog’s feet to keep the feet from being irritated by running on concrete

53. The raiser who began to raise that puppy immediately after it came from Guide Dogs, usually at about 8 weeks old

54. To keep, train, and socialize a puppy until it is old enough to be returned to Guide Dogs to begin formal guidework training (usually at about 15 months of age)

55. Putting front feet on counters to see what is available, and maybe to steal off the counter if the opportunity  presents itself – common in dogs (not desirable in a Guide Dog)

56. Extremely interested in other dogs, sometimes in a way that involves attempts to bully,  dominate or threaten the other dogs

57. A puppy which goes from one volunteer puppy raiser’s home to another raiser’s home until it is old enough to begin its formal training at Guide Dogs; sometimes transfers are pre-planned; sometimes dependent on circumstances

58. In this context, the act of a dog coming to its handler when the dog is called

59. Food induced recalls (rewarding the dog with a bit of food when the dog comes when called)

60. A dog that voluntarily often sticks close to its handler – often a needy, less secure, more demanding type of dog

61. A Gentle Leader (like a halter on a horse, used often to make dogs easier to manage and walk)

60 Years Ago Today

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Sunday, 27 July 1952:

I gloriously slept in. However, I missed breakfast which had been already paid for. Rats! Then I walked to church for several miles it seemed, cause I had on heels and a knit suit. It wasn’t cool and a little treacherous. There were missionaries and servicemen at the gate to meet us.

Opening exercises were in German while class was in English. We remarked on the trip at church and all said a few corny words. Many servicemen and English speaking people were at church with American kids born in Germany. Bruce Neville helped me load my new camera. I snapped my first picture in front of the church. Then we were back to the hotel for dinner.

Next we went sightseeing on the bus with a soldier who was a convert. He used to be a Spanish Pastor. I caught sight of the Nymphenburg Palace again, but was disappointed because we didn’t get to see the botanical gardens. All of us drove around town and saw the bombed out buildings. We journeyed past the Kurst House, English Gardens, and saw the Bavarian Band playing at Beer Garten. I noticed kids bathing in the Isar River. Later we passed the Deutchen Museum and then back home to our hotels.

We had an early dinner with the serviceman convert. Dinner consisted of cold plates of food that had been prepared for five. Afterwards, we caught a cab to church because we were late. I quickly dashed from the church to the opera and barely made it. Opera Electra had one set that was two hours long. It was a superb performance with the lead singing in every imaginable position. There was a twenty minute ovation.

Dear Folks,            27 July 1952
Mail stop in Munich was wonderful because I had two newsy letters from you. You just can’t imagine all the wonderful things we’ve seen and done. I just wish you could all be here with me. I have to write at the funniest places and times. We spent a wonderful Sunday today with the members and missionaries here in Munich. We have the program again tonight, but I didn’t have to talk this week because I had my turn twice last Sunday and get it again next Sunday in Vienna. It’s really a thrill. We only have a little over a month left, and I really hate to see the time go so fast. Last night we heard a wonderful concert in the Nymphenburg Palace and tonight the Opera Electra, the most wonderful I’ve seen.

60 Years Ago Today

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Saturday, 26 July 1952:

I had continental breakfast in the hotel. Then we met the missionaries, Bruce and Bob Neville, downstairs as we started off on foot to see the sights. Dr. Watkins was under the weather today. I happened to be walking with Bruce when he decided he had to stop in a watch shop to get a new watch band. Consequently, we got separated from the group. We looked for them at Peter’s kirche. Nope. No luck.

After some discussion we decided to head for Kurst Art Gallery through the gardens. We met Rowland Larkin, a serviceman from Ogden, who was taking picture of Prince’s House near Kurst. He was visiting Marg, Henry, and Dick at American Express.

Bruce and I spent the morning in the art gallery and it cost 50 pfennigs to get in. During our tour we had an interesting guide for 2 marks. She was an artist and explained the pictures to us and the technique of the artists. We experienced many of the masters: Rubins, VanDyke, Rafael, Botticelli, Titian, and Tintoretti.

Afterwards we walked back to the American Express from the Kurst House. At last we met up with Margaret, Rowland, Dot, Dick and others there. Rowland cashed $50 into script for me so I could get a camera. Then we dashed back to the hotel for lunch. Rowland and Bruce Neville ate with us. I endured another dainty meal at the Esplanada.

After lunch Rowland took the $50 of script to go camera hunting along with Margaret’s script. Then we all took off for the famous Deutche Scientific Museum of Munchen. Inside the museum we learned about coal mines, oil mines, and salt mines. In short we saw the mining business as it really used to happen and how it happens now. There was a history of the mining industry depicted through sample mines such as big oil drilling. It included a physics division of all kinds of instruments. A physicist would really have a hayday here.

