King of the Beds & First Snow

We stacked the beds that we usually keep in front of the tv, because we had to pull it out for repairs. It didn’t seem to bother the kids. They quite enjoyed it. Alex was the first to be king of the beds.
Stanley takes a stab at the new setup.
How about another try.
Wink, wink, daddy. I’ll get the hang of it.
Alex is demoted to the single bed.
Stanley is dethroned. The girls thought this was a silly game, and enjoyed the extra room on the couch.
We took all the kids for the annual Fredericksburg Christmas Parade. It was a tad chilly, so the kids put on coats before we headed out. Parker was in his coat, but decided not to be in the picture. I didn’t get any pics of the actual parade. Had my hands full with three puppies. But everyone had a swell time.
After the parade, the kids were pooped. Stanley and Stella decided to snuggle with their mum.
We had our first snowfall of year this week. The kids huddled together in the yard for warmth.
Alex will be going back to Florida to his forever home in a week. This may be his last encounter with snow.
This is Stanley’s first encounter with snow. Neither the cold nor snow seemed to bother him. As for the girls, they felt the cold dry air gave them a bad hair day, so they decided not to pose for pictures outside.

Well, I'm off to Brazil for two weeks for work. I hope the kids don't forget about their daddy!

Sister, Sun, Squirrel, Steak, Stella

Sister. Winston enjoys having a sister to run around the yard with. Ready! Set! Go!
Sun. A sun and moon mirror on the deck at Winston's house. The people butts (l to r) are Kris and Debbie. The doggie butts are Jaime and Leah.
Squirrel. Not only a word I missed in my 3rd grade spelling bee on stage in front of the entire school. Also the bane of Stanley’s existence. Stanley is very serious about protecting the bird feeders from the squirrels. This one is using his mini-abacus to figure out how long it will take him to get to the fence if I release the hounds.
Steak. A 3 inch thick ribeye on the Big Green Egg getting a nice sear on both sides before cooking through to a nice medium-rare. Yummy!
Stella. So cute how Stella and Jaime snuggle together. Actually, Jaime is laying on top of Stella favorite blankie. Stella was not about to let that get in the way. Oh, Stella!

Hey! You! Get Off of My Couch!

It’s all about the couch. Two’s not a crowd. Maybe on a cloud, but not on the couch. The more the merrier. We’ll start off with Stanley and Stella on the couch. Stanley believes in conservation of space, so more hounds can fit on the couch. Stella believes in being covered and sprawling out for maximum use of space. Not sure about the head-butt thing.
The head-butt thing seems to be catching on. Alex is using his head to keep Topsail from sliding off the dog bed.

Stella on the couch doing her impersonation of a greyhound-sharpei mix.

Stella got on the couch first. Then Stanley and Jaime decided to join her. Doesn’t Stella look happy about it? Look how cute they are!

Must be the colder weather. The kids just feel the need to snuggle with each other. Actually, Stella and Stanley were there first. Jaime assessed the situation and was sure she could fit in there, so she shoehorned herself in.
There was plenty of space on the rest of the couch. Parker is looking at them trying to figure out what is going on.

This is how I usually watch tv. They don’t call them Couch Potatoes for nuthin’.

The Scooby Experience

I wrote a couple of entries back that Diane and Debbie of VAGA were going to Spain to help out with Galgo rescue. Well, it’s been over a week since they have been back in the States. Check out their adventure on their blog at Scooby Experience. We will be getting a couple of more Galgos in a week, so check back to keep up on their progress. This is a picture of Manola from their blog to pique your curiosity. She so pretty.

Amanda & Kenney tie the knot

Since I’m a bit slower in updating, you’ve probably already read in Trina’s or Amanda’s blog entries that Amanda and Kenney tied the knot last weekend. Here they have their, “We just got married” faces. Here’s to always staying that happy!!!
"What do you mean you ran out of film? Isn't that thing digital?" While off to the side, Kenney is beginning to feel the 'burn' as he realizes he can't pull the ring back off.
Trina and Kris boozing it up before the reception.
At weddings there are pics of family, relatives, friends... Trina, Amanda and Kris at the reception when they called for greyhound mommies.
Stella being a backseat driver. Making sure that daddy really is taking her back home to her comfy couch.
While we were at the wedding, there were thirteen dogs at Trina's. Her dogsitter came by and stayed with them all day. Bet they had fun. The kids were too tired from playing at Trina's to pay any attention to the football game.
Stella and Stanley decide that sleeping on the couch with Jaime is preferable to dog beds on the floor.
Stanley's poor impersonation of a pillow. I can still see you.

Kids in the House

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted any pics of the kids. Along with the regular crew, we still have Alex, and watched Sabrina over the weekend.
Alex has really come far. He’s still skittish, but now he’s much better with being petted on a dog bed or coming to greet you.
Sabrina stayed with us over the weekend. She’s such a sweetie. Since she’s an only dog, this is like doggie camp. I just got a new bed from Costco, and she had to be the first to check it out.

