My Bit of Earth

No Ansel Adams

Floatin' in Dog Friendly(?) Tahoe

Day two in Tahoe.  Today we went on a rafting trip down the Truckee River (which flows from Lake Tahoe).  We did the self-guided Upper Truckee route, as opposed to the Lower Truckee which is a bit more exciting rapids-wise and hence requires a guide.  There were some parts that were a little slow on the Upper, but we had enough little rapids and rocks to dodge around to keep things interesting.

Moe was a pain in the butt really wanted to be in the water the entire time.  We let him trail along behind the raft in his life jacket when it was possible, but he strongly objected each time we had to pull him out because of rocks or rough water.  My idyllic visions of him standing nobly on the front of the raft were not to be, but we all still had a good time. 

Later that evening, we took Moe on a hunt for a dog friendly beach.  To digress a bit, part of the reason we decided to go to Tahoe over, say, Yosemite or somewhere else, was because from what I'd read it was a pretty dog friendly place.  Ehh...kinda-sorta.

The Bluebird of Happiness?

A Little Altitude

Today we drove up to Lake Tahoe where we'll be for the next few days.  After a nice lunch by the water in Tahoe City, we drove around to Emerald Bay and took a hike up to Eagle Lake. 

Phew!  I could tell (and I think my fellow hikers would agree) we were at a little higher altitude than any of us were used to.  The trail was supposedly a mile one-way, but it felt like much more.  Fortunately, we were rewarded with a beautiful little lake at the end.  Moe took a swim; the rest of us just kind of waded.  Then we headed back down to our little cabin for some well earned rest.

More pictures are here.

Wednesday Poll: VACATION Edition

For this week's VACATION poll:

You have one week, you can go anywhere in the world, you have enough cash to do whatever you'd like to do comfortably--where would you go on VACATION?

Comment and discuss.

California Moe

Vacation Day 1--Sleep.  Food.  Pool.  The Welshman is in heaven....see a video of him playing here.

I'm Smiling As Hard As I Can

The Flying Welshman

Despite a few little delays, we've arrived safely in California with Welshie in tow.  Moe did much better than I did handled the trip with his typical Welsh grace--sleeping though most of the flying parts and making passels of friends at all three airports.  Here he is with Sweet Husband in Kansas City, on the plane, in Houston, and (finally) in Sacramento.

That Sweet, Sweet Word

As of 1:37 this afternoon, I am officially on VACATION.  It's been a long time since I've had a proper VACATION, so I'm quite excited about it.

We're taking the Wee Welshman with us (Porter's staying with her Gram and Aunty) and heading for Nice Dad's house which is kinda sorta near lovely Lake Tahoe, which we shall also be visiting.  Aside from flying with Moe--which could just be adventure enough--we're going rafting and hiking and earthdogging and swimming.  I plan to wear crocs and flip-flops all week, eat seafood, drink wine, and maybe even have VACATION sex.  (I know, I know--too much information--but you're all grown-ups, you know how it is.)

I may or may not blog during the course of my VACATION.  The cabin we're staying at supposedly has internet access, but we'll see if it likes my computer.  However, I do have a couple'o'posts pre-scheduled so as not to leave y'all high and dry.  If I don't chat at you before then, I'll be back in a week or so (at the end of my VACATION).

Wednesday Poll: Take a Whiff

"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived."--Helen Keller

For this week's poll:

What are a few of your favorite smells?  Why?

Comment and discuss.

Sunflowers No. 3 (The Color)

The Only Completely Consistent People Are the Dead*

I've had not a little internal conflict this past month over the Michael Vick saga.

On the one hand, I have a lot of trouble seeing someone who tortures and kills animals as a fellow human being.

On the other, I am a huge fan, not only of the letter of the law regarding due process, but of the spirit of the law as well.  I despise the way the media--and the public in general--often have people sentenced on mere accusation.  I hate the way "charges filed" has come to mean "guilty" in the court of public opinion.  As such (although, again, I know this is not something that is included in the "letter" of due process), I don't much care for the idea of people losing their jobs (or being suspended, or what-have-you) over just accusations or charges.  I need a conviction thank-you-very-much.

With all that being said, is it bad that a week ago I was defending the guy, or rather, arguing that people should not be signing petitions urging he be fired from the NFL; but now that he's plead out, I'm kind of hoping he meets a cell block of the biggest, ugliest dog-lovers in the prison system?  Does that make me too terribly inconsistent?

