Kees' photos

On his first day at our home.

The past few years, we haven't traveled very much and have taken even less pictures. This is one of the last photos we have of Chencho (typically taken with my cell phone). Here he was still fine, just a bit apprehensive of being where he was. He had heart problems, though, and hoping for the best we were conscientiously providing him with his many pills. Less than two weeks after he'd had a check-up at the Tierklinik Weilheim and had been dismissed for another half year, he suddenly got worse: He wouldn't eat or take his medicine anymore. The doctors at the clinic did all they could to save his life, but money could buy him only a few more days.

Chencho died on March 6th 2022. He was the sweetest dog one could imagine, and we’re devastated.

One big advantage of the place where we live is its proximity to Italy: In just a few hours we have crossed the borders to Austria and Italy. Vipiteno is more Sterzing than Vipiteno –the main language is German–, which means that we don't have the optimum Italian experience, but the ease of being able to speak German and be understood. Chencho would have preferred to stay home, but he made the best of it, and was adorable as always.

The dog is –how could it be different?– Chencho, whose short legs find it hard to find their way through the heavy snow. Der Hund ist –wie könnte es anders sein?– Chencho, dessen kurze Beine es schwer haben mit der starken Schneedecke.

Chencho follows his nose, even if there seem to be good arguments against it. Chencho folgt seiner Nase, auch wenn das weniger ratsam erscheint.

Chencho has little appreciation for human cultural achievements, but he accepts the inevitable.

Visitors are encouraged to leave their cars in a large parking lot outside the town and reach the alta città by a series of long escalators. A practical (if ugly) solution for anyone who doesn't have to carry a dog of Chencho's weight.

For vacation, I was looking for a small town similar to my beloved Sabbioneta and came up with another “ideal city”, built by Cosimo I de’ Medici. We found pretty unique lodgings in the castle overseeing the Porta fiorentina (the other town gate is called the Porta romana ), but its central piazza being occupied by workers on a big event, the circumstances were less than ideal, and we were forced to retire to adjacent Castrocaro most of the time.

Whose picture is this? The dog’s? After all, he’s on it. But hey, I’m on it, too! At least, my left leg is. And the picture was taken with my (old) camera. So let’s summarize: my dog, my leg, my camera, my daughter. Yes, Cora took it, and did a very fine job, I think: Nobody has captured my leg better. © Cora, reproduced with her permission.

For a dog, it’s hard to prove that you’ve been somewhere if photos only show you sitting or lying between your people’s feet. So it’s good that the background features the famous baptistery of Castrocaro (which appears to be open once a year, and of course not while we were there). Sorry for the poor technical quality of this picture: I took it with my mobile phone which isn’t exactly state-of-the-art (and, for me, generally a low-priority item).

Picquoteaday #68 “Crabalocker fishwife pornographic priestess boy you been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down” – I Am the Walrus (Lennon/McCartney) I can’t really say why I associated this little statue, one time probably part of a fountain, with the song. “Naughty girl ? “ Knickers down ”? The only explanation I can offer isn’t very flattering: it could be my dirty mind...

Every church has a façade, hardly any a face.

Picquoteaday #67 Non minor est virtus, lateat, sive nota sit orbi (Virtue isn’t any less, if it is hidden or if it’s known to the whole world). This is so true. No one needs to know that you’re the humblest man in the universe. Believe me. [picture taken in the Salesian convent of Beuerberg]