So long Porno fish..

We have a 30 gallon fish tank that we have had for years and we stock it with African Cichlids. The great part about Cichlids is that they are very aggressive and highly active. The bad part about cichlids is that they are aggressive. So ... if the environment gets out of whack..they eat each other.
Well..we got busy and our tank started to degrade. Finally on Sunday..we did a total overhaul. I have never named my fish. Even though these two in particular I have had for almost 5 years. Meet big Green Guy (Jewel Cichlid) and Porno fish or just Big F'er (Banded Leporinus). They were all the remained of a once prolific cichlid tank. But alas..the Porno fish was belly up the day after renovations. Five years is a long time..but this guy was HUGE..he would have made one great fish stick. (FYI...7 inch fish..don't flush) So we rearranged..got new rocks, plants, even a new stand!And of course..new fish. All African Cichlids..you can't even put South American Cichlids in the tank. I don't have photos of them all ..we got about 5 new little guys...yellow guy, orange guy, brown guy, blue guy with yellow fins and yellow stripey guy ...well..yellow stripey guy 'disappeared' in the night. I did photograph Orange guy
Isn't this the stuff nightmares are made of?
So we said good bye to our 3 boarders..they were actually fun.
One last photo of Ezri
The weather has turned chilly and we only have our four dogs! So they have enjoyed some crisp afternoons running around outside. You don't need my narration..




this one makes Dana look dominant and powerful and Cali look weak and submissive. I should put it in a locket for Dana to wear around her neck..give her some confidence.I am still amazed at how long Cali's (and most greyhounds' in general) tongue is...
I played tug-o-war with Cali for a bit..it shows off her beautiful brown eyes. ;-)And when I finally let go..she trotted off in a style on Cali can have..and this photo made me laugh out loud. It says so much..and for those of you who have met Cali (or are devoted followers of my blog)..it will speak the same to you
and finally..a milestone. My 5000th photo taken with my new camera. 5000...I wouldn't have particularly thought about it, if I hadn't noticed the number count. Of course it would be of Cali and the octopus. And yes, I love love love my new camera and already have a new lense picked out for my Christmas gift. It costs as much as the camera. So goes the world of SLR.

More cow dogs..with a Belguim or two thrown in

Our cow dog mania continues. Much to the chagrin of my dogs

We still have Ezri, Terran and Linka (one more week)but this weekend we had two of Nerice's dogs, Ally (cow dog) and Diego (whippet). So that made four cow dogs, 3 little snugglers, a tart and a fawn..whew.

Diego shows how stinking cute he is ..

He makes the smallest little ball..(I forgot to change my white balence in this photo from the night before..doh!)Diego couldn't tell the difference between the cow dogs and started to snuggle with Dana instead of Ally. I think he knew Terran wasn't right b/c Terran is a lot bigger.Ezri..she remains as entertaining as everFour cow dogs..But throughout the cow dog invasion, we were busily attending events. Last weekend we went to Ladysmith,VA for the Dog Days festival. Which was a lot of fun and actually ended up being quite the money maker b/c we oversaw a 'game' and subsequently got the proceeds. Shiloh shows off her Halloween bandanaAnd Dante got the Dog Days bandanaCali...I don't know what to say anymore...This little one cracked me up..he was a puppy and eventually the owner picked him up so he could get a proper drinkThen this weekend, Jason and I went back to New Kent Winery..our new favorite place..for a carriage tour of the vineyards! It is going to be quite the place when it is done. Restaurant, polo fields, spa, lakes, etc. The carriage tour was awesome. We got wine, cheese, bread and cherries.

Our ride arrives..Meet Andy and Randy..Belgium geldingsWe begin..the green in front of Andy will be a lake in a few monthsAnd this will be the horse pasture for the polo fields We had to rub their noses. I love the smell of horses!!! It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend for anyone in the area. The weather has finally cooled off and we have more festivals and events planned before it gets stupid cold and I hibernate. We are going to see Robin Williams Live on Thursday..very excited!

Happy Columbus Day!

Black and white and PINK all over!!

No, this isn't a sick joke from your elementary school years. Let's break it down.
I am pink all over..tickled pink actually. Why? Because the tart..Miss Cali..has officially passed the therapy dog exam and we are a certified therapy dog team through Delta Society! We passed our exam this weekend. I couldn't be more proud! I can relate to the parents of children graduating from Harvard at this point..no lie! I could read..I understood what was expected of me..for me..it was easy! But Cali..she had a serious test to take. And she passed with flying colors getting above average on every single test which means she is qualified for "complex" situations..apparently a very rare occurence for first timers!
So our badge photo
The crepe myrtles are in bloom..they resemble my 'tickled pinkedness'
Black and white..well right now we are surrounded by a lot of black and white in fur colors. We are watching 3 hounds for a family for 3 weeks (I know...we are crazy) Terran, Linka and Ezri and for the weekend we had Ana and Blue.
See the black and white overload?
But you say..there is an empty bowl in the center and only 8 dogs!! Who is missing. Well..Linka tends to want to eat..in alternative locations. She is 10 so we oblige.
Terran (right) and Ezri (left) get their turn on the couch.
Terran..he is HUGE and very sweet and gooberish
Ezri..who is young and CRAZY!
Blue loves his Aunt Trina..it is very obvious and I dig it. (shiloh..not so much)
Cow Dog Butt INVASION!
And oddly..we had a Wildlife Kingdom moment the other day. I know..I live in suburban hell with no trees how could I possible have wildlife?
The local hawk landed on my fence to enjoy his fresh meal of 'bird' (the squeamish need to look away)
yummy..
that isn't a worm..the aftermath..Besides passing the therapy dog test, I also helped with a dog haul and we had our annual membership picnic (more photos can be seen on the gpa blog)
Cali was thoroughly exhausted after SAturday's test and was not up for any more fun Even Uncle Gil couldn't rouse her from her slumberDana remains confused but beautiful as ever

breaking the rules

It has been a lazy few weeks. We have a busy greyhound weekend coming up but for now we just let the dogs have some fun in the cooler and less humid days of September.
We had Run The Table (we called him Run..I know..stupid) for about 2 weeks. He was adopted to his forever home on friday. I really liked him. He was very bright and he loved to break the 'rules'.
Rule # 1 - No fosters on the couch
-"Am I a foster? But the couch is so comfy..sewiouswy lady" "what if I lay on a pillow..is this ok?" Rule #2 - Cali always wins

-C: "You know you want it..come get it big boy"
R: "Can I have the stuffie, puleeze?"C: "You can't have it"

R: "but I wants it!"

R: "I GOTS IT! I GOTS IT"

C: "OOOHHH..."

R: "I gots me a stuffie..I gots me a stuffie"

C: " DAAADDDDYYYYY!!!!"
R: "Stuffie, stuffie stuffie"

Cali eventually forgive him..and she and Dana enjoy some romping

We have Hemi and Bella for the weekend. Bella is SO cute. Hemi..is sneaky caffeine from somewhere..we just haven't found were his stash is at this time.

Bella gives me the poseAnd the seductive 'come hither' lookShe is also a roo-erThe two speckled-y dogs snuggleSo I got sent some inspirational posters that had me in stitches. I may pull them out from time to time..but I couldn't help but see similarities in this photo (it is eery..and I didn't stage it):And this posterSo for now I leave you with another inspiration poster..