During our tour there was a big huge clock that told all kinds of different times and position of earth and planets during different seasons. At 4 p.m. we went into a dark round domed room and heard a lecture in several languages including a few words in English about the heavens. I gazed at the stars, planets, sun, and moon moving across the sky as the guide talked. He pointed out the varied positions for all the different seasons of the year.

Next was the music room that had all different kinds of musical instruments from way back. The guide played them for us to show us the great progress in instruments. Another room included engines that varied from little ones to great big ones, and soon after a textile room which displayed all different kinds of materials. Finally we came out of the last door at 5 p.m.

As I exited Margaret with other kids was waiting for me in the entrance lobby and handed me a box. It contained a brand new beautiful Retina 1a camera with a case and all for $39.95. Rowland had apparently gotten the only one in town and had to go to the PX on the other side of town to find it. Grateful, I window shopped back to the hotel to get cleaned up for the concert. Dinner was early and good but once again not enough.

I caught a trolley on the other side of a big bombed out station for a Baroque Nymphenburg Palace for the concert. The conductor who spoke English was helpful and told us when to get off. At twilight the beautiful grounds surrounded all around us and then we scurried off to a gold concert room. Unfortunately we missed half of the first number.

After intermission we strolled on the grounds by candlelight. I was struck by the fact that Mozart and Beethoven were being played by German musicians. We hurried back to catch the trolley. There were fireworks on the way home as we stopped at the Bahnhoff square to get postcards. I observed four German men who were talking to Alicia. I bought a ham sandwich to eat. Later the elevator man in the hotel showed us pictures of his wife and little boy.

60 Years Ago Today

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Friday, 25 July 1952:

I woke at 2:30 a.m. having fallen asleep and left the lights on. I stirred again at 7 a.m. since the bus was coming to pick us up at 8 a.m. As our day started, we dropped Marilyn in town, who was going to Berlin. Then we crossed the Blue Danube into the Bavaria section of Ulm. I spotted a tractor and combine and wondered if they were part of the Marshall Plan to help Europe recover from the war.

Soon we stopped in Augsburg, one of Germany’s oldest cities, which was founded in the 1st Century a.d. We found the Fugger house which was historically a prominent group of European bankers and parked in the midst of a cathedral. There was a monument to Bavarian soldiers and the foundation of an earlier church.

Next we went in a Catholic Cathedral where mass was being held with inside scaffolding to repair the cathedral all around us. It was huge and massive inside with only a few stained glass windows left. The Gothic south portal was unusual.

On the wooden streets, I talked to an officer about buying some cameras. I missed seeing the place where Martin Luther, a Protestant Reformist, made the Augsburg Confession. It took place at a little St. Anne’s Church in order to resolve religious controversies between the Protestants and Catholics. The Catholic Church tried to get him to recant here, but he wouldn’t.

Today St. Anne’s Church was used for either Catholic or Protestant members and the benches were able to be turned around. Half of the group was late seeing St. Anne’s Church. Henry came running back to let us know about it and everyone got excited about this fine deal. However, some of the kids had to pay this morning.

Then we went on to the Dachau Concentration Camp that was the first camp opened for political prisoners. It opened in 1933 where 70,000 people were killed. The town had spotlights with a little girl playing with a doll in the streets. Families of the refugees from East Germany lived there now.

During the tour I saw a German MP and the crematorium where the Jews were forced to dispose of their own corpses. Big ovens were used to burn their bodies and I glimpsed wreaths on the furnaces. What an eerie feeling to be where there had been so much suffering during the war.

There was a crematorium tombstone by the gate with flowers around it. The entrance gate stated “Arbeit macht frei” which was a German phrase that means work sets you free. Denket Daran Wie Wie Heir Starben. In front of the crematorium there was a monument of a skeleton like a man that represented all unknown prisoners and stated never again. Din Toten Zurchr Den Lebenden Zur Mahmung.

Farther on we went into a building that had a map of all the prison camps. The whole of Germany was dotted with prison camps. There were almost more camps than cities it seemed.

On April 29, 1945 when Dachau was liberated 31,432 persons were interned here. Along the walls were pictures of the appalling conditions during that time. There were gas chambers where prisoners were told to take a shower and then they were showered with gas instead of water. It was a death chamber. I also noticed a large tree that was used for hanging in the cemetery for prisoners who were then put in mass graves.

On the tour we passed a new crematorium which was used as another death chamber. Jewish prisoners were used for crematorium workers to perform the dirty work. Then they had their turn at death after five to six weeks. Afterwards, new workers were brought in and kept separate from the rest of the camp to supposedly keep the secret of what really was going on.

