This and That

 I have been out of town a lot lately.  Three out of four weekends in a hotel has been a bit tough and I leave again  next week for another work conference...Minneapolis. I'm not terribly excited.  I will be home in time to start the holiday travels, but at least that is with my family and not alone.  The one weekend I was home, JRG had their fall picnic.  Our friend Brian stood in for Jason as Cali's pillow.

 And of course, it isn't a picnic without ice cream.  Dana gets the longest tongue award.

 Cali's eyes in the photo make me laugh.."this is so good and so cold!"

 I did get a few photos of Dana in the sunshine. I have a new lens coming soon, so hopefully I can get some better indoor shots. I find that is where I spend most of my time. ;-)

 

 Just a little ETS.  Dana has gotten so grey! 

 Speaking of grey..Dante has turned in to a dappled doxie!

While I was taking normal shots of the others, Cali was behind me doing her viscous impression.  Notice the pink poodle is never far from her playing...

And on a sadder note, we lost another greyhound friends and frequent boarder.  you probably don't recognize her b/c this is the ONLY photo I have of her and it was taken in 2007.  But we kept her probably 3-5 weeks a year.  She was petrified of the camera.  However, you probably would recognize her "brother" Petey the chihuahua.  But Lulu lost her battle with osteo on Friday.  Her family let me go see her and say my goodbyes.  She was a very sweet girl and we will all miss her!

Beach Bound Hounds 2012

Every year Kristen and I pack up Jaime, Stan, Cali and Dana and head to Myrtle Beach, SC for Beach Bound Hounds. It is by far our favorite 'greyhound group event'.  We typically spend very little time doing the pre-planned seminars and games..but we enjoy ourselves nonetheless.

The first morning, the dogs are always excited so they get us up very early.  After that, we are waking them up and dragging them outside (they even start eating breakfast before going outside b/c they just can't stand walking anymore).
So I always catch a nice sunrise.

 And to prove that we aren't the only ones walking greyhounds at 6:30AM

 After breakfast, we get a nice walk on the beach before it gets too hot.

 Stan has ETS

Jaime watches the waves crash

The first full night, they have a catered dinner. Last year we were on a deck but this year it was a sit down dinner in the conference center. It was neat to see all the dogs sacked out.  We hadn't even sat down before ours were sound asleep.

 Until someone shook a bag that sounded a lot like a treat bag to Cali.

 In years past, Cali has loved the ocean.  She has played in the waves and worn her silly self out.  But this year, the age showed I suppose.  She had no desire.  They even had a 'hound swim' and I thought for sure the other dogs playing would spark her interest. But no..she just stood there like I was beating her.

 And then stood there like I had just beat her while I rinsed off her feet.
"Aunt Kristen, don't just stand there! Make her stop"

She seemed much more comfortable here (yes..wine bottles were a theme this year as in years past)

Since this was our 4th year, we have the process pretty much down pat.  However, Dante had a medical emergency (he is fine now..major seizure which led to partial temporary paralysis) while I was packing..so I did forget to pack TWO raised feeders and bowls..so Cali had to eat from a plastic bowl on the floor.  But you get the idea.

It was pretty hot the majority of the time, but one morning we were able to bring them out to the beach with us. 

Jaime and Stanley enjoy the sand

 

 Cali on the other hand hates the sand..and she always has. So much so that she intentionally makes herself as uncomfortable as possible by diving headfirst in the the sand so she can purse her lips and scrunch up her face in disdain.  Trust me..once you see it you will understand. She does "pouty face" like no other dog.

 But have no fear, we rinse it all off and give her a comfy bed to lie on.
On Friday night, we all go to Barefoot landing to get taffy and dinner.  Dogs aren't allowed in the taffy store, so Judy handled the herd while we shopped. 

Kristen poses by the waves

 And as always, the event ends with a meeting on Sunday morning.  We watch from above while packing up.  It was a great event! 

The weather has improved

I love this time of year.  The fall colors, weather and events are worth the long, hot, humid summer days.
We kept the Park kids for a couple of days.  It definitely limits the available couch space!  We thought 13 feet of couch would be enough..haha.  You can see Beau and Belle on both sides.

Occasionally, there would not be enough couch space for Stella. So she would just make due..luckily Cali is VERY tolerant!!!!

Beau and Belle show off their funky ears. 

Belle is patiently waiting for her daddy and new mommy to return from their honeymoon.

Stella shows why she was not a great racer..she has to run and pound her front legs on the ground for full effect!

 But she is so pretty!

 Parker shows the latest movement in his teeth.  He now has two teeth permanently showing ..gives him character!!

 The Park kids went home to a newly carpeted house.
Since Jason had a rough August, we really didn't get a chance to celebrate his birthday.  The weather was fantastic on Saturday, so we put the top down and took off to Charlottesville to do what we do best.
We have never been to a cidery before, so we stopped at Castle Hill. I was actually surprised. I expected sweet and it wasn't.  I will definitely not automatically knock off the Cider makers in the future.

 They actually use this clay pot that has some weird name with too many consonants in it to ferment one of their ciders.  They actually bury this in the ground (in that roped off area) and let it do it's thing below the frost line for 6 months.

 We then stopped at Keswick winery. They have really good wines but I couldn't remember ever going to the actual winery (only tasted at festivals). They have a very nice location.  The swans lumbering through the vines gave it a nice touch..

 Then we went to our favorite restaurant, Ten Sushi.  Basically, the best sushi ever.  Jason likes to get creative when we have a wait time at the bar.  His new hat and his favorite Scotch.

 This pretty much sums up our day!

 Kristen and I leave for Beach Bound Hounds in 3 days.  Sand, sun and greyhounds all in one place.
Oh and I almost forgot..JRG needed a video for a submission to get accepted to an event. So now we have a new promotional video.  It was my first attempt..not too bad, huh?

Some fun

Jason is still in Charlotte, so I am home playing with the kids and holding down the fort.  Our neighbor, Scott, left to get married and go on his honeymoon.  So we have enjoyed having Beau and Belle for a while.  They infuse a bit of young blood in to the old (and currently sad) pack. 
Beau doesn't get off his bed often, but he had some fun this week outside.

 Belle is definitely the more active one and 'requires' an evening romp.  She and Henry used to tear up the lawn when they were over.  But Beau stepped up and filled in his shoes.

 Crazy eyes!

 

 Are you still back there?

This place is a lot of fun!

Cali prefers playing with toys in the climate controlled atmosphere with a soft carpet under her feet...

 We went to Kristen's house for a bit and hung out there.  I had to laugh that we started a group roo (with 10 dogs) and Cali and Jaime roo'd from the couch.  Lazy..

 And I have Petey for the weekend. I had to laugh last night..we were laying on the couch watching a movie and this was my view under the blanket.  Two black and tan butts snuggling under the blanket with me..too cute.

 Jason comes homes this weekend which will be nice..he has been gone a lot this summer.  It will be good to get back to our new normal and do some fun stuff.