genji's corner

Angry Birds

2012-01-27T17:03:00.002-05:00

Recently, Trina said she had picked up some Angry Birds toys at Costco. As it turned out, we needed to hit Costco for dog food a few days later.
Checking out the Birds and Pigs. Chirp, chirp, oink, oink.
Stella and Puddin are wondering if they will get their own pack to play with.
Stanley is not impressed enough to get off his bed.
Jaime nibbles till she hears a crunch.
Mommy, can I have another. This one stopped squawking.
Nom, nom, nom...

Brindle Party

2012-01-20T21:11:00.002-05:00

Our most recent boarders, Walker, and Puddin and Buford, were all brindles. That made 5 brindles, one black greyhound (Jaime), and one black Parker.

Buford is a bit of a weenie, and finds a spot away from everyone until he settles in.
All brindles aren’t the same. Top is Walker, and bottom is Puddin.
Walker says he will ‘guard’ the front door, as long as there is a comfy dog bed.
After a bit, Buford says he is ready to join the main group in the living room.
No, really. I am ready.
Walker liked to lay by the bed at the end of the couch looking for a little attention.
Just pet me already.
Puddin was happy to be on a dog bed in the living room cuddling with the orange gorilla.
But her favorite spot was in the mini-couch with her head propped up against the human couch.

Da Plane Da Plane

2012-01-16T11:29:00.001-05:00

I don’t hear anything daddy. Are you sure? I even have one ear flipped for super-hearing mode.

I think he might be right. I don’t hear anything either.
Wait, wait. I think I might hear something.
Oh, I think I might see something. Chatter, chatter...
Da Plane, Da Plane!

Jaime the Lovebug

2012-01-13T09:23:00.001-05:00

Jaime is a Lovebug. Sometimes with people, but mostly with other greyhounds. She doesn’t like to be alone, and is always looking for someone else to be near.

And maybe it’s a black dog thing, but she sure enjoys sunning on the deck.
The couch is too comfortable, so Stella eyes a bare patch of carpet.
Jaime had been tracking Stella, and barely waited for her to lay down. Stella: She’s back there again, isn’t she?
Stella chatters ‘Mommy, help’! Parker is comfortable in his bed and wants nothing to do with this.
Sorry, Stella. Daddy is busy taking pictures.
Resigned to her fate, Stella gives up.

Marrow Bones

2012-01-08T20:11:00.003-05:00

As Trina mentioned a few posts back, we split half a cow (over 400+ lbs) with her. Freezer is full of beef cuts. Cows have bones. Now the kids have a yummy treat.

Stella gnaws on a bone. Between this and brushing their teeth, we’re slowly working on getting rid of the tartar.
Stanley finds a comfy dog bed to work on sucking out the marrow.
Jaime works on the fleshy bits before heading for the marrow.
Parker meticulously works on every bit of the bone.
Daddy, ain’t no meat left, and I done sucked out all the marrow. Can I have another?

Somebody Play With Me

2012-01-05T11:56:00.004-05:00

We went to Aunt Trina’s for New Years. The sun was still out when we arrived, so I thought I’d get some pics of the kids playing in the yard. Mostly, it ended up being the old man, Henry, who did all the running around. He stretches in anticipation of a good chase.

Stella, will you play with me?
Come on! Play with me!
Why won’t anyone play with me?
I guess I’ll just wait here till some comes to play with me.
Stella: Won’t someone play with Henry? How else can I be the Fun Police?
Cali takes her up on the offer, and decides to give Henry some love nibbles.
Henry decides that boys are more fun and takes a stroll with Stanley.
It doesn’t take long before they are corralled by Cali, while Stella the Fun Police looks on. The goofy boys don’t stand a chance against two alpha girls.
Henry gives up on the other hounds. Hey Uncle G, do you want to play?

New Year's RooFest

2011-12-31T09:55:00.002-05:00

We need to practice for when they drop the ball later at midnight.

Stella resting her vocal cords.
Abby and Blue have no idea what is about to happen.

All right everyone, let’s take it from the top.

Oh, Abby!

2011-12-28T12:24:00.002-05:00

Abby and Blue are regulars this time of year. This year we also had the Pine kids: Strut, Sandy, Jasmine, and Ava. Strut is a big boy and likes the big end of the couch.He decided to make some more room for himself by getting rid of the pillow. Poor Abby was just minding her business on the mini-couch bed.
Jaime watched the whole thing and hoped no bad luck would befall her.
Like the Couch Queen claiming the exact spot on the couch she was looking for. Whether anyone is there or not.
Sandy chose to find a quiet spot by herself on the floor away from all the craziness.
We also watched Link and Zelda for a night. Link enjoyed romping around, while Stella stood guard against any fun that might erupt in the yard.
Abby: It wasn’t me.
Ok, maybe it was me.
Why is everyone at the other end of the yard? I know they want to play with me.
Are they behind me?
Parting shot of Kris taking a cat nap on Stella’s head.

Christmas Adoption for Freia

2011-12-24T16:15:00.002-05:00

We have our usual boarders for the Holiday Season. For a total of 10 dogs. One of them is a slow eater. Stanley, Jaime, and Parker, our resident vultures, wait for Jasmine to walk away.Narnia, now know as Freia, is not impressed that I keep following her around the yard snapping pictures.
Inside, after checking out the house, she relaxes while Strut looks on.
A ‘typical’ adoption at my house. Narnia, bottom right, relaxes while her new Dads get ready to sign on the dotted line.
With the couch mostly full, Stella, aka Couch Queen, was late to the game. Daddy, make them move.
Meanwhile, Ava loses interest in the adoption process, and decides to take a nap.
Unable to convince Jasmine to move over, Stella is forced to make do.
Freia is excited to go to her new home, and new Sheltie older brother. We heard they stopped off on the way home to load up on treats and toys at the pet store.

Charlottesville Mall Walk & Liebster Award

2011-12-15T07:50:00.003-05:00

I think I am done adding to my lens collection for now. I don’t feel like getting a bigger camera bag. I tested the Canon ’70-200mm f/4L IS’ by stalking Stella in the yard.Stella impersonating a velociraptor with her big ol’ ostrich legs.
Stop following me. I don’t like to be watched when I’m looking for the perfect spot to do my business.
I’m just gonna stand here and close my eyes. If I can’t see you, you’re not there.
We watched Sly and Cooper, and Roadie and Sally, along with Jorja this past week. Roadie hadn’t moved in so long, Sly felt the need to check his pulse. Two toes on the carotid.
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to make it to Charlottesville for their Mall Walk. A time for dogs and people to catch up. We made plenty of stops to let people pet the dogs. But this pit stop was for the walkers. It was a chilly day, and a hot coffee was in order. Of course this drew a crowd of people for more petting.
It wasn’t long before Jaime was tired, and had to use Stanley to prop her up.
When that no longer sufficed, she just had to lay down.
Stella was staring intently at something. It turned out to be a white plastic bag. But this time, she was on to something. He actually stopped for a second from his nut-gathering to give Stella the Stinkeye.
I would like to thank BrindleHounds for the Liebster Blog Award. Pop on over to read about what Nibs and Ambam are up to.

Fredericksburg Christmas Parade & Jorja

2011-12-09T13:13:00.003-05:00

We took the kids downtown for the annual Fredericksburg Christmas Parade. The parade committee put us fourth in line, so we didn’t have to wait too long once the parade started at 5:30pm, but we had to be at our spot by 4pm. We dressed the kids in the parking deck and headed down to stake out our spot.
Greys start trickling in. The weather cooperated with us, so we had about 30 greys show up.
We waited about an hour before others started showing up, so Stanley decided to take a little break.
We were in line close to the Renaissance Fair people all decked out in costume. One of the little girls from the group came over and squealed with delight at being surrounded by greyhounds.
I only got one practice shot before we got to the main parade route lined with about 10,000 people. While I was getting my camera settings straight, I noticed Stanley with his head down, looking uncomfortable, and slowing down. We had taken the corn off his foot, but chided ourselves for not bringing his Therapaws boot and giving him a preemptive Rimadyl. So, only a couple of blocks into the parade, I took Stanley and headed back to the car. Halfway there, he stopped, pooped, and then walked away with a spring in his step. We managed to catch up with the crew near the end of the parade route.
Parade time also means we get to watch Jorja. She is just as cute and fuzzy as last year.
After trying all the greyhound sized beds, she decided that Parker’s bed was just right.
Jorja only took a small corner of the bed. Unlike Stella who laid down diagonally with frog legs position to take up as much space as possible. Didn’t have my camera with me, so took a pic with the Blackberry.

Stella the Fun Police

2011-12-06T20:10:00.003-05:00

Stella is not only the Fun Police for other dogs in the yard. There is a special place in her heart for anything rolling on wheels. Especially delinquent kids in the neighborhood on skateboards. Oh, Oh, I think I see one of them suckas.
You won’t get away this time.
Wait, he changed direction.
I think I scared him away.
Daddy, did you see that? He won’t be bothering us again anytime soon!
Jaime, on the other hand, would rather stretch and catch some rays. What is it about black dogs sunning themselves?
Jaime: Daddy says enough with the barking. He sent me to get you.

Bye Bye Bèbè

2011-12-02T17:14:00.002-05:00

No, it's not the name of a musical. We had Beth for a week shy of her one year Gotcha Day. A month shy of her 14th birthday. I had big plans for her Quinceañera, but it wasn’t meant to be. I started calling her Bèbè, and soon, Kris was too.