Stella in her usual spot on the couch. She can keep an eye on everything from there.
Parker and Jaime decided to spend a little snuggling time together on the couch.

Stanley is a boy who truly enjoys sleeping. He’s not afraid to let it all hang out. Ear up, eyes back, tongue out.

On another note, Debbie and Diane of VAGA are in Spain at the Scooby Rescue facility to help out with Galgo Rescue. I was going to link to a blog of their trip, but I think they only have intermittent internet access while there. They should be coming back with two Galgos going to forever homes back in the States. Maybe even a puppy?

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

We spent one day of our vacation in Albuquerque. It’s about an hour away from Santa Fe. The annual balloon festival was going on that week. We had never been to one, but wanted to check it out. Oops, that’s Fiesta. Aubry reminded us that all festivals in New Mexico are Fiestas.

Like any good festival, there are lots of food stands. How can you can tell you are in the New Mexico? Where else do they offer breakfast burritos, green chile burgers, frito pies, and green chile tortilla burgers. Sounds good, don’t it?
Kris and Aubry at an alpaca vendor stand. The stuff is so soft. Even the stuffed toy alpaca is made of real alpaca.
What would a festival be without guys with chainsaws turning logs into works of art. It really is amazing what you can do with a chainsaw.
Funny how the one shot of me and Kris at the festival is in front of a beer balloon.

A cool shot of blowing hot air.
We spent quite a bit of time watching one team preparing to get their balloon in the air. We used the shade of the van preparing the rabbit balloon to stay cool.
Darth Vader balloon. That’s just cool!
Here is a fisheye view of the balloons at the festival. Maybe I could get a balloon made in the shape of a greyhound?
We left the festival and headed to Sandia Peak. It has the longest aerial tram in the world. Who would’ve guessed it was in Albuquerque. The top is about two miles about sea level. Great for someone like me who is afraid of heights. They said because of the altitude, each drink is more like two or three. So of course we had to have a drink at the top. This is a shot of Albuquerque from the top. That little flash of light in the bottom right corner is the fireworks show from the balloon fiesta.

Santa Fe Vacation

Just got back from a week-long vacation in Santa Fe. We took a circuitous route via a couple of days in Las Vegas. It’s been about six months since Aubry left for Santa Fe. We met her and her mom in Vegas. We try to go out every 2-3 years. Didn’t get any pics while in Vegas. The main highlights were Aubry and Kris dancing on the bar at Coyote Ugly, and dinner at Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak at the MGM. Kobe beef - tartare, filet, ribeye, flank, and sirloin. Served family-style, and more than four people could finish. Melted like butter!

This was our first trip to Sante Fe, NM. Last count was about 75,000 people. Seemed like half were artists or in the artisan business. A slow relaxed atmosphere. Especially coming from the East Coast. Another thing that stands out is the architecture. Everything is adobe. Even the parking lot looks cool.
Here are Aubry & Kris walking the labyrinth of life outside the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
Kris & Aubry holding Frito Pies, a Santa Fe favorite. Basically it’s a bag of Fritos with chili and cheese on top.

This is a meal in itself.
Next to the plaza is a museum where local Native American artisans sell their wares. Santa Fe takes their tourism very seriously. The artisans have to prove their ancestry for three generations before being considered.

We had green chile cheeseburgers at Bobcat Bite. Everything comes with green chiles out here. It’s always ranked in the top handful of hamburgers joints in the U.S. each year. It can only hold a dozen people inside and half that on the patio. Great burgers! The name came from the fact that bobcats used to come to the backdoor for scraps of food.
After a day of trying not to buy all the Indian arts and crafts in sight, we settled back at the hotel for a nightcap. The fireplace kept us warm as the desert air started to cool down.

We went on a hike at the nearby Tent Rock National Park. It is right next to the Cochiti Indian Reservation. The mountain top formations looked similar to the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon in southern Utah. The ‘tent rocks’ looked like big concrete cones. Almost didn’t look natural.
A desert cactus blooms.
A pretty shot of a burned tree with hoodoos in the background.
On the way back to town, we took an exit looking for the hippie town of Madrid. Instead, we found the Sante Fe Brewing Co. Sweet. Of course we had to sit on the patio and have a glass of Octoberfest. Nothing like a good microbrew!
Santa Fe is full of artists. With artists come galleries. We visited a few. But with most pieces costing $1000 - 10,000 or so, we decided to take a free picture with a sculpture outside.
I’m not musically-inclined by any means. But this Native American style flute was calling me. I got a little lesson from a pro. I hope I don’t end up calling all the stray cats in the neighborhood while learning how to play.
We also went to nearby Albuquerque for a day to see the International Balloon Festival. That will get an entry by itself.
I love the atmosphere of the Southwest U.S. A slow relaxed pace of life with beautiful desert scenery. I could definitely get used to that!