My weeks of work travel are now over and I am back on the ark with my quadraped amigos - which is how I like it.

I love Chicago very much and am glad to see it, but I don't really get all that much from it when there for work. I usually am too busy with prep or whatever to actually take part in what makes the Windy City so pleasant. In these last few trips, I had no time to see any of my chums; and on this trip, the time I took away from work and getting home, I used for a doctor visit.

I was more than a little worried about this dr. visit. Now that I have so much canine/feline responsibility at home, I can't be getting too sick. On top of that, now that I am 40, every ache and pain instantly makes me sure I have inoperable cancer. The good news is - no cancer! Hooray. I am actually in better shape than I have been in decades. Good BP, cholesterol, blood sugar, and so forth. Yippee! Now if I could just stop being a pain-addled junkie!

My main thing upon returning is to get out and spend some quality times with my 4-legged friends. I don't ask the dog-sitters to spend the kind of time with them that I do. It is enough to get 'em loaded up with food and clean up after it is returned to earth. I always get a rousing reception upon return from Boom Boom, but I also now get a patented "Stump Of Fury" salute from my new girly-girl, Chick-Chicka. The welcome home almost makes the going away worth it!

With the boys in Japan, and their mama in SoCal, we also have Fraggle-Rock visiting my original twosome. We took a nice hike today at Cesar Chavez in Berkeley in anticipation of a busy weekend.

The weather is to be very nice, so we are gonna try to go to Carmel, or some other slice of paradise, to soak in some sun, and work some doggies until they are good and tired. They were largely kept around the house all week, and they are dying to get out. I am dying to take them. Photos soon to follow. Until then, may the road rise...