Joy Ray

Prince Johnny Walker Cash

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Back and unbloggy, with a bonus picture

Well we have been back in the US for over 2 weeks now and you may have noticed a, well, noticeable lack of blog posts since then.  It's not that nothing is happening.  In fact I think it's the opposite - we're sort of bedazzled by the pleasure of being back home, as well as some very cool possibilities that may happen in the near future. 

For now, and just because, here is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Johnny Cash:

Countdown to leaving

In just over a week, we'll be going back home.  Our feelings about that are mixed, as I'm sure you might guess.  Our days are also increasingly busy, so I probably won't be posting much (if at all) until we're home again.

For instance, we have been working on getting our hairy dog-child Johnny Cash approved to go back to the US.  Yesterday we had to get a health certificate from a vet.  Wednesday, we'll be paying a visit to a big government office near the port, to get his official travel documents.  Hopefully there won't be any problems with this...

Our friends David and Kirsten have also been visiting, which has been fantastic -- a perfect excuse to do a "Buenos Aires Greatest Hits Tour" (namely, re-experience our favorite restaurants such as Vineria de Gualterio, Cabana Las Lilas, Morelia, Primavera Trujillana and Ceviche). 

 

We need to get in some last-minute love with our friends who live here: Christian and Frauke, Dave and Sofi.  And find time for all the things we meant to do in Buenos Aires but somehow haven't yet done.

 

And did I mention I was here to finish my novel?  Still working on that....!

One note: I realized this week that I have been consistently misspelling the word "parrilla" (steakhouse) as "parilla" (which still looks more 'correct' to me, but oh well).  Sorry, Argentines, for butchering your language.  As well as your meat.

A day in the country, Argentina-style

The other day we got to spend a day at the country house that belongs to the family of our friend Sofi.  It's located near the main airport here, but you'd never know it. 

Here is part of the amazingly lush yard:

We knew instantly this was going to be a great day.

Cash made himself right at home.

So did Jay and I, in the pool.

Here's Dave, kicking it in the sun.



We had a very nice asado for lunch, cooked by a man who operates a grill nearby.



Cash befriended the next-door-neighbor's dog.



And then proceeded to nearly pull the entire lunch off the table.



The only bummer was that despite Cash's love of water, we couldn't get him to swim in the pool. Not for lack of trying!

So Sofi did the next best thing and hosed the dogs off.

Bonus shot of Guri, Sofi's family's dog, in the car.  I never knew a golden retriever could fit into such a small space!

Johnny Cash's (dog) walking tour of Buenos Aires

We brought our dog Johny Cash aka "Cash" to Buenos Aires, knowing that the city was reportedly dog-friendly, but not knowing exactly what that would mean.  Here is what we have found.

The city has literally MILES of parks that allow off-leash dogs. We are lucky enough to live within a mile of many of them.  Here is a snippet of map on which I have highlighted some of the prime park area in green.  The red line shows a route that we take a lot, and the one that Johnny Cash will show you today in this blog post.

First, we leave our apartment.  This involves taking a tiny old elevator which Cashie is now an old hand at. He waits patiently for it to come...

...then enjoys the ride down.

Once outside there is always a quick pitstop and a lot of sniffing which we refer to as "Cash checking his pee-mail."

The next step is navigating some crowded and small city streets to get to the parks.  These photos were taken at 8AM on a Saturday - not very crowded.  But during the day it can be a real obstacle course.

One of the big obstacles is this gas station, which usually has dozens of taxis pulling in and out, plus metal grates that Cash refuses to walk on.  Here, Cash gathers his courage for the crossing.

Another typical obstacle: a sidewalk cafe.  At 8AM no-one is there.  In an hour or two, the tables will be filled with people that will sit all day reading the paper, smoking, and nursing a single cafe cortado.

At last we get to this cafe, which is outside a cop station. 

We are getting very close to the parks!  But the most dangerous crossing of all is upon us: Avenida Santa Fe.  This is a big cluster of multi-lane streets that come together in a traffic circle from hell.  It includes subway and bus stops, the botanical garden and the zoo.

The first step is crossing Santa Fe itself.  There is a crosswalk (which drivers ignore) but no stoplight.  Instead we have to make sure most of the cars are stopped at another stoplight, then run for it.

Once across Santa Fe, we hit the botanical garden, which is free and very lovely.  Dogs, however, are not allowed inside, so we have to stay on the sidewalk.  Again, it is usually a lot more crowded than this.

There are tons of abandoned cats in the botanical garden for some reason.  Here are two of them.

There are so many that these signs have been posted explaining to people that it's not nice to abandon your cats here.  Contrary to appearances, this is not a cat Garden of Eden.

