small ball games are boring!!!

hi everybody:

I've been there, I've seen it. It was hot and boring, because I had to lie
still most of the time. Chris has written a long review. And because I am
lazy and it's warm and I want to go outside for my morning walk, here it is,
hope it's as boring for you as it is for me :-)
And if not, you'd better accompany us next time, so Chris has fun and I have
one more person to say hi to!
Cheers, Quito.

Hello everybody:

Yesterday was certainly a highlight day for me. Daniel picked me up, and
first thing he got caught behind a taxi with folks not knowing what they
were going to do. When he finally arrived, I attached Quito to the seatbelt
fastener on the backseat, for the car ride was going to be a fairly long
one. Then we hit the road for Hamburg. The weather was fantastic, no trafic
jams, and we were there very well on time to find a nice car parking spot
and have the baguettes Daniel had brought.

Then we went to the Rothenbaum stadium, where Germany's largest tennis
turnament is held annually. It is still the largest, despite having been
downgraded from an ATP 1,000 to an ATP 500 turnament last year.

You do see that in the draw. Where Nadal and Federer would have been the top
seeded players in May of those years, just two weeks ahead of the French
Open, it is now Davydenko on the top spot three weeks after Wimbledon.

The wheelchair space was empty, for a very long time it was just Daniel and
I there, so Quito had plenty of space stretching out between the two of us.
Daniel was thrilled to be sitting right at courtside, with the barrier low
enough for him to overlook the entire court and take pictures. We sat right
at the baseline, which is an optimal spot for me to listen to the serving
and gaining and losing ground of the player on our side.

We started out with a win by Florian Mayer in three sets, which was followed
by a North German kickstart champ losing to a solidly playing Argentinian.

Then Daniel decided we should take a stroll around, on which I accompanied
him. We found that there were no more of the beautiful turnament mugs sold -
that's really sad, as I had wanted to equip mom and myself with some more.

The day was really warm, and folks came by and asked if Quito had enough
water and if they could do anything for us. Well I took the opportunity to
recharge on the water reservoire, supported by a lady, who filled the second
bottle with water. The faucets are so low that you have to change the
water's direction so it goes into the bottle. I took the chance to fill my
own water reservoire, while Daniel recharged his batteries with a crepe. A
man came up and inquired about Quito. He must have been disappointed, for he
thought he knew all the Hovawart breeding dogs around, but he surely didn't
know quito's father.

Then it was back inside to continue the progress of two Germans, and I was
delighted to see the north German guy win, who had only lost to Roger
Federer in this year's French open third round.

Then came Davydenko, the top seeded player, who won easily against his
opponent. A million thanks once again to Daniel, how did I manage to beg so
nicely that you agreed to watch Juan-Carlos Ferrero, too? Ferrero had
trouble with his opponent in the first set, he won in the tie break, and the
second set was a solid stroll. We saw wonderful claycourt tennis in the
second game, and modern aggressive and fast playing in the last, precise
strokes by Davydenko and Flo Mayer's fighting spirit, while Reister played a
dynamic game, too. I really had fun with all the tennis.

Thanks once more to Danniel. See, the special joy of sighted company is not
necessarily the easy access to a venue, but the extra feedback you receive.
Daniel explained the way the umpires communicate with their lines people,
and also commented on the extra tasks of the lines judges and ball kids. I
also get an impression of how a player interacts with them, plus, for Daniel
knows the game, comments on extremely nice or really bad shots, which I can
picture much better given the acoustic optimum I am experiencing at
courtside.

Quito thought it was dead boring, she got up to get me to leave several
times; and whenever I told her to settle she took the opportunity to kiss my
nose. When camera people came to doo their job, Quito thought they might
want to entertain her, but they, too, were boring. At one point she calmly
got up and greeted the ladies beside us, walked back, said hi to Daniel and
then settled. She loved the strolls around the most, I think, and doesn't
understand why I am so thrilled about boredom.

On the way home we had loads of fun again, free roads and great music and
great laughs, and Daniel's conclusion that the day was nice over all, and he
says, much to my delight, that he will return next year. Sounds like I've
got a realistic chance to go, too? right? O what a joy!

And if all goes well, I will receive two tennis-related boks too, about
Nadal; One is in Spanish, I don't know if I will ever manage to read it
completely, but what does it matter when in my tennis collection there's one
French and one Persian book, too?

