Why is this Memorial Day Weekend Ten? Because ten years ago on this weekend in 2014 Kali joined started our pack.
Long time followers of The Golden Kali Blog know the story and history of how this special dog changed my life. How she flew from Taiwan with 23 other Golden Retrievers arriving at SFO via China Airlines flight 004 on Saturday evening, May 24th 2014. Those who don’t can read how it started here.
Kali crossed the Bridge on January 1, 2022. But this weekend will always be our special weekend. The weekend when both of our lives changed for the better and forever. For seven and half years Kali was never far from my side physically. Although gone physically Kali remains omnipresent in my life.
The tag lines over the years tell a lot. Initially it was “Kali’s New Life In America”. Then when we moved to the Sierra Nevada Foothills it became “Kali’s New Life In The Mountains“. When she crossed the bridge the tag line became, “Life Without Kali”. And more recently, “Life With The Red Girls“. But don’t let the last tag line fool you. This blog is and will always be about Kali. The influences she had not just on me but on the Red Girls – Kloe and Koda – to whom she was be best “sissy-mama” a puppy could have.
So after ten years – ten Memorial Days – what more can be said? Well, just that it will always be our day – Kali’s and mine. The day the rest of our lives together began.
Kali and I about a week after she arrived from Taiwan, stole my heart, and changed my life.
Memorial Day Weekend has always been a favorite weekend of mine for many reasons. The northern California weather is finally warm on a daily basis, baseball is in full stride with teams beginning to emerge as either contenders or losers, and it’s the unofficial beginning of Summer. But for the past nine years what has made it very special is it’s the weekend that Kali flew into my heart from Taiwan. Nine years ago.
Long time followers of The Golden Kali Blog know the story and history of how this special dog changed my life. How she flew from Taiwan with 23 other Golden Retrievers arriving at SFO via China Airlines flight 004 on Saturday evening, May 24th 2014. Those who don’t can read how it started here.
I still recall I can still feel the excitement I had leading up this day when Kali would join our family. After five years without a dog in our family I knew we prepared to welcome Kali into our lives and devote the time, energy, and love to make sure she was happy. What I was not prepared for was the almost immediate and powerful bond that developed between Kali and I.
With any rescue, families should be prepared for an adjustment period of weeks or even months. Given Kali was coming from half way around the world we expected it would take her some time to acclimate to her new environment. It didn’t. It’s funny to think back on it now but at the time I wasn’t sure if Kali would respect the house and our belongings. Would she chew on the furniture? Would she try to steal our food? Was she really house broken? Not knowing any of this before she arrived I had decided that over the long weekend I would spend the first few days mostly outside with Kali as she adjusted. So Sunday morning, her first in America, we headed outside. Kali explored and I began this blog.
That was Sunday of Memorial Day weekend nine years ago. Today, on this Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I am doing the same thing as I was doing nine years ago. Sitting outside with my laptop writing a post about Kali. So in some ways things are much the same and in other ways they are so much different.
For one Kali is not longer with me at my feet as I write. Kali crossed over the bridge January 1, 2022. This is the second Memorial Day weekend without her. But this remains our special holiday. Time and space will never take that away from us.
If not for Kali I may never have experienced first hand the bond that is possible between man and a dog. My friend Dee tells me that Kali was my Heart Dog. That special dog that no matter who follows him or her, and no matter how much you may love those that follow, they will never replace one’s Heart Dog. Dee is right! Kali is forever my Heart Dog.
If not for Kali there would not have been a Kloe and not a Koda. Kali was Sissie Mama to our two younger girls. An unassuming and subtle alpha, Kali was a gentle and benevolent leader to whom Kloe -especially Kloe- looked up to. Kali gave my wife Holly the courage and motivation to take on a pup (Kloe) as were preparing a move to the mountains (yep on Memorial Day weekend) in 2016. Holly did the heavy lifting with Kloe’s development and training and they have a special bond. Kloe is “Holly’s dog”. As Kali aged I could not bear the thought of her passing and leaving Kloe without a sibling. Enter Koda in 2018. There’s always room for one more dog!
And without Kali there probably not have been a move to the mountains. Kali changed our lives, our thinking, and our priorities. Our life in Suburbia had been great. We raised our family in the East Bay of San Francisco and had a great life. Now, as empty nesters, our vision for our home had changed. Kali was at the center of that vision and gave us the inspiration to make a move. Heck, if she could travel from Taiwan to America and thrive we could certainly do the same in the mountains. It had always been a vision of mine to live in the mountains and Kali gave me that push!
So as I close I offer respect and a nod to the men and women who served and later died in, or because of, military service and for whom this Memorial Day holiday honors. But this weekend will also always be a time that I recall Kali’s arrival and how she changed our lives.
Kali remains omnipresent at The Golden K.
