(Blog Sunday 8/15/2010)

Recap and What’s Coming: The humans at the Kennedy household did not do very much out of the ordinary this week.

Liz and I had a low key celebration of our 46th anniversary with dinner at Sweet Basil. As usual, the food was excellent, as was the service. Turns out that Liz and I have a geographic connection with Kevin, our favorite server. We graduated from Brown University which is located in Providence, RI. Kevin, it turns out, grew up in North Kingston, RI which, in Midwestern distances, is a short distance from Providence.

Our standard poodle, Rogan, however, had a relatively full schedule. As noted last week, on Monday the Kansas Humane Society hosted an event, “Dog Days of Summer,” that offered our canine friends an opportunity to swim at a local pool. We took Rogan, and though he did not actually swim, he did wade. More importantly, he had an opportunity to socialize with other dogs. The event was well attended, and Rogan definitely has it on his calendar for next year.

Then on Saturday, Rogan went to Purr-D-Paws for his every other month grooming. While he doesn’t seem to particularly appreciate being bathed and clipped, the “before and after” makes it a worthwhile undertaking.

Our adoption of Rogan makes for an interesting story, particularly since he is the only dog I know of who was “rescued” at a bookstore, specifically Wichita’s Watermark Books and Café. The scene was about a month before Christmas, and I had been reading a book entitled, A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid. On the Thursday before Thanksgiving, I had stopped at the bookstore to purchase a couple of their delicious chocolate chip cookies. I noticed a sign that said the author would be giving a reading and signing that evening. I called Liz and arranged for her to join me. At that point, I had no intention of adopting another dog.

Unbeknownst to me, when Greg Kincaid, the author, does signings, a local rescue group is invited to bring some animals who need “forever homes.” In this case the organization was Lifeline Animal Rescue. Somehow, the handler who was in charge of Rogan and several other dogs, dropped his leash. I was seated in the front row, and Rogan took a straight-line path to me and immediately rested his head in my lap. Now, I am an admitted dog person, and I cannot resist petting one who is snuggling up to me, so the rest is, as they say, history. For more information on Rogan’s adoption please go to the author’s Petfinder.com blog. You will have to use the search box in the right hand column to find Rogan’s story. Just type in “Rogan.”

August 16-August 22, 2010: Events of potential interest going on in Wichita and surrounding communities this week include:

On Tuesday evening, Norah Jones will be appearing at Century II. Showtime is 8:00 pm. Tickets are available through Wichitatix.com.

Lake Afton Public Observatory offers an astronomical program entitled “Reflections of the Moon” on Friday and Saturday night. Join astronomers as they use the Observatory’s telescopes to explore sunlight reflecting off the surface of the Moon showing craters, mountains and smooth dark Maria. Showtime, as it were, is 9:00 pm. There is a modest admission charge.

For those who like to reenact medieval times, the Cherokee Strip Renaissance Festival offers an opportunity to see royalty, knights, wenches, fairies, wizards, belly dancers, dragons, magicians and more! Days/times are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10 am thru 7 pm. The faire is held at the Paris Park in Arkansas City, KS. Tickets may be purchased online or at the gate.

There are still more things to do! Check the All About Wichita calendar for additional events and exhibits that we didn’t have the room to list here. In the meanwhile, have a good week.