Nora's legacy: love, laughter, joie de vivre and lessons to us humans

Cookie cuddles not quite year-old Nick and Nora, after a bath in Davis, California. They were born there, September, 2005 

WHAT A DOG, WHAT A LIFE, AS WE SMILE THROUGH OUR TEARS

The Yorkshire terrier's small size belies its personality: energetic, spirited, domineering. Yorkies are affectionate. They love attention, a good choice for one who wants to dote on a dog with tenacious personality. Beneath the glossy coat beats the heart of a feisty terrier.--AKC's "Dog Breeds, What Dog For Me?"

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

Nora stayed in many hotels in her life, here the Omni
Los Angeles. She and Nick were also frequent fliers.

SINCE NORA left us two days ago, we've been touched by loving emails, phone calls, notes on our door. Anyone who has experienced loss feels our pain. Apparently this sweet pup touched many hearts.
Endearing, adorable Nick and Nora entered my life nearly 15 years ago, three days after my husband Billy died. His last act during hospice in our Arizona home was to cart his IV into our office to print out the profile of Yorkshire terrier, attached to his hand-written note:
"Cookie, this is the dog for you.  Two will fit in a dog carrier. Yorkies are your canine equivalent."  He passed the next morning, Nov. 11, 2005, unaware that six weeks earlier, in Davis, Calif., Yorkies Duchess and Duke became the parents of four pups.
My sister Robbie had spirited me off to her Davis home to await Billy's ashes. The year had not been kind.  Besides the recurrence of Bill's cancer, we lost all four of our elderly dogs and my dad Richard died.

Our great-niece, Peny, was one of many kids
to love Nora; always, she patiently acquiesced.

TO BE DOGLESS for the first time in my life, and to lose both my father and second husband, was a heavy burden.  Wise Billy knew
Lifelong love of dogs
I'd need the comfort of canine companionship.

Cookie, Nick and Nora at Torrey Pines,
a daily ritual after Jazzercise.

That Monday morning, sis and I walked her two labs to a nearby park.  A neighbor was playing fetch with his Yorkie.  I petted Charlie and it buoyed my spirits.  Then sis went off to work where she forwarded an in-house email from a colleague. "Two Yorkshire terrier puppies need adoption."
The rest, as they say, is history.  My sis, niece Amarylla and her fiance Steve along with great-niece Lucy, met the Yorkies that evening. It was a crazy, loving home with accordions in the living room. My niece's musical fiance, Steve, picked one up. I played a piano tune. We admired and held the pups -- tiny, about six inches long, completely black, less than a pound.
Their mother nearly died giving birth and the pups were delivered by Cesarean.   Their lovely colors slowly evolved in their first two years, when I met and fell in love with Bruce William Keller.  His beloved Yorkie, Miss Molly, was his constant companion during his college days at San Diego State Good gig, our dog's life

 William Powell and Myrna
Loy played Nick and Nora
Charles in "The Thin Man,"
inspiring the pups' names. 

University. She was named after the Creedence Clearwater rendition of "Good Golly  Miss Molly" so Keller already loved the breed.  He and the pups quickly bonded and we had many happy times together from Santa Barbara to Boston. Thankful for those memories, I offer Nora's obituary:
NORA CHARLES Jones Meyers crossed the Rainbow Bridge Jan. 29, 2020, after 14-plus years of defying death and enriching lives of her grateful and humbled human companions.  Nora lived large.  Her world was filled with travel, adventure and exotic treats collected by her parents on global travels.

Cookie shares ice cream -- their favorite strawberry.

She and her twin brother, Nick, were named after those flamboyant fictional characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel, "The Thin Man" and made famous by Hollywood. The movie personae were dapper, clever characters, favorites of Cookie, who interviewed the Nora actor, fellow Montanan Myrna Loy. Like their eponyms, Yorkies Nick and Nora were a charming, dashing couple.  They downed Greenies and
Yorkie day trippers

Nick and Nora stayed in hundreds
of hotels, here the Ashland Springs
during an annual Shakespeare trek. 

rawhide treats instead of martinis but possessed the same flair and allure of the Hollywood couple.

Nick and Nora are all eyes to the sky in Santa Barbara.

