Our neighborhood ROCKS!...except for the coyotes

We just got back from the South Park Walkabout, a neighborhood event where shops and restaurants are all open and offering samples and live music. It turns out we are in a very hip little hood!! There are awesome coffee shops, brunch places, cute boutiques, pizza joints, indie rock bars, alternative movie rental places, cheap Mexican restaurants, upscale fusion cuisine...you name it! Plus there were all kinds of cool people selling their own creations, and we bought a little somethin' somethin' for Baby Oscar (pictured right) on behalf of Mishka, who pines for her 6-lb fuzz of love.

The only really scary thing about our neighborhood is the fact that we live near a bunch of canyons, which means that coyotes and foxes live here, too. Today we were on a run with Mishka through a nearby canyon when we came upon a rough looking guy and his chubby little pimply son, each carrying big sticks. They asked us if we had happened to see any dead animals in the canyon. Perplexed, we said no, and they explained that their little chihuahua "Chewy" had been picked off from their yard at dusk the day before by what they surmised was a fox or a coyote. Geoff asked what a coyote might do to a dog the size of Mishka. The big guy didn't waste a breath: "They'd gang 'em. Go straight for the jugular." We consoled ourselves by dismissing the guy as an ignorant redneck. Later on, Geoff Googled the subject and we saw a very disturbing news story. Needless to say, we're locking Mishka inside the house, windows bolted, and we're teaching her to pack heat.