Not sure why she was given up after being an only dog with the same person for 8 years. Never was given a satisfactory answer. Must have been quite a shock to come to our house.
She was a bit on the skinny side. We fattened her up in no time.
She was still in good health. Her ears were always up.
Yes, Stella, she is coming to stay. You can be Queen of the couch, and she will be the Hall Monitor.
This is the only pic of all the kids on the couch. She was more of a dog bed kinda girl.
We tried to help her relax by playing some soothing music.
It snowed right after we got her. She was all about playing in the snow.
Mommy, I’m ready to play. Throw it already.
We had a ramp built, so she wouldn’t have to deal with stairs. We did carry her upstairs every night, so she could sleep with us.
Since it was bit hard for her to get up by herself, she took to the bolstered beds. She would lay with her rump on the bolster, which gave her leverage for getting up on her own.
She was Ms. Grouchy Pants, aka, the Hallway Troll. If she didn’t like you, better to go thru the kitchen.
We tried to show her a good time. She even got to meet Katy of Needle Noses fame.
At Grapehounds Virginia.
At a waterfall during our trip to Barkwells.
Managed to do a little hike at the North Carolina Arboretum trail.
Hanging out at the annual VAGA picnic.
Hanging out with Trina’s kids at a winery.
Slowly denuding her favorite hedgie.
For her last dinner, each of the kids got a cheeseburger and chicken nuggets with their regular food. She woofed it down. She always ate well and had the best poop in the house. She had a cast iron stomach for a greyhound.
I won’t miss getting up at 3am every night to carry her down the ramp, holding on to her sling while she looked for a good potty spot. We could have kept doing that. But the pain meds couldn’t cover her pain anymore. Run free little girl. We miss you!
Say Hi to Lucas for us. Tell him we still miss him too.

Musical Beds

2011-11-30T18:22:00.003-05:00

It’s been a while since we’ve had a real foster dog. Trina’s group, James River Greyhounds, was nice enough to bring up a dog for one of our adopters. Her new family hadn’t decided on a name yet, so we called her Brown Dog while she was with us. Brown Dog learns the ramp. Stella has her back.
Parker and Stella break way for the Brown Dog, while Sabrina and Dottie urge her to keep moving.
Stanley and Stella trying to coax the Brown Dog to come down the ramp. In truth, the Brown Dog figured it out in no time by watching everyone else.
A blurry picture of siblings: Dottie, Sanburg, and little Carly. Funny that they are all black and white dogs. The other brother/sister we were watching were Milo and Charlotte who are both dark brindles. Just worked out that way.
I caught Sanburg and Carly behind the bushes. What are you guys doing?
Is that a skateboarder, someone walking a dog, a Harley? Better check it out.
Yeah, Carly is not impressed with the greyhounds and their antics.
Brown Dog played in the yard with everyone, but when it was time to rest, she quickly figured out the dog bed.
Later, she even took a dabble at the stairs.
Sanburg doing his best Nigel Buggers impression.
Kris' dad came over the watch the Hokies play UVa. Beth on her double mini couch bed, Kris’ dad with Murphy, Parker, Sabrina, Stella, Jaime, Stanley, Sanburg, Charlotte, Dottie, Milo, with Lucy next to Kris.
Pee break. Time for Musical Beds. Beth, Kris petting Lucy, with Carly next to the table, Stanley wedged behind Kris, Sabrina, Stella, Jaime, Parker Charlotte, Sanburg, Dottie, Brown Dog, Milo, and Murphy glued to his daddy.

Photo Copyrights

2011-11-27T15:47:00.009-05:00

Maybe I’ve been reading too many articles recently about photo copyrights, but I was a bit perturbed to see one of my pictures going around on Facebook without any credit. It was the top shot of 10 dogs that made it onto the back inside cover of the CG 2012 Calendar.

   I read some of the hundreds of comments, and they assumed that because the original FB page had to do with greyhound rescue from across the Pond, the dogs were from there too. Some were interested in knowing the backstory behind the picture. A link to my blog would have answered that. One person even said it is their background screen now. Some said they had seen it on other FB links.
   The person we saw post a link to it had no idea it was local to him. The more I thought about it, I figured this site got it from somewhere else, who may have gotten it from somewhere else, from whomever snagged it from my blog, and any vestige of where it came from was lost along the way.
   Oh well, I will get off my soapbox. I’m all for people enjoying my pictures. That’s why I blog. I have recently started watermarking my pictures after I saw Tales and Tails and Greyhounds Can Sit doing it.
   I am not a professional photographer, so this is not a monetary thing. I recently read on Sarah Reagan Snavely’s blog about someone who had copied her work and actually profited from it. Now that’s just plain wrong.
Editor's Note: I do not have a Facebook account, so I did not post this on Facebook.

Wyatt & Rocky

2011-11-13T11:24:00.002-05:00

I recently visited my friends in North Carolina to meet their new English Cocker Spaniel puppy, Wyatt. What a cutie pie. He’s 16 weeks at this point.

Run Wyatt, Run!!!
Rocky, an English Cocker Field Spaniel, is just over a year old and still has all his puppy energy.
Rocky is being trained as a hunting dog for dad.
He is proud of his ‘catch’.
Since this doesn’t work well with mom’s desire for obedience/agility/tracking, cue Wyatt.
Wyatt admires his big brother, and wants to be wherever he is. Watch out Wyatt, I think you’re brother is slowing down.
Too late.
What does Elliott think of the new additions?
Not much.
If the kitty won’t play, guess we’ll just have to play with each other.

Wobbly Butt and Acupuncture

2011-11-06T08:20:00.002-05:00

Beth has Hindquarter Weakness, aka Wobbly Butt. This is the way she came to us, but recently, it got a bit worse where she was falling down in the yard multiple times and couldn’t get herself back up. we took her to Caroline Animal Hospital to look at our options. We decided on acupuncture. By the end of the 20 minute session, Beth was actually sleeping. Sorry for the blurry picture from my Blackberry.

She eats around her glucosamine/chrondroitin pills, so I got a mortar and pestle to grind it up, and she seems fine with that.
We also got her herbal biscuits from the vet that are supposed to be good for her condition. I think they make her gassy.
It didn’t help that a tick managed to swell her foot.
Ugly little bugger.
She can’t really get up on her own, but once up, she is pretty steady on her feet. We’re not expecting miracles. Don’t think she’ll be making any moves like this. Hopefully she’ll be steadier with each acupuncture session.
A parting shot of more recent boarders. Beth under the blankie, Kris’ dad with Murphy, Kris with Parker, then Stanley, Stella, Jaime, Billy, Jack, Allie, with Savannah and Sunny in the middle.

M&M Kids

2011-11-01T10:16:00.001-05:00

We watched Mitch and Michelle’s kids while they took a little tour of Virginia wine country.

Cueball patiently waiting for me to get all the breakfast bowls together.
Pippi is very interested in breakfast.
With a belly full of food, time for a nap. Too much coffee?
Maggie is much better at the nap thing.
Cueball is a grand master roacher.
Booyah says he’s not impressed. His mommy follows him around with the camera too.
Clockwise from the couch is Pippi, Stanley, Stella, Jaime, Parker, Maggie, Booyah, with Murphy and Beth in the middle. The yard was still sopping wet from the rain, so we put sheets down to try to minimize the muddy feet. Steam cleaning is definitely in the carpet’s near future.
As seen on Trina’s blog, we went to a nearby wine festival held next to the local airport. Skydiving was the entertainment for the day. The plane was ‘pooping’ out skydivers every thirty minutes or so.
Looks like the landing will be between the gyro and crab cakes.

Related to Royalty

2011-10-27T07:11:00.002-05:00

As the greyhound blogging community mourns the passing of Queen Lilac, it got me thinking of a comment that Houndstooth made that Lilac and Beth might be related.

A quick search on greyhound database brought up the following results.
Lilac and Beth have both Kunta Kinte and Downing in their lineage. Must be very dominant genes :)

Farm To Table

2011-10-20T18:30:00.003-05:00

We recently attended a Farm to Table dinner at Miller Farms five minutes down from our house. Kris actually knows both generations of the family that run the farm. Yep, she’s a local yokel. The chef prepares our appetizers in the field next to the pumpkin patch.

Not surprisingly, we went with Trina and Jason. If there’s good food and wine involved... This time, we brought our own wine. We sat in between the last dairy farmer left in our county and the local pork producer (Papa Weaver’s). We hope we weren’t too loud and obnoxious, as we were about a couple decades younger than everyone else, and also the only ones drinking.
Kris was checking in on the Va Tech vs Univ of Miami football game. But it was okay, as everyone kept asking her for score updates.
The entree was the pork belly with mac ’n cheese. Yum!
Relaxing after dinner with wine and whisky while tapping on our Apple products and watching tv.
Cali snuggling with her daddy.
Of course we had some boarders during this time. Sara and her mom, Harper. Harper has a splint for a broken bone from osteo.
Harper thinks the hedgehog is tasty.
Beth’s disapproving look that someone is playing with her favorite hedgie.
The weather’s been cooling down, so even Beth is getting frisky and romping around the yard. She’s trying to sneak up on her daddy.
Roadie enjoying a bit of warm afternoon sun.
Roadie and Sallie’s daddy was kind enough to make us this stained glass image of the picture I’ve had at the top of my blog since I started it. Thanks so much Bruce. It is now hanging in the landing window where it will catch the most light.
A parting picture of Stella doing a zombie impression. I’m pretty sure she would eat brains.

Fredericksburg Downtown Dog Fair

2011-10-10T16:23:00.001-05:00

We have had a steady stream of usual boarders at the house. Abby is the squirreliest greyhound I know. She’s so darn cute when she’s not being crazy.

Beth, look like you’re in a pensive mood so daddy can get a pic.
Just a sweet shot of Stella napping on the couch.
Then’s there’s Milo who just passed out in the middle of the family room. Boys!
The hedgehog Kris got at Beach Bound Hounds is Beth’s favorite new toy. She has systematically plucked it, so it now looks like it has a mohawk.
On to the Fredericksburg Downtown Dog Fair, aka, Gone To The Dogs.
Stella, Stanley, and Jaime line up to meet people.
Goldie takes a quick break from being the donation dog.
Don’t worry Jaime, that Shih Tzu is not coming home with us.
He is elderly and blind, so he had a cool carrier. Wonder if they make them in greyhound size. A black poodle was conveniently standing there as I took the shot for great contrast.
This is still early in the day, and everyone is still standing and eager to meet people.
There were small dogs and big dogs. Sometimes at the same time.
It didn’t take long before Jaime was tired and needed a break.
Greyhounds are not the only good leaners.
We were set up next to the local Great Pyrenees Rescue group. Not used to fuzzy and drooly.

Scotland - Greyhound Rescue Fife

2011-10-02T19:11:00.009-05:00

I apologize for forgetting some of the houndies names, or for possibly getting them wrong.

The Greyhound Rescue Fife was started by Celia and Jimmy Fernie in 2005. Please read more about them and their awesome work for the hounds at Greyhound Rescue Fife.
This way to Greyhound Rescue Fife.
We were greeted at the kennel with a smile.
Kris wanted to take him home.

