A Tail of Two Cardis

Come to the Land of the Ice and Snow......

2012-02-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

With the pleasantly mild winter we've been having, I have a feeling the paltry little flurries we had this weekend might be all I get for winter photographs. (Having just temped fate with that last statement, I probably just guaranteed a full-on blizzard in March!) Today was a more typical February day, windy, just 21 degrees, and quite brisk!

Just a little icing around the edges.

Looking quite dapper

Wilson blending in nicely in a Bev Doolittle style photo.

Jimmy, not so much! Did you even notice Wilson in this picture?

Follow, follow, follow, follow....Follow the snowy white road!
Alas, I did not end up in Oz, despite travelling with Munchkins.

Watch out where the Cardis go, and don't you eat that yellow snow!

Dogs vs Cat

2012-02-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

Even with the two-against-one odds, I don't think Jimmy and Wilson have a chance of beating this cat.

Fun on Friday

2012-02-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

VFD: Volunteer Fire Dog!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Water, Wood, and Wilson on Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T03:43:00.001-08:00

Playing with Light

2012-02-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

I follow a blog called the The 7MSN Ranch. Linda is an amazing photographer and also has a great talent for telling a story from seemingly everyday life photos. If you are not familiar with her blog, it is really worth your time to explore her website/blog.

The other day, she posted a photograph of her dog Smooch taken against the sunrise. It's a lovely shot, and it inspired me to go out and play with the morning light. I don't have her technical skill yet, so I definitely didn't get quite the same drama, but I had fun trying. Here's what I got.....

No backlighting, but still the light is pretty......

Next, I posed Jimmy. The sun had risen further by this time, so the light had changed. I found these amusing because Jimmy's attention was drawn to a hawk that flew over us.

Jimmy: This sucks! I hate posing. That big eye freaks me out!

Jimmy: Oh, wait! what's that?!

Jimmy: Ooooooh!

Jimmy: Wish I could fly...I'd so be outta here......

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Is This What They Mean By.......

2012-02-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

....the expression.......

Joined at the Hip?

Wilson's Weiner on Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

* Special thanks to Elizabeth for reminding me of this late 2003 photo with her comment on my 500th post.

Just a Little Screwy!

2012-01-31T02:27:00.000-08:00

A Side Effect of Agility Training*

2012-01-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

*No dogs got wet in the making of this post.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Shutterfly Book

2012-01-26T09:25:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post , I got a new video camera for Christmas. We bought it at Best Buy and they were offering a free 8x8 Shutterfly photo-book with the purchase of a camera.

The Shutterfly site was very friendly and easy to use. I selected photos I have already posted on my blog before, so there's nothing new to see, but the book does give a fun presentation. I haven't received the hard-copy yet but my bet is it arrives today. Shutterfly was great about a speedy turn-around and notifying me about shipping, etc.
I posted the link on Facebook the other day, but in case you don't go there....Here's my book.......

Click here to view this photo book larger

And by providing Shutterfly with a little bit of free advertising, I get a $10 credit on their site. I just got paid for blogging! How cool is that?!

Wilson's Winner! on WORDY Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

Well today is the day! I rolled the dice over at Random.org and.......

....but before I announce the winner I want to comment about this little contest. About a week ago, Elizabeth, at Chronicles of Cardigan posted this very helpful piece about increasing traffic to your blog. She gave many good tips (Thanks Elizabeth!) but some of them definitely involved a good bit of effort. Well, I found a short-cut to getting TONS of traffic! Just put the word giveaway in your post. My blog is not what one would ever consider a high-traffic site, not even close. A new post will garner about 25 page views over the course of a week. Last wednesday's giveaway post has had 260 hits so far! That's a tenfold increase! So if you want more readers, I highly recommend sprinkling the word giveaway liberally throughout your posts.

The other thing I found curious was that with so many hits, only 12 people decided to leave a comment. Maybe everyone gave up caffeine as their New Year's Resolution? Oh, well, it certainly improved the odds! Let me say thank you to each of you for playing my game. I really enjoyed reading your stories!

So, without further ado, the winner is......drumroll..............

AubreyLaine......Congratulations! Since you left your email address in your comment, be on the lookout for an email from me! We will work out the details from there!

Next week I will return to my less verbose Wednesday posts.....but in the mean time just let me say it again: GIVEAWAY, giveaway, giveaway, GIVEAWAY ! There! I am assured of lots more blog hits for this week ;-)

Wilson's WORDY Wednesday - 500th Post Giveaway!

