Hello web surfers! My name is Hobie, and I'm a West Highland White Terrier, or Westie for short. My Dad and Mom are Bill and Bunny Kuhlman, owners of B²Streamlines. I've been a part of the family since 1991.

My legal name is Lanarkstone Hobie Dogg. Lanarkstone is the name of the kennel where I was born. Mom and Dad decided on the name Hobie after seeing a Hobie Cat sailboat in Richland, Washington. They added Dogg, the Old World way of spelling dog, to make sure I wouldn't be confused with a Hobie Cat.

I pretty much go everywhere Mom and Dad go, except for some out-of-state travel. I have my own crate, and I really enjoy riding in the car. It gives me a chance to sleep, and when I wake up I'm somewhere new, and we always end up back home, which is pretty cool when you think about it.

I've gone out on the flying field with my Dad when he's flown his radio controlled gliders. I was quite a distraction to him, however, because I barked the whole time the airplane was flying, then chased after it once it landed. You see, my Mom and Dad taught me to look up because you never know what might be above you. So I'm always on the lookout for airplanes, helicopters, and birds. I especially like to watch for eagles when I'm at home, because they sometimes soar over our house.

I enjoy barking at squirrels and keeping cats out of our yard, and I'm pretty good at intimidating moles, too. But my real forte is watching for all of those animals on the television. I jump at the screen and then run outside to behind where the TV is. I mean, they have to be somewhere, don't they? I really liked 101 Dalmations and both of the Beethoven movies, and I look forward to the Westminster Dog Show each year.

I've got a fairly large vocabulary. "Cookie" is my favorite word, but I also respond appropriately to the command "back up, turn around, and lie down." And I always wait until one of my parents says "OK" before I eat. I really despise begging, but will resort to it if offered a morsel of any of my favorite foods. My favorite foods are everything except celery, onions, and garlic skins. (Mom and Dad won't let me eat mushrooms or chocolate.)

I am a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation and have been asked to become a Charter Member of the National Home Gardening Club. I have several times been nominated to be a member of the National Geographic Society. I recently received an application for a $100,000 limit VISA Platimun card! And I've received promotional literature from Mantis - they want me to buy a rototiller! (Maybe I should use my VISA card to get one.) I've also appeared on the cover of a magazine with an international distribution, RC Soaring Digest. Here's the original color photograph that was used.

I have a baby sister. Her name is Miss Hobbes. She was born at the Barak'el kennel in Grangeville, Idaho. She's a Westie, just like me. She came to live with us on the 20th of September 1996.

She doesn't act very much like a Miss Hobbes, so I just call her Hobbes. I'm still trying to have her understand that I'm the boss, but she seems to think it's a shared responsibility, with her getting the bigger share. Well I told her "no way." She can't take over my rocker upstairs, she can't get to Dad first in the morning, and she can't smear her spit on my stuffed frog! In return, I'll stay out of her food dish, check out everything she barks at, and let her win at tug-o'-war once in a while. I think that's a fair exchange.

JULY 1997: Mom and Dad transplanted a Cow Parsnip in 1996, and this year it bloomed. Here's a picture of the plant and me. It finally grew to over 13 feet in height. In the picture I turned out to be the small white dot at the bottom. Hobbes would never get near it - she said she was afraid of being eaten!

SEPTEMBER 1997: My Dad and Mom got a new car! It's a Subaru SVX, a luxury sports car. As you can see from the picture, the side windows are unique - they're each in two pieces, with the outer remaining fixed and the inner able to be rolled up and down. It's sort of funny to watch Mom and Dad get their mochas and lattes from a drive-up window, but the baristas always remember the order! And you can drive in the rain with the windows down and not get wet!

OCTOBER 1997: Mom got Hobbes and me to sit still long enough for a picture. Hobbes had her first birthday in June, and I turned six in July. Hobbes is getting to be quite pretty, but she's still a little stinker when she wants to be. She runs around like a demon, insisting that I play with her. So we chase each other at high speed around the dining room table, and throw each other on the ground for a while. OK, that's great. But then she just stops! What a shock! Here we are having bunches of fun, driving our parents crazy, and she poops out on me! And then she has the nerve to go to sleep! Having a baby sister has certainly turned out to be an experience.