Intrepid and curious explorers, they looked the grim reaper in the eye numerous times, winked at him and sent him packing. Nora lost her spleen in a vicious attack by three off-leash dogs in an Arizona park. She survived a run-in with a wheelchair, and an attack by a ranch dog who mistook her attempts to play as an infringement. The pair bounced back after a fall from a second-story balcony while chasing squirrels. Nora nursed Nick through recovery from a rattlesnake bite that left him nearly blind in his left eye.

Nick and Nora preferred warmer climes but played in Montana's snowstorms.

Cookie Meyers sailing with Nick and Nora on San Diego Bay.

Bruce Keller with Nick and Nora at Oceanside Harbor.

THEY DEVELOPED an abiding love of culture but despite exposure to highbrow activities -- classical music concerts, art museums, Shakespeare festivals, foreign film marathons -- their tastes included Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Lyle Lovett.  They wagged their tales to "How Much Is That Doggie In the Window" by Patti Page.  Their "top ten" recordings also included Cat Stevens' "I Love My Dog," and Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out?" They insisted Ed Sheeran's song, "Shape of You," was written for his Yorkie, not his girlfriend.
They accompanied their parents to seven Tony Bennett concerts, including two with Lady Gaga. In short, their artistic bent mirrored that of their mum and dad:  eclectic, universal, diversified.
They were also a beloved fixture at plays, writing workshops, yoga class, interviews, shopping treks and Jazzercise. They snoozed patiently on couches or in the Explorer between acts, jaunts and intervals.
Nora was amused but puzzled when people compared her to "Star Trek's" Chewbacca. She tolerated observations that "You two look like a pair of koala bears." ("Humans mean well," she told her bewildered brother, reminding him that the koala is a marsupial not a bear, and that the taste of eucalyptus is over-rated.)
Nora loved a good road trip to visit cousins, aunties, uncles and admirers in Mendocino, Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, New York, Las Vegas and New Orleans.  Her friends included a gifted Israeli painter who captured the pups on canvas, and fellow Yorkie devotees, a delightful English couple who visited them in Montana.
  Nora and Nick logged over 125,000 airline miles and listened to their mother's endless exasperation when the airlines refused to boost her own mileage tally or establish their own account. "Thank you for your humorous letter, but we must deny your request for miles on behalf of Nick and Nora's travel," wrote a customer service agent.

Kindly Joe Rosenberg DVM came to our home
Tuesday, to help Nora cross the Rainbow Bridge
and console her sad parents and brother Nick.

NORA SLOWED down during her last months but still kissed and cuddled. Her parents cut short a trip to be with her on New Years Day when her dog sitter -- worried at her lack of appetite -- took her to her San Diego vet.  A loving neighbor cared for her while we flew home then she spent a week in UC Davis Veterinary Hospital's ICU, enduring tube feedings, IVs and prodding by well meaning personnel who struggled day and night to save her from hopeless kidney failure, They bought us brief, precious time with our cherished friend.
Declining food, including her favorite strawberry ice cream, was the death knell for Nora. She'd early on developed a reputation for robust consumption of appetizers ranging from  turkey droppings and deer scat to carcasses of unidentifiable roadkill. ("I may be dressed for black tie dinner, but I do love to snack," she said.)
When she could no longer walk-- and she loved to hear that word-- we decided to help her.
She passed peacefully with a house call from compassionate vet, Dr. Joe Rosenberg, who consoled Nicky while we wept. We say farewell, not good-bye, and whisper "Ah, dear Nora. You sleep forever in a special corner of our hearts." Her ashes rest in an urn described thus: "Nora: she lived life to her Yorkie fullest." Go In Peace is recommended for its compassionate end-of-life care, complete with a ceramic paw print and a lovely wooden box for precious ashes.
 Dr. Joe Rosenberg: www.goinpeacesd.com
www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/hospital/small-animal/ermedicine

Cookie and Keller brought Nick and Nora to dog-friendly
Bohemian Bus Beautiful recently in Mendocino County.