2012-01-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

Today's Wilson's (Not So) Wordless Wednesday is coinciding with my 500th! blog post. So today, instead of being wordless, I am going to take this opportunity to announce a GIVEAWAY to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

I am not going to attempt anything tricky. I will just use http://www.random.org/ to generate a random number based on the number of comments I get. But, that doesn't mean that, you, my dear commenter, will get off scot-free. In your comment please tell me a favorite memory/funny story of one/all of your dogs. It can be just a couple of sentences like "My favorite memory of Snoopy was the day he aced his CGC....",or, "Back when I had Dylan, I loved the long walks we took through the local park. Everyone always asked what kind of dog he was." This way, we all get some fun comments to read.

Now, pray tell, what is the carrot before the horse (errrr....Cardi!) that makes leaving a comment a worthwhile use of your precious time?

Whoever the lucky winner turns out to be....I will award them an eCard from Starbucks for $25! This way, the only info the winner will need to provide me is an email address, and Starbucks will send you the eCard. Even if you are not a coffee drinker, I think you should be able to find something in the Starbucks line to interest you.

I will select the winner sometime next Wednesday the 25th of January. That should give everyone a chance to leave a comment. One comment per person please, just to keep it clean and easy to pick the winner.

So, what do you say? Are you feeling lucky? Do you want to play?

I'm Going....Are You?

2012-01-15T05:16:00.000-08:00

Click Here for all the details!

Jimmy Says....

2012-01-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

And Stay Out!

Jimmy: I showed him!............Click to enlarge

We encountered a red fox on our afternoon walk. I think there is a breeding pair living very close to my house as I see two of them together often. Jimmy made sure to run this one off. I was very glad the leash was on! Not a great photo because in my haste to snap the shot, I flipped the camera setting into Macro! Not exactly what I needed for this shot. Alas, my vision ain't what it used to be.....

Have a great weekend, everyone!

What Is It About Dogs and Crotches?

2012-01-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Not what you were expecting, maybe?

Wilson is always the polite one, so he kept his nose to himself!

I think I'll have a lot of disappointed Google-searches arrive today, what with the word "Crotches" in my title. I seriously doubt this is what they were seeking when they searched on the word "crotch" ;-)

Where in the Woods is Wilson on Wordless Wednesday?

2012-01-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

The View from My Office Window

2012-01-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday was sunny and 65 degrees. We enjoyed a lot of outdoor time. Sunday was cooler, but still quite pleasant. The forecast for Monday was showers in the late afternoon. Well, as is often the case, the weathermen were a bit off. We had showers alright, but they were snow showers! It really came down at my office. It was a heavy, wet snow and stuck quickly to the trees. The roads, luckily, were too warm for accumulation, and were just wet. I drove home at 6PM and the closer I got to home, the less snow there was. By the time I reached the house, there was barely a dusting, if that.Usually, my north and west of the city location gets more snow but not this time.

At any rate, today is blue sky and sunny. This is the view from my 9th floor cube......It won't last long, we are supposed to reach the 50s again today........

Thud!

2012-01-10T05:19:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm...Why did I get up here? There's nothing to see.

It sure seems a lot higher now that I have to jump down.....

Oh, well. Here I go!

Weeeeeeeee!

THUD!(Loud grunt) Hope nobody saw me, that didn't feel very graceful!

Jimmy's Rope Swing - Now in Full HD!

2012-01-09T04:33:00.000-08:00

My big gift this Christmas was a new video camera. My old point and shoot really didn't do a very good job, so I asked Santa for a nice Hi-Def model. I didn't get anything super-fancy since I'll be handing off to others to film me at agility trials, but it's still a great little camera! It's a Samsung.

This weekend I spent time learning how to use it and upload the videos, etc. So, of course, the first thing I decided to film in full 1080p High Definition, was Jimmy and his rope swing.

Heeerrreee's Jimmy!

Over the River and Through the Woods......

2012-01-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

With the extra free time during the long holiday weekends, we spent lots of time trying to burn off all of the excess calories that were consumed. While I doubt the scales are tipped all the way back in my favor yet, we did get in lots of outdoor time. Nothing makes the boys happier than an off-leash run in the woods. For this walk, we chose a less developed stretch of trees with a large stream. It's amazing that living in a heavily populated suburban area, I can walk through this little patch of woods and never see another person enjoying it. All the better for us, of course!

As soon as we entered the woods, Jim went straight into high alert! So many smells, so little time.

Can you see what Wilson sees? Click to enlarge.

Jimmy: Why does she always post the pictures where my ass looks big!?

A little sip of sparkling water

Alas, the boys were always on the wrong side of the water when they spotted the deer.

Scanning...Scanning...Drat! Nothing!

Here's a close-up of the tree to Wilson's right in the picture above. I guess the beaver got too tired and gave up on this tree! Is that where the expression "Bit off more than I can chew" came from :-) I am surprised it is still standing with such a diminished base.