Kali – Memorial Day Weekend 2014Kali Memorial Day Weekend 2016 at The Golden KSissie-Mama Kali with her pack
Long time followers of Golden Kali may recall that she was one of 23 Golden Retrievers that arrived at San Francisco International Airport via China Airlines on Saturday evening, May 24, 2014. Holly, my daughter, and I drove to the airport that evening and waited for her crate to be unloaded from the plane along with 23 others. We took her crate to a staging area in the parking lot and I met her for the first time as I opened the crate door, leashed her, and watched her as she took her first sniffs of America. She had been in the crate for around 14 hours and was very anxious to pee. She took care of business and sniffed around some more. We took care of some formalities with the rescue organizers and volunteers and drove home to Livermore, CA would Kali would begin her New Life in America.
Since then Memorial Weekend has very been special to me. It marked the beginning of Kali’s new life in America, a new chapter in my life, and what turned out to be a seven and a half year journey Kali and I went on together.
That was Memorial Weekend One.
Kali laid by my feet in our backyard in Livermore as I started this blog. I knew during this first weekend and during the weeks to come I would need to be watchful and present to make sure Kali was successful. The rescue group cautioned me to not go to fast and to give Kali time. They said it may take time for her to be comfortable in her new surroundings and that she may have accidents and need to learn what her boundaries were. They suggested no visitors for a few days. This was of course a reasonable expectation. After all, there would be new sounds, new smells, new people, new food, new places to sleep, and on and on… It would take Kali time to adjust and we needed to respect that and give her space and time.
Except she didn’t need it!
Kali was still on Taiwan time when she arrived and it was expected she may have problems the first few nights. Except she didn’t. She slept by my bed tethered to the leg of the bed frame that first night, Saturday. She nuzzled me around two in the morning and I took her out to pee. I brought her back to bed and re-tethered her. She slept the rest of the night and every night after. Kali was respectful of the house from the very first day. She seemed to know her limits before we even had the chance to set them. She greeted visitors with a smile and love. She chewed on her toys but never furniture, shoes, or anything that wasn’t hers. With the exception of leash aggression that I found out about when we started our daily walks, Kali was a model rescue citizen from day one!
This is Memorial Weekend Eight.
The first Memorial Weekend that Kali is not physically laying by my feet as I write this Memorial Weekend post. As the weeks and months pass I miss her more and more. I long for her smell and the feel of her fur. I miss her at night when I wake up and remember she’s not there. I miss her when I’m in my office in the morning. I miss the ritual of walking with her from the back yard gate to my office when she would happily run towards the office door. Even though her physical legs were on their figurative “last legs”. Maybe it was something about going off with Dad in the morning that gave her body some spunk. Just for those few seconds, Kali was puppy-like as she pranced across the driveway.
Life at The Golden K Without Kali
That’s been the tag line of this blog since January First of this year when Kali crossed the bridge. She did so on her terms with the grace and dignity she earned. Kali was a truly special dog who I was blessed to know and love, and to have been loved by her. Kali will always hold a piece of my heart that is hers and hers alone.
So on this Memorial Day Eight, as many of us are remembering and honoring those who gave their lives in service of our country, I am also remembering and honoring my Golden Kali.
Kali – Memorial Weekend 2014Kali Cooling Down In The PlantsThe Creek Trail, LivermoreFirst day at The Golden KSnow Day at The Golden K
Memorial Weekend has always been a favorite holiday of mine. This weekend marks the unofficial start of Summer, warmer and more predictable weather (at last in Northern CA), and BBQs, beaches, and pool parties.
It’s easy to forget the meaning of this holiday which is to honor those who have died while serving in the US military and more recently anyone who has served. So before launching into the underlying subject of this post I’d like to say thank you to all who have served. My dad in WWII, uncles and older cousins who served during the Korean conflict, friends and who served in Vietnam, and sons and daughters of friends and family who have, or are serving in the middle east and around the world.
Flashback: Memorial Weekend 2014. It was Saturday and we drove to the San Francisco International Airport to pick some very special cargo from Taiwan. That special cargo was my sweet and precious Golden Kali.
As long time followers of Golden Kali know, Kali was a rescue from Taiwan. I didn’t really know what kind of life she had before being taken in by the rescue group in Taiwan who lovingly cared for her while she became healthy enough to travel to the US. But I did know what kind of life Kali would have now that she was in America – only the best!
Since that weekend seven years ago Kali and I have traveled many miles together – both figuratively and literally. Never far from my side Kali has been, other than my wife Holly, my best and closest companion. Our daily walks (until about a year ago when her legs became too weak) we’re like therapy sessions. Sometimes we engaged in deep conversation and other times we walked in silence enjoying the scenery and solitude of being alone. For seven years Kali has been my trusty confidant with whom I can share my deepest secrets. She listens, never judges, and aways offers compassion and reassurance. So who rescued who, right?