(*so sayeth Aldous Huxley)

Sunflowers No. 2 (The Shape)

Sunflower Fields Forever

I was reading the paper today and saw this article about a nearby sunflower farm.  Not having anything else particularly interesting to do, Sweet Husband and I decided to make the drive out to investigate.

It was one of those experiences that words are almost inadequate for.  Gold as far as you could see.  I wanted to go lay in the middle of it all and die from happiness.  (And Buddy, the official greeter, was great fun too.)  A few more pictures are here.

Sunflowers No. 1 (The Texture)

Pastoral

Fallen Pollen

Wednesday Poll: The Stuff We Keep

In my experience, whether they admit it or not, everyone collects something.  The only question is the the extent of the collection and how unusual it is.

So, for this week's poll:

What's the strangest thing you've ever collected?  What's something you're collecting now?

Comment and discuss.

I Heart Petsitting

Sarah, if you're reading this, you should know we pretty much adore your dog.

To the rest of you--really, you would too. 

My Nice Friend Sarah asked me to check in on her pretty Cocker, Madi, a few times tonight, as she was going to be out of town.  I went over after work to feed the little dear dinner, but when I went to leave she looked up at me like, "Really?  That's it?  You're going?"  So, I scooped her into her crate and brought her home to see if she would get on well enough with our two to visit for the evening.

After the initial butt sniffs and doggy how-to-do's, the visitor was playing reasonably well with Moe and showing proper respect to alpha-bitch Porter.  I tortured her with the camera a bit of course, (because that's just what I do to guests) and then we sat down to dinner. 

To be fair, dinner this evening was an on-the-couch-in-front-of-the-TV affair, but I've seen some tricksey little beggars (ahem, Moe) and I think this little girl has them beat!  She began by curling up, almost-but-not-quite in my lap, and batting her pretty eyes ever so innocently.  Then she gradually moved just a teeny bit at a time until her nose was at plate level, flashed those big eyes up again sheepishly, and cocked her head to the side as if to say, "C'mon...just a little bite...please...I won't ever tell, I promise." 

Of course, her begging went unrewarded (really, Sarah, I promise it did), but she didn't really get scolded either.  Such behavior in either Moe or Porter would have earned an unceremonious toss off the couch at the least, but somehow it's cuter when it isn't your own dog.

And speaking of cute...well that isn't something this dog has a problem with.  Moe can be cute, if there's something in it for him, but at heart he's sturdy and intense.  From her little stubby tail, to her furry paws, to her liver colored nose, to her polite little "woof," Madi is a cute and cuddly. 

She knows it too!  Sitting on the couch watching TV she had a heck of a time nosing into Sweet Husband's beard; and just you try not to laugh as a fifteen pound flurry of fur tickles your ribs with her nose and paws in a message to "pet me, pet me!"

And while all of that isn't something I'd really want in my own dog ('cause I love me an independent little terrier), I have to admit it's kind of fun to try out someone else's pup every now and then.  So anytime you're going on vacation....

Beautiful

Wakarusa Waterfall

Left Behind

This Could Have Been Life Changing

I'm not a beer drinker.  Never have been, maybe never will be--even the good stuff makes my throat close up a little like I'm going to vomit. 

This has never been a problem so much as it was in my college days.  I was an amicable party guest, perfectly willing to BYOB; but often the drink I brought was a bottle'o'red.  And somehow precious few college boys--and the house parties were always at the houses of boys--own one of those little silver keys to the divine, aka a corkscrew.  Yes, I eventually learned to travel with my own, but before then, or if my corkscrew had been left behind somehow...eh, the memories....

Picture if you will, a group of gallant--possibly already slightly inebriated--young men standing around a countertop staring intently at my merlot:

"Well, we could just break off the neck...."

"Or maybe we could stab it with a knife and then pull it out?"

"Hey, why don't we just push it through!"

Needless to say, I learned to enjoy the tang and texture of bits of cork with my wine.

But then today, while aimlessly browsing the web, I found the most amazing solution.  On a website called "Instructables"--which would be a really cool site even without the next part, as it seems to offer step-by-step instructions for almost anything you could want to do--I found these directions for opening a bottle of wine with only a piece of string!

Brilliant!  Incredible!  If only I had known then....

Thankfully, most people I hang out with now do have a corkscrew somewhere, but I may have to tell them to pretend they don't just so I can try this nifty trick.

Washed Up

August Gold

Gathering the Wounded for Retreat

Walked down to the garden tonight to check on the last of things.  The squash bugs were no longer even hiding--there were masses of them just hanging out on top of my pretty orange pumpkins.  It took both a hose and a hoe to rescue these three. 