Wilson's Wubba Wasn't Wanted on Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T08:19:00.001-08:00

Living the T-Shirt Life - Volume Three

2012-01-02T05:21:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Mazdas. They are any incredibly fun line of cars to drive and a great value for your money. I have a Mazda5 and just love it. It makes a perfect dog car. At any rate, Zoom Zoom is one of their motos but as we all know, it fits in the dog world as well!

So, here's my latest installment on T-Shirt living.......

Here are the links to my previous T-Shirt Living posts just in case you missed them on the first go-round:

Volume One - The original!

Volume Two

The Last Big Walk of the Year

2011-12-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

December 2011 has been an exceptionally mild month here in the Northern Virginia / DC Metro area. The vast majority of the days have made it up into the 50's and we've even cracked 60 once or twice. The nights have rarely dipped into the 30's with even fewer in the 20's. All in all, it's been very pleasant weather (if you are not a skier, that is :-) And I am definitely not!)

I woke up early today and after a nice cuppa joe, headed out with the boys on a long walk......

Any temps over freezing is fair game to Wilson. He LOVES the water and fetching sticks.

The Over-Achiever Retriever!

The Ripple Effect

I can walk on water!

This next one has a neat little rainbow happening thanks to the morning mist and rising sun. I didn't even notice until I loaded the pictures to my PC.

Wilson's pot of gold: An underwater stick!

And saving my favorite for last, Jimmy enjoying his rope swing once again. I love how the light worked in this shot and how you can see the cloud of Jimmy's breath rising.

Like an elephant, Jimmy NEVER forgets where the rope swing is!

Scenes from the Holiday

2011-12-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

I've been taking a bit of a blogging break these last several days. There's always so much to do to get ready for Christmas and then even more to clean up from Christmas, that I didn't spend much time with my camera.

Jimmy seemed to dominate the scene. When he gets all jacked-up, Wilson makes himself scarce.

As a time-saver, I set the table for Christmas during the day on Christmas Eve. Jimmy took up his spot, and waited......and waited some more.

Jimmy: I wonder what's taking them so long...........

Keeping an eye out the front door.

This is the reason we can't set the gifts under the tree until the very last moment!

Wilson, keeping a wall of gifts between himself and Jimmy.

Well, now it's almost time for the next holiday......Take a deep breath........and PARTY ON!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

I saved the last of my Colonial Williamsburg pictures for today. One of the neat things they do for the holiday season is make all their wreaths by hand from all natural products. All the buildings in the historic district participate and there is even a contest to judge the best design. While I don't know which one won, I do have lots of pictures of the wreaths to share......Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Jimmy Was None Too Pleased Himself

2011-12-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

It was pretty obvious from yesterday's post, Wilson wasn't thrilled to be dressed as an elf and then photographed. Normally, he loves to pose, but there's something about being clothed that ruins the whole thing.

Jimmy was no better of a sport. For that matter, he was even more displeased, one might even say, angry with me, for such humiliation.

Here are his less than stellar shots.....

This hat is so damn tight my eyes are about to pop out!

I'd better be getting filet mignon when this is all done!

Wilson's Why-me? Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-21T07:51:00.001-08:00

During This Hectic Holiday Season.......

2011-12-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

.....Jimmy and Wilson want to remind you to STOP! and.........

Sorry, but I Still Have More Beach Pictures!

2011-12-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

This one is not the best from the technical side, but I still like it!

More with the winter flowers growing right at the dune line.....

And, finally, Wilson, just because he's so darn handsome!

All My Boys

2011-12-18T05:56:00.000-08:00

My Guys Have Balls!

2011-12-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

......NO! Not that kind! This kind.......

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Just Jimmy!

2011-12-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

Starting with my favorite.......

Just look over your shoulder.....

Next, not a great picture for focus, but I love the goofy look.....

Zoom, zoom, zoom!

And another one of the perpetual motion machine that is Jimmy!

Cardigan Welsh Retriever

Wilson with Winter Wildflowers on Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

Scenes of Myrtle Beach......but NCC

2011-12-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

NCC....No Corgi Content

Believe it or not, I actually do take pictures of something other than my dogs! Gasp!

I am going to start with my favorite shot from the trip. Clicking the picture should launch a slide show....

This was shot around 4:00 PM so the sun was beginning to set. I love the misty feel of the picture and the golden light.

Here's pretty much the same view, but at midday and bright light. Look at all that beach and no people! The town was so empty while we were there. What a treat!

Next are two shots of some palm trees out in front of our condo building. These were shot looking east over the Atlantic Ocean while the sun was setting. The pink hues and full moon made for a gorgeous sight!

And finally, a sight you may not have seen before if you stay in colder climes during the holiday season....
Decorated palm trees!

We often talk of selling our condo in order to get out from under the work involved in renting it, maintaining it, the long drive, etc., but it's scenes like these that always convince us otherwise!

Dragon Breath!

2011-12-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

Jimmy: Take a whiff of this, bro!
Wilson: Right back at ya!