So this weekend is special to me and always will be. It’s so much more than a “Gotcha Day”. I will always remember that weekend in 2014. I also remember to take a few minutes each year to toast Kali’s caregivers in Taiwan for all they did for her and, over the years through Kali, for me. But I mostly remember this special girl who was given the name Nala in Taiwan and became Kali when she landed at SFO that Saturday evening of Memorial Weekend 2014. She got into our SUV at the airport and entered our hearts forever. This blog was started Sunday morning after she arrived and Kali’s journey is documented here: Kali’s new life in America and later Kali’s new life in the mountains.
SFO Saturday, May 24, 2014. Holly, my daughter Jessi, Kali, and me“Nala” in Taiwan
Memorial Day. A holiday in the United States to honor those who died while serving in the armed services. Before I launch into the main topic of this blog let me say thank you to all those and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of our country. I hope it was a justified and last resort decision by our government to put you in harms way.
Memorial Weekend. The unofficial start of Summer. Warm weather, BBQ’s, and frosty adult beverages. A time to strip off layers and lather up in sunscreen. A time when Rock and Roll gives way to Country music and Jazz moves aside for Bluegrass. At least on my play lists…
There is certainly room for both perspectives on a long three-day weekend. We can simultaneously pay tribute to those who have passed during dark times while enjoying the brightness and warmth of the sun in the present.
Around the Golden K there’s other reasons for gratitude and remembrance. Events that have greatly shaped this latest phase of mine and Holly’s life.
It was three years ago this Memorial weekend that Golden Kali’s foster care givers drove her and 22 other rescued Golden Retrievers to the airport in Taiwan. The care givers stayed with the Goldens cooing and petting while waiting in the terminal until the last possible moment before placing them in a travel crates for the 12 hour flight to SFO. Meanwhile, Holly and I and our daughter were driving from Livermore to SFO in great anticipation of meeting Kali and welcoming her into our family. The plane landed and eventually the 23 Golden Beauties were wheeled in their travel crates into the terminal and united with their new families for a second and well deserved chance at forever happiness.
It was just one year ago this Memorial weekend that Holly and I closed the door behind us in Livermore and drove away to our new home in the mountains. After 23 years of raising three kids in Livermore we sold our home, packed up our belongings and drove away. But not before taking one last walk around the empty house, mostly in silence, remembering both the good and challenging times with a melancholy fitting for a major life changing event. As we walked out we paused and hugged, choked back a few tears, closed the door, and drove away.
When we drove away Kali – our Golden Treasure – was there by our side as she had been for the past two years. But now there was also Kloe. Kloe – the ten week old precious puppy we adopted just a week before the big move. Some would call it crazy to adopt a puppy before making a major life change. But thats how we roll and we considered ourselves blessed to have this little girl at Kali’s side as we drove into the future.
Our home in the mountains is called The Golden K. A year ago we were mesmerized to be living in the middle of the Stanislaus forest under pines, oaks, and cedars. A year later the magic remains. Except this year the boxes are unpacked and we sit and relax on the patio looking up at the pines, cedars, and oaks reflecting on a year of great change and good fortune. I look down at my feet and see my rock, my girl, my Golden Kali who’s been by my side every day all day for the past three years. Next to Kali is Kloe who a year ago was 15 pounds and now weighs in at 80. Still very much a puppy and so very much a part of the fabric of our lives.
So it’s It’s Memorial Weekend 2017 and we are so blessed here. Here at The Golden K with our two girls and a romantic perspective of life at 3100 feet.
Warm sunny greetings to all from Kali and Kloe @ The Golden K
Cooling down at the Apple Orchard Park
Golden Kali in her later years
Kloe’s stoic look pretending not to be a puppy
The Golden K Memorial Weekend 2017
In spite of the faces they had a ball playing dress up in dad’s flannel shirts
Wow – it’s been two years this Memorial weekend that we welcomed Kali to our family with open arms on the Saturday evening of Memorial Day Weekend 2014 We picked up Kali from SFO and drove off into the night to Livemore where she has given us unconditional love and shaped our lives. And for the past three weeks she’s also having a positive and loving impact on the life of her little sister Kloe who joined the pack three weeks ago. Kali has been a wonderful big sister and we are thrilled to see a deep bond developing between Kali and Kloe.
This Memorial Day weekend is a little busier than two years ago. On Friday the moving company loaded 23 years of Livemore into trucks and took it to our new home in the Sierra Nevada Foothills that we call “The Golden K”.
Although we’re quite busy getting unpacked and settled into our new home I had to take a moment to write this brief post to note this anniversary weekend and reflect on how much our Golden Kali has meant to our family. We especially want to thank the volunteers at True Love Dog Rescue here in California and in the volunteers in Taiwan who work tirelessly to save dogs like Kali and bring them to loving homes in the U.S.
Kali watching carefully to make sure her food bin gets unloaded
Golden Kali 