ROSS AND ALICE

Our best buddies Ross and Alice Merrill came to visit for the weekend. I was so excited all I could do was BARK BARK BARK and run around in circles and try to jump up on them and then my human Lawrence would get upset with me and remind me of my proper manners which means NO JUMPING ON PEOPLE !!!!! Being the scent hound that I am I sniffed and identified every bag and package they brought in. I must say I have gotten better. It used to take an hour for me to settle down when guests arrived and now I pretty much get it under control in fifteen minutes. I love having guests because they are "new meat" and I incessantly plead with them to pet me. I especially love all the new scents and aromas that guests bring and my nose stays in a highly charged state. This weekend I just couldn't contain myself and kept sniffing Alice's butt which she didn't like and I just didn't understand this. All of my doggy acquaintances never seem to mind my smelling their butts !!!!
Ross is the chief of the department of conservation at the National Gallery of Art in Washington and is an extraordinary landscape painter. Alice works at The Art League in Alexandria and is one of the most conscientious people on this earth. Lawrence and Ross planned to do some plein air painting on Saturday afternoon but the rain prevented that. Instead they sat in the living room sipping Bourbon and talking about art and looking at art books. Boy does that get boring for me but they actually get excited about. It's hard to figure out these humans.