Similarities?

2011-12-11T04:53:00.001-08:00

A while back, I posted about Jimmy and a certain similarity to Scrat . Now it's Wilson's turn.....

See any similarities?

The Ocean So Blue

2011-12-10T04:21:00.001-08:00

After our weekend in Williamsburg, we made a very quick run down to Myrtle Beach for John's birthday. To say the weather was gorgeous is an understatement! We were able to walk on the beach in bare feet and even waded in the ocean (but not too deep!) It was actually T-shirt weather. Even by Myrtle Beach standards, we enjoyed some very warm December days.

My next few posts will be more of the same old, same old, beach stuff, so you will have to indulge me....

In summer the ocean is an almost Caribbean turquoise, but as the water cools, this beautiful blue appears.

If Looks Could Kill

2011-12-09T04:30:00.001-08:00

Apparently, We Live with Rock Stars!

2011-12-08T04:19:00.001-08:00

As you might have guessed from yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post, we visited Colonial Williamsburg this past weekend for their Grand Illumination event . This is a very popular holiday event and the weather was gorgeous for a day outdoors. As a result, there were TONS of people walking around. Another nice thing about Williamsburg is that it is VERY dog friendly. You can bring your dogs into the historic section (not the buildings themselves, of course). There is a shopping section adjacent to the historic area that is also very dog friendly and my guys were welcome in most of the stops where they weren't likely to be a bull in a china shop. Bowls of water and dog biscuits were everywhere.

As is often the case when walking Cardigans in public, people will approach to ask what kind of dogs they are, or tell you that when they were growing up Aunt Tooty had a dog that looked kinda, sorta looked like that but with no tail. Maybe one or two know right off that they are Cardigans. Well, this went to the extreme this past Saturday. With no hyperbole at all, I would say easily 50, yes 50!, different groups of people stopped us to ask if they could pet Jimmy and Wilson. We heard stories of how they missed their dog at home, many had Pems, some showed us pictures of their dogs on their phones. But odder still, many asked if they could take pictures of my guys. We had actual papparazzi (or is that pupparazzi?) following us around, snapping pictures of us.
Wilson is usually very wary of being touched by people he doesn't know. He was on such stimulation overload, he got to the point where he didn't even flinch. He just accepted all the petting graciously. Jimmy, who adores being the center of attention was, at first, in his glory, but as time and much touching went by, he began to ignore people. At one point, we had 3 groups of people queued up wanting to see our dogs! We could have set up a booth and charged $1 a pat, and $2 for a photo! My next door neighbors had driven down just for the day and met up with us. She and her daughter were talking with us, and someone actually shoved them aside so they could ask what kind of dogs we had! I had an in depth discussion with one woman about shedding as she had researched the breed but didn't like fur. Another man discussed DM as his old GSD was suffering from it. It was all very surreal and also quite time consuming! Each encounter was a couple of minutes of pleasantries and that adds up when, apparently, Jimmy and Wilson are the rock stars of the dog world!

I didn't think to capture this adoration on camera, but here are a few shots from our day.....

Such good posers!

What happens to Jimmy when he is a bad boy.

Posing in the Merchant's Square

A very handsome Santa

I love odd signs. The shadow made this one even better!

Another interesting sign

Part of the Grand Illumination celebration

Williamsburg Woman Wows Wilson on Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T04:05:00.001-08:00

Thank You, Penni!

2011-12-03T03:28:00.001-08:00

I love technology! It allows me to work from home on Fridays. Around the lunch hour, I heard the ~~mailman's truck~~ the sleigh go through our court. The boys raised a bigger ruckus than usual but I didn't pay alot of attention. I was busy with work and didn't want to break my concentration. When I got to a good breaking point, I wandered by the front door and saw a package. And even at a distance, I could see a little Cardigan head on the return label, so I knew Cardi-Claus had made her delivery.

I took the package outside for some nice natural light and here's how it unfolded......

The postal inspector doing his job.

Hurry up! I smell something good in there!

Forced to stop the riffling of the package, and pose, sour faces ensued.

Wilson found his choice item.

Jimmy had a different opinion on whose this was, and snatched it away!

The Motherlode! Thank you, Penni!

This toy spoke to Wilson. He got quite charged up!

Anything that Wilson has, Jimmy takes!

GIVE THAT BACK! It's mine!

Not even sure what was going on here, but it is very symmetrical :-) Click to enlarge.

Wilson won that round!

Jimmy came back to challenge possession once again.

Mine! NO! Mine!

At this point the eye contact, growling, and lip curls got out of hand, and I swooped in to break the tension.

