Christmas cards

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Just a quick post to show off some mail I got recently.  The Christmas correspondence has begun!  

Here we have Little Fox's "Happy New Year" wish...it's a photo of Chinatown from when he was off "finding himself" earlier this year.  I wonder if he "found himself" chowing down in some good Chinese eateries?

And here's a cute polar bear card from Jerry and Ben.  This bear looks well bundled against the winter cold.  Then again, polar bears are supposed to be adapted to freezing temperatures, right?  

Thanks for the holiday wishes!

 

Budapest and the Danube!

Hey, what's up, dogs?  I'm back with more about my trip to Central Europe.  Last time I ended my post with Cracow, Poland.  Today's we're picking up in...(drumroll, please)....BUDAPEST, HUNGARY.  

(Hey, are you Hungary?  I'm Hungary too...let's eat!  Sorry...just a little stomach humor.)

Sorry about the quality of the photos...it was a cloudy day.  Hopefully you can still appreciate the architecture...

Anyway...Budapest is the capital city of Hungary.  This place is actually a combination of two cities named Buda and Pest, which are separated by the Danube River.  (Ever heard of the musical piece called "The Blue Danube"?  Yup, that's the one.)

Although Buda and Pest were united in 1873, they have very different personalities.

You can see Budapest Castle above.  The statue below is of the great Hungarian king, Stephen I...or "STEPHANUS REX," according to the inscription. 

Here's a shot of the castle from another angle.  Notice all the signs...especially the one indicating the direction of Free Wi-Fi!  Hungarians really have their priorities straight.

Oh, and in case you didn't know--Harry Houdini, the famous magician, was originally from Hungary.  You can find the House of Houdini in Budapest.  It's a museum housing "the only collection of original Houdini artifacts in Europe."

Also, the Rubik's cube was invented in Hungary!  I saw them in all the gift shops we visited.  I've never been able to solve a Rubik's cube...have you?

This book reminds me of Little Fox.  I wonder what "Vuk" stands for?  According to Google, it's not the word for "fox," so maybe it's the name of the character?

The highlight of our time in Budapest was a dinner cruise on the Danube River.  Look at this spread of delicious food.

(Oops...I forgot to give a drool warning at the beginning of this post.  Oh well.)  

And just look at these night river views...

Budapest has been amazing!  I wonder what's next?...

On to Cracow!

Hey, what's up, dogs?  I'm back to tell you more about my trip to Europe.  After taking in the sights of Warsaw, we headed over to CRACOW, POLAND.  Here are some of the photos from that town.

One of the main attractions in Cracow is this famous factory.  You may have heard of the movie Schindler's List?  Well, this is the actual factory built by Oskar Schindler.   

You can see the photographs on the windows, which represent the Jewish workers on "Schindler's List." 

I also ran into another member of my species in the Jewish quarter of Cracow.  

Unfortunately, my tour group was on a schedule, so we didn't get to talk.  Still a lot of ground to cover.  Onward!....

 

Angus' costume contest prize

Hey, what's up, dogs?  My human handed me a piece of mail a few days ago... 

 So, being a logical dog, I opened it.

Oh hey, this is Jerry and Ben's prize package for Grandpa Angus' Halloween costume entry!  Hey Grandpa!  

"What is it, laddie?" Grandpa asked. 

You've got mail!  

Look, here's a postcard of Minnesota...organized by regional "hot dishes."  Wow.  I never knew Minnesota was casserole country.

There's also a Starbucks gift card. 

"Eh, how thoughtful!" Grandpa said.  "Now I can get a caffeinated treat.  Care to share, laddie?"

Er...thanks, Grandpa, but I'd better pass.  Caffeine doesn't really agree with me.

Thanks again, Jerry and Ben, for hosting the contest!  See you next time...

Let's see...where did we leave off?...

Heeeeeeyyy!  What's up, dogs?  Wow, it's been a while since I last posted...but things have FINALLY settled down for a moment, so I want to start updating you on what I've been up to.

Where to start?  So much has happened!  

I guess I'll start with the trip I took to CENTRAL EUROPE in September.  Yes, you read that right...this dog went INTERNATIONAL.  (My human should get high marks on the annual performance evaluation for this one.)