Have a very wonderful day everybody, cheers, Chris:-)

the day with mom

Well hi everybody, now that it is considderably cooler in the morning, I can
type in the morning, and Chris will even let me. I do have things to tell,
trust me. One of the past days we walked to work early. First Chris settled
at the PC, but then we all went to the cafeteria. First Chris was wandering
around to see where there was a good place with at least some cool air
coming in. We found it, and then Chris kocked over her coffee, and two
really nice ladies helped her clean up, which she was quite grateful about.
After that was done, the folks who were sitting oposite us talked one by
one, and then Chris and the big boss did, too, and one or two others. the
big boss was sitting beside us, but Chris strictly forbade playing. She says
this was work, and play time was another day.

Before that serious work, however, some people came, gave Chris hugs and
said something about well wishes and birthday and whatever. And after the
serious work Chris took me outside, because the air was still nice and cool,
because it had been raining at night, heaen's blessing Chris called it. I
loved it, and I took the chance to run circles in the car parking lot. On
the way out people sang for Chris, I didn't get it, and she smiled and said
thanks. When we returned, we went into one of the training rooms, and the
serious work started all over. Finally we left for home, and Chris worked
there. But she also received quite many phone calls she was really happy
about.

The next day Micki came in the morning. She was not feeling well, so Chris
tried to take care of her a little. And then we went grocery shopping.
Following that we went back home, where Micki and I relaxed, and, and Chris
took care of the grocery. Then we went to the city, right into a house I had
never been to. It smelled like a vet's office, and so it was. They weighed
me and found that I had not lost nore gained weight, and then we had to wait
a little while until we were taken into the real office. Chris let me off
leash, but I was trying not to aproach the man too much. The other lady
lifted me on the high table thing, where she and Chris prevented me from
jumping down, while the man aproached me from the other side and looked at
me. He even squeezed out my anal glants - what relief! Chris and he said it
stank quite allright. O I was happy when Chris put me down on the floor and
he said everything was allright with me. We talked a little more, and then
we left that place. chris says despite my uncertainty and reservations I
behaved very well. Then we walked to thetrain station, where Chris stood a
long while negotiating with folks, and then finally the great Micki took us
back home. Chris is really happy she has Micki and can rely on her.

Yesterday we worked seriously again in the upstairs office, where I lay
under the table while all others talked and talked. Daniel took us back
home, and that was really nice of him, so I didn't have to guide Chris
through the heat. Today I think she is working on her computer all day
again, but I have seen that she is defrosting a few little bones, which is
really nice of her.
Have a good day everybody, Quito.

in the heat of the day

Allright, here I am once again.
It is just warm all around the place, whether we are at home, on the way to
work or at work, or walking for pleasure, it is warm. At home I can be lazy,
and the temperatures are acceptable. At work it is so hot that Chris takes
me to the bathroom and splashes water over me. I don't know what that's good
for, I don't like the hissing sound of the faucet when it releases the
water. I know when it hisses the water comes out and if I am by her side,
she spruncles it all over me and also holds her arms under it and puts some
on her feet.The way to work is ballright, because it is in the morning. When
we have to return home in the afternoon, it is hot. Chris doesn't want me to
go play before going home, but I want to, and she tells me allright, as long
as I don't run too much. But it is hot anyway, and I am glad to collapse on
the apartment floor when we get home.

Yesterday, however, the friend Silke picked us up in her car, and we drove
off to somewhere. When the car stopped, another friend greeted us, Max, who
also opened my car door to let me jump out. I ran and sniffed, and he and I
took a stroll to see some hens, who probably weren't amused about my
company, they made so much noise that Chris whistled and I came flying to
her. Max came back a little slower, and then Chris let me run agin. Many
people arrived, I greeted all of them, especially my favourite friend who
also has a little dog, and then I was put back into the car and we just
drove a little tiny bit more. then Chris put me on leash, many more people
arrived, and I leash guided her following the others. We arrived at a quiet
wooden platform. Chris says if water had been underneeth it, it would be
like a wooden runway where boats park. There was no water, except the water
Chris brought for me. She mmade me lie under a metal roof.

Silly Quito, she says, it is a metal comfortable chair for visitors, as we
were in the park that used to host our international gardening exhibition
when Hapoo was still by Chris' side.

Well anyway, so she put me under that and brought out towels, with which she
usually dries me off. This time she put them into water and spred them
across the chair, so it should provide some cooling for me with every bit of
wind that blew and the sun that shone, thus making the water provide natural
airconditioning.

The four others left, four of the colleagues we worked with. Chris says they
went to greet almost all remaining colleagues and listen to speeches from
the two bosses, while she and I were watching the private belongings and
other stuff.

When they came back, Chris received a call, made me stay at my place and
left me right there. She came back with many people. I wanted to go and
accompany her, but my leash got tangled between the wooden planks, and so I
was forced to stay where I was put - too bad. The people came walking on the
planks, and then Chris and the others helped them get down, which was a huge
step. She says the others were blindfolded and needed the assistance of her
and the three colleagues who cannot see anything without having to be
blindfolded. Chris walked without shoes, guiding two people across pebbles,
larger stones, pieces of broken glass and through some kind of soft wood
pieces, until they could put their feet into a bucket of cold water. Chris
stayed there and helped all other arriving people climb into the bucket and
step out of the way.

