Banksy turns 9 months old, and we celebrated by going to the Turlock Travelodge.

Teamsmalldog says motels with a puppy, somewhat overrated.

Have you been to Turlock? We visit there several times per year. You drive out towards the central valley, but don't go to Los Banos. Turn away from Fresno towards Gustine and Hilmar, if you see the thirsty cows, you're going the right way. They line up in the feeders, sharing scraps of hay. There's no more grass in California. The fields are all covered in dust now, with clusters of tumbleweeds just waiting there, hoping for a breeze to carry them somewhere else.

I tried to explain to the motel clerk, the guy with the giant, blue plastic diamond gauges that shone under the fluorescent lights, just where the dog shows are in Turlock. You know those things? Earrings that make your earlobes the size of my sneaker. The whole time I'm explaining, I'm hypnotizing on his ears. Like looking deep into the sea, into those big diamonds that send his lobes like little elephant trunks down to his shoulders. An amazing, brilliant blue, that you don't always see in the front lobby of an old motel, sitting there where the almond orchards used to be.

He was thinking to go out there, maybe find some dog lady to help him train his husky. Yeah, a husky. Good luck with that, beautiful shining blue earlobes. I told him to turn at the Chevron station, drive west towards the train tracks and on the road called Golf, where I've never seen no golf, drive north towards the mobile home parks. There's a giant cocker spaniel sign, high up in the sky, and if you get to the hydraulic shop with all the scrap metal dumpsters, you've gone too far.

That's where we were for some of the weekend. Gustavo burned it up on both rounds of Steeplechase. Super fast, super good runs. Smokin' the poles, flying a-frames. Not a wobble or a bobble, could not have run any better than he did. Won us nearly the cost of the motel room. So this was awesome, too bad he couldn't run in the other ring. Just not feeling the love in there. No go at the far end. Nada. That was all. I walked some good courses, but we couldn't run them, couldn't get past that far end.

So yeah. Gustavo still does that. It was hot, he felt funny, weird cat smells, whatever it was, was no dealing with the far end of the ring. We went home early and drove home to the beach, where the fog was in and it was cool and he ran first thing into the water and stayed there for a little while. At least he doesn't get afraid of the Turlock train anymore, at least not for now, so I can watch it pass, admire the painting on the cars, wonder who painted those, in the dark of night.

Banksy was allright. I still can't get her near the agilities. She still goes apeshit, nutso, out of control, barking crazy eyes popping out of her head. I skulk around the edges with her, and she got to play a lot in the fenced in paddock by the shady trees. Many ciks/caps around the garbage can out there. Much frisbees and stays and circle work and good times with the other dogs. There is a lot of good dog in there. Only focused on me when we played there in the paddock. About her dark sides, everyone says, Oh, she'll grow out of that. I edge closer to the rings but people and dogs running near agility stuff makes her crazy like nothing else. We work on it and I sure do hope she grows out of it. I seem to have a theme with my dogs and distractions. I would like to untheme this but so far it isn't working.

Banksy's manners at the motel were pretty much the manners she has at home. Pretty good except for when they're not. She was quiet though and didn't destroy anything and slept all night in the bed. Her and Otterpop had a scuffle that this time involved a chewie. Otterpop and Banksy share toys and share wide open spaces. As of now, that's it. I have had some concerning events with the two of them in tight spaces and with food and I am shutting that shit down. I think there is some shifting of power as Banksy grows up and I am now doing some fierce micromanaging of who eats what and where. Otterpop is a shit disturber and hard to live with and this is something I don't want passed to her big fluffy sister with the crazy eyes.

So happy birthday Banksy. I'm glad you liked the Travelodge, and that you didn't eat the chairs there. Nine months old sounds pretty old to me. Like time to be getting some of this together, maybe a little more than we have. Nine months though, in border collie time, not a very long while. Banksy has the mind of a genius, which can have murky depths here and there, so busy thinking great thoughts that there are lot of things to filter out. I want her to shine like big blue plastic diamonds, clear and brilliant and tremendous. A dramatic statement that sticks out in a beautiful way from the dark. I know she has that in her, just have to keep figuring out how to bring it out.