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A Great Dog Book

Monday 02/07/2005 12:15 AM

A few years ago, Candy and I were in Chicago to visit my father. Now to say my dad lives in Chicago is like referring to someone who lives in Perry as a resident of Tallahassee. Living more than an hour outside of Chi-town, the only time he comes into the city is to catch a flight (rarely) or to do something with his kids when they come to visit. Normally, we aim to spend our first or last day of the visit in The Windy City, so as to minimize the travel to and fro.

This trip, we were meeting Shannon, Ray and Alex at the fountain in front of the Hancock Building. To get to the fountain, you have to walk down the steps on either side of it into the open, sub-level area where the Cheesecake Factory is.

Candy and I got there early and decided to kill a little time with that most obvious of things to do on Michigan Avenue: Shopping.

After a quick Google search, it appears this store is no longer at this location, but at the time, the Chicago Architecture Foundation had a little shop there. I did find a little review of the shop from when it was at the Hancock Building, but again, I don't think it's there anymore.

Candy's a big Frank Lloyd Wright nut and I like anything design-oriented, so it was a winner for both of us. We were wandering around inside, looking at all the neat (most of it too expensive) stuff, when I discovered one of the coolest books ever. One of those books that you know you could probably order from Amazon for less, but you didn't want to wait another moment before you could claim one for yourself (may my book create half as much compulsion in casual shoppers who discover it).

The book is Dog Works: The Meaning and Magic of Canine Constructions and it is nothing short of amazing. The whole book is full of pictures and stories about dogs who build things. Sculptures, arrangements, piles of shapes that scream intended design. This will blow your mind.

I bought two copies. One for me and one for my dear friend, Andrea.

This is the type of book that you keep nearby to show to people that haven't seen it and you'll smile everytime you see someone else stare at the pages slack-jawed in disbelief.

The picture above is from the cover of the book and shows Teddy, one of three Golden Retrievers who work together to build pyramids of driftwood. Pretty unbelievable, huh?

Buy this book.

File Under: Dog Books; Other People's Books; Shannon; Travel
Music: Kylie Minogue "Red Blooded Woman"

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