We started off in WARSAW, POLAND, where there were a lot of words and names I couldn't pronounce...

But they had some really good food, like these golden-brown beauties.  I think they're a baked variation of pierogies, which are a famous local food.

We also visited Lazienki Park, where I saw statues of two famous classical composers.  This one is Franz Liszt.  He was actually born in Hungary, but at one point in his life he almost married a Polish princess...

The next HUGE monument is of Frederic Chopin, who is arguably Poland's best-known composer.  He wrote some beautiful pieces, but unfortunately died quite young, at the age of 39.  Who knows how much more he could have done if he'd lived longer?

Amazing trip so far!  What's next on the itinerary?....   

Bit of a hiatus...

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Just wanted to let you know that my blog updates will be slow for the next month or two.  My human is taking me on a trip (finally!), and then we're moving to a new place afterward.  So we'll be busy, busy, busy.

But never fear...I'll be back on the blog as soon as caninely possible!  Till next time...

 

A peaceful resolution

...And so, the BARK KNIGHT and the SMALL WONDER set off for the GPS coordinates of M.E.O.W. HEADQUARTERS in KATHMANDU...

"Holy leg cramps, Bark Knight!  That was a long plane flight."

Indeed it was, Small Wonder.  Well, these are the coordinates. What a forbidding place...shall we proceed inside?


"Yeah.  Let's rescue those dog biscuits for the good of all dogkind!"

Very well then.  Forward!...

"Hey, look, Bark Knight!  That has to be..."

Yes, Small Wonder.  I believe it is none other than Katnip Evergreen, Baron von Katzenheimer's niece and assistant.  

Quietly, now.  Let's see if we can sneak past.

Katnip murmured to herself as she paged through the Evil Overlord Planner™.  "Hmmm.  What's on Uncle's schedule for today? 

'Nap.  
Repaint hideout in black. 
Send another ultimatum to P.O.U.N.D.  
Eat sardines.  
Gloat at the incompetence of dogs.  
Change Katnip's look, as it's not nearly evil enough...perhaps dye her fur black while she sleeps.'

...Wait, what?!?"

Suddenly she turned.  "Eh?  What's that?  Who's there?" 

Great Scott!  She's heard us!

The Small Wonder froze.  "Holy caught in the act, Bark Knight!" 

"Oh.  Hello," Katnip said pleasantly.  "You must be here about the dog biscuits."

"Er...yes," the Small Wonder said.  "Hand them over now, villain!

"Certainly," Katnip nodded.  She pushed the dog biscuits across the floor.

Oh.  Wow.  I, uh, wasn't expecting it to be this easy. 
Aren't you supposed to cackle evilly, monologue about your plans, and put up some sort of fight?  Or something?

Katnip sighed.  "That's my uncle's shtick.  Not mine.  To be honest, I'm glad you're here.  Uncle's plans are getting out of hand.  Now he even plans to dye my fur black.  Can you imagine?"

That sounds terrible.

"Yes, it does!  He wasn't always a villain, you know.  We used to play with balls of yarn together...tend to our catnip garden together...that hasn't happened in years.  Maybe if these dog biscuits are out of his sight, he'll forget this vendetta against dogs.  Anyway, it's worth a try.  So here, take them, with my sincere apologies."

Well, on behalf of dogs everywhere, I thank you, Katnip.  This is sure to help canine-feline foreign relations worldwide.

"I hope so.  Now you'd better go, before Uncle gets back," Katnip urged.

"Won't you be in trouble when he gets back and sees the dog biscuits are gone?" the Small Wonder asked worriedly.

"That's why I'm not hanging around," Katnip said.  "After you leave, I'm taking the first plane to St. Bernard!"

Farewell, Katnip, and good luck!  

Happy National Dog Day!

Hey, what's up, dogs?  In case you didn't know, today is a very important holiday.  It's National Dog Day!  Hooray!

This day was created to celebrate the overall awesomeness of dogs, and also to raise awareness for shelter dogs who need good homes.   

You can find out more about National Dog Day here.

Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go demand that my human show me some appreciation.  See you next time...