The main kennel building houses the most hounds.
And also has the all important kitchen for feeding the hungry houndies.

She is 15 years old, but doesn’t look a day over 12 :) Added Note: She is one of Celia and Jimmy's personal dogs.
Such a regal look.
I believe this is Jackson, and he is a lurcher. Mixed with a labrador. Such soulful eyes.
Speaking of mesmerizing eyes. It’s like she’s hypnotizing you into adopting her.
Bella showing off her cute ears.Bella and several others were in a second kennel building on the complex.
The muzzles are a slightly different design than what we are used to in the States.
And the beds too. I first saw them on Song’s Blog, but that makes sense, since she lives in England. Still looking for a place to get them over here.
Annie came out of her shelter, and walked through the rain for ear scritches. Such a sweet face.
A new coloring we don’t get in the States.
Toby showing off his speckles.
One of Celia and Jimmy’s nine current dogs. He is a lurcher with such penetrating eyes.

Sharing the couch with Kris.
Despite the pouring rain, we had a great visit to the kennel. We had been away from the kids for 5 days at this point and really needed a greyhound fix. Thank you Celia and Jimmy for your generous hospitality.

Scotland - Inverness & Edinburgh

2011-09-26T16:44:00.003-05:00

After the wedding, we heading to Edinburgh via Inverness.

The requisite roadside shot at Loch Ness.
Walking in downtown Inverness, we found the equivalent of the Dollar Store.
It’s barely 5pm, but this pub patron has had enough.
For you Doctor Who fans, we almost ate here on her recommendation.
We did not see the Loch Ness monster, but we did catch a glimpse of the distant cousin, the River Ness monster, chomping on an eel.
The people were very friendly. Guess our accents gave us away. They don’t know where Virginia is, but they sure do know John Denver.

Highland cows. Just want to give them a good brushing.
A Highlander breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon (ham), sausage, black pudding, tomato, tattie scone, beans and toast served with tea (with sugar and milk). Met my calorie requirements for the day.
This is the equivalent of $125 to fill up the tank. We still have it pretty good in the States.
Such icons of the UK. Doctor Who fans will recognize the Blue Box.
When we visited Edinburgh Castle, we were happy to see they had a dog cemetery.
At one o’clock, they shoot off the cannon at the Castle. This was how they used to tell what time it was around the city and on ships in the harbor.
Walking around a castle really works up an appetite. Easily quenched with a pork bbq sandwich.
We did a lot of walking from one pub to another. So many cask ales to try. So little time.
The two days we were in Edinburgh were the exact two days that Scotland got pounded by Hurricane Katia. Rain and 70 mph wind gusts did not stop this couple from having their wedding on the Royal Mile just down from the Castle.
The Dude abides. They had 26 varieties of White Russians.
Kris and I try to have a bowl of pho at each new city we visit. Not a tough choice since Edinburgh only has one Vietnamese restaurant.
The Blue Blazer pub in the middle of the day. We stopped whenever we got thirsty. Which was about every block or two.
Edinburgh had animal sculptures spread throughout the city.
Kris’s big purchase for herself? Fingerless wool gloves.
Last installment will be all about our visit to the Greyhound Rescue Kennel in Fife.

Scotland Part I

2011-09-23T10:37:00.005-05:00

We recently got back from a week long trip to Scotland. We’ve been eagerly awaiting this trip ever since Aubry decided to get married there. I’ll break the trip into three separate posts. Our visit to the Isle of Skye and Aubry’s wedding. Visiting the cities of Inverness and Edinburgh. And last but not least, our visit to the greyhound rescue kennel in Fife.

With tailwinds, we arrived an hour early and were greeted by a rainbow. We took that as a good sign.
There were rainbows all along the beautiful countryside. Rainbows mean rain. It rained every day we were there.
Barely an hour in Scotland, and we hit a whisky distillery, Dalwhinnie. Nothing like a good single malt to start off the day.
We were supposed to get a Vauxhall rental car, but when we asked for a GPS unit, we were upgraded to a Mercedes that had built-in Sat-Nav. Sweet ride! All the cars there appear to be be diesel. And even though our car wasn’t a hybrid, the engine shut down if we stopped for more than a second.
Driving on the opposite side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side doesn’t sound too difficult, but it really did take complete focus. It’s amazing how much driving is muscle memory. The huge clockwise roundabouts, which were everywhere, were mentally draining. But add jet lag, pouring rain, and roads barely wider than the car. Yep, took a turn a little too wide and popped a tire. It was about a 4 hr detour to get a new tire. Kris said it was all part of the adventure. We were elated to return the car at the airport, then cabbed it to Edinburgh for our last two days.
We met with Aubry, Justin, and their families the following day for a seal watching trip out of Plockton. Now we know where Planking originated.
This pretty much sums up the weather while we were there. Mostly rainy, but you could almost always see blue sky, and hoped it was heading your way.
We next headed to Eilean Donan Castle to make sure everything was in order for the wedding on Friday.
As we were leaving, an RAF fighter jet did a low fly by. In the U.S., we like to save those for college football games.
Once we confirmed everything was set, we headed to the capital of the Isle of Skye, Portree. First thing we did was have a proper pint of hand-pulled cask ale. I like the fact that no one bats an eye if you have a pint in the middle of the day.
This sign outside of the pub gave me a chuckle.
As the sun was setting, we headed to the Faerie Glen in Uig. What a majestically beautiful place. Definitely off the beaten path. To give perspective, you can see Aubry and Kris left of center. The other random white spots are sheep.
Kris takes her turn at sheepherding.
We didn’t think much of the signs till we almost hit a sheep standing in the middle of the road.
A shot down by the water before heading to the castle to make it official.
‘Tying the knot’ or Handfasting in the Scottish tradition. Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Foss !!!
The happy couple at the reception in paper hats.

Celebrating Greyhounds Calendar

2011-09-18T05:01:00.001-05:00

The Celebrating Greyhounds Calendars are finally in. I was lucky enough to get 4 or 5 pics in. Depending on how you look at it.

This is Linda and Rex’s Harry looking like he is getting knighted by a Frenchie.
Kris’s favorite shot of Jaime. From our Charlottesville walk.
Shot of Stanley in the snow in the desk calendar.
The same shot in landscape used in the wall calendar.
I just sent this in for giggles. Never thought it would make it in. Look for it on the inside of the back cover.
Congrats to fellow VAGA hounds: Ana, Pippi, and Macy who made it in. I also recognized many dogs from fellow bloggers. Congrats to all.

Mish Mosh

2011-09-03T18:18:00.008-05:00

This post has various pics with no particular theme. The earthquake we recently had managed to shake out the petal insert to the hummingbird feeder. Now, instead of hovering, they can sit on the edge, and stick their entire head in for a relaxing drink.

We met up with Trina and Jason last weekend to go visit some Charlottesville area wineries before heading to Ten for sushi. Kris admires my Orion beer bubble.
After a monkfish liver appetizer, we ordered enough sushi for an army with plenty of beer, sake, and wine to wash it down.
Fenway never did figure out how to use the doggie door. He patiently waited for us to notice him.
Stanlely and Stella sacked out on the couch.
Fenway waiting to be let back in. Jaime knows how to use the door, but sometimes a girl likes to have the door opened for her.
Got a new pair of Five Fingers, the Bikila, specifically for running.
A huge spider in the backyard.
Fenway snuggling with the orange gorilla.
Stella came in yelping the other day limping. A scary scenario since she was fine when she went out. Luckily, it was only a couple of acorn tops stuck in her pads.
I haven’t really used the video capabilities of the 7D. I thought a Roo session would be good practice. Beth gives her two cents in the last couple of seconds.

Feeding time? Beth gets quite frisky for an old lady. Notice the two lazy brindles on the couch.

Head Shots

2011-08-24T08:41:00.003-05:00

Head shots aren’t just for models. I was practicing with my 50mm f/1.4. Since we had 12 dogs in the house this weekend, I had plenty of ‘willing’ participants. This style lens is discussed in more detail at Shutterhounds, which I ran across on the Greyhounds Can Sit blog.

Walker decided to curl up on a blanket at the corner of the couch. Not surprisingly, it was musical dog beds all weekend.
Nike under a chair to insure she doesn’t accidentally get stepped on.
Parker thinks that is a superb idea.
Seeing eye to eye with Sunny.
Was Jaime able to see the impending earthquake? It was magnitude 5.9, and the epicenter was 25 miles away from my house in Mineral, VA. Jaime loves her ‘Thunder Shirt’ and wants to know if anyone has experience with ‘Earthquake Shirts’.
Poor 'Great Star' had been shuffled around to several foster homes since his arrival a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully we will find him a forever home soon.
Face to face with Blue.
Sunny has Cleopatra eyes. I was singing ‘Betty Davis Eyes’ in my head.
Sisters, Ella and Nike, sunning themselves in the yard?
Or were they busted running around the yard by the Fun Police. Looks like Stella is telling them what for.
Mr. Mantis wishing he had a proboscis. No head shot for him until I get a Macro lens.

Welcome to Double Digits

2011-08-16T10:12:00.003-05:00

We recently had Parker turn 12, Stanley 9, and Beth reached 13 and a half all in July. August is reserved for our Queen, Stella. Today she turns the big 1-0. She just gets prettier every day. This a picture of her from a previous post.

Much whiter now than when we first got her 7 years ago.
Stella synchronized napping with Stanley.
Relaxing in her Superman pose.
With several birthdays so close, I got a couple of bags of Emu treats for the kids. With Stella’s birthday being a big one, we will have to bring out the shrimp crackers and dried squid.
This is what Beth thinks about all this birthday brouhaha.
Daddy will celebrate with a martini with sliced jalapenos from my mini-garden.
Trina recently posted about our trip to her parents house. We all had a good time, but some of us came back with more than expected. The warning on the side of the pool said no diving or jumping in. Kris is still hobbling around with an ankle brace.
Now for a couple of nature pics. A freshly caught meal. Since there is no perspective, I will say that this is not nearly as big as Katy’s Australian varieties.

Enjoying a sip during the midday heat. A second later, she was dive-bombed by the other female in the area.

Back to a Full House

2011-07-20T08:53:00.006-05:00

With 13 dogs tromping around, the middle of the yard is not a very safe place to be.