UP NEXT:   It's a bus like no other you've seen, a lodging unlike any you've enjoyed. Bohemian Bus Beautiful in the lovely coastal woods of northern California is a dog-friendly get-away where artist and writer Blake More runs an inspired air bnb. Her fanciful artwork includes collage, sculpture, painting, mosaic, fiber work, a garden with lights and many magical touches. Even the bathroom and outdoor shower are treasure troves of unique artwork accented by nature. Each space has something to admire, ponder and appreciate. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us Fridays for a fresh look at travel, nature and the arts: www.whereiscookie.com

Brit Speak, America Speak; same language, different meanings....

England-born Sue Speight and American Christene "Cookie" Meyers in York Minster, go back to back in an ancient part of the hallowed cathedral. The two friends have an array of colloquialisms and enjoy one another's language differences. 

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

Sisters Misha, Cookie and Olivia, with niece Amarylla
are bundled up in "jumpers" and "overcoats" UK style.
In the US, sweaters and jackets.

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

ASK FOR a burger and fries and you're likely to get a blank look in the United Kingdom.
"You mean chips?" asks the waitress.  "No, I don't want potato chips.....Oh, yes, that's right. Fries are chips here, so yes, please, I'd like chips with my burger."
That was years back, 30 trips ago to England, Scotland and Wales.
I soon learned that there are more than a few fun differences in language and many harmless ways to tease one another. George Bernard Shaw famously said that “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.”
On my first adult visit to the Cotswolds with college friends, the hotel clerk asked, "When would you like a knock-up?"
Of course he meant, "When should we call to awaken you?" Naturally, in the U.S. it means with child, as in "she's knocked up."

Chips in America are potato chips.
Chips are french fries in the UK and
if you want our chips, ask for crisps.

WHEN ORDERING FROM a menu or shopping, residents of both countries may climb a learning curve.
In England, our eggplant is aubergine; Zucchini is courgette.  Molasses is treacle. Shrimp are always prawns in the UK.
And if someone offers you a biscuit with afternoon tea, do say yes.  It's a cookie, not that morning pastry we load up with jam.
untri for a foreigner in either country is often confusing.

These are called chips (in the UK) 
and fries (in the states.) 

 "Let" means to rent out in England, to allow in the U.S., "please let me pass."
Flat is an apartment in the UK, off-key or low of pitch in America.

Cookie takes a break at "interval" during a play; in the
UK that's what we in the U.S. call intermission. 

AA is an automobile association in England, Alcoholics Anonymous or American Airlines in the US.
In the UK, a la mode -- fashionable; in the US, with ice cream
Lounge can mean a room of relaxation in the UK; in America, always a bar with alcohol.
banger, in the UK is a sausage, or car on its last legs; in America, it's a gang member, party or song. Bash means "have a go" to a Brit; in America, a fun party.
BOMB IS a particularly fun word to analyze on both sides of the pond.  In the UK, the phrase has long meant a striking success.  That's catching on in the US, but it still means to go south in a hurry as in "opening night completely bombed." It can also mean to imbibe excessively.
In our country, a governor is head of a state; in the UK, he's "boss" of something.

This photo of the Eiffel Tower 
might be called "brilliant"
in the UK, "pretty" in US

A boot in the UK is a car trunk, while in the US it means footwear. A lorey is the UK's version of truck. In the UK, a jumper is not something you use to start a dead car engine. It's a sweater.
BOTTLE CAN mean courage in the UK; in the US it's a container.
Jelly is a dessert in England; in the US, it's fruit spread for toast.
Aside from its better known meaning, a hog in the UK can also be a  yearling sheep; in the US, it's slang for a hot motorcycle.
Brilliant in the UK means tops or very best; in the US, it means bright, smart, pretty.

These Englishmen and women are enjoying a pint at the pup,
where in the U.S., we'd have a drink in the bar.

Pecker means courage "keep your pecker up" in the UK; it's penis in our country and "willie" is a UK penis. (My Irish gran also referred to a man's "John Thomas," --"he should keep it in his pants.")
A geezer in the US means an old fart; in the UK, he's a gangster.
Buffet in England means a snack, usually on a train; in the US it is a sideboard or serve-yourself arrangement, sometimes lavish.
INTERVAL is a theater intermission in the UK; in America, a gap in space or time.
A "jolly" can be a short trip in England (she's off on a jolly) while in America it means jovial.
Our vacation is an Englishman's holiday. Bugger -- don't bother me: "bugger off" in the UK; in America, an endearing term for a child. "What a cute little bugger.".
Carriage in England is usually a railway coach; in America, transportation for a youngster.

