Dashing Gromit

This morning Kristin and I biked to the Farmer's Market in Minneapolis. The route along the river has a few good hills, and it is a nice ride. I drive this route a few times a week but biking it is different. First we headed down a half-mile decline and followed the river banks for a while.

As we biked we passed a rowing team out on the river and it was a nice close view of them pulling oars as we coasted through the Bohemian Flats. From this flat open spot, looking up you can see the West Bank on the left and the University of Minnesota campus on the right and between them the Washington Ave Bridge - painted in Gold and Maroon.

Then there is a section of the flats that used to be an open green grassy meadow bordering the river where an old fashioned river boat docked for public rides, but now it is surrounded by 8 foot chain link fence and has big huge pieces of the I35W bridge still strewn about on the grass. Where once West Bank students used to spread a blanket and read in the sun now scrub has grown and twisting steel is everywhere. But it doesn't last forever and the next thing we knew we were biking up and out of the bottoms covering the other side of the half-mile hill in the other direction, we rose slowly on this steep hill and passing under the new I35W bridge and by the Red Cross building.

Soon the new Guthrie Theatre was in sight. The tall blue tiles with actors and characters of times gone by and current shows change as you bike past them – faces appear and disappear like holograms on the walls. Then to the wooden plank road by the Mill City museum and the Stone Arch bridge. Eventually we had to get off the bike path and rode through Downtown. We chose Hennepin Ave because it has a bike lane. We passed Block E and the Theatre District and just as we were getting to the Basilica we hung a right and were back near the new Twin's Target Field.

As we rounded a corner off Lyndale we landed at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market with a lot of other folks. The street musicians could be heard immediately - a sax player, a cello player later and we saw a smooth one-man band complete with drums and harmonica. Baked goods, grilled foods and fresh herbs all floated in the humid air as we walked the market with our list of fresh needs. We found everything including avocados - probably not so local - LOL! Then we sat and had fresh orange juice and lemonade and headed home. The ride home was a little slower, you know that heavy leg feeling when you get back on your bike after resting for a bit - it didn't last much past the first little hill and then lactic acid was moving and the muscles - whatever muscle there is in my legs, were working once more.

I drive this route a lot but you know it is really different when you slow down and bike it or jog it. It is different when the lilacs are in bloom and hit your nose, or when your skin cools as you hit the bottom of the hill. You can see the great walls of limestone left by the glaciers. You get a chance to actually notice where the geese are nesting and see the little goslings. My favorite is to look at all the flagstone walls and stairs that were built in the 30's as part of the WPA. They are many shades of gray and flat gravel yellow. They are crumbling but still the craftsmanship impresses me. Once they must have been stunning. I try to picture what it looked like back when they were built, and what the fisherman wore back then, what kind of beer was in the bottle they swigged while watching their bobber - and I wondered if the rowing club had a women's team then or was it only men? You get time to notice where the entrance the Archive Library, deep in a cave, is located. You can smell the musty dampness of the water in the natural walls covered by ancient vines. As I ride by the Stone Arch Bridge, I wonder how the water was used all those years ago to help make the flower at the mill. Then there is Lock No1 on the Mississippi river. Whoever thought to put these locks all the way down the Mississippi river? Anyway, it is another look at the route I drive so often.

Gromit recently gave our agility class a little piece of the difference between seeing what is in front of you and seeing what no one else is looking for, during a simple jump exercise. It was a sweltering night and it was our first outside class. I missed our turn and so we were half an hour late to class. When we entered a good dog friend of Gromit’s ran over to greet him and was immediately in trouble with the instructor. I understand but boy that little yorkipoo was cuter than cute as he pawed at Gromit’s face with his front paws trying to give Gromit and sweet hello. We made it through this and waited to do an exercise called the circle of doom – or something like that. The exercise is basically 12 jumps in a circle placed like the numbers on a clock. You help guide your canine partner to jump in and out of the circle with each jump. So Gromit, in all the heat gathered himself and while not super enthusiastic did follow my lead and jumped in and then jumped out over in and out over and in over and..suddenly faster than I could see "out, over" he dashed out and stole a ball from a dog on the outside of the circle and raced away and came back to the circle. He had been planning this since we started the jump sequence. That silly dog makes me laugh – he even made the instructor laugh. I had not even seen this dog’s toy but Gromit had it in his sights through the whole exercise. It does beg the question about what motivates Gromit – it isn’t always about the food – it might be about the best practical joke.

Later that week I found Gromit in the living room with an entire baguette between his front paws. When he saw me he looked away and offered no shame. Why I bet he planned that for at least an hour while we were having cheese and fruit with our houseguests. He had to track where I moved that bread until I had the whole kitchen cleaned and both Kristin and I headed upstairs for bed. I had to come back downstairs for something and at the bottom of the stairs was an empty bread bag….I called Gromit and there wasn’t a SOUND…silence…very very unusual in our house. I walked into the living room and there he was enjoying his prize.

I asked my instructor how to train some of this behavior out of Gromit and then just smiled and said I really didn’t want to train it out of him – this was the true charm of Gromit - this is what makes him so dashing - He means no harm – just enjoys a good practical joke.