DECEMBER 1997: Christmas time! Hobbes and I had a wonderful Christmas month because Mom and Dad's granddaughter, Alyssa, got to spend a lot of time with us. Alyssa (she was two in October) went out and helped pick the Christmas tree, and she also helped decorate it. But the best part was when she and I got to sit on Dad's lap for a while. We were all just relaxing, and Alyssa used me for a pillow. I liked that a lot, so I gave her a big kiss on the nose right after Mom took the picture.

SUMMER 1998: Hobbes and I had geat summer. The weather was perfect. You know, warm without being hot, cool breezes off the water every once in a while, and just enough new bugs to make things interesting. Hobbes' hunting insincts blossomed this year, and she had to learn to stay on the deck and be quiet when deer are in the field. Of course, I had to teach her that once they set foot on the grass they're fair game! Hobbes also found out how upset Mom can get when you bring home small rodents and other souvenirs from frequent excursions in the woods.

OCTOBER 1998: This is the month Mom and Dad were on vacation and decided to remodel the house. New carpeting throughout the house, Formica laminate flooring from the entry into the kitchen on the main floor, new counter tops, sinks and faucets in the kitchen and downstairs bath, and Dad replaced all the railings - loft and both stair wells. Hobbes and I were displaced from our haunts for the entire month. My rocker got moved off the loft and into a bedroom, and Hobbes' blanket disappeared from the living room. On the positive side, I made friends with all of the contractors, and Mom and Dad learned how much I dislike nail guns. (A hole in the air hose? Gosh, I just hate it when that happens...) Things are finally getting back to normal, but I think it might be to my advantage to play up the trauma for a while longer.

JANUARY 1999: Boy, am I one lucky dog! I got a special notification from Jim Meadows of the Michigan Bulb Company which says I may have won $100,000! And Jim is going to call me on the 'phone to make the necessary arrangements if I'm the winner. After all, he says. "Someone from Michigan Bulb will travel to your town to hand deliver the $100,000. I'd hate to send someone all the way to your home only to find you not there." Hey, Jim! If Mom and Dad are gone, I'll be in my crate! I can hardly wait to get my paws on all that money... First thing I'm going to do is go out and buy Hobbes some new toys to chew on so she leaves me alone. Then I'll invest the rest in Microsoft stock...

APRIL 1999: This month I received a letter from Libby Adams, a representative of the Smithsonian in Washington DC. She says, "Dear Member-Elect: I think I know something about you. You have above-average intelligence and a wide range of interests. You work hard - you're always on the go. And, alas, you have little time for relaxing - but when you can wind down, you like your entertainment to be intellectually stimulating. Am I right?"

Yes, Libby, you're right on all counts! Intelligent, wide range of interests, always on the go. Yup, you've got me pegged alright. And I'd thoroughly enjoy 12 colorful issues of Smithsonian magazine, member discounts in the Smithsonian gift shop, and of course all of those travel discounts. And I don't even have to lick the "I ACCEPT" sticker! Cool! Contrary to some of the other members' comments, however, I'd share the magazine with my family and friends - Hobbes would get first priority. Hey, just realized something... I can use my Platinum Visa card to subscribe!

JANUARY 2006:Well, it's been more than six years since I've added anything to my web page. I'm older (I'll be 14 in June) and wiser, and I don't think I've lost my typing skills. Hobbes and I are still getting along just fine, and we spend a lot of time together on the grand pillows Mom made for us and placed in front of the woodstove.

As many of you are aware, we've had nearly thirty straight days of rain here in the Northwest. Our driveway has depp puddles, the grass is like a saturated sponge, and the trees are continuously dripping. Even the squirrels are having a tough time staying dry. This is the first year we've had hummingbirds around the house during the winter, however, which is a very exciting experience.

I was looking through my scrapbook a few days ago, and found photos of my real Mom and Dad. My mother was named Lanarkstone's Silver Lace, Lacy for short. My father was Sallydean's Dugald of Damara ("Duggie"),who actually won a Best in Show. I looked in the mirror, and think I look a lot like my Dad. Here's matching photos of us.