Skipper

according to family legend......
Skipper was one of the smartest dogs around.
When the family first moved to 710 So. 5th Street, there was a couch just inside the entryway, next to the telephone.  Skipper was told, 'No. No. you can not get up there' on numerous occasions.

On the weekends, the family would often pile into the car and drive up to Dubuque to visit Grandpa Owens.  Upon their return, the first person on the porch often heard a 'thud' from the otherside of the front door.  When they opened the door, there was Skipper wagging his tail waiting to greet the family.  However, further investigation always revealed a warm spot on the couch where Skipper had laid, keeping watch over the house while his family was gone.


Alice riding Spot with Skipper



DIE BUNG JUNG .... BABY!

it was shortly after they were married, in 1964.  the newly weds had just settled down to domestic bliss in their little apartment on sacramento street in san francisco. 

alice decided she needed to learn chinese. everyday when kirby came home from work, she would ask him the same question. "when are you going to teach me chinese?" and every day he wold reply "you don't really want to learn chinese,"  this went on and on for several weeks.  finally he gave in to his young bride's request and told her he would teach her how to say 'i love you'  and for  the next several weeks they practiced; morning and evening greeting each other with this loving little phrase:

DIE BUNG JUNG ~ I LOVE YOU

after several weeks of practicing, alice paid a visit to the in-laws house on california street.  she wanted to make a good impression. she wanted the family to like and accept her.  when she arrived, several of the aunties were present along with kirby's mother and his sisters. greetings were shared amongst the ladies. and everyone settled down for a nice visit, when suddenly alice made the big announcement.....

"kirby is teaching me to speak chinese"

everyone was taken by surprise, unbeknownst to alice, they all knew that kirby had skipped chinese school to play baseball with his friends and his grasp of the chinese language was rudimentary at best.  so with a knowing nod, someone asked her what she had learned thus far.  alice took a deep breath and said,"he taught me to say 'I LOVE YOU" '

and  with a big smile and a twinkle in her irish eyes she very carefully pronounced

DIE BUNG JUNG

at which point the mother-in-law, all of the sisters and aunties could contain their amusement no longer and they all began to laugh uncontrollably

alice was thoroughly confused, and with a bewildered look on her face she asked what why they laughing? did she mispronounce the words?

finally, jesse, the mother-in-law's older sister patted alice on the shoulder and said 

"no, dear. you pronounced it PERFECTLY! however, kirby did not teach you to say 'i love you' that rascal taught you to say 'YOU ARE A BIG FAT ELEPHANT'.

apparently, this phrase was one of the first things that children learn when they first begin chinese school.  and because he had played hookey for the majority of his time there, this was the only phrase that stuck in his young, juvenile delinquent mind!