The Fredösphere

Shared torment has the power to bond strangers.  We arrived not early to the herding demonstration pen at the Detroit Kennel Club Dog Show on Sunday, and so with the rest of the overflow crowd we ignored the full bleachers and stood around the fence in the back.  From this position we could not hear the herder's lecture, but so what?  We came to watch the dogs.

Basenji:  A Study in Elegance

Border Collie:  A Study in Focus (the dog, not the snapshot)

It was after about 10 minutes of droning I, my family, and those standing near us became antsy.  A few exasperated words and rueful chuckles later, we realized we stood on common ground.  We few, we happy few, were a band of brothers.  We were one.  Meanwhile, the herder's voice would occasionally change pitch and volume, we would overhear something like, "okay, that's enough about the ducks!" and our hopes would rise . . . only to fall again.  The woman yakked for 20 minutes.  The sense of decorum and the lofty sense of dignity for which I am justifiably famous alone prevented me from shouting, "shut up and play yer border collie!"  Finally, we got to see the dogs in action; ten minutes of marching ducks up a ladder, down a slide and into a kiddie pool.  Okay, I guess it was worth it.

Far greater was our enjoyment of the whole dog show experience.  The DKC show, held annuallyat Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit, is a benched show (which I believe is unusual) which means all dogs are present in the hall for the full time the show is open.  Dog people are remarkably friendly and evangelistic regarding their dogs as a rule, so Der Drübermensch and the Maharincess got to pet their favorite breeds.  I was glad for a chance to see my favorites:  pembroke welsh corgis, schipperkes, and the regal borzois.  All the dogs are model citizens and you rarely hear even a single bark in the huge room, although hundreds of dogs are present.

Our Ford:  A Study in Neglect

Less inspiring was the walk to and from our parking place.  Downtown Detroit always infuriates and depresses me, but this promenade was special because we got to see the dreaded Ford Auditorium up close.  In limbo because it is too ugly and disfunctional for the DSO to use, yet too bound to car company politics and civic impotence (so the story goes) to tear down, the eye-sore (was there ever a time when it wasn't ugly, even when it was brand-new?) deteriorates and false rumors of plans for the site come and go as we all wait for the grim, faceless monster to get a clue and collapse on its own.

Labels: Architecture, Culture