I then turned the hoe on my pretty butternut squash vines.  Their last thoughts were probably, "We're growing well!  We're branching out, putting down roots!  What have we done to deserve this early and tragic death?!?"  And it's true--the squashes were growing very nicely from all outward appearances, but the second I watered them up came the swarms of squash bugs. 

Vindictive as it sounds, I'd rather burn the whole garden down than feed the little plant suckers for another two months, so, sadly, the butternuts had to go.

On the brighter side of things though, even with all the problems we got 4 cooking-size pumpkins.  With the heat we've been having, I haven't been in the mood to whip up any of my favorite, hearty, fall squash recipes.  However, according to several cooking sites the pumpkins will keep for several months in the fridge so, to a certain extent at least, I've accomplished what I set out to do.

Tomorrow's Bloom

Wednesday Poll: Becoming Jane

For this week's poll, something a little different....

Go here and take this short quiz to discover what Jane Austen heroine you are most like.  Then come back and leave your result--and any discussion related thereto--in a comment.

Empty Cup

Exploding From Within

Finally!

This afternoon, for the first time this summer, we took the pups down to the river.  We've tried to go a few times, but this is the first time the water has been low enough to be safe for dog paddlers.

As you can see, Porter and Moe enjoyed themselves--more pictures are here.

Baby Cat

A Cowardly Defeat? A Moral Victory? Or Maybe Just a Learning Experience?

"Well, the book says if you squish them, they stink...but they can swim for quite a bit too, so they're hard to drown."

"Well, I have a torch, you could just burn them off."

"But I think that would burn my pumpkins too, and besides doesn't that seem a little...medieval?"

"More so than stepping on them or drowning them?"

"You have a point...."

So went a pre-bedtime conversation between Sweet Husband and I the other night, concerning that thing in the picture above (if you must know, it's a squash bug).  He and a hundred of his little buddies have set up camp in my pumpkin patch, decimating the vines faster than I thought possible. 

They're a plague!  And I hate them, hate them, HATE THEM!

Waiting To Spit On Your Back

My Last Plug, I Promise

The "Firehouse Dog" DVD came out this week, so I have to get one last proud mama moment in (well, at least until the book Moe's going to be in comes out in October....).

For those of you who are new, Moe was one of 400 dogs that won a contest on Dogster to be in the credits of the movie when it was in theaters or in a montage in the special features on the DVD.

When I told Sweet Husband about the contest, his smart aleck remark was something along the lines of, "Wow, that's brilliant marketing, now at least 400 people will go see the movie."  Alas, I think it goes a few steps further than that.  It also meant 400 people would be plugging the movie to their poor friends, buying the DVD, and blogging about it too.  (Guilty of all of the above!)

But truly, if you're into Disney-fied dog stories (again, I'm guilty), it's not a bad movie.  The Irish Terrier that plays the lead is cuter than any non-Welshie has a right to be, and the kid's kind of winning as well.  Even more important, of course, is that Moe is on the DVD not once, but twice!  He somehow made it into both the credits and the montage.  I don't think that was actually supposed to happen.  I think each dog was just supposed to be in one or the other, but, well, you know how it is--he's just that good looking. ;)

Colorful Jailbird

Third Place Salsa

So, because I know you all are dying to know (yes, that's a sprinkle of sarcasm), the salsa won third place.  There were five entries, so I guess that makes me average--not bad for a first try. 

We had a great time, too.  There were several categories within the "Naturally Nutritious Food Festival", and after the judges were done everyone there got to taste the dishes.  Everything was so creative--there was an awesome herby-veggie-potato-salad, a tofu blueberry pie, blackberry ice cream, a tangy herb and lemon "earth holding water" tea.  There were also a few contests just for the kiddos.  One of the winners was an orange and ricotta pancake that I think we may have to try soon.  Oh, and the first place salsa was to die for!  Can't wait for next year.

Sheep's Clothing

Wednesday Poll: We're All Winners (In Our Own Special Way)

When I was little, we had (for the most part at different times) a small herd of goats, several dogs, rabbits, and even a few cows.  But with all that barnyard fun, I somehow was never a 4-H'er and never entered anything in the local county fair.

Not a big deal, but still one of those things I'd like to do before I die--I don't know why, just do.

So, this evening I am planning to enter a batch of Nice Mom's cranberry salsa--slightly modified, mainly to include cherries instead of cranberries--in the fresh salsa competition in the "Naturally Nutritious Food Festival" night at our county fair.

To cheer me on--and for this week's Wednesday Poll--what's something you've won that you're really proud of?  What about something that was perhaps a more dubious honor?

Comment and discuss.