This is just an early morning post that let’s everyone know we have posted something new on Training Up Cocoa. It’s all about having the right place to land!

Before I left town last Saturday I asked Cocoa who she thought would win Best in Show at The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. She said she really did not know, but she believed it would be another Spaniel! James, the Springer Spaniel won two years ago. She was right! Below is a photo of Stump, a ten-year old Sussex Spaniel, who won Best in Show on Tuesday evening. Judging from Cocoa’s photo above: she needs her ears brushed! But then this picture was taken immediately following a mad dash around the oak tree in hot pursuit of a wayward squirrel. (Notice that her eyes are still “trained” on the tree trunk.)

Cocoa’s Momma hits the stage! There’s always enough time to break away from the pace of the convention to sing a few songs at the Grand Ole Opry.

Woke up this morning and snapped this photo for Joy—a friend who is in PA and recently has been under a lot of snow. It is the inside of the Delta section of the Opryland Hotel. I keep wanting to ask her if I can come up before too long to take photos of some of the lighthouses on one of the Great Lakes. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Yesterday’s drive up to Nashville was punctuated with a stop over in Chattanooga for a cup of coffee at a section of the city called the North Shore. It is on the northern side of the Tennessee River. The pedestrian bridge that spans the river is in the background. Cocoa Joy could not make the trip with me so she informed me that she wanted to stay with Bronson!

I said, “No Way! You’re not staying alone with your boyfriend.” Sandy, Cocoa’s trainer and Bronson’s Momma spoke up and said Cocoa could stay, and she would watch out for them. “Okay,” I said giving in, “but no hugs and kisses unsupervised.”