Won’t move over for the Couch Queen? Fine! I’ll just sit on you.
No sooner had Kris taken a seat on the couch when Max jumped up and wanted to snuggle. Not to be outdone, Stanley jumped up and went straight to sleep. Sabrina looks for a spot on the couch.
Ava snuggling with the gorilla.
Eleven of the thirteen. Clockwise from bottom left is Beth, Jaime (with Thundershirt), Parker, Stanley, Sabrina, Strut, Stella (being spooned by the gorilla), Jasmine, Vegas (who I kept calling Elvis), Max (who is bigger than Stanley, but fit in the small bed), and Ava. Gracie and Sandy, the two fawn girls were upstairs with me directing the shot.
We actually had two short-tailers with us. Both Sandy and Max. Max is proud to be different. They both give a shout-out to Beryl.
What’s the hot accessory this year for the summer? Thundershirts. Jaime and Parker are sporting the belted cow look. Ava likes the solid colors.
We got a couple of mini-couch beds from Costco. The kids, especially Beth, like the bolstered beds. Parker looks on at Stella’s inability to properly use the bed.
Yes, Kat. You are doing it properly.
We threw one of the beds on the landing, intending to take it upstairs. Gertie, who is a little shy, thought it was the perfect spot to hang out.
This past week was Beth’s thirteen and half birthday. We figure at this age, we’ll start celebrating twice a year.
Today is actually Stanley’s 9th birthday. He was much darker when we first got him. He’s such a sweet boy. He is king of the sovereign nation of 'Weluvustan'.
The weather was beautiful for a few days before this crazy heat wave hit. We enjoyed actually being about to sit out on the deck with the kids. Front to back is Stella, Nelly, Lotta, Kat, Stanley, Jaime, and Parker.
New boarders Kat and Lotta. I do believe I said in a previous post something about no new boarders. The sisters are both very sweet girls.
Beth loves to play ‘hall monitor’. Stella is wondering if she can pass without arousing the wrath of the ‘troll’.
A parting shot of the landing to the basement. That’s over 300 lbs of dog food, and 432 ft of bully sticks. If we’re ever quarantined to the house, at least the kids can eat and have treats.

40th in Chicago

2011-07-12T05:41:00.002-05:00

We recently went to Chicago to celebrate a friend’s big 40th. Mainly the same crew of guys I used to work with that showed up to my 40th in Vegas. We came from all corners of the U.S. and converged on Chicago for a weekend. We left the kids in their usual position.

As we settled into the hotel room, Kris admired the sign across the street.
You know you’ve left suburbia if there is a food truck around. Sweet Ride doles out desserts.
After getting ourselves oriented, we headed to the Navy Pier for food and drink. We sipped on Goose Island brew while waiting for a late lunch. We went out later with a group of the guys for Giordano’s deep dish, but I forgot to take my camera. Dang good pizza. Yum!
A cute candid shot of baby in a Bubba bucket. I’m sure that pic will come out when she starts dating.
Kris’ iPhone battery was low. As we headed for the pier, she laughed at me for taking the charger. Jokes on her as they sat us down at the only table in the place that had access to an outlet. Back to playing Words with Friends.
We were able to meet up with Amanda, of Greyhound Fairytales. Here’s to hoping she and Kenney, and Blue and Ana, make it back to Richmond next year. We took a nice stroll along Lake Michigan heading toward Millennium Park. Amanda and Kris cross the squiggly walkway to the park.
Oh, there they are.
We were thinking of stopping at the Taste of Chicago, but one look at the squirming mass of humanity changed our minds.
Had to have a shot at the Big Bean, aka Cloud Gate.
On our walk back, we came across a Bike Polo tournament. We ended up watching several games. Didn’t seem like too many rules, except if you put your foot down, you have to ring a bell next to the referee tent before going back into play.
A whistle starts each game with players streaking toward the ball in the middle.
It’s good to wear helmet and pads. Game On!
We met everyone at the Haymarket Pub and Brewery to celebrate Shane’s 40th. Even though they brewed their own beer, and even had guest taps of craft brews. Some guys just wanted beer in a can. I even had a PBR myself.
A couple of beers, and Jody, Amy, and Dave were feeling much better.
Dave with the birthday boy, Shane. They hadn’t seen each other in close to a decade. Wearing gag t-shirts that Jody bought us, citing a tradition from my wedding in Vegas.
After filling on beer and grub, we headed out for more libation. A group shot before heading out. Some of the other t-shirts were: I Pull Out, My Poor Liver, I Just Sharted, I’m Considered Huge in Japan, and mine was I Love Cats - I Just Can’t Eat a Whole One. I had to correct Jody that Koreans don’t eat cats, we eat dogs. Don’t tell my kids :)
We ended up at another bar downtown. A shot of the original crew from my Visible Genetics days. A dozen years later, and we still get together for drinks.
A parting shot with Quentin, Rhonda, and Kirk, before closing down the bar and heading back to the hotel. Between the sunburn from the bike polo, and having a few drinks, Kris is quite red. Kirk, thanks for introducing Kris to Oban Scotch Whisky :)

Sheep and Swans

2011-06-28T08:57:00.001-05:00

We visited a local sheep farm, Everona Dairy, making various cheeses from their milk. It was a hot day, and the sheep weren’t really moving much.

The farm dog came to check out the new visitors in blue booties.
Baby sheep are so darn cute.
Yum. Corn and pellets.
Can you smell the cheese cave? Could almost taste it.
The 15 year old Border Collie whom the owner said just stopped working one day. Now he just roams the farm in total disregard of the sheep.
We washed off the sheep smell, and headed out to dinner at Barboursville Winery’s Palladio restaurant. I’m not much for having to wear a coat to dinner, but the food was yummy.
Trina and Kris play Words with Friends in the morning, while the kids lay all around. Except for Henry who is giving his mommy a kiss.
Shiloh and Cali were there first. But being the couch queen, Stella somehow managed to squeeze her rump in.
Trina was delayed a few minutes in the morning to let the swans cross the road. The babies look so fluffy and cute.

Summer is Here

2011-06-16T10:05:00.001-05:00

All the Spring showers brought lush growth. Love the smell of honeysuckle.

Hope the snapping turtle was not too disturbed from all the dogs barking at the fence to finish laying eggs.
Summer also brings thunder storms. Our kids are pretty oblivious to storms, except Jaime. Her current routine is to roo until she gets a chicken treat, then she curls up on the couch to be covered which I think makes her feel safer.
I am attempting a small garden in the front yard. I think I pulled this carrot up too early. 5 feet of green for a couple inches of scrawny carrot.
Kris left a shopping bag full of Ziploc bags of food at the door to the basement. This was meant to be used for fosters and such, but Beth decided to help herself. She took it back to the safety of her favorite bed where she had just been snuggling with the growly lion.
Stanley waking up from a nap. Roaching gone bad.
Greyhound version of the Figure 4 leg lock. Stella is looking to the ref to call the match over. The donkey is waiting to tap-in.
Charlie is our latest and last new boarder. After looking at our recent schedule, we are closing our house to new boarders. What started out as a way to help out new adopters, has over the years turned into a full house much of the time. My kids will enjoy their downtime from babysitting duties.

Summer = Babysitting and Festivals

2011-06-07T17:43:00.002-05:00

Summer for us usually equals babysitting while people are on vacation and lots of festivals. Some we can even take the dogs to.

Fenway is a big goofy boy. Is he guilty? Yes. Does he look remorseful for eviscerating that poor stuffie? Not so much.
We had our VAGA group picnic a couple of weeks ago. I was busy holding onto my guys, so didn’t get many pictures. Please check out more pics at Angela’s blog. The picnic was held in her spacious back yard. The pools were a popular spot.
Ted being responsible at the picnic by picking up after his dogs.
My kids relaxing in the shade under a tent.
Miss Pippi came for a visit.
On the way back home, we ran across bikers heading up to D.C. for Rolling Thunder.
The next series of pics are from the Cooper Wine Fesitval, and the Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ Festival. See more pics onTrina’s blog.
We squeezed all the kids into a corner of the deck at Cooper Vineyards, while we sipped wine and ate cheese.
One of the winery dogs goes for a ride. That looks like fun.
Trina’s mom takes a crack at using Trina’s camera.
I call this shot ‘Two Old Ladies Bonding’. Hope neither of them minds :) Henry seems to find it funny.
In between festivals, the kids relax.
With all the VAGA vending events over for a while, we returned all the boxes from the garage to the basement. The kitties are not amused by the disturbance.
We watched Nike and her sister Ella for a week. This is what happens when we forget that Nike is a ‘trash dog’.
Nike is one of them smart and busy greyhounds. She did find the gorilla relaxing.
The following weekend was the Beer, Bourbon, and BBQ festival. A group shot before too many tasting.
As Trina mentioned on her blog, it was a completely different crowd from our usual wine festivals. See what I mean?
I was there to try beers and bourbons I usually don’t drink.
Back at the house, we run out of beds, but Stanley finds a comfy spot on Jason’s lap.
Jaime and Stella make a feeble attempt at the yin/yang sign.
How do we relax after a beer, bourbon, bbq festival. Sitting on the deck with wine and Scotch.
Back home, we finally got the dogs to relax. From bottom left, it is Ella, Kris on the couch with Jaime, Stella, Zoey, then Beth, Stanley, Dora, then Harper, with Nike in the middle, and Parker at his mommy’s feet. Sarah was upstairs helping me compose the shot.

Barkwells: The Sequel Part 2

2011-05-30T11:49:00.012-05:00

This is part 2 of our Barkwell's trip this year. Check out Barkwell's part 1 if you missed it.

Beth catching the morning sun. Patiently waiting for breakfast in her makeshift bolstered bed.Mika the Vizsla. She had already been running around for half an hour when we got out there. Does she look tired?

Her mom was very happy that Mika now had running partners. The race is on.
Dangit guys! Wait for me.
Mika: He’s right behind me isn’t he? Yes, Mika. RUN!!!
Caught her. Taking cues from Stella the ‘Fun Police’, Stanley goes for the PIT maneuver.
Beth is lost in her own world. Smelling the flowers and conversing with a butterfly.
A couple of laps around the pond, and stick a fork in ‘em.
With the greys out of the picture, Parker takes his shot at chasing Mika.

