National Loot
That's what we brought home from Lexington. Not pictured is Lindy Loo's dessert plate, just like Swede William's in the upper right corner. The pottery sculpture/plate in the bottom left is Swede William's Award of Merit Trophy. You should just SEE all the stuff Laurie and Simmer won! Wow! Maybe Laurie will send me a photo of it.
See the oil painting? There's a story about that. (Of course there is!) That is a portrait of Gracious, my very first whippet, who was born in 1991. She will be the only and forever Queen of the Warburton Whippets. (For you whippet folks, Gracious had one puppy. That was Willow, of the Willow Award.) At the 2001 (maybe) National my dear and sneaky friends Linda, Rhonda, and Terrie commissioned one of the premier canine artists, Yvonne Sovereign, to do a portrait of Gracious. It is a beautiful watercolor and it is perfect and I adore it.
Yvonne's portrait is the watercolor top left. The pastel of Gracious, top right, is by Sara Renzulli. Laurie's photographs are in the standing collage frame on the counter. Gracious is the bottom second from left.
They also - just as sneakily - got magical photographer Steve Surfman to get these two candid shots. I had absolutely no inkling.
Laurie Erickson had also taken wonderful portraits of Gracious, and all of these are treasures to me.
I was visiting Yvonne's website one day a few years ago, when I forgot how to breathe for a moment. There was a painting, titled "A Gracious Whippet". And it was my Gracious. An oil study. But I wasn't working then, and I couldn't justify spending the money at that point.
So when Yvonne had a booth at this year's National, I asked if by any chance she still had that painting. "It's hanging at the front of the booth," she replied.
Sold.
I keep saying this because really, I can't believe it.
Simmer won the Triathlon. Mia made it to the last cut in her puppy class. Lindy Loo was second in Bred By. Swede William was #3 Award of Merit. (Oh and in doing so, as commenter Kelly reminded me, Swede William qualified for Crufts 2012 and 2013!)
And Gracious came home again.
Hug your hounds
Posts
Wonderful! Congratulations! and Oh, Your Gracious! Are there exemptions for American Dogs who go to Crufts? Or could William go to stay with Lisa and then go to Crufts via Sweden? I hate the quarantine period, and do not think William would like being away from his family for such a long time.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm a Wuss.
Gussie
What great gifts.. And that painting is just precious - Yvonne does such wonderful work.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Ane
Hey, if you & the handsome Swede make it over to Crufts even I might try & get a dog sitter & make the effort to go up to Birmingham! : >)
ReplyDeleteAt Guss- No quarantine! Blood titers for rabies + official passport. But I am a GIGANTIC scaredy head about flying my dogs.
ReplyDeleteHappy tears.....fond memories of you and the Queen......so glad she found her way back home for you to treasure. Love you dear friend, r
ReplyDeleteyes,I cried (truth-still crying) at the wonderful memories of Gracious. (I TOLD you they frown upon crying over the keyboards at the library! I HAVE to get my own computer!) what a perfect National,dear P..after one h**l of a year!
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