You probably couldn't tell by the photo, but my ornament was from the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Health Foundation. Penni generously made a donation in Jimmy's and Wilson's names and we received a nice certificate and ornament. What a wonderful idea! I SO wish I had thought of that for my package! It made for such a meaningful gift and money well-spent. Many, many thanks to Penni at Eylan Cardigans for such a fun and thoughtful box of treasures. The boys will be waiting until Christmas for the the rest of their goodies!

OK! My dogs are NOT getting this for Christmas!

2011-12-01T08:19:00.001-08:00

I follow a blog called Doctor Grumpy in the House. The guy is a Neurologist, and usually posts about the crazy stuff his patients come up with, anonymously of course.
He can be quite funny at times. Occasionally, he goes off on tangents, but still seeks the humor in odd things. Today, he provides a gift guide for dogs.

Before you even click the link, just let's say this gift is R-rated.

So, without further ado, the gift for the dog that has everything .

I warned you!

1095 Miles.....

2011-11-30T14:12:00.001-08:00

......that's how far Cardi-Claus has to travel to get my package from Virginia to it's destination in......? The journey started today!

Wilson's Woodpile Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T07:45:00.001-08:00

You Get One Guess.......

2011-11-27T14:55:00.001-08:00

We have had absolutely the prettiest weather for our four day weekend! It's been 65 to 70 degrees and sunny everyday. Today, it was so nice we BBQ'd hamburgers on the grill for a mid-afternoon early bird dinner. This left me with just enough time to take the boys for a walk before dark. We headed out to the linear park/trail behind my house. My guys are pretty reliable off-leash so we were all chugging along at a good pace, me in the lead. I keep a close eye on them, so I turned around to check where they were. All I see is all four of Wilson's legs pointing up to the sky, his back snaking back and forth, rolling for all he is worth in "something". "Something" is never something good. You get one guess what you think this is.....

Scratch and Sniff for more details......

Wilson had speckled a lovely substance throughout his coat. This is quite out of character for him. Jimmy, on the other hand, I would not have been surprised. I really had not been planning on bathing Wilson at the very end of the weekend. Sigh.

Saturdays Steps

2011-11-26T04:27:00.001-08:00

The past couple of days have been gorgeous, warm, late fall days. We took the boys out to a winery for a picnic yesterday, that's how nice it's been. The place had lots of tables overlooking what just a couple of weeks ago must have been a fabulous leafy and colorful view. The trees are empty now, but the location is still lovely. There were some railroad tie steps leading down to the table and with the sun just right, it made a good photo-op. I post this picture in honor of George the Lad's upcoming birthday (Happy B-day to a fellow Welshie!). If you follow the link, you can see that Jimmy and Wilson made the trip across the pond to help him celebrate.

The boys were quite focused on all of our snacks.........

We want NOMS!

We finished the day with a walk through the woods, burning off some of the holiday surplus of calories.

There was a huge rock wall near the end of the trail. The boys are posed by the small end, it kept getting bigger/taller as we walked along. The chocolate Lab is their best buddy, Mousse.

Now the focus of my weekend needs to turn to acquiring/packing up a Cardi-Claus packet! The deadline is looming :-)

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

2011-11-24T04:24:00.001-08:00

That's turkey-speak for Happy Thanksgiving!

Click to enlarge

Walled-in Wilson's Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

Living the T-Shirt Life - Volume Two

2011-11-18T11:53:00.001-08:00

If you remember this post from back in July, then today's photo will make perfect sense!

Jimmy even cooperated to the point of giving a nice pissy face! Click to enlarge.

I have to thank Dina from Life with the Horde for the inspiration for this post. A while back, she told me about this brand of Black (how appropriate!) Rum called Kraken. They used the whole sea monster theme as their advertising gimmick. And lucky for me, they had a perfect T-shirt! I had a blast wearing it to agility class!

I Am Often Asked........

2011-11-18T10:51:00.001-08:00

......But do they shed?

This came off of Wilson after his bath today. There was easily this much again clinging around the drain, plastered up and down the bathroom walls from the post-bath shake, and the hall carpet was a whole new color due to a layer of fur. And it's still coming out as Wilson's coat finishes drying! I guess he was a tad overdue for a bit of grooming!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Every Picture Tells a Story.......

2011-11-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

.....some just do it better than others!

I have to admit, yesterday's Wordless Wednesday was a bit weak. The photo was less than stellar as Wilson just would not cooperate and give me the pose I was looking for! Also, this was a case where a picture "needs" a thousand words, instead of a picture being worth a thousand words.