This train car might be called a carriage in the UK. 

Mind in the UK means watch. "Mind the step."  "Give way" means watch out or let pass.
Crisp; thin fried pastry, like our chips; in America, an adjective meaning crunchy.
Entree is a starter in the UK, a main course in America.
A UK half is a half-pint, usually beer; in the US it's a measurement. Our bars are their pubs. Pissed means drunk in England, angry in the US, with an "off" added.
A bonnet is a car hood in England; in the US, it's a lady's hat. Our overalls are UK dungarees. Our robes are dressing gowns in the UK, where a vest is a waistcoat. A macintosh is a raincoat in the UK. Sneakers or trainers?  Galoshes or wellies? Depends on which side of the pond you call home.

These kids might be called bairn in Scotland and North England; they could

also be referred to as tykes, tots, nippers, moppets or squirts.  (Our great-

niece and nephew, Penelope Margaret and James Brian Ganner.)

A jock is a Scotsman in the UK, or a private soldier; in the US, an athlete.
We don't use "nick" often but in England, it's a common word for ''steal."  Ditto pinch.
Panda is UK slang for a police car while we think of an adorable endangered animal.
KNICKERS -- women's underwear in England, "don't get your knickers in a tizzy." Seldom used in the US.
Frame in the UK can mean plan or propose something: "let's frame it." In the US it's what goes around a painting or photo or a scheme to misrepresent or set someone up.
A mate is a friend, not a partner or spouse.
A mobile is a cell phone in England while we use the word to mean able to move easily.
A mum is a mother; we think of a flower or a caution for quiet. A nappy is a diaper in England. In the US, a wee snooze.
THE FIRST floor in the UK and Europe is our second floor. Ground level in America is their first floor. And never the twain shall meet.....isn't it fun?

 Keller and Cookie with Nick and Nora on a recent hike in San Diego.

  NEXT UP:   Join us as we bid farewell to a loyal friend and true road warrior, Nora, our beloved Yorkshire terrier. We look back on her lively life, her travels with us and her circle of global friends and admirers.  We explore her musical tastes and recall her fondness for Greenies and strawberry ice cream. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn, love and live and visit us Fridays for a fresh take on travel, the arts, family, pets, nature and more: www.whereiscookie.com

Theater's balm, calm, fun helps in best, worst times of our life

During a period of challenge, loss and tragedy,a fine production of "A Chorus Line" at Welk Theatre, buoys the spirits.
This week's column bids farewell to a longtime treader of the boards and theatrical talent while saluting new productions. Our late friend, Karen Jackson, could have played several roles and sung "Tits and Ass" or "What I Did for Love." 
The fine production runs through March 22. welkresorts.com  -- photo by Ken Jacques

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

Although she never smoked and seldom 
drank, Karen Jackson could vamp it up.
Her memorial is in Billings this Saturday. 

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
and theater marketing departments

Everything was beautiful at the ballet
Graceful men lift lovely girls in white
Yes, everything was beautiful at ballet
Hey! I was happy... at the ballet -- from "A Chorus Line"

Karen Jackson, second from left,
would second the motion that theater
can heal, comfort, elevate, stretch us. 

THIS WEEK's column is part eulogy, part testimonial. It weaves a tribute to my friend, Karen Jackson, with our mutual love of theater and kudos for a quartet of fine productions we've seen this week in San Diego.
Karen Jackson's life will be celebrated in Billings Montana, Saturday.
She died before the holidays after a brief, ferocious battle with cancer. Critical care for my beloved Yorkie, Nora, and my partner Bruce Keller's Scripps post-transplant tests prevent my being in Montana for the tribute, championed by Karen's longtime collaborator Julie Omvig. Another actor-mime friend of theater, Bonnie Banks, will read my piece.

Bruce Keller and Cookie
in Coronado for
"Babette's Feast."