Only 3 more streets left to cross to reach the first off-leash area!!  We have learned that the city buses are ruthless.  While jaywalking in Buenos Aires is an art form, never try it in front of one of these monsters.  (Here, the light has turned red, and the buses seem to be obeying it...for the moment.)

We arrive next in front of the Zoo. 

It is closed.  

Later on, it will be packed with kids, ponies, snack vendors, and so on, and look like this:

Sometimes we walk along the side of the zoo, where there is a walking/bike path. 

 

However we have recently figured out that if we cross to the less scenic industrial side of this street (Avenida Sarmiento), we can take Cash off-leash here.  He is very good about not running out into traffic.

 

We, meanwhile, take in the sights.  The majestic flag of Argentina...

 

...the majestic cheeks of Punta del Este and Montevideo (note that this is THE preferred swimsuit cut for women in Argentina; butt cheeks must be a-flappin').

 

...and of course, the majestic...bikinis...of Carneval.

 

Slight digression: we have noticed on this particular billboard that the image was not photoshopped.  The woman in the purple outfit has a very furry tummy!

 

Anyway, we are now at the first official park.  I don't know what this park is called.  ALL of the parks are referred to collectively as the "3 Febrero" park.  This part of "3 feb" is one large square block.

 

The coolest part of this park is the little Greco-Roman "folly" (as the Brits might say) on the far corner.  It brings out Cash's contemplative side.

One more shot to try to get across how massive this park is.  And really, this is the smallest part of it.

 

Then it's on to the next part of the park.  We walk past the US Embassy.

 

Across a street and past a statue with really nice graffiti improvements.

 

Past a choripan (hot dog) stand...

 

And finally to a large circular running and rollerblading path.

 

This path can get quite hot in the middle of the day, but it's very pretty.  In the middle there is a rose garden (dogs not allowed there, either).

 

There is also a lake with charming white bridges.

 

Plus swans and paddle boats that you can rent.

 

This particular morning, there was some kind of group exercise activity going on.

Never fear, though. There are several snack stands conveniently located nearby.

There are open spaces all around the lake and running area where Cash can, again, go off-leash.  We like to find sticks and throw them for him.  Here is a good action shot - he's levitating!

 

And here, he happily surveys his domain.

 

A few more shots of some of the interesting and gorgeous trees around here.

 

 

 

And then it's home again, home again....picking up some medialunas (croissants) for breakfast on the way.  We are so happy to have all of these amazing and dog-friendly parks to explore!

Cash helps out, however he can

Johnny Cash tries to be helpful in any way that he can be. For instance, at Freddo, a local ice cream chain.

The ice cream cones are very tiny (like: thimble-sized) but the employees are able to stack phenomenal amounts of ice cream on them.

It's too much ice cream in fact. Which is where Cash comes in, helping to finish it off. At first he wasn't quite sure what to make of the cone.

But once he figured out the cones were edible...watch out!

This one is for Naya

Don't feel so bad.

It's official: doggie jet lag lasts 4 days

Well, now we know. Johnny Cash is, as of today, officially over his jet lag. And it took four days (Friday AM through Tuesday AM). Here is the saga in pictures:

Day Zero: Our travels begin. Here is Cashie, freaked out at the airport in his travel crate.

Day One: We arrive in Bs. As. in the morning and go through customs etc. In the afternoon Cash gets his first official walk - notice that he does not exactly look relaxed or happy. "Where the f*ck am I????" might be what he is wondering.

Day Two: Cash settles in, claims the futon as his own, and naps with Jay. Starting to unwind but still a little tense. Or signs of depression????

Day Three: We discover the ultimate dog park, perhaps 16 city blocks in size, with vast grassy areas, oak trees, and ponds for swimming. Cash starts to perk up, but sadly we have no evidence as we forgot the camera. In the evening he starts playing a bit and eats an apple, signs that he is starting to come around.

Day Four (Today): Back to the dog park! Behold a dog who is now happy to be here! He runs...

He socializes...

(this by the way is one of the odd sights of Buenos Aires, professional dog walkers who roam the streets with packs of purebreds. They want nothing to do with amateurs like us!)

He swims...

(I will try to post a video or two of this later as they are pretty funny.)

Ladies and gentlemen, after four days, our dog has finally arrived in Argentina! (And I guess we have too.)

Even Cashie can't wait to go

Check this out. He actually went and curled up in his travel crate for a nap today.

Somehow I think the flight will be just fine.

The dog with the headlight eyes...

We figured out a fun thing tonight, which is that if I take a picture of Johnny Cash with my camera phone, with the flash on, well - his eyes have a particular SHINE to them: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, this is how we entertain ourselves on a Wednesday night!