There really is a story behind Wilson posing by a storm drain. Way back in the fall of '03, when Wilson was still a young pup, I would take him for bedtime walks around the big block in my neighborhood. On the corner as you leave my little cul-de-sac, the family there had an outgoing gray cat named George. He was often left outside to wander. He'd see us coming and dart down into one of the storm drains. He really wasn't afraid of Wilson as his owners also had a big yellow lab that they also let wander (and poop) all over the neighborhood (....but that's another story!). So George would enter the storm drain and next thing I'd know, I would spot him up the street ahead of us. He had used the sewer piping as his own private little metro system. So one night we are doing our usual circuit, trotting along, minding our own business, when George flies up out of the drain we had just passed and attacks Wilson! Claws out and accompanied by loud hissing, he hit from behind. I guess this was the cat-equivalent of shooting someone in the back. Needless to say, this scared the everliving crap out of mild-mannered Wilson. It got my heart rate on the moon as well! It was a hit and run attack, and before I could react, George was back down the storm drain and gone. I am sure he was very pleased with himself for finally telling this canine newcomer to his neighborhood the way it was going to be. Wilson is a very sensitive boy. He takes things to heart, and this unprovoked attack scared and scarred him badly. The next time we walked around the block, he gave each and every storm drain the hairy-eyeball and a wide berth, and there are ALOT of drains on my block. It developed into a bit of an obsession for him. Every drain needed an inspection to ensure that George was not lurking below. And he certainly could not get up onto the sidewalk by stepping over a drain! The sewer monster would get him for sure! George has since moved away, but Wilson's behavior has continued all these years. When Jimmy came along and had no knowledge of sewer monsters and thus no fear of drains, it did seem to ease Wilson's phobia a bit. As a result, I could not get the exact "Wary Wilson" photo I was looking for. Usually he pokes his head all the way into the crack for a good long look and sniff.

While not George, this gives you the general idea. Oh! The horror!

Wary Wilson's Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T03:51:00.000-08:00

The Weekend Report - Whew! A Double-Q!

2011-11-13T15:00:00.001-08:00

So this weekend was my final trial weekend of the year. It was at a new location, an equestrian center in Fredericksburg, Va. We were in one of the large indoor horse arenas. It was a tad dusty, mainly along the edges, the rings being pretty welled watered down. Of course, this meant many good smells to distract the more nasal-based dogs.

The first class of the day was Standard. It was a nice course. The judge spread out across the space provided. There really weren't too many traps although I almost botched getting Jimmy over the Aframe. Jimmy gave me a nice table and all the bars stayed up! Woohoo! We started our day off with a Q! And when the results were posted, I couldn't believe my eyes! Jimmy earned a 2nd place!

The day was running Tall to Small, so we had a bit of a wait for Jumpers. Once again, it wasn't too tricky. There was one spot heading to the tunnel where Jimmy could decide he wanted the wrong end of the tunnel, but luck was on my side. Again the bars stayed up, and we had a Q! We weren't speedy enough to place in the ribbons but Jimmy came in a very respectable 6th place. When you consider the competition we are up against, Jimmy always does very well in the speed department.

I am sure my smile could have been seen from the moon when we qualified in Jumpers! This broke the long drought on double-q-ing! I won't say I've conquered my ring nerves yet, but I have been working hard on the mental side of the game.

I hung around for another hour in order to play Time to Beat. It was a fun course similar to the JWW run with a teeter and a serpentine thrown in. Unfortunately, when my turn started, the dog just in front of me pooped on his way out of the ring. So, even though I was already three obstacles into my run, the judge made me stop. Jimmy was very confused at this. Once the mess was cleaned up, I got to start again, but my mojo was gone. Jimmy dropped the very first bar as we started again. The judge took pity on me, and let me try to start again. But karma would have none of it, and Jimmy took out one of the bars in the serpentine. So I just cheered him on through the weaves, and in the home stretch, encouraged him to run the line as fast as possible, again cheering him on. In a run where I was Qing, I would never risk talking/cheering while we were running!

I actually signed up for both trial days of the weekend. However, in dog training, you are always supposed to stop a training session on a positive, successful note, quitting with the dog still wanting more. I took this to heart and decided not to drive back for Sunday. This way my year ends with the positive, happy feeling of a double-Q.

Tracking Jimmy's MACH progress:
Excellent B JWW legs: 14 (out of 10 needed for his MXJ) Now he's working on his MXJ2!
Excellent B STD legs: 5 (out of 10 needed for his MX) Halfway to our MX!
Double Q's: 3 (out of 20 double-Q's needed for a MACH)
MACH Points: 270 (out of 750 speed points needed for a MACH)

Time 2 Beat legs: 3 (out of 15 needed for his T2B) 24 points (out of 100 needed)

Catching Up on 11-11-11

2011-11-11T07:28:00.001-08:00

I couldn't let the unique date of today go by without including it in a post, unfortunately I couldn't come up with anything clever! At any rate, Jimmy had fallen behind on the walk, and is rushing to catch up!

Oh! Crap! They moved on without me!

Wait up! I'm coming!

Whew! Caught ya!

One final picture, just because I like it.....

Sending out a huge THANK YOU! to all the Veterans out there.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wilson Wallowing in Wispy Weeds on Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T03:29:00.000-08:00

The Weekend Report - Two Out of Three.......But....