I KNOW Karen would want us to "go on with the show, so celebrating her love of theater, we're seeing seven plays in two weeks here in San Diego.  With each one, I toast Karen's memory and think how much fun we'd have sitting side by side as the house lights dim.

A beautiful, melancholy story of love, loss, longing and life's
paths not taken, "Bloomsday" runs at North Coast Repertory
Theatre through Feb. 2. northcoastrep.org. --photo by Aaron Rumley

The lovely line from "Everything Was Beautiful at the Ballet" epitomizes what theater does for us, for our souls, our peace of mind, our place in the world. Theater transports us, opens larger worlds. Karen did that.
MY EULOGY:

Lamb's Players Theatre in Coronado mounted
a lovely production of "Babette's Feast."
The west coast premier runs through Feb. 16.
lambsplayers.org 

When I think of Karen, I laugh.  She was one of the funniest people I worked with. In many musical collaborations, we sometimes shared the ladies' dressing room.  At Gramma’s Drammas in the late 1970s, Karen was brilliant as the formidable Carrie Nation in Barry Manilow’s “The Drunkard.” I was music director. One night, the house manager called "five-minutes" as we crammed Karen into her corset. We giggled as we reached the top snap, about to fasten it when it blew! The girdle whipped off Karen and hit the wall.  We collapsed in laughter. As we wrestled it a second time into submission, I quipped, “Well, I guess that rules out breathing.” Karen deadpanned: “Who’s breathing?”    

Karen Jackson, right, with her longtime collaborator
in dozens of productions, Julie Omvig, who organized
Saturday's 3 p.m. celebration of life for Karen.

Karen cultivated her gift for making us laugh to an art form, at Gramma’s Drammas, Billings Studio Theatre and Calamity Jane’s.  Like many comics, her sense of humor was her salvation.  She suffered sorrow, disappointment, deep personal losses, including a beloved brother and many adored pets. Like all of us in theater, she picked herself up, started over again. The show must go on.  Karen’s caustic look and withering eye masked a heart the size of Texas.  Her humor coped with hurt, buoyed us up, helped us cope.  What a wonderful gift she gave us in making us laugh – at the world, our town, our foibles. 

 "The Humans" at San Diego Repertory Theatre is on stage
through Feb. 2. Funny, troubling, textured, Karen Jackson
would have loved it and probably played the mother.
sdrep.org --Photo by Jim Carmody

And that voice. Expressive, perfect timing.  Karen was versatile.  A comedienne extraordinaire, she also melted hearts with her ballads. I loved being in her company off stage, and accompanying her on stage.  We shared a lifelong love of musical theater; she was one of the few people who knew every tune I played from The Great American Songbook.  Our tastes were similarly eclectic: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, Kander and Ebb, Harold Arlen, the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim.  When “Company” debuted in the early 1970s, I suggested we sing

Karen Jackson, third from left, was a
gifted clown with a fabulous voice, here
in one of her many Calamity Jane's roles.

"You Could Drive a Person Crazy.” HOW I WISH that had happened.  We did collaborate though, on several Sondheim pieces when Bruce and I,
Todd Yeager and

Karen Jackson, upper left, as Carrie Nation
in Barry Manilow's "The Drunkard" at
Gramma's Drammas in Billings.

Karen and a half-dozen other talents sold out the house in  Skip Lundby’s BST “off-nights.” Karen sang two Sondheim ballads. Todd and I sang “Class,” that irreverent “Chicago” lament.

Besides timing, humor, stage presence, Karen exhibited grace. She usually aced the lead, but one time, not. She auditioned for Sally Bowles in our 1977 BST production of “Cabaret.” As head of the bawdy Kit-Kat Band, I listened to her deliver the title song perfectly. However, the lead went to Kathy McCarty. Karen graciously agreed to play Fraulein Kost, who lives down the hall in the boarding house. It's not a huge role but she stole the show with her haunting “Tomorrow Belongs To Me,” creating a

Karen Jackson, seated with cane and dog, had hundreds of
roles, dozens of faces. A natural clown who could sing! 

memorable cameo. What a pro. Bruce Meyers was a splendid emcee and Todd, her life partner, was Cliff Bradshaw, the writer who travels to Berlin and falls for Sally. The four of us formed a fast bond during that long-ago show.

