I had the honor of judging the Summerfest cluster of shows the fourth of July weekend in Ventura, California, and had a marvelous time as I always do when I judge these shows.  Our hotel was located right on the beach and the shows next door at the fairgrounds. I caught up with some of my judge friends and really enjoyed their camaraderie.  I judged some lovely dogs.during the three days of shows and then traveled to San Diego with my really dear friends Jeff and Tami Byroads who got their first Cavalier “Tilt” from me. Tami recently showed Tilt at the Bay Area Cavalier Club specialty where he won Best Veteran.

The Byroads home is San Diego is truly lovely, but the biggest treat, besides hanging out with my friends, was seeing my “kids:”  Tilt, Winnie and Costume Party.  Friends of Tami and Jeff’s were celebrating a birthday on the beach of the La Jolla Country Club. It was such a lovely night and the food was beyond delicious.  I went to California showing off my weight loss and came back with a bigger girth due to the desserts served at the party. The sunset on the beach was glorious.

Tami and I went to the San Diego zoo!  This Zoo is unbelievable and changed so much since my last visit several years ago.  The elephant exhibit was my favorite, but I enjoyed all we saw, just a little of the huge zoo.  Hopefully, all the walking took off a couple of ounces of dessert. 

I had the opportunity to talk to the Cavalier Club of San Diego about the responsibilities of breeding and ownership.  This is a rather new and very enthusiastic club who put on their first specialty show last February.  I was supposed to judge, but Al’s brain surgery kept me home.  Great club, great club members.   Until next time . . .

I watched with interest the grief and mourning surrounding Michael Jackson.  Musical genius, yes!  In the televised memorial service, he was extolled for breaking down the barriers between black and white. Yet, I just watched a movie entitled Cadillac Records,  in which those great black entertainers coming before him:  Muddy Waters, Etta James, Little Walter, and Chuck Berry (with his own version of the moonwalk) transitioning the blues into mainstream and then rock and roll.  Great movie!  The point is that many Afro American entertainers paved the way for Michael Jackson without all the cloudiness of character that surrounded him and his way of life.  I am making no judgements, but we often worship celebrity and not the true character and real heroic behavior of those willing to die for what they believed was the greater good.  The following piece really moved me and I feel bears featuring here:

Subject: Soldier’s comment about Michael Jackson
       This is written by a young man serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news – interesting.
       ____________________________

       Okay, I need to rant.

       I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on
Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent  millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many  people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I  respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn’t the point of my  rant.

       Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses
their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the  country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to  flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to  hold a “moment of silence” for his passing?

       Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden
he’s a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What  about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those  Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still  raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United  States of America. Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them  because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies,  there are more people saying “good riddance,” and “thank God for IEDs?”  When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN
and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead,  throw themselves into mourning for a “Pop Icon?”

       I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN
CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for  every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to  PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood,  sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

       Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;

       “So that others may live…”