Oh Henry!

It is Henry's 12th Birthday today!! for those of you who don't know how he came to us..you can read a little about it here, but we have been so happy he came to us. Even though we have had him only for 2 years, he has made a huge impact on us! So Happy Birthday, Henry!
he knows he is hot...Cali thinks birthdays are only for her and ignores the fanfare.Like Kristen and Gyeong, I made it a 'rule' to not take on new boarders. My schedule is full as it is...but we made an exception for Tinker. She is cute and reminds me of a foster I had a long time ago.And Jason got a meat grinder..so now we can make fresh ground pork and stuff!
All the better to make fresh bolognese sauce to go with the great wine we brought back from Tuscany!

Fun in the sun

I am still working on the hummingbird shot..I think I am limited by my lens (and my scant abilities). But I will keep trying. This past weekend we loaded up the car and drove in to the country to visit my parents. But instead of taking the dogs, we took the Parks. A weekend with no cell phone reception, good food and a pool...pretty cool.
We did take Shiloh b/c she basically grew up there and knows the routine (read: doesn't need to be leash walked). She also celebrated her 14th birthday last week. Happy Birthday old lady!It was also Jason and my 6th wedding anniversary. My mom put together a center piece for the occasion. Our wedding announcement (since we married in Napa with a few people we had a party at her house a month later), our 'reception' cake topper, the bottle of wine we had specially made/engraved for all those who attended our Napa nuptials, a bottle of wine from Italy and the terra cotta bowl we bought my mom from Florence.Celebrations aside..what is there to do in the country?
Play with the minisCheck out my dad's newest project in the shopMake fun of Truflzbeing in a photo shoot is hard work..Torture him some more..Jason's idea of fun was to wage war on anyone in or around the pool. First it was my mom and nephew, Boone. They seek shelter since Jason has the advantage!Everything became a weapon...the sponge balls.Even the pool noodle!Boone had to seek shelter a lotIn the end everyone was drenched. We even disturbed the neighbors...I hope they don't report us to the HOA.The next day, there wasn't a 3 year old to wage war against, so Jason had to entertain himself. Ladies...he's taken.We did have a major war of the adults, but since that one led to water being splashed in every direction, the 7Ds were safely inside.
but it is obvious that Jason and I use the pool for vastly different purposes. ;-)
When it was dark, storming, or too early to drink at the pool..we did this...for hours...Words With Friends marathon.We had a great time with the family. We ate like pigs (eggs fried in bacon fat...how did I come out of that house a healthy weight?), swam and played.
Of course, on the way home..we couldn't just drive the whole way! We had to stop at a few wineries.
Lazy Days is a relatively new winery that needs some time. The wines were pretty good but have GREAT potential. a winery to watch.and right down the street is Rebec Winery. the wines were OK and the scenery was great.Overall, it was a great weekend.
and there are more celebrations slated for the month. today is Dante's 13th birthday. We bought him this bed at the Pet Expo years ago. He never gave it a glance b/c he couldn't fit. A few illnesses later and he has trimmed up a bit. so now he fits very nicely and loves this bed! the blanket is built in.

Hot spots

The house has been a hot spot recently..100F+ temperatures. Sucks. But Shiloh has also been suffering from her own hot spot. The combination of old skin, aging joints, thick undercoat and hot temps..led to one nasty hot spot.
She is also very limber and can get around a Cone of shame easily and can get around the bite not collar..BUT she can't get around them both at one time. ;-) Of course, she was absolutely miserable while in this get up..but it healed.We have had a ton of dogs go through the house recently too. I don't have the cool overhead area to take photos, but this is the best I can do. Henry, Beau, Cali, Belle, Dana, Baxter and Pete lounge in the AC (missing is Yuki, Shiloh and Dante).Before the 100+ temps started, we played outside a bit. Yuki loves to run!
Baxter was occupied by a little orange butterfly. Look closely..NO butterflies were harmed in the making of these photosDana and Cali watch with boredom..The hummingbirds don't really care how many dogs we have in the yard. I am trying desperately to get 'that shot' but the heat has prevented me from trying a lot.Then the heat hit and we stayed inside a lot. the first group of boarders left and VEsta, Petey and Lulu came in. Petey loves this vantage point while Jason is cooking.Vesta chillsDana really wants the help of Nigel in this endeavor..We still have a few boarders, but the carpet showed the wear of the last few weeks. so a full steam clean day was in order. Dante thinks beds should be on recliners every day!
Hopefully, it will cool off at some point. Lots of birthdays and special days coming up next month!

Cruisin'

I have always been lucky to have friends who enjoyed the same things I did. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine emailed a simple question.."Do you have any leave?" My immediate response was..not really..I just got back from a 2 week vacation! But about 3 seconds later, my curiosity won and I replied with a 2nd email "why?"
AND..that is how we planned a quick cruise vacation for fun. i have never cruised before and i will be honest in that I am not sold on it at this point. But, nevertheless..we had fun. It was definitely a different vacation then I am used too!

We started in Miami. Our first 10 dollar fruity beverage in a 'collectible glass'.We say farewell to Miami, and i say farewell to sure footing. I am prone to motion sickness. The first night, was a bit rough and I became a bit green. BUT a few ginger pills and some 'sea band bruises' later..I was doing OK.Our first stop was Key West. I love Key West!We rent an electric car and visit all the cool sights.And pet the 6 toed cats at Hemingway's house.They were everywhere!Then we visited the Butterfly house which was absolutely magical! Highly recommend!!!!this guy was easily 6 inches across.We left Key West and headed for Cozumel which gave us some time to explore the boat. It wasn't a huge boat..but it was still sparkly. I don't really remember there being this many floors..I do remember this area well, b/c the casino was directly behind it. we spent every free moment there. The dealers were really nice and it was by far the best area of the boat (aka- no children, less crowded)Then we made it to Cozumel. I have been to Riviera maya before so I was prepared for how beautiful the water is..We started by doing a Sea Trek with the big helmet on full of oxygen. It was a neat experience even if the coral was non-existent. I enjoyed the experience.
Susan and IThe unaware hermit crab
The uncooperative rayAfter changing, we hit the area for shopping and good food (read: the boat food was sub par at best..inedible at times) And we found the best Guacamole! (sorry gyeong!!)Then we were at sea for a day. I will be honest..it was crowded, loud and crowded. I was happy to have the balcony to sit in quiet and read.The other problem is that nothing on a boat is free...from bottled water to drinks..you pay. Even when they say come do a martini tasting..you pay 17 bucks. But they were pretty..I had a great time with Susan, had a great time on shore and had a great time in the casino. BUT I do not anticipate going on a Carnival cruise again. But I cant' complain but so much..it was last minute, for the heck of it and a new experience! We have a few more vacations/trips left this year..but the next few weeks we are packed with greyhounds!