We finally managed to wrangle everyone together for a group shot. Basically we went to where the greys had plopped down. This was the best shot I could get.
Most shots looked more like this. Jaime is showing her rump, Beth is starting to sag, and Parker is off to cool down in the pond.
Tortoise and the hare. Parker might be 11 years old, but he can still go all day long.
Stanley, those ears don’t look very aerodynamic.
Like the Energizier Bunny. Hey mister, have you seen the greyhounds?
In a nice shady spot of course.
The sign outside a pizza shop where we had lunch. I concur.
Back to the beer tasting. French Broad Brewery. Before.
And after.
After another full day of tastings, we picked up some local ‘Q at 12 Bones, and headed back to relax on the deck.
The kids are still worn out from their morning jaunt with Mika.
On the way back home, we stopped at our friend Susan’s, so she could meet Beth, and Kris could meet her new puppy, Rocky. Rocky did not know what to make of the Big Dogs.

We had a great time. Though the original weather report called for rain, then heat, we lucked out and got neither. Already looking forward to next year’s trip.

Barkwells: The Sequel Part 1

2011-05-23T20:58:00.003-05:00

We took our now annual trip to Barkwells. This is a very pic-intensive post, so it will be broken into two parts.

Our luggage and doggie supplies are stuffed in the rear footwells, and four full-size dog beds await the 7 hour drive.
Parker is lucky and gets his own bolstered bed sitting in passenger seat.
When we were passed by this ‘Sweetwater’ Scion, we took this as a good omen for our vacation.
Getting pretty good at the one-handed over shoulder blind shot. Why is it that there are three greyhounds in the front part, and one crabby old lady in the back?
That’s right Beth. Everyone is scared to touch Ol’ Grouchy Pants.
Parker: Is that Asheville? Are we there yet?
FInally, we’re here.
Our cabin, Diva, is on the left. The Snickers cabin, on the right, is where we stayed last year.
Everyone was so tired from the long ride, they immediately plopped down for a nap.
We hit Jack of the Wood brewpub for dinner, and Kris had her very first Scotch Egg. It’s a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded, then fried. Yummy. Washed it down with a Green Man Porter.
We enjoyed the beer while listening to local Bluegrass musicians.
We crossed the street to the Thirsty Monk. I can live by this Mantra: Peace, Love & Beer.
It was free glass night, so we grabbed a few bottles and headed back to the cabin.
It was quite chilly at night in the mountains, so we started the gas fireplace. Since we don’t have one at home, Stella wasn’t sure what to make of it.
A morning view from the deck down to the pond.
Three greys are on rabbit patrol, while Parker begs mommy for breakfast.
Stella is on ‘froggy’ patrol.
We decided to wear the kids out, so we could go to beer tasting with a clean conscience while the kids napped. Pisgah National Forest is very close and has several waterfalls. Hours of practicing synchronized walking finally pay off on this long set of steep steps.
Group shot. I carried Beth down the stairs, so she could be in the picture. Parker is ADHD, and Jaime is resting her head on Stanley, as she is tired of waiting for Parker to get his act together.
We decided to leave Beth in the car, while the younger seniors hit the real trails. Parker and Stella were like mountain goats. Astro and Zephyr wannabees.
One of the coolest tasting rooms we went to was at Highland Brewing. It appears to be an old converted loading dock. Great beers too.
On the patio at Asheville Brewing Co., people were playing that all-time fun drinking game, Jenga.
The next day, we took the kids on a little nature hike at the NC Arboretum, so they would be in nap mode while mommy and daddy went beer-hopping again. The trail is 0.6 miles total, and that was about all Beth could handle. The speed limit says 8 mph, but we never reached it.
Another downtown brewpub is Lexington Avenue Brewery. They have great food and beer, and a really cool serpentine bar that wraps all the way around.
After relaxing with the kids, we headed back downtown for dinner. Every Friday night, they have a Drum Circle at Pritchard park downtown. There is drumming, and dancing, and everyone is invited.
For dinner we ate at the Lobster Trap, which has its own nanobrewery, Oyster House Brewing, in the basement. We had to try their Oyster Porter (5 lbs of real oysters per 12 gallon batch) with a sampling of raw oysters.
As you may have guessed, Asheville is very dog and beer friendly. Just our style.

Shiloh & Dante

2011-05-17T14:59:00.002-05:00

We watched Shiloh and Dante while Trina and Jason are over in Italy admiring architectural history and eating great food and drinking ‘house’ wine.

As soon as he was dropped off, Dante headed straight for the toy basket. There has to be a nice marrow bone or squeaky egg in there.
His hard work pays off. Bones galore.
Cali enjoys the Big Orange Gorilla ride. Can we get one of these mommy? Please?
After some toy squeaking, Dante relaxes in a bean bag pillow. Fits just right.
Shiloh opts for the comfort of the bolstered bed.
But sooner or later, they all end up on the couch.
Shiloh finds a better use for the orange gorilla.
Last weekend was Grapehounds Virginia. This was the second time it was held in Virginia, and it looked like another hit. Luckily the rain held off. The main winery for Saturday was Lost Creek.
Got glasses. Time for tasting.
The kids relaxing next to the VAGA tent.
Shiloh waiting for mommy by the door.
The landing has a better view of the driveway.
Mommy? Is that you?

Spring Babysitting

2011-05-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

Note: Blogger had technical difficulties after a software upgrade, and lost all entries for a couple of days prior to the upgrade. They have managed to get the entries back, but have lost all comments. Sorry to anyone that lost comments on this post.

Not sure if it’s Spring Break or just weird timing. It hasn’t been just my kids at home for weeks.
With all the good beds taken, Billy decides that Parker’s bed will have to do.
His sister, Alle, has no problem relaxing. Since she has no teeth, her tongue is always in ETS mode.
So what is Stanley’s excuse?
Jaime waiting for the honeysuckle to bloom. Should be any day now.
Savannah and her other brother Jack are greyhounds. Buster is a spaniel mix.
Has Parker been decapitated?
Nope. Just rolling in something stinky in the yard.
Billy wants to know if anyone will let him in. He comes out the doggie door just fine, but going back in seems to befuddle him.
Waiting for the Ark?
Billy and Parker taking a nap at the top of the stairs in a pool of warm afternoon sun.
Maggie is a delight to watch. She looks just like her mommy, Debbie’s sweet Ally girl.
Alle had a fascination with Parker’s poofy bed. She would fluff it up, so it was just the right height for a pillow.
We watched Merit, and her sister, Vesta for a night. Minnie has a big ol’ five-head and built like a linebacker. She rode in the back of my car all the way from Orlando many years ago.
Stella likes to catch the morning sun. Froggy style.

Easter Parade

2011-05-01T07:42:00.001-05:00

We took the kids down to Richmond’s annual Monument Ave Easter on Parade. It was hot, so the kids only got minimally dressed up. Parker refuses to wear anything on his head.
Jaime is not sure what to make of the Deerhound. I told her it was a bigger hairier cousin. Not sure she believed me.
We trekked down to the James River Greyhound booth. Stella and Jaime take a breather in the shade, while Parker says hi to Nerice.
Stanley really is soft like a bunny.
Diego pimpin’ it.
Dolly, Lady in Pink.
After the parade, we headed to Trina’s to say hi to Dante, and see how he was doing. Henry says, ‘I like Turtles’.

Coffee, Wine, and Beer

2011-04-25T17:35:00.002-05:00

I do love my beverages. Need to stay hydrated.

What is the difference between these two Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lenses?
One holds my freshly ground and brewed coffee. The other takes awesome pictures.
We went to our first wine festival of the year. We took Stella, and Trina brought Cali and Petey. You can see more pics of Petey on Trina’s post. Petey wonders why people have to go to special places to potty, when he can go anywhere outside.
Petey’s specialty was toe-kissing.
No Petey, you don’t have a wrist band. You’re too young to join in the festivities.
There were torrential rains the night before, so we had to pick our picnic spot carefully. I think Stella might be sneezing from all the pollen in the air.
The next weekend was beer weekend. My friend, Shawn, who own the homebrew store in NJ, came down for a brew pub tour. We started at Devil’s Backbone Brewery. Got the full 10 beer sampler with fried pickle spears to cleanse the palate.
Next was Blue Mountain Brewery and their 6 beer sampler. We got some hummus to tide us over till dinner.
They had just expanded their patio area, and with the nice weather, it was packed.
Next on the list was South Street Brewery in downtown Charlottesville. These samplers were bigger, so I only got four. One down, three to go.
Time to go brew some more beer.

Spring Fever

2011-04-16T17:58:00.003-05:00

The kids were just having so much fun with the weather warming up.
Puddin resting up. For What?
To harass her brother, Buford. Don’t make eye contact, Buford. Just ignore her. It’ll be okay.
Oh, that didn’t work out very well.
Buford gives me the stinkeye for not giving him more warning.
Having lost the battle, Buford makes a run for it.
Buford is half greyhound, half Vulcan.
Stanley somehow managed to slide off the bed. Puddin waited her turn, then slid in behind him.
A very warm welcome for Jorja.
Not doing a very good job of camouflaging herself in the bushes.
Jorja telling the duck what for.
Beth is not sure what Jorja is, but she is not impressed.
Puddin catching some rays.
Jorja is more about hair and flair than speed.
She tries to keep up with the big boys.
Stanley stands over the stuffie. The chase begins as soon as he picks it up.
From this angle, it appears that Puddin has pooped out a Parker.
Run Puddin Run!
Watch out for the Fun Police!
Woo woo woo! Busted.
The tables are turned. If you zoom in, you can see spit flying from Stella’s mouth. And behind Pudding is flying patches of grass. Poor yard.
Jorja sneaking up on the purple crab.

Sun Worshipping

2011-04-12T10:02:00.004-05:00

Jaime lays in a pool of morning light while she ‘patiently’ waits for her breakfast.
It was a beautiful sunny day outside. Parker thought he would incubate a patch of grass seedlings in the hope they would grow faster.
Stella enjoys smelling the fresh Spring blooms.
Abby sees something.
She is going to give the stuffy a quick tour of the yard.
Jaime watches the little squirt running around from the safety of the sidelines.
Yes, Stella. You ARE a very pretty girl.
We went over to Debbie’s to see how Hope was doing since her tumor removal surgery. Hope was more interested in kissing her mommy with tongue, than staying still to take pics.
Debbie’s new boy Kramer. He’s a bit skinny, but I’m sure he’ll gain weight in no time. Leah was too busy sniffing Hope to pose for the shot.
Hope decided to stop for a sec to let me get a shot.
Back at home, Abby was still looking for something to do. I don’t think anyone is looking.
Ooh, ice in the water bowl.
Oh Abby!

