STRICTLY POSITIVE

Below are a few positive things I came across this week that I hope lift you up a bit heading into the weekend:

Exhibit A: My friend Chris recently shared this picture of his mother, Becky, and I just about came unglued. Becky ran a half marathon last weekend, two weeks shy of her 70th birthday. How super cool is that? Chris got up early to find a great spot to cheer her on, and this picture was taken as she spied him while running by. Chris is a great photographer, but it helps to have good subjects. So many things are captured in this shot. Pure joy and strength and accomplishment. There's an entire story in there. The La Tray family has been through a lot in the past year or so, which makes this nice moment extra special to see. Chris is one of my favorite people and I have no doubt Becky is pretty fantastic herself. You can read the post Chris wrote here. There's also always a link to his site on my blog roll, you should check out his work. How spectacular is this shot?

Exhibit B: As if there weren't already enough reasons to love Jon Stewart. This news isn't new, but I was discussing it with my friend Beverley and couldn't believe that I hadn't added it to the post yet. It certainly deserves a spot, so here it is. The Daily Show has been known for being a dog-friendly work environment for some time. I remember a fun profile from several years ago of all the dogs who were brought to work there by their owners. Jon has often provided air time to those working for animal welfare, such as Farm Sanctuary's Gene Baur. So it should come as no surprise that Jon and his wife Tracey, also an animal lover, have bought a farm in New Jersey and are turning it into an animal sanctuary. I can't wait to see what they do and look forward to visiting some day:

Exhibit C: Oh boy. So much fun and funny in this one. I dare you to watch this and crack a smile (Me? I'm just glad my father wasn't there). The story isn't all too clear, but it seems these singers were belting out Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in the airport and a WWII vet got up to partake in the festivities. If that isn't wonderful spectacle enough, there's the vet trying to chat up the singer on the end (while she's in the middle of harmonizing). The best is the seated vet who tries to hook the dancer with his cane to put the kibosh on the whole deal from the start.



Exhibit D:  I thought the WWII vets dancing were great until I saw a seagull trained to dance on command.




Exhibit E: Lou Schell never had the urge to wander too far from her home in Alabama until she read Charles Kuralt's book about his favorite American places while filming his TV pieces "On the Road." She gave the book to her husband as a Christmas present and they thought how wonderful it would be to follow in Kuralt's footsteps upon retirement. Then her husband of 52 years died, and Lou thought that dream had died with him. But she decided to hell with that idea and asked her four children to come to lunch to tell them she would be spending their inheritance. Their reply was, "Go for it!" Lou set out on January 1, 2011 at the age of 77, and has written a book about her experiences. A trip like that is high on my bucket list, I'm so glad Lou did it and I hope I someday have the guts to follow in her footsteps. And her book has a fabulous cover. (Thanks to Christine for sending this to my attention!)

Exhibit F:  I love this next item (Do I say that every time? It feels like it). Originally shared by a user on Reddit, magic976, it's a series of photos his parents made to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. The couple got married in 1975 and in the photos from 2015, she’s wearing the same wedding dress and he’s wearing the same jacket that she made for him. Awesome. The bike's had a bit of an upgrade.

Exhibit G: Catty Pawquiao. (Hey, it's my blog and I can make horrible puns if I damn well please.)



Obligatories: Well, it was six months ago last night that Bird (then Cola) sauntered out of her crate at San Francisco International Airport after 20+ hours in it during her journey from Taiwan. She's been a dream from minute one, going with the flow, never making a fuss or complaining about anything. She saved my bacon and she's a great pal. She's been a bit under the weather this week (not that you'd really notice), so we've been staying quiet.

She still insists on a little playtime, and the only reason I give in and play tug o' war with her is to see this scrunchy face:

What actually impresses me about this picture is that I managed to take it, one-handed, while standing on large, wet, slippery boulders and didn't drop my phone.

That's all, gang. I hope you all have fun and peaceful weekends.