Grapehound Wine Tour

Kris, I and the greys went to our first Grapehound Wine Tour. Parker stayed with his grandpappy and Murphy. We started with 6 dogs in the car, but after dropping off Parker then Bunny and Gertie, we were just down to Stella, Stanley, and Jaime.
With the doggie dropoff detours, it took about 9 hours to get to Ithaca, NY. After registering, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Fine Line Bistro. The kids enjoyed the attention of passerby.By the time we got back to the hotel, the kids were ready to hit the sack.We started our tour halfway up the left side of Seneca Lake and worked our way halfway up the right side. There was a list of greyhound-friendly wineries, so we made sure to hit those. Our first stopoff was Pompous Ass Winery. They only did sweet wines which made us pucker up. The Finger Lakes region is known for sweet wines, but we were hoping for some good dry rieslings or reds.Lakewood Vineyards was our third winery, and the first to have good dry reds. We bought a six pack and plopped ourselves down at their picnic table for lunch. Wine, cheese, and summer sausage. All locally made.The view from Catharine Valley Winery is beautiful.The view from Bloomer Creek Vineyard is something I could get used to!Back at Grapehound Central, a black greyhound enjoys the Folk Jazz band.Stanley is so tired from visiting wineries all day, he barely has the energy for a sip of water.A shot of part of Grapehound Central. It was in a big field in the middle of nowhere.It was kinda warm and sticky outside, but the grass was nice and cool to lay in.Our first winery on day 2 was Damiani. A small family-owned operation that specialized in dry reds. They all seem to have nice views of the lake.To complement our lunch from the previous day, we had hot dogs and wine at Hazlitt winery. We drank out of our Grapehound stemless wine glasses.Jaime and Stella sporting their new wine collars. Jaime has wine glasses. Stella has wine bottles.Other greys also decided to enjoy the picnic area at Hazlitt Winery.At Standing Stone Winery, we found some babysitters while we did the wine tasting.The kids were already starting to poop out at this point.Kris: Yes, they really are this lazy.We came across a deer crossing. The kids were fast asleep and didn’t even flinch.By the end of day 2, Stella was tuckered out and plopped down on the chaise lounge.This was pretty much the scene for the entire trip back home. Two days of wine tasting, and the kids need another vacation.We had a great time. We managed to visit 16 wineries and a distillery. Not bad for two days. We plan on going again next year. Hope to see some of you on the wine trail.

Birthday Boys

The boys birthdays are really close together. Stanley turned 7 this Mon, and Parker turns 10 on Thu. Hard to believe that he is an old man. I didn’t bake a cake for them, but I did boil a chicken to add to their food. I think I still have a dried squid in the pantry too :)
Stanley is such a good boy.He even takes naps with his daddy. Reverse ETS and all.The greys were nice enough to let Parker have his own bed for his birthday week. He looks like he has horns growing out of his head.We watched Blue and Abby, whose mom was at her son’s wedding this weekend. So we ending up watching the son’s greys too, Bunny and Gertie.
Bunny is a 10 year old girl. Very sweet, but a bit shy. She is laying with her namesake stuffy.Gertie is a very pretty 8 year old girl. She’s very sweet, but even more shy. It is funny to watch the two old ladies romping in the yard together.Lois came to pick up her two kids, and we had just gotten another girl off the hauler for her. Abby meets her new sister, Soosie.Abby, Blue, and new sister Soosie.With all the new kids in the house, Stella felt she needed to stake her claim. On three beds at once. Jeez.Well, we are off to Grapehounds. Greyhounds and wine. Can’t beat that combo. Hopefully my pictures won’t be too blurry :)

Goodbye Ally

I am sad to report that Debbie’s sweet girl Ally went to the Rainbow Bridge this past week. Ally was Debbie’s Heart-dog and would have been 12 years old on July 27th.
Ally was a happy sweet girl with a great smile.She loved having her picture taken with her mommy.She had three litters. (L to R) Leah, Ally, Lori, Jake, and Maggie. She was lucky enough to have two of her girls, Leah and Lori, live in the same house with her. Maggie was the spittin’ image of her mommy.

Potomac Point Winery, Heritage Festival, and Aunt Trina's New House

We did a little swap, and somehow ended up with more dogs. Clockwise, it is Fern, Dante, Murphy, and Jaime on the couch, then Stella, Stanley, and Cali on dog beds, then Dana, Dusty, Shiloh, and Parker.Stella was quite happy when everyone left, and she could have the couch to herself.We took the kids one afternoon to Potomac Point Winery. We heard they were dog-friendly, so had to check it out. We decided to get a bite to eat at the cafe. The kids were tired from the wine tasting.Fredericksburg had its Heritage Festival. It got hot in the sun, so we decided to get some shade. Stanley enjoyed the cooling effect of the plants.We moved over to an area where everyone could enjoy some shade.Then we took the kids to see Aunt Trina’s new house. Everyone introducing themselves.Stanley and Cali going after the same stuffie.Guess who won.Stanley waits his turn.Stanley hates leaving stuffies in the yard.Stanley found a stuffie gone astray.It’s nice to have a dog who puts his toys away.Dana and Cali surveying their new yard.Amanda, Kenney, Trina, and Kris catch up surrounded by the kids.The kids help Scott retrieve wood for the chimenea.Smokey takes a break on the couch in the office.Two weenies on a bed. Both Urban and Blue wanted the quietest bed in the corner.Urban is attracted to the weeny dogs. He mind-melds with Jaime.Back home on the deck, a girl comes in for a feeding.