Karen and I would be orchestra center for "Murder for Two,"
an inventive new musical coming soon to New Village Arts.
It features JD Dumas and Tony Houck. (Karen and I would
audition, too!) newvillagearts.org -- Photo by Daren Scott 

THEN IN 1979, when Bruce and I saw Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury in Broadway's “Sweeney Todd,” I dreamed of Bruce and Karen collaborating again. Todd would play Judge Turpin. Julie would be Lucy Barker. Vint Lavinder would be Pirelli or the Beadle.  Cameos for all, a huge chorus of friends. I would be music director. Skip Lundby would direct. It would be magnificent.  But that was not to be, so we save it for a heavenly encore.

Everyone on both sides of the footlights loved Karen's humor, grace, compassion, enormous talent, her ability to make us laugh, shed a therapeutic tear.

Heaven sent us a gifted clown and now has called her back. “Isn’t it rich?” Yes, she was.  Rich, rare, one of a kind.  How we miss, cherish and honor her.  
Karen's life will be celebrated Jan. 18 from 3-5 p.m. at the Columbia Club (former Knights of Columbus) 2216 Grand Ave., Billings, Montana)

Sisters Misha Minesinger, Christene "Cookie" Meyers and Olivia Cosgriffe
(in red) and niece Amarylla Ganner, enjoy their "jumpers" or "jackets"
which we Americans refer to as sweaters and coats.

UP NEXT: "Brit Speak, America Speak" could be the title of our next column, a lively essay about the differences in language and word play, with the Atlantic Ocean dividing them. Jumpers are sweaters, nappies are diapers, and a boot might be what we Yanks call the trunk of a car. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us Fridays for a fresh look at travel, nature, family, love, loss and the arts: www.whereiscookie.com

Love affair with dogs has long, proud history of travel, unabashed love

Nick, left, and Nora, dry off after a swim in their "Auntie Robbie's" pool, in spring of 2006. They were born in fall, 2005.

Nora, left, and Nick, spent their first few years in Arizona.

WRITER TRACES HER CANINE AFFECTION TO  GENETICS

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
AND ROBBIE COSGRIFFE TOWNSLEY

IT'S TIME TO admit I've led a doggedly delightful life.
I came home as a newborn to a cocker spaniel and a pomeranian.

My late sister Robbie brought the Yorkies to me
so they are a link with a beloved sibling.

I've had bassetts and bouviers, retrievers and labs, airedales, beagles, Saint Bernards, loveable rescue mutts and many kinds of terriers. In all my decades on the planet, I've  never been dogless.
My parents and grandparents were dog lovers and that is a genetic trait. Bo-Peep, a spirited cocker, was abandoned at a Kalispell tavern and rescued by a cousin.  Blondie was a smart, sweet circus dog who jumped through hoops of fire.  When the traveling circus disbanded, we took her in.
Dogs introduce new worlds
Dad's favorite was a golden lab, named, not very creatively, Goldie, the pick of a litter from a rancher friend.  My grandmother's chubby rescue mutt, Tiny, was anything but.  He was a black lab mix with a heart-melting countenance and prodigious appetite. He was never Tiny in my memory....
BRUCE THE FIRST aka, Bruce Kemp Meyers, and I acquired our first joint custody dog in 1968.  Bruce and our dear friend Paul, both college professors at then Eastern Montana College, went fishing one day and came home with two Saint Bernards. I'm foggy about how Henry and Fred replaced rainbow trout but they were immediately adopted and loved. We  took them on camping jaunts and road trips for several summers.

Nick and Nora as puppies in Davis,
California, where they were born.

On a trip to Missoula in 1970 for the wedding of two friends, we took Henry and another friend, Roger, along in Bruce's new 8-cylinder Road Runner.
Dog's life, a good gig

My mother, Ellen Cosgriffe, with young Nora.

