More About Toulouse

I should have known a dog story would generate the response it did. Remember now...in the Blogosphere, I am not a playa’. I’ve said before that I have a ‘very exclusive’ readership. That means the posted and e-mail replies went from 0-2 to over ten. People seem to react more to a good animal story than visiting the grave of an old, dead, white guy. I don’t get it.

The responses brought forth more Toulouse memories. So, before I launch into another series that some may find boring, here are more grainy old images and stories.

Tanta Anna and Toulouse, 1960

My sister Pat reminded me of a special talent Toulouse had. Again, he was 145 pounds and had the appetite to match. His regular evening meal was a big scoop of Gravy Train plus a can of dog food plus table scraps. Mix with water and stand back since he ate like most dogs...wolfing down his meal before any other dog could get to it. Chew? Who needs to chew when you can just devour? Yet, whenever Mom included little baby peas with the table scraps, Toulouse managed to leave them in the bowl. While he inhaled his dinner, he knew how to maneuver any baby pea in the opposite direction and back into the bowl, unscathed.

On Fire Island, 1953

He was not grown when this shot was taken. 

The big black dog from the city was popular on the island. 

He loved to dig deep into the sand and run into the surf.

After the first post, friend Bill wrote to ask if Toulouse drooled a lot. Bill grew up with a St. Bernard and knew how that breed had, shall we say, saliva issues. I recall that our boy did drool some but not as much as a Saint does. It’s like his poodle half moderated that trait.

The scene is the dinner table...where so much family history is remembered...and made. Our mother would occasionally debut something new at mealtime. This was the Bronx in the ‘50’s so we’re not talking about something trendy and exotic. She introduced us to frozen okra. I came to enjoy okra much later when we lived in New Orleans and it was often used in gumbo and other great southern dishes. We had it straight up as a veggie, alone in its element...which is rather viscous in nature. I will add here that there are no problem eaters in my family. We’ve always tried things and refused little based on how it looked. After I jokingly said the okra resembled Toulouse’s drool, the vegetable was never seen again. Sorry about that.

Easter, 1961

As we noted last time, Toulouse was a smart dog. He understood spoken English, not just the tone of our voices. “Yeah, right,” you say. Another great example was recalled by Pat.

We’re all at the dinner table...three kids and the parents with the dog lying off to the side...when this awful odor starts to permeate the air. The kids all knew WHAT it was but we didn’t know WHO was responsible for this SBD (silent but deadly) emission. We were taking these side-long glances at each other until Dad had enough. He addressed the kids with something like, “Good grief! This is incredibly rude. If you have gas, please do the right thing and excuse yourself so you can relieve it in another room.” At that point, Toulouse groaned to his feet and shuffled off to the living room. It was hard to eat for a while as we all laughed so hard. He was the best dog ever.

Places 6 - The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

While the nation was riveted on the burning Twin Towers, there were two other planes determined to take out symbols of our national government. The one that was supposed to hit the Capitol went down in Pennsylvania, thanks to the heroism of the passengers. The other struck the Pentagon. Because we live in the Washington media market, our local news covered more of the Pentagon disaster.

Entrance to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial (2 August 2009)

The inscription on the right says,

“We claim this ground in remembrance

of the events of September 11, 2001.

To honor the 184 people whose lives were

lost, their families, and all who sacrifice

that we may live in freedom.

We will never forget.”

When American Airlines Flight 77 out of Dulles slammed into our nations’ military headquarters, 120 Defense Department personnel and contractors were killed in the building. There were 64 passengers and crew on the plane and enough fuel to reach its destination, Los Angeles.

Pentagon 9-11 Memorial (3 April 2011)

On September 11, 2008, the first of three national 9/11 memorials was dedicated alongside the restored building. The impressive ceremony included President Bush and members from all the service branches who stood by each of the 184 benches to ceremonially remove the dark blue shrouds that covered them.

Viewing the scene from certain angles can be confusing as the benches seem to be positioned in no logical pattern. Upon closer inspection, the elegance of the placement hits home. First, the almost two-acre site is right next to the side of the Pentagon where the plane crashed at 9:37 AM. The entire array is organized based on the age of the victims with the youngest, 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg at one end and 71-year-old retired Navy Captain John Yamnicky at the other. Between the two, everyone is located based on the month and year of their birth. This was done to unify the victims without regard to their status as military or civilian, man or woman, class or rank.

Little Dana’s Bench (3 April 2011)

The name of each victim is engraved on a stainless steel plates set in the front, free-standing edge of his/her bench. If the victim died in the Pentagon, the bench faces away from the building so you can see the name and the building behind it. If the victim was on the plane, you will read the name with the western sky as a backdrop knowing they came from that direction before hitting the building.

Pentagon 9/11 Memorial (3 April 2011)

Each bench is suspended over a trough of running water that adds both visual and sound qualities to the scene. At night, each bench is lit from below to illuminate the troughs and reflect off the undersides of the benches. It is quite stunning and I must return one day to capture that scene.

Visiting the Memorial is a sobering experience and brings back so many vivid memories from this generation’s ‘Pearl Harbor’ event. It is seared into our consciousness forever. Next 9/11, I’ll post images from the World Trade Center Memorial. May all those we lost rest in peace.