Charlottesville Mall Walk

2011-04-06T10:25:00.003-05:00

The kids decide to sleep in on a weekend morning.
Stella won’t lay down on anything that isn’t soft and fluffy. Such a ninny.
Abby just has that mischievous look.
Her brother, Blue, has a shoe fetish.
This past Saturday was such a beautiful Spring day. We joined the first greyhound walk at the Downtown Charlottesville Mall. Hopefully we can join them for future walks.
Full Stop! Fire hydrant ahead.
Yes, Cleo. That is a Jaime on your back.
Is Jaime a little clingy? Stanley thinks so.
Cleo gets a hug from her daddy for being such a good girl.
We were entertained on our walk by a band playing Folk music.
Return of the onion rings. Stella: Don’t worry James, I’ll distract mommy.
My turn! I want the one with ketchup.
Hi, I’m Stan. Whatja got in there? Don’t worry, Stan. I got your back.

Doggy Portraits

2011-03-28T16:06:00.001-05:00

We recently went to a Roller Derby with Trina and Jason. Mitch and Michelle manned the VAGA booth there. I’m too old to take that kinda beating.
My friend in North Carolina recently got a new puppy. Elliot the kitty cat, and Lily who is 15 years old, were not happy about this new addition. Watch out Lily! Since she’s deaf, she never saw it coming.
He was much happier to expend his puppy energy practicing duck retrieval when his daddy got home.
Like Trina, I also upgraded to a Canon 7D. Got a few nice lenses to go with it. I need lots of practice for Aubry’s wedding in Scotland in the Fall. Not sure I will be getting these fast actions shots at the wedding.
Probably more like this where people stand around and look pretty.
Our two old ladies out in the yard.
Beth and Jaime waiting in line to have their picture taken.
I’m not bow-legged. Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.
Parker is the perfect size for a Sunday afternoon nap.
Now for the head shots. Beth in bed.
Parker on a blankie.
Stanley resting on dog toy.
Stop the madness. Enough with the picture taking already!

Two Subies and a Parade.

2011-03-13T10:53:00.001-05:00

No it’s not a new sitcom or a Pride parade. We’ve been watching a lot of our regular boarders. It’s been a full house for months. One of the new ones is Walker. He’s a handsome brindle with funky ears.
We took the kids to the local St. Paddy’s Day parade this weekend. It was supposed to be warm, but it was a bit cold and windy. The girls decided to warm up in the car while waiting for the start.
Stan was dressed up as the St. Paddy’s Day Pimp.
Various people in the parade stopped by the pet the kids while we waited.
Yay! Time to start walking.
One of our other boarders, Nellie, was pimpin’ it too.
Now for the two Subies. I was able to finagle a Subaru Forester as my new company car. I picked it up from the dealer, brought it home, and the kids jumped in to go to the parade. So it was free of dog hair for all of 10 miles or so.

Touchy Feely Jaime

2011-02-12T10:26:00.001-05:00

Sadie stayed with us for a few days before heading to her forever home where her half-sister was waiting for her.We have multiple beds and the full couch, and this is what they do.Really Stella? Jaime’s toots don’t smell.Everyone else went outside. Did their business. Went back in. Buck and Beth thought it was fun.Beth is still playing keepaway.Kris got 10 inch fresh marrow bones for the kids. Even had meaty bits still stuck to it. Parker gave his crooked teeth quite the workout.The family that eats together...See the trend in these pictures? Jaime is one touchy-feely girl.Tried my hand at beef ribs. Quite yummy! Katy, how are you enjoying your Weber Smokey Mountain?

I Hate Toast Visit

2011-01-17T10:24:00.003-05:00

The Zen Master asks. What is the sound of 16 dogs rooing? Parker and Beth are on the deck, so they are not in the shot. Looks trashy, but we have sheets down over the areas where there is excess dirt from building the ramp. Needless to say, with so many paws, the steam cleaner will be making an appearance very soon.16 lb whole pork shoulder prepping for Katy’s arrival.Preparing to smoke for 20 hours.Katy is immediately surround by dogs. Imagine that. She pets on Parker while being surround by Stanley, Cali and Dana.
Mark and Andrew get a good view of the action from the couch.Still sandwiched by Stanley and Cali, Katy give 13 year old Beth some lovin’.Group shot with the Park kids. I have Stanley, Mark has Beth, Kris has Jaime, and Katy has Stella. More pics of Katy's visit are at Trina's blog.Also, I made my first homebrew beer. Just a bit late for the Aussie’s to have had a taste. Nothing like a 5 gallon beer keg in the fridge. On with the second batch. Thanks to my friend Shawn at Tap It Homebrew for setting me up and answering all my newbie questions.

Sixteen Dogs for Christmas

2011-01-03T11:46:00.002-05:00

I got frozen pigs ears and whole pork leg bones for the kids to knaw on while I was on vacation for a couple of weeks. I vacuum-sealed the leg bones for later.Beth says fresh unsmoked pigs ears are yummy.Stanley and Stella are holding on to their’s, but not really sure what to do with it.We haven’t had a Christmas tree in years. Something to do with the kids/fosters/boarders pulling down the tree, gnawing on the ornaments, then marking the conquest as their’s. Kris got a 2 foot tree that we could put on the island.After watching Beth use the stairs, we decided that it would be best to build a ramp for her. The kids would just jump off. At least Beth used the entire ramp as designed.Kris reading feeding instructions. With 16 dogs for a week. It took a little effort during feeding time.We finally decided on two shifts. Fast and slow eaters.Potty time caused a bottleneck at the door. I followed them daily after breakfast with a pooper scooper.Alle tried to gum her pig’s ear to death.I could not get all 16 dogs in one shot. Clockwise from bottom left is Abby, Jaime, Beverly, Stanley, Stella, Alle, Billie, Sallie, Sugar in the corner, Chloe in the center surrounded by Beth, Roadie, and Bergie, and Parker is under the burgundy blanket next to the table. Not pictured are Blue and Max. Whew! 16 dogs is not for the faint of heart.Dogs, dogs, everywhere.Bev had slight sleep aggression / space issues. Stanley changed her mind.Sugar and Billie resign themselves to the small beds.The kids are finally getting the hang of it.

Christmas Puppy & First Snow

2010-12-23T16:41:00.001-05:00

How much for the 13 year old blue greyhound in the window? She was an ‘Oops Puppy’. In the sense that we hadn’t planned on adopting another greyhound. She was returned through no fault of her own.
Our kids and some boarders are very excited to meet the new gal.Beth, not so much.Beth stops long enough for a profile shot.She’s on the thin side with ‘old lady butt’. Trina said Henry had ‘old man butt’, but it got better once they got a little weight on him.Learning to be a couch potato.The rest of the gang shows her how it’s done.Beth relaxes by listening to some Pomplamoose.Trying out every bed to find the one that is just right. She liked that this had a separate pillow attachment.Our first snow of the year was just a few inches and fluffy. Perfect for romping around. Stella does her usual couple of laps before calling it quits.Beth shows that even old ladies get frisky in the snow.Stanley sees a blitz coming and calls an audible.While everyone else enjoys romping in the snow, Jaime takes this time to remove tartar from her teeth using tree bark.Butt in the air, Beth is ready for the chase.Stanley joins the act.Done with playing in the snow, Beth comes to give her daddy a kiss.Parker sees his opportunity to snag the fishy.Jaime has a sit-down protest after being told to stop chewing on the bark.Parker doing his part to make everyone aware of the devastation caused to the bat population of the Eastern U.S. by white-nose syndrome.

Babysitting Jorja & Fredericksburg Christmas Parade

2010-12-16T16:16:00.003-05:00

Jorja stayed with us for a week. What a cutie patootie.Puppies are so flexible.Jaime played with her for a minute or two before calling it quits.It takes a terrier to keep up with Jorja. Jaime on the couch, and Stella on her bed are not impressed by their antics.Murphy takes a WWE smackdown from Jorja.The weather was much better this year for the Fredericksburg Christmas Parade. Last year it windy and sleeting. We dressed the kids with their coats and lights in the parking garage before heading to the meeting spot.It got dark pretty quickly, so we turned on the lights on their coats.We had a pretty good turnout with about 40 dogs, and approximately 10,000 people lined the streets to cheer us on.

Double Anniversary

2010-11-27T18:48:00.004-05:00

My procrastinating gets worse during the Holiday Season. At this rate, my next blog post will be in the New Year. Now I need to go catch up on a month's worth of everyone else's blogs.
These past few weeks have consisted of more babysitting and a couple of anniversaries.
Buck doing his best Nigel Buggers impersonation.Jaime and Stanley taking a nap under the ‘Doggie Snuggies’ blanket.Some downtown Fredericksburg stores opened their doors to doggies and were handing out treats for Halloween. Tourists admire how the kids are willing to dress up for treats.We watched Allie who had all her teeth pulled due to a plaque allergy. Can you say messy eater? Yes, that pink thing is her tongue.With 10 dogs one weekend, it’s just easier to sleep downstairs on the airbed. Clockwise from bottom left is, Gertie, Stanley, Stella, Jaime, Blue, Billy, Allie and Abby standing up, and Nellie and Parker on the bed with Kris.Stella had her 6th Gotcha Day anniversary. Really doesn’t seem like we’ve had her that long. She started it all for us on this greyhound journey. For dinner she got some leg of lamb and barbecue sprinkled on her kibble. She also got lots of hugs and kisses from mommy and daddy.Abby and Blue are the kinda brother and sister who are always poking at each other, then when mommy scolds, exclaim that they weren’t doing anything. They just can’t let the other one have their way.My 40th birthday also marked our 7th year wedding anniversary. We took the kids to Charlottesville for stroll downtown and a bite to eat. We came across this ‘chalk wall’. We first noticed the ‘I Love My Wife’, but then noticed in smaller letters above it, ‘I Like My Wife Okay’. I hope he was alone when he wrote that.Before we even got our food, Stella was ready to leave.Parker is stunned that Stanley can lay down when there is food on the table.Jaime surveys the table. They all got some calamari and onion rings. The beer was for adults only.Kris wanted me to add this one last photo of Jaime because she's just so darn cute in it.

