Around Dutchland, November, 2006

by Penny Pyrbred

It has been a busy time in Dutchland since our last issue. August brought the social event of the summer, the Pyrenean Fun Day. Rescheduled and relocated due to flooding, the first "game" involved finding the Evansburg State Park, no easy task using the directions provided by the Park System. Once there, the park proved to be delightful and shady, and the food plentiful and varied, as is traditional at a Penn-Dutch event.

Then Jay and Annette Manwiller conducted a master class in Pyr grooming, followed by Penn-Dutch's first ever competitive grooming event. Penny's not sure who "won," but we Pyrs enjoyed the attention and the humans seemed to have fun as well. While a cleanup was conducted, Penny is afraid we left a bit of (biodegradable) Pyr hair for future Park visitors to wonder about. The humans learned a lot, but Penny won't be canceling her standing appointment with her stylist right away.


Jay and Annette Manwiller oversee grooming contest.

While there were grooming tables available, some humans elected the up-close-and-personal approach on the ground.


Pam Matolicz styles Gracie.

In other news, we should mention the exploits of Rescue Pyr, Rocky Gress. This hunky young man has been making quite a name for himself as a therapy dog, assisting his mom, Kathy, with her professional counseling.


Rocky Gress makes friends at Gress Mountain Ranch.

October brought the Fall Walk-in-the-Woods at Beltzville State Park. The weather cooperated with crisp, cool temperatures, especially appreciated by those of us with permanently attached fur coats. Grillmaster Fred Unger cooked up some wonderful burgers and hotdogs which were complemented by a nice assortment of other delicacies enjoyed by Pyrs and people alike.

It was great to see expatriate Penn-Dutchies, Carol Langdon and husband Bruce, who came all the way up from North Carolina with their Pyrs, Ahkiri, Gunnar and Ellie. Since we didn't have any foreign visitors, they should have won a prize for coming the longest distance to attend the Walk. Penny, not being an outdoorsbitch, was content to participate in a very leisurely "Amble in the Woods," accompanied by Annette Manwiller, the Heffelfingers, Carol and Bruce and Greta Osterman with their associated Pyrs.


Humans and Pyrs enjoy "Amble-in-the-Woods."

Judy Skorup organized a five-mile hike for the few intrepid members who wanted to rack up points toward a Versatility title for their Pyrs. Penny understands that all slept very well that night!


Blitz and Jeanne Anne Polichetti enjoyed a real hike!

Penny is pleased to welcome Blitz Polichetti and his human, Jeanne Anne, to Penn-Dutch. Blitz is well on his way to becoming one of the top obedience Pyrs ever!

While hiking isn't Penny's forté, she was fascinated by the variety of new motor vehicles that showed up, transporting Pyrs to this event. Her very good friend, Abigail Kintsfather, arrived in a twin turbo Audi station wagon that Penny has enjoyed riding in on several occasions.

Long-time readers of this journal may remember Penny's fruitless attempts to convince Volvo America to loan her a turbo wagon for an extended test and review. While the Audi is a bit heavier than the Volvo, Penny admits to a certain exhilaration having her fluffy butt pressed deep into fine German leather while her ears are serenaded by twin turbochargers. It takes her back to that summer in her wild youth when she toured with Bayou Bleu and the Pyrtones in their Gulfstream 5 dubbed the Pyr-Jet (but that's a story for another day).

Merlin and Bonnie Skorup arrived in a brand new Toyota Sienna large enough to hold a medium sized cocktail party in the back. Look for this beauty to become "Party Central" at future Club events!


Bonnie and Merlin Skorup share their new wheels with Colby Fridling.

On a sadder note, we mark the passing of two Penn-Dutch Pyrs. The Manwillers lost Willy and the Ungers lost Tristan. These noble animals will be missed by humans and Pyrs alike.

Penny looks forward to seeing many Penn-Dutchies, fuzzy and not so fuzzy at the Holiday Party on Saturday, December 2nd at the Lodge in Lancaster Central Park. It is a great way to begin the holiday season! See you soon.


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