When they removed their scarves and looked at the path, they said it looked
shorter of a distance than it felt, and some of them wouldn't have walked
it, had they had the chance to see what they were going through.

In the meantime it got hotter and hotter, and after the second group of
colleagues had passed the same trail, Chris took me and made me stand the
hissing of another fauced, sprincling me with water again. She put me back
under the bench or seat with the freshly wet towels before she left to
receive another group of colleagues.

Then it got quiet again, as the sighted assistand, who is also very nice,
left with two of Chris' colleagues for lunch, while the other guy, who once
lay on the floor to escape my licks, stayed there with Chris and me. In the
meantime it had gotten really hot, and when the three others came back,
Chris and the sighted colleague decided to leave, this time leaving the
three others behind. I saw the big boss and wanted to dance, but Chris
didn't let me. I saw the cousin Anne and wanted to dance, she didn't let me.
Instead she let me jump into Anne's car, who immediately told me off from
sniffing out food containers - too bad. We drove a little, and then we were
at home. It was really good not to be outside anymore, I later heard that
Chris was worried I might get a heat stroke. She says it took around 45
minutes until I had calmed down, but I remained lazy and did not want to
move for the rest of the day.

Today, however, things changed. I challenged Chris to play with me, and at
night we encountered to free running barking monsters, which were chased
away by Chris. I mean, she could have just released me and let me play with
them, but she says that won't happen.

And finally, Chris is really happy despite the tiny biting insects that are
seaking her blood, it has rained, and thus cooled off a little. So all
windows are opened and we are getting in some nice and fresh and cool air.
Calm down, quito, she says, because tomorrow it will be equally hot.

And just before I go, this lady is jumping up and down, having a blast and
sayong:
"Told you, told you, this will be a Spanish summer, with Rafa for Wimbledon
and the football team winning the football worldcup."
It's all about the balls again, the small and the big one.
I'd better go and remind her of the bread that's in the oven, so she gets
something reasonable to do, Quito.

Chris' ball craze

Chris tells me not to write that title, as for humans it can have a double
meaning. However, since this is not a human blog, i don't care and will
focus only on what I understand of it.

The ball craze has experienced an expansion in the past few weeks. Now there
are two ball games Chris follows on the mystery box.

One is the one I told you of earlier, where mostly two people beat up a
small ball with hand extensions. And in the middle there's a barrier to make
things not so easy for the two. Occasionally the ball lands inside or on top
of that thing. I have decided I don't want to be such a ball. We have some
at home, which have been beaten up in the past, maybe Chris wants to give
them shelter and a long life. Every now and then, however, one is brought
out for my pleasure. Chris bounces it down the corridor, and I run, catch
and fetch it. Chris doubts that it is more pleasant for the ball to be
grabbed by my teeth and eventually have saliva all over. Better than the
huge beats, trust me, Chris.

They call this tennis, the human variation of ball abuse, and they play it
on different surfaces. A few weeks ago they were running around like mad on
dirt and dust, and just yesterday the damage of the lawns has finished. Both
times Chris' favourite Rafa won, and she was really happy.

The other thing is the big ball game, also to be seen through the mystery
box. That, however, seems to be followed by millions of people, even Daniel
watches it, the man with the mobile chair. The big ball game is when an
undefined number of men chase the big ball all around a large field, they
kick it with chests, legs, feet and heads, and occasionally with hands. But
they shouldn't do that too often, for they might get excluded from the mass
kicking, or one person is allowed to have almost free access to hammer the
poor ball into one of two nets at either side of the field.

That big ball thing is only played on lawn, as far as I have found out, and
they are watching it everywhere. Chris says it is the worldcup summer, and
everyone's watching. Our team - how do I know which team she's bought? - is
doing excellently, and they might in a few days' time defeat the team Rafa
is cheering. I didn't know the tennis folks allowed for the abuse of the big
balls! But I think since they don't think their way of treating their ball
is abusive, they don't think that abusing the big one is abusive.

Around here they are playing one sound instruments when the big ball is
chased around the field, and the kids from the neighbourhood have big balls,
too, and try to imitate the mystery box people.

Allright, the lady wants to take me outside, and I am sure there are no
balls there at this time of the day, and she says the summer big-ball-mania
will be over next week this time. Then we'll have a little break, and then
it will be another big ball craze, which Chris doesn't follow all that much.
Cheers and good week with or without balls, Quito.