The fellas sat in front in the bucket seats.  Henry and I took the back seat.  In Missoula, an adorable airedale met our car in the drive.  No one knew where he belonged. He'd been hanging around for a week, our friends feeding him. But they planned to leave that Monday on honeymoon. "We'll drop him off at the shelter," said Lynn, delivering the sucker punch.  We introduced him to Henry, named him Gandalf, tucked him in with Henry and me in the back seat and had him until 1986.  He died peacefully while we were in Paris for a Jessye Norman concert on Bastille Day. Our neighbors, the Larsen family, conspired happily with my mother NOT to call us (we'd been gone only 2 days and he'd run two miles with me the morning we flew out of Billings. I got the news in New York the night before we flew to Billings in August of 1986.)
Tips for dog traveling

Nick and Nora in Los Angeles at the Omni.

Montana meander: Max, Smedley,
Ruth and Eddie at High Chaparral.

Cookie with Nick and Nora in San Francisco's
Union Square. The pups have visited most
major U.S. cities with their owners.

Nora, left, and Nick, travel with Cookie all over the U.S.,
here on a driving trip near Idyllwild, California.

ON THE WAY home from the Billings airport, Bruce and I detoured to the animal shelter on Moore Lane. We couldn't be dogless, not even for a day.  He chose Smedley, an endearing bouvier-sheepdog mix.  I fell for Maxwell (who knows what mix he was).  He was my friend for nearly two decades.  Both these sweet dogs outlived Bruce, who passed in 1992.  They became part of a four-dog "yours/mine/now ours" menagerie when William Jones and I began courting in 1994. His dogs, Ruth and Eddie, joined Max and Smedley and we six spent 10 happy summers in Montana, wintering in Bill's native Arizona. We bought twin Ford Explorers and Billy fashioned ramps for the old-timers' access.
I HAVE LOVED each of my dogs, but none more than Nick and Nora. Why?
Because they saved my life, gave me purpose, direction, affection.

Cookie and Keller, Nick and Nora in their beloved Montana.

After Billy died in November of 2005, my sister Robbie flew in to Phoenix and spirited me away to Davis, Calif., where she was head of childcare services for Yolo County. While we were waiting for Billy's ashes, she received an in-house email.  Two Yorkies were available. Ironic, because Bill's last living act during our Arizona hospice time was to wheel his IV into the office and print out the profile for Yorkshire terrier.  We had lost all four of our dogs in the last four months.  Smedley the bouvier-sheepdog, lived to be 16. Eddie, the basset hound, made 17. Ruthie, the retriever, made 18 and that was after surviving a rattlesnake bite which blinded her in one eye. Maxwell, a rescue mutt, lived to be 19.

Karen Jackson's roles were always memorable.
She spent more than 40 years in show business, making
us laugh and delivering ballads that touched the soul.

UP NEXT:  We celebrate the life of a fabulous singer, actor, comic and dear friend, Karen Jackson, of Billings, Montana. In a nostalgic tribute, whereiscookie looks at her 40 years in show business and considers the gifts she shared with legions of fans and fellow actors and singers.  We pay homage to her gifts and honor the Jan. 18 celebration of her life, while previewing the new theater season in San Diego. It's one which Karen would have enjoyed and applauded -- and likely scored a few leading roles. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us each Friday for a fresh take on travel, family, nature, the arts and more:
www.whereiscookie.com

Naples, Amalfi: noisy, elegant, brash, dignified, enduring -- plus pizza

If the Amalfi Coast calls you, Naples is where you'll likely land first, via airplane or ship. Then on to Positano, or
perhaps charming Sorrento. Don't miss the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, victims of still steaming Vesuvius.  

NAPLES: LIVELY, HISTORIC GATEWAY TO AMALFI, SORRENTO, ANCIENT VESUVIUS RUINS

Cigarettes and cell phones on a colorful Naples street.
This lively, ancient city is a gateway to Pompeii, Amalfi and more.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

OLD MEETS NEW, noise collides with calm, clutter meets elegance in one of southern Europe's great, enduring cities.
In Naples and this diverse corner of Italy are courtyards and grand staircases, elegant halls and busy streets, buses, scooters, smokers,  tourists, busts, dust, great museums, majestic cathedrals and irreverent youth.

Bruce Keller waits in Naples at the Napoli Garibaldi
train station.  He is framed by a billboard for Strega,
 an orange flavored Italian liquer popular in Naples.  