2011-11-07T03:48:00.000-08:00

.....unfortunately not the two out of three I needed for a double-Q. Sigh.

This trial was out on Eastern Shore, Maryland at the beautiful farm I've reported on before. It was a very chilly morning, overcast until midday. Our first fun of the day was Standard and although it looked like it could be tricky, many dogs qualified. Jimmy gave me a beautiful table, nailed his dogwalk contact, and was nice and speedy. When the results were posted, Jimmy had earned a third place ribbon. Good Boy!

Next up, JWW. It really wasn't too bad of a course, just a couple areas of concern. If Jimmy is going to drop a bar, it's usually on a double jump or a triple jump because not only does he have to jump up but he has to jump wider than usual. Unfortunately, there was a double at the back corner of the course, in a spot that made getting a straight on path over it rather difficult. I didn't work the turn quite hard enough to give Jimmy a better angle, and down it went, taking our double-Q with it. I think I see the purchase of a double jump in my future as this needs more practice than a once-a-week class can provide.

At the very end of the day came the Time 2 Beat class. Only one dog earns a ribbon (and 10 points) in this class and the rest earn points based on how close they come to the winner's time. Jimmy gave a nice speedy run and earned another 9 points toward his title. He's now got 24 points/3 legs out of the 100 points/15 legs it takes to title.

I didn't take any photos of the farm this time. I have lots already and just didn't get around to it. I did take one shot as I headed out for home. How's this for an agility trial in the middle of nowhere......?

Tracking Jimmy's MACH progress:
Excellent B JWW legs: 13 (out of 10 needed for his MXJ) Now he's working on his MXJ2!
Excellent B STD legs: 4 (out of 10 needed for his MX) But at least we are now in B class!
Double Q's: 2 (out of 20 double-Q's needed for a MACH)
MACH Points: 244 (out of 750 speed points needed for a MACH)

Time 2 Beat legs: 3 (out of 15 needed for his T2B) 24 points (out of 100 needed)

An Odd Angle

2011-11-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

We were cleaning out junk the other day, and came across an old mirror. Before it could go in the give-away pile, I thought it looked like a good photo prop. Here's Jimmy's first attempt at posing on it....

I need to experiment some more as I did this without any food rewards. Jimmy wasn't completely thrilled about it and, besides, Wilson is much better at the whole super-model thing anyway. When I have more time, I'll have to try for more reflective shots.

But, now you know what Jimmy's white "lightening bolt" markings look like underneath his chin. You know you were curious!

The Lake.....but NCC

2011-11-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

With sunrise so late these days, it's easy to be out and about for an "early light" walk. The past couple of mornings I've walked down by our neighborhood's large lake. With the cool morning temps, the lake gives off a pretty mist. The water is very still and the reflections are lovely. Here are a couple of views of the lake and surrounding vegetation in the final throes of fall color. No corgi content today but still worthy of a post!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Vote for Witchy Wilson over at the Daily Corgi!

2011-11-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Please vote for me!

Wilson has a request so he is putting on his best campaign face. He would like you to vote for his Halloween photo over at The Daily Corgi . All you need to do is email Laurie (thedailycorgi AT gmail.com) and tell her you are voting for Witchy Wilson. That's it. Wilson will be eternally grateful! And so will I!

Wilson Wets his Whistle on Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T04:26:00.000-07:00

Beezelbub Has a Devil Put Aside for Me!

2011-10-31T04:39:00.000-07:00

For Me!.....For Me!

And because once you start using Picnik, you can't stop, here's another.....

The Weekend Report - Aaarrrrgh!

2011-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

I treated myself to a long weekend and signed up for just Friday of a three-day trial.

The first run of the day was JWW, and it was a nice course, not too tricky. Jimmy gave me a beautiful run, speedy and enthusiastic. Unfortunately the last jump was a triple, and he nicked the top bar just hard enough to make it drop. So close, so close, but as they say...Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades!

The only thing I notice in the video was that my last stride was a tad wonky, so maybe that's what messed up Jimmy. Here's the run:

Next came Time 2 Beat, one of the AKC "games". The fastest dog gets the ribbon and 10 points, and everyone else gets points based on how close their time came to the winner. I am not too concerned about titling in T2B, so of course we Q'ed and with a speedy run earned 7 points. To earn a title you must total 100 points and have earned 15 legs, so we will be a while earning this one. We've got 2 legs and 15 points!