On the walls was a picture of Ilse Koch, who was a wife of the commandant and a guard. She was known as “The Witch of Buchenwald” by the inmates because of her alleged cruelty and lasciviousness toward prisoners at the Buchenwald Prison Camp. She embodied a woman that did not esteem the dignity of mankind. A sign stated: “Dignity of Mankind Entrusted to you. Guard it! It is you who degrades it. It is you who elates it!”

Afterwards, we proceeded to Munchen or Munich. Once getting there we traveled into town by the Bahnhofplatz train station plaza. In Königsplatz, a city square, we looked for an American Express for mail. It seems Munich has had better days. There were many beautiful buildings that were in ruins. However, some of the buildings had been restored.

We passed the obelisk that was erected in commemoration of 30,000 Bavarian Soldiers that had fallen in Napoleon’s Russian campaign of 1812. Finally, we found the American Express at the Odeonsplatz, a large square in central Munich, which was named after the former concert hall Odeon. Our mail was in a whole big wad of letters. With anticipation I joyously received two letters from Mom and Twila. I tried to buy some script. Ha ha! No luck again.

While we got our luggage from the bus we found out there were two main hotels for our group. Half the mob would stay at Three Lions Hotel and the rest of the mob at Esplanade Hotel just around the corner. Well, what do you know? We found ourselves right back by the Bahnhof, a former railway terminus in Berlin.

At the hotel I had room 27 which was nice and clean. The bed had sheets that were stuffed with a blanket for a cover and one big pillow. There was a window door opening onto the balcony that overlooked the station Platz. I discovered hot water and a door leading to a bath that was locked. I checked with the desk and found out that the bathroom was open for 6 marks 24 hours a day. I’ll have to see what I can arrange.

After checking about what was going on, I ran across the street to the ticket office to get a clue about concert tickets. There were only a few expensive tickets left for the concert. So I decided to rush down to Karlsplatz, a large square, to another ticket booth. Only two tickets were left for 7.80 marks. I dashed back to give Herr Rogers the dope and then went to pick up Carol.

I searched for the military PX and I couldn’t find it. Meanwhile a small nice serviceman helped us find American Express, but it was closed. Then we went back trying to find the military PX. And it wasn’t across the street where we had been told it was and where we thought it was. Everyone we asked said it was just five minutes farther.

As we continued looking we passed the Art Museum and Officer’s Club with English gardens behind. Then we spotted a sign down the street. Yea! We found it. We couldn’t go in but we checked to see if there were any cameras that we wanted. The PX had them, but we didn’t have any script. So we decided to give up for today and try again tomorrow.

As we walked back along the route we came on, we had a conducted tour of the American Way. It was situated in a bombed out building. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for dinner. Dinner was good but quite meager.

I chatted with a desk clerk from Cologne, Germany. He told us to see the Hoffbrau House or Famous Beer Gardens. Carol asked him if he would take us there and he said he would be glad to at 10 p.m. when he got off work.

So we wandered out to take a look at the city by night. The ruined buildings didn’t have quite the harsh look as they did by daylight. We wandered through the Beer Gardens near the hotel to see what it was like. The beer was served in great big mugs. There was a band playing inside and out wearing native costumes. I observed German Frauleins with colored US Soldiers and other US Soldiers looking for other Frauleins. A serviceman told us that the Frauleins who associated with the colored soldiers would be branded for life after the troops left.

We hurried back to the hotel to wait for Mike. He seemed to be very well educated and was interesting to talk to. He came out with a briefcase and light blue sweater over a shirt with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up over his sweater. On the way to the Hoffbrau House, we discussed nationalities and how he felt about Americans. We heard a little of his life history where he apparently hadn’t suffered too much during World War II. His parents had sent him to a private school near where we saw Rommel’s house. He was 24 years old and seemed to have quite a superior air as we had been told to expect from the better educated in the German cast system. He claimed he liked Americans and was going to visit some relative in Boston next year. As we walked he told us the Marshall Plan built the hotel where we were staying. He pointed out all the landmarks, like the clocks, to us on the way down.

When we arrived at the Hoffbrau House, it was filled with people. We wandered past the band and had to sit at a table with some other people. Unfortunately, the band played only one tune after we got there. This was the low brow part.

It was an interesting crowd. All the people came to the Beer Gardens and everybody seemed happy and gay. We talked to a German who had been to Argentina and discussed how Hitler had been here and talked. Bombs had exploded here as well. On the way back we saw the place where Hitler was captured in 1923 in the early days of the Nazi party when they unsuccessfully tried to seize power. Hitler had hit the ground after being wounded when his group was fired at and then fled.