Vegas 40th

2010-11-03T11:57:00.002-05:00

I don’t actually turn 40 till mid-November, but we celebrated a bit early. Unlike Trina who was checking off her bucket list, I didn’t leave the Strip at all. After an unexpected nine hour delay in Dallas-Fortworth airport, we managed to miss dinner at Mesa with Trina, and had just enough energy to grab a bite to eat before heading for bed.
The next day, we were more energized, and Kris and Jason did the Stratophere’s Insanity ride. I pucker up at that height, so Trina and I just took pictures. Kris ended up doing all three rides multiple times.Vegas looked dead in the morning when we head to the Stratosphere. But it started to come alive as we waited for the Bellagio water show.The Bellagio and Caesars are now part of ‘Old Vegas’ as new skyscraper hotel/casinos like the Aria, Vdara, and Cosmopolitan open up.Justin and Aubry admire the P.F. Chang’s horse outside Planet Hollywood while we head in for dinner.Good friends, good food, good drink! We hadn’t been in that room since we held our ‘reception’ there almost 7 years ago.Group shot of the dinner group. It’s amazing how many friends are willing to show up to help celebrate when you tell them it’s in Vegas! :)A most appropriate fortune for the night.One tasted like water, the other did not.A few people headed back, a couple more showed up, and this turned out to be the hardcore party crew.With this group of guys, we inevitably ended up at Pirahna Nightclub to watch the DC Cowboy Dance Company (as seen on America’s Got Talent).We made it back with our livers intact.

Return of Sweet Jorja

2010-10-20T10:04:00.001-05:00

Some weekends are fairly quiet with only a couple of extra kids.Sly and Cooper are brothers from Texas.And some weekends, not so much. Clockwise from bottom left: Tina, Stanley, Stella, and Dusty on the couch, Sunny, Nellie, and Fern on dog beds, Parker and Jaime stretched out on the floor, and Gertie standing over sweet little Jorja.Gertie and Jaime are trying to figure out what this little bundle of energy is.Whatja doin’ up there, mister? She has grown since I picked her up months ago in the Jorja & Flat Brutus post.

Fredericksburg Dog Mart

2010-10-10T19:11:00.003-05:00

Last weekend in Fredericksburg was the annual Dog Mart. It was held downtown this year and included a parade. We dressed the kids up in their Halloween hats which seemed to weigh down Jaime's head on Stanley’s back, and Stanley’s head on Stella’s back.They thought they were mushing in the Iditarod.I explained to the kids that their tiny Dremel was no so bad.What is it about Stanley that makes little kids and little dogs want to lay down with him. That Frenchie sure was cute! Stanley said the last Frenchie he saw was black and made of cardboard. Go Flat Brutus!Harry receives a kissy. That’s pretty stinkin’ cute!Tired from being told how cute they are, and with no bolstered beds to lay on, Stanley and Jaime prop each other up.Debbie brought Leah dressed up for Halloween. She sounded like a belly dancer as her anklets jingled when she walked.The greyhounds lined up for judging in the ring. Tempest got the Blue Ribbon, and Leah was runner-up. Congrats!Pooped out from the parade and a full day at the dog fair, the kids snuggle together for naptime on the sidewalk.

Finley, Nike & Ella

2010-09-29T16:14:00.006-05:00

It’s a good thing that Finley (aka JuanPabloMontoya aka Sammy) was already spoken for. His sister lives in Richmond, so he was GUR’d from Massachusetts to be reunited. What a very special sweet boy! It didn’t take him very long to feel right at home.Finley tried out a few beds and decided that the poofy bed was the most comfortable. His ears were always going up and down. This is mid going up or down. Striking a handsome pose in the yard, he shows what his ears can really do.We left Finley and the kids to go down to Blacksburg for the Hokies vs. East Carolina football game. Instead of wineries, we hit a couple of microbreweries on the way down. Blue Mountain Brewery has a great view of Afton mountain.We tried the sampler at Devil’s Backbone Brewery. Turned out our bartender was a recent VAGA adopter. Small world. Said he was ready for a second greyhound :)I opted for the Rye Ale and fried pickle spears. Yum!!!We ate at the Mexican restaurant next to our hotel that night because it had a palm tree. What can I say. We’re high class.The following weekend we met Trina and her family at New Kent Winery for the car show featuring Porsches.The girls, Trina, Trina’s mom (Sue), and Kris gabbed in the shade under the tent, while the boys ooh’d and ahh’d over the cars under the beating sun.This past weekend we watched Nike and Ella. Very sweet littermates. Ella snuggled with the gorilla, while Nike enjoyed the comfort of the bolstered bed. Poor Parker was outnumbered three brindle girls to one Black SPCA dog.Kris was at Beach Bound Hounds with Stanley and Jaime, so Stella wanted Nike to know that she was saving this bed for Jaime.But Nike and Ella were more interested in what I was doing in the garage. Whatja doin' Mr?

Busy Babysitters

2010-09-19T08:17:00.001-05:00

Had a busy few weeks babysitting. Buck is a cow-dog, and even has a ‘kissy spot’ like Trina’s ‘Dana RooRooPants’. We were also watching Dusty, Fern, and Sunny that week.

The following week. From bottom left is Stella, Parker, Kris, Stanley, Jaime, Roadie, Sallie, Chaska, and Manny.

Roadie takes a nap in the little couch, while his sister Sallie demonstrates an awesome roach.

The following week was Milo, Charlotte, and Lucy the Beagle. All 90 lbs of Milo fitting surprisingly well into one of Parker’s beds.

During a day when we had no extras, I piled the dog beds, so I could vacuum. Where’s Jaime?

Total elapsed time was about 30 minutes for Stanley slide off his original bed, and somehow slide his head under the poofy bed.

Speaking of visitors, a walking stick hung out on one of the plants on the deck.

Our next group was Jack, Savannah, and Buster. Buster is toy lover. Here he is in action.

Parker observes the aftermath.

Buster observes his handiwork. Parker is laying among the toys next to Savannah. Stella and Jaime are on the couch. Stanley lays next to Jack on the dog beds.

A couple weekends ago, we went to Neighborfest in downtown Fredericksburg. No one could resist stopping and petting the greyhounds.

Linda and Debbie catch up while Sophie (fawn) and Leah (cow-dog) take a break from greeting people.

If you aren’t already, you can follow the Rescue of Sweetheart the Greyhound. Warning: some of the initial pictures of her condition might be a bit too much for some.

Also, since Kris joined Facebook a few weeks ago and has been posting greyhound pics, it will feel like a year in ‘Facebook time’ by the time those updates hit my blog. Updating the blog every few weeks is enough for me, so I’m still holding out on joining Facebook :)

Celebrating Greyhounds Calendar 2011

2010-09-05T10:04:00.001-05:00

It’s that time of year again. The Celebrating Greyhounds Calendar for 2011 is out. You can get a copy at the VAGA Store. I was lucky enough to get four photos.

Stella looking pretty. The week of Feb 13th on the desk calendar. Of course that includes Valentines Day since she is such a sweetheart.Bruno who is such a handsome boy. He is the week of Sept 18th on the desk calendar.

‘No Toys Left Outside’ Stanley retrieving a pink piggy in Trina’s yard. Front inset in the wall calendar.Yahtzee, Stella, Stanley enjoying some of the tons of snow we got this past year. January inset in the wall calendar.We were happy to see others we know. They all happen to be on the same back inset page of the wall calendar. Congrats to:

Cueball and Pippi at the beach (Mitch and Michelle).

Cali with sunglasses in the pool (Trina and Jason).

Sandy, Luke and Jasmine at the beach (Shannon and Kevin).

Grapehounds New York 2010

2010-08-23T09:11:00.003-05:00

It was a long drive up to Upstate New York for this year’s Grapehounds. After so long in the car, the first thing we did was register and stand in line for tastings. Stanley and Cali share the blanket, while Stella and Jaime stand behind me refusing to stand on the gravel.The weather was nice, so we took the kids to dinner at WildFire in downtown Ithaca. Cali wants to know why no one wants to lay their head on her rump.The next day, we hit the first winery, Pompous Ass, at opening time. The kids are still alert and standing.By lunch time in Watkins Glen, they are ready for a serious nap.Many wineries had beautiful views of Seneca Lake.The Finger Lakes Distillery had treats for the dogs and liquor shots for the people.By the end of day one, the kids are like, ‘go without me, I’ll stay right here, I promise’.Sidney has never seen a pool he did not want to lay down in. So refreshing!We try to find some shade under a tent at the main headquarters for the event at Silver Springs Winery.At dinner that night at Fine Line Bistro a kid passing by with his family decided he needed a picture taken with the Stanley. Stella keeps drinking her water and does not even acknowledge that this is happening.After a busy day, we are ready for a relaxing dinner.Trina approves the wine choice for the table. I was ready for a change. The pint of beer on the table is mine.Had too much to drink? No problem. Just call a taxi.Our waitress had a ‘Stella’ tattoo. Stella says she has a tattoo too, just inside her ears.A group shot at Leidenfrost. Our first winery of day 2. Trina and Jason with Cali. Kris and I with Jaime, Stanley, and Stella. Doreen and Allen with Sydney and Tempest.Second winery on day two. Guess who is already done with all this wine-tasting hoopla? Oh, Stella!We stopped back off at Hazlitt for a quick lunch and a nap for the kids.Shalestone vineyards had a very dog-friendly sign and great red wines.Our last winery was Damiani. The girls posing.This is how they felt.We laid blankets on the front lawn at Damiani and took a little break. Half our group was taking naps. Not sure who the guy next to the barrel is.Jaime telling her mommy to hand that treat over!

