Whatever the reason, after four months of battling Victoria's job market, Laura & James decided to cut their losses and drive back to Ontario. Within a week, Laura was tending bugs at Agriculture Canada in Ottawa and James was recording bird calls somewhere beyond Thunder Bay.

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March 1, 2002
Her name is Ceilidh (say 'Kay-Lee'), which means "a time of dancing, music and laughter" in Gaelic. She was born Jan 4, 2002. Her sire Reu's mother had the same two parents that Gandalf did, which makes her — what? — Gandalf's great niece? Do dog people use the same terms as genealogy people?

What we're learning is that, though she comes from the same family, she's her own personality; and that having a new puppy in the house is quite as exhausting as having a new baby.

To see more photos of Ceilidh, Gandalf, and other Giant Schnauzers, click here.

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February 9, 2002
We're not sure if it was something in the water, the month of 14-hour work days, or the excitement of actually completing the models of Daniel Libeskind's design for the Royal Ontario Museum's expansion, but something sure happened!

Arran says, "It's the Berlin look."

To see photos of the models that Arran helped to build, click here

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January 1, 2002 After two weeks of hell, during which we didn't know what was wrong, and couldn't find out because holiday closures delayed veterinarian testing procedures and lab results, our beloved Gandalf succumbed to the stomach cancer that was making his life a misery.

During his short five years with us, he was the source of much amusement, but there is nothing at all amusing about the pain we feel at his loss.

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