Dog Blog

Sunday, February 24, 2013

CAFE CANINES


It's such a gorgeous day today, and you can feel Spring in the air.  You can see it in the blossoming trees everywhere in midtown Sacramento.  Dogs feel it, too, as they bask in the warmth of the sun outside the cafes with their people. The front window at Peet's is always good for dog watching.  From dachshunds and Pekingese to giant Schnauzers and a variety of good ol' mutts, the pup parade is endless. 

The wind was brisk and cold outside the Peet's Coffee and Tea at 20th and J on Saturday.  I enjoy that particular location because of the wooden deck that spans the MAARS building shops from Peets to the new Lowbrau brew pub.  One wonders why they named it Lowbrau instead of Highbrau, though.  The deck is a great vantage point for dog and people watching as well as train spotting, thanks to the SP line that runs through that area.  I love to hear the freight trains rumble past and read the multi-colored graffiti splattered on the cars.  Miss the red cabooses I grew up with, though.  Books should have a proper ending and so should trains.  But I also like to sit on the deck because people bring their dogs to sit there with them.  With only a few other people, I braved the chill wind because I wanted to sit out there so badly and also because every chair inside was taken.    

It was worth all the shivering to meet Scout, a fellow of uncertain canine ancestry who looked a lot like my first mongrel dog, Dusty, my sole companion throughout childhood.  Scout was such a friendly guy and just loved being petted.  A recent rescue dog, he seemed to like women more than men because he sat right next to me the whole time, not his master, showering me with affection and kisses.  What could be better than that for a dog lover, I ask you?  I managed to capture a quick sketch of Scout in my journal, which I hope to make into a more detailed pastel or watercolor.  It's so hard to get dogs to stay still long enough to render a drawing without the aid of a camera shot to refer to later, but he was a most cooperative subject.  I guess that sun just felt too good for him not to soak it up for a few uninterrupted minutes.  I look forward to warmer spring days I can share outdoors with more lovable, paintable dogs, including my own.  

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