SUGGESTION BOX: Animals on the road

If you’d like something, just ask!   I am always open to ideas for posts. One of my friends suggested I post the cats of Sancerre. I’ll do better than that: here are some memorable animals I found along the road, near and far.

It’s not easy to photograph animals, since they’re always on the move. The egret, above, was taken at Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA.  As you can imagine, most animal pictures come with a story.

Parisians love their pets, especially their dogs, and these animals were found along the streets of the city.

I found this fellow in the door in the Marais district. His owner owned the shop.

This puppy was going in the beauty salon. Time for a shampoo?

These ladies were enjoying their drinks, while their dogs waited patiently.

This is Zsa Zsa, who was the hostess at the Auberge des Deux Ponts, a café on the Ile Saint-Louis. She’s taking a rest from her duties after checking on the customers.

Close encounters of the canine kind almost ended in a fight at the entrance to the supermarket.

We ran into many felines in the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain:

The lady had a sandwich. The cat wanted the sandwich. The cat begged. The lady relented.

Strolling the streets of Granada, we ran across this pup who was ready for a walk.

This is an urban cat: a Londoner, who lives on a houseboat in the delightful area called Little Venice.

A trip to the Dordogne area of France on a hiking tour brought us up close and personal with all kinds of lovely beasts.

This is my site logo. Title? Assmates. I have another photo with these guys I call fornicating. I won’t post it. You can use your imagination.

This flirty kitty in Sarlat posed from the security of her window,

while another feline in the ‘hood climbs up rooftops.

 

We met many cats in Athens, in the shadow of the Acropolis:

My trip to Sicily brought a treasure trove of animals:

On the farm: Sunday dinner?

Strolling home after a long day out on the pasture,

or enjoying lunch with the ladies at a sidewalk café in Catania

or keeping the ladies of the evening company in the red light district of Catania…these animals had jobs to do!

I found this shy feline in Erice.

In Syracuse, the cat watches from its perch, knows all but tells no secrets.

 

Another working cat: Palermo pussycat greets visitors as they enter  one of the stores in the commercial center.

Riding a mule on Mt Etna made this a real kick-ass adventure for me! No, I did not kick the ass.  No animals were harmed in the  making of this photo.

 

This is Félix, from the Burgundy area of France, in the tiny village of Saint-Denis-de-Vaux. He was very patient while I chased him around and took many pictures of him.

There were loads of cats in the Botanical Gardens of Buenos Aires. This one is trying to grab a fish from the pond.

We visited the zoo there, and met a lovely giraffe.

We flew north and met a coati at Iguazu Falls, the UNESCO World Heritage site and national park between Argentina and Brazil.

The park has an abundance of gorgeous wildlife.

 

The region of Provence in France brought me in contact with

a black and white friend in Fontaine de Vaucluse

and a ginger cat in Gigondas

 

In Sancerre, in the Loire Valley,

This friendly black car hung out at the language school I was attending, much to the disgust of the directrice, Marianne. She did not like him and he knew it; he hung around, maybe just to tease her..you think?

Everyone in Sancerre knew Confetti the cat. He hung out at the window of the Italian restaurant near the ashtray, peering in the window, hoping for some take-out pasta .  I’d also find him sitting on warm cars on cool  mornings.

Closer to home, LA brings me into contact with animals: This was the tough guy of the neighborhood. Cats would run from him. He showed no mercy.

Blanca lived in the lovely home of a ceramicist; a friend and I did some house-and-cat sitting here.

We end the tour where we began, at Lake Merritt in Oakland. A friend and I walked the lake together every Sunday morning for years. One day, a cat came from out of the bushes.  His name tag showed him to be Park Kitty. He disappeared for a time, then returned with a new pink heart tag,  a new name –  Teddy – and phone number of the nature center. He was a park “employee” and, as he had no other home, he was fed by one of the park rangers. Teddy was such a friendly fellow. He would run up to us, visit and let us give him a cuddle every Sunday.

Unfortunately, because of budget cuts, the ranger was let go and Teddy experienced various privations, from lack of food to wounds inflicted by larger animals. Teddy’s friends banded together, and a plea to the residents from an article in the local paper was answered: Teddy retired to a nice, large farmhouse south of Oakland, where he enjoyed the company of two loving humans and a family composed of other welcoming animals.

Aren’t you glad this story had a happy ending?

Feel free to offer any suggestions for posts ! I will be happy to comply, if I can.