Month in Review

2010-08-09T12:42:00.001-05:00

It’s been so long since my last entry that some of my boarders have come back for a second or third stay. Not only have I not updated my blog, I haven’t kept up with any one else’s. Trina has already updated about our trip to Grapehounds, but I will save that for the next entry.
We’ve had a couple of adoptions at the house. Our kids and boarders help Flirt’s (now Danica) new parents during the adoption process.The haul arrives, and it’s meet and sniff time.One of our boarders is Manny. He’s very cute, but kinda funny looking. He is an unusual combo of fawn and white.The second adoption was for ‘Lovin’, now known as Ally. What a pretty girl.Both Parker and Stanley celebrated their birthdays this past month. Parker turned 11, and Stanley turned 8. Instead of a cake, they got braised beef heart with their dinner.An average weekend at the Park household this past month.It was a hot and humid day, and they were dropping like flies.When we have 10-12 dogs in the house, it’s easier to blow up the airbed and sleep downstairs.Stanley and Stella can’t decide if they want to be on the airbed or not.One of our previous adopters has a restaurant in Staunton, VA, which is a couple of hours away. After making dinner reservations, we decided to make a day of it. Of course that consisted of hitting a few wineries on the way there.
Pollak Vineyards is fairly new. They had good wine and a great view of the mountains.Flying Fox Vineyard was our favorite of the day.On the way back, we passed Blue Mountain microbrewery. Of course we had to stop and have a tasting. The mountain view enhanced the awesome brew!We finally made it to the Staunton Grocery for dinner. This was almost like a warmup for the upcoming Grapehounds.This most recent shot summarizes it well. Starting in the bottome left corner is Manny, Dusty and Stanley on the couch, Stella, Chaska, Sunny, Fern and Jaime, with Parker and Buck in the middle. I can’t believe there is still so much room left on the couch.

House of Boo Boos

2010-07-06T09:14:00.002-05:00

We’ve been watching quite a few dogs over the past several weeks. Expected during the summer months. But we were like a rehabilitation facility for this group of pups.
Abby has corns, so we tried on Stanley’s TheraPaws. Abby was not impressed. Please get this thing off me. It makes my foot look Big!Our overnight foster, Kara, had a broken tail that spontaneously erupted. Nothing three strategically placed band-aids couldn’t take care of.Dusty fell of his mommies bed one night. The hematoma looks worse than it is.Stella even had a scrape on her leg that required a band-aid.She was rockin’ a frowny face band-aid.Sabrina broke a toe and came to us with a splint.She was not putting any pressure on it by the end of the week. We unwrapped it to find this. A quick cleaning and rewrapping (sans splint), and she was feeling much better.

Barkwell's Pet Resort Doggie Vacation

2010-06-14T14:18:00.016-05:00

We took a vacation last week with the kids near Asheville, NC. It’s a 7 hour drive, so we decided to break it up and headed down to our friend Susan’s in Winston-Salem, which would put us only two and a half hours from Asheville. The kids were very excited about going on vacation, and Stanley found one of Lily’s (English Cocker Spaniel) bolstered beds to get a good night’s rest.The next morning, we leisurely headed West, and stopped at Lake James Cellars along the way. The kids took a break on the patio, and the wine-tasting was brought out to us.It’s a beautiful drive through the mountains of North Carolina. We arrived at Barkwell’s, and the kids couldn’t wait for mommy to check us in. The greys slept in the back, while Parker rode in mommy’s lap in the passenger seat.A welcome note from Barkwell’s.We got the Snicker’s cabin, which is one of seven on the property.Parker gets the lay of the land from the porch.We hadn’t brought in any of our beds yet, so Jaime took the first one she could find. Doesn’t she look comfortable?In search of food, we went online to look for dog-friendly eateries. Asheville is a very dog-friendly area, and there were plenty of places to choose from. We decided to hit Asheville proper, and plopped down at the Westville Pub. A pitcher of local microbrew and fried jalapeno slices got us started.After we got back to Barkwell’s, we took a walk down to the pond. Looking back, our cabin is in the middle.Followed by a Lab, Stanley checks out the perimeter of the property. The Lab’s sister, Piggy, cannot be enticed away from jumping in the pond after a toy.Since the entire property is fenced in, we let everyone off leash. The girls decide to check things out together.There were lots of new smells, but a squawker means mommy has treats.At dusk, the firefly invasion began. The yellow streaks in this 10 second exposure are all fireflies.I took this 10 second exposure picture a few minutes later of Kris and the kids on the porch.Once it got really dark, we went back inside. The girls immediately claimed the couch.Stanley had to settle for the chair.The next morning, we headed south towards Hendersonville. Kris’ mom had grown up there in this house, that is now converted into a business.Conveniently, there was a pizza joint next door, 2 Guys Pizza. They had a pizza buffet, but with the kids, we decided on the patio.We got a glass of Craggie and Highland ale which are both Asheville microbreweries.After lunch, we headed to the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. He was a three-time Pulitzer prize winner for his poetry and biography of Lincoln.We mainly went there because Kris wanted to see the functioning dairy goat farm.Those ‘kids’ sure are cute. The babies weren’t shy about having their picture taken.Not being allowed inside the fenced area, our kids were not impressed.
The kids looked a bit pooped at this point, but we decided to stop off at the North Carolina Arboretum on the way back home. They had nice trails through the woods with signs, so we knew what we were looking at.After making the shortest loop through the trails, the kids were all tongues.One last picture with a ‘fingers’ sculpture. We almost had to carry the kids back to the car after this.We wore their butts out. They had no interest in anything but a nap at this point.They had chickens on the property. Hey, you talkin’ to me?This one was more interested in show off his pot-belly.Baby chicks are so cute.A patron at the Westville Pub recommended 12 Bones BBQ. We also read in the cabin journal that 12 Bones was a favorite among guests. BBQ from an old gas station.Only Jaime had the energy to come join us on the porch for a BBQ dinner.Parker in stalker mode. What could he be staring at?What would possess a bunny to feed in a compound full of doggies?It’s 9:39pm, and the kids barely had enough energy to make it to bed. Hey, where are humans going to sleep?Kris wrote in the cabin journal. The people staying in the cabin next to us actually said they stayed in our cabin the year before. All the way from Jacksonville, Florida. Sounded really far till I mapped it, and found out they were 5 minutes closer according to Mapquest. Check out the Locksley’s blog (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.1, 3.2), who stayed in Snickers immediately before us.A parting shot of the cabin.Kris took a video of the cabin for those who might be interested in staying there.
We had a great time, and plan on going back soon!

VAGA Golf Tournament & Trina's Party

2010-06-07T11:48:00.002-05:00

We had a very busy Saturday. It started off in the morning with helping out at registration for the 3rd annual VAGA golf tournament.Everyone was very generous, and the raffle tickets sold like hotcakes.By the time the golfers were lining up to leave, we headed off for our monthly Meet ‘n Greet at the local Petco.After a couple of hours of telling the public how great greyhounds are, we headed down for Trina’s party. It was hot outside, and Soozie thought it was a great idea that we had so much ice water for her to slurp.A prospective adopter stopped by the party, and Stella enticed her with kisses.While other greys were chasing toys in the yard, Stanley dutifully brought each one back. A yard is no place for a defenseless stuffie.It looked like a little blip on the radar, but it was quite the dramatic storm that dumped quite a bit of rain on us.It cooled down after the storm rolled through, and the kids all wanted to be outside.There weren’t enough beds, and the alphas had to share beds with their subordinates.

More Wineries and Jaime's Birthday

2010-06-01T10:56:00.005-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we made a trip to North Carolina to visit some of their wineries, since we’re pretty familiar with what we like and don’t like with Virginia wineries. After visiting a couple of wineries, we stopped off for some barbecue to soak up some of the wine. I forgot my camera, so we took pics with Kris’ iPhone. The local Snook’s BBQ shack had excellent pulled pork sandwiches.Most of the good NC wineries are in the Yadkin valley. John Deere country. This is what I saw while eating by bbq sandwich.Our new favorite NC winery is Stony Knoll Vineyards. Over a century of tobacco fields turned into a vineyard. A small family winery that only does dry wines (except a dessert).Shelton Vineyards is more of a large commercial operation with a wine for everyone. They did have some cute items in their gift shop. Did not see a greyhound model.Our friend Susan came out to join us for wine-tasting.Rag Apple Lassie is a winery named for a Grand Champion calf the owner had as a boy. Another family winery with good wine.Kris’ aunt Shirley and uncle Jerry were nice enough to host us for the weekend while we toured the wineries.Last weekend, we went to Cooper Vineyard’s annual SPCA event. It wasn’t too hot, and there was a slight breeze. Trina’s blog has more pics of our wine-drinking / cheese-eating day.Somehow we ended up with eight for the weekend. Stanley on the couch, Stella and Jaime together, Sunny, Connie, Ashley, and Parker headless under the coffee table. Soozie was being antisocial in the dining room.A closer shot of Stella and Jaime on the couch.For Memorial Day, the kids all got a bath. Jaime doesn’t understand what this has to do with Memorial Day or that it’s her 8th birthday.Parker may have beagle/lab in him, but he is definitely not a water-loving dog.Stanley looks resigned to just letting it happen.Dripping wet, Stella’s look says it all. Daddy, I can’t believe you would let this happen to me!!!Not to worry, the kids were in for a treat for all the torture they put up with. Brisket on the Egg.
Jaime thought it was all worth it when she found chopped liver and brisket sprinkled on her dinner.

Mother's Day and Grapehounds Virginia

2010-05-16T20:02:00.002-05:00

My family came over for Mother’s Day. The kids were nice enough to share the couch with my brother-in-law and nephew while they play with my new iPad.

After playing with the koi pond and piano app, Edo decides he is one of the greyhounds. This bed is very comfy.
Looking for the perfect squeaky toy.
Our garage was temporarily taken over with VAGA store items from the basement going to Greyhounds in Gettysburg and Grapehounds Virginia. Our latest item was a greyhound statue.
Going up to Grapehounds Virginia, we put Stanley in Trina’s ‘Beast’, so we could fit a statue in the Subaru. Jaime didn’t seem to mind.
There was lots of vending on Saturday at Tarara Winery.
Of course we did the wine tasting. With over 150 wineries in Virginia to visit, we rarely get to hit the wineries in Northern Virginia.
Wine tasting tired the kids out.
We hit a few more wineries on the way back home. Barrel Oak Winery (BOW) is very dog-friendly. They actually have wine barrel staves at the tasting bar to hang leashes on. Cali, Jaime, and Stanley wait for their mommies to finish wine tasting. Stella would not be seen laying on a hard wooden floor without a cushy bed.