And last but not least, Excellent Standard. It was another nice course and, bless his little heart, Jimmy gave me a nice table performance! Our trouble came with a tunnel to the Aframe. Jimmy shot through so fast, I got in his way as he came out. As a result I blocked his view, and he wasn't sure if he should take the Aframe. He balked a little, enough for a refusal but the judge was kind and didn't call it. Next was 4 jumps to the finish. The jump right after the Aframe was straight ahead. I turned to the next jump just a bit too soon and pulled Jimmy off the correct jump. The judge gave me the Aframe and I mishandled the next jump. The Agility gods evened the score ;-)

Here's the run:

I really am starting to get a complex about being able to qualify! Ring nerves sure are taking a toll!

This Just Isn't Right!!!

2011-10-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

We haven't even had our first frost of the season yet and this is what Mother Nature is dishing up this morning....

Sure glad I had nowhere to be in the early AM! The roads are slick and it's still coming down, mainly as ice right now. I had an unusual Friday agility trial yesterday and was on the road at 5:30 am. Good thing this wasn't yesterday's weather! I've got video of another unsuccessful day (I am starting to get a complex!) when I get time to do a weekend report.

Witchy Wilson's Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Weekend Report - It's Me, Not You!

2011-10-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Back in the 90's when Seinfeld was the hottest show going, I watched every episode. On several occasions Jerry would break up with his current girlfriend with the comment, "Oh! No, No, It's Me! Not You!" For this weekend report, I can definitely say, It's Me, Not Jimmy!

This weekend was the Mattaponi KC AKC agility trial in Fredericksburg, Va. Saturday started out great. Standard was our first run of the day. There was a dogwalk/tire discrimination early on, but fortunately the tunnel was the correct choice. Jimmy loves a tunnel so I wasn't worried. My other worry was of course the table! He gave a great performance there, too! The rest was clean and we had a Q! Yippee! Of course this Q set me up for the Double-Q jitters. The Jumpers run had one spot of concern to just about everyone. A tunnel to a jump off to the right 90 degrees and then another 90 degrees to the weaves. Not that bad, but there was an off-course jump quite close to where you needed to shape your weave entry. If you pushed too hard, you could put your dog over that jump. Well, I was a bit over confident, and didn't work Jimmy's entry quite hard enough,. He ran in at the 2nd pole and we were cooked! I needed to take just one more step before turning him. Arrrrggghh! The first "It's Me" of the weekend. And the Double-Q down the drain.....

Today started again with Standard. It was tire, dogwalk, to a jump off to the left with a possible off course tunnel straight ahead but not too close. We made it past this just fine, made the teeter to a left into the weaves, then jump, and table. Crap! I could feel how bad my handling (I knocked the cone over!) was and Jimmy ran past the back edge of the table and yelled at me. If I had thought faster I might have been able to push him up on the side and save it, but alas I went brain-dead and we got a refusal. The second "It's Me" of the weekend. And the rest was fast and clean....No Soup for you! (another Seinfeld line :-) ) We didn't have long to wait for Jumpers. It's started out with a 4 jump serpentine, looped to the right and headed for a tunnel. The left end was off course but the jump pointed to the middle so it wasn't too bad, but it killed alot of Qs! I worked this just enough and we were past it OK. Clean-sailing through the weaves and into the home stretch, but one with funky lines. I thought we had it, but alas Jimmy dropped the 2nd to last bar :-( However it wasn't til I saw the video (thanks Chris!), that I saw that I threw my arm up in a spazzy motion just as he was headed over the jump. There's no doubt that movement caused him to take the bar. So there it was, the third "It's Me" moment. Poor Jimmy, he SO deserves a better handler.

Here's the run:

The Hunt for Red October

2011-10-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

Where's Everyone Going........?

2011-10-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

We are headed over to The Chronicles of Cardigan to vote for Happiness Is photo Number 9!

Won't you please come along?

I am definitely NOT a front runner over there, but if you are so inclined, please vote for Jimmy and Wilson!

I would put the $25 prize/donation toward, what else, but Cardigan Rescue (CWCNRT)!

Just remember......

Number Nine

Number Nine

Weary of Wilson's Wordless Wednesday?

2011-10-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

Fall Festival.....but NCC

2011-10-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous blue sky day, pretty much quintessential fall! We went for a motorcycle ride out to the west toward the mountains. We ended up at what was supposed to be a hot air balloon festival (on a very small scale) but alas it was super-windy, so no balloons.

Here is how pretty the day was:

There was an antique firetruck show.

Another firetruck with a pretty background...oh, and John.

Only in America....Grown men racing around on souped-up lawnmowers!


How silly is this?

MONSTER truck ride, anyone?

On the ride home through the scenic Virginia countryside, we saw what was once a gas station, way back when. It looked like a good photo-op.

And finally, the route home took us past a restaurant that serves a kick-ass Reuben sandwich. We rounded out the day (and our bellies!) with a nice dinner.

Jimmy would have thought this was a tavern just for him!

We've had A LOT of rainy weather this fall, so it was great to get out and enjoy the sunshine and scenery!

One AMAZING Cardigan