The city is one of contrasts and extremes, sandwiched between the Campi Flegrei, or "burning fields" and a sleeping volcano.

Just steps from the  sea, Naples
rises up, with antiquity and grace.

THE VOLCANO, Vesuvius, is one of the major attractions for visitors to Naples, who usually plan a few sidetrips -- to Positano and the Amalfi Coast, lovely Sorrento and two famous ruined cities.

Both Pompeii and Herculaneum have interesting museums
with sculptures, displays and interesting background.

In AD79, Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii, south of Rome, in about 25 hours. A full day is about what you should plan to see the fascinating city.   The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that one can freely explore. Because the city was buried so quickly by volcanic ash, it is an eerily, well-preserved snapshot of life in a Roman city -- people crafting pottery, shopping, even giving birth.
Equally fascinating is nearby Herculaneum, also destroyed by the vengeful Vesuvius. Unlike Pompeii, though, the smaller, wealthier city was encased in a pyroclastic material that covered and carbonized the town.  This preserved wood in objects -- roofs, beds and doors -- and organic-based materials such as food for us to study.
Most but not all of the residents evacuated the city in advance, the first well-preserved skeletons of 400 people who perished near the seawall were discovered in 1980.

Italy's train stations will get you from Naples to the
historic cities destroyed by Vesuvius. (Plus shopping, ask Cookie!)

The easiest way to get from Naples to Pompeii or by Herculaneum is by train.
Each takes about 30-40 minutes and there are many of these friendly "regional" trains.
WE LIKE the trains but if you prefer a shuttle, that's a possibility, too. We recommend CBS Tours (Can't Be Missed) for a personalized day tour up the Amalfi Coast to Positano. Terrific commentary, small vehicle.
Back in Naples, a pizza maker sings Verdi while he works his dough. You're in the birthplace of pizza, so enjoy.  Young boys approach the tourist with smiles and Neapolitan gestures.  Couples lounge in wicker seats drinking champagne at outdoor cafe tables -- as early as 10:30 a.m.
Life is lived large in the streets. Strollers enter a mix of students, housewives, children with music everywhere: a mix of opera, hard-rock and Italian folk songs. Music is in the Neapolitan soul.

Keller and Cookie admire the view of Amalfi.

 IF HOMER is to be believed, Ulysses was the first mariner to escape temptation in the Bay of Naples. According to "The Odyssey," Ulysses knew of the bay’s infamous sirens — part women, part bird or nymph — who lured sailors to their death by singing so beautifully that no one could sail on without succumbing. So when returning from the Trojan War, he plugged the ears of his crew with beeswax and bound himself to the mast until they were safely past the sirens. Angry over their failure to seduce the sailors, one of the sirens, Parthenope, drowned herself. The original Naples supposedly began on the spot where she washed ashore.

CBM Tours offers spirited treks up the Amalfi Coast and more.

Communities around Naples date to the second millennium before Christ. Europeans visit Naples for its mild, sunny Mediterranean climate, safe harbor, turquoise sky, and indigo sea. Its lush green look is enhanced by rich volcanic soil and an easy growing season. THE RAVAGES of World War II are mostly repaired, as are the results of centuries of earthquakes and volcanic activity. The traditional Christmas trees are up for a few more days!

Celebrated for its paintings, mosaics and music, Naples is breathtakingly beautiful approached from the sea. But don't miss a few days "up the road" to Sorrento, those two ruined cities and Amalfi's enchanting coastline. 

MORE INFO: In many trips to this gorgeous part of Italy, Can't Be Missed Tours is our favorite: cantbemissedtours.com;  And for general information on the area: visitnaples.eu/en

Nick, left, and Nora, were four months old in this photo, taken early in 2006.

UP NEXT:  Why the fuss about dogs from yours truly this week?  One doggie, in particular, our Yorkshire terrier, Nora, came close to the Rainbow Bridge but has made a remarkable comeback thanks to a fine veterinarian, a doggie ICU and plenty of TLC from the human species.  Doggone it, we love our pets and make no apology. Discover how Yorkie Nora and her brother, Nick came to Cookie as puppies and helped save this reporter's life. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us Fridays for a fresh look at travel, theater, art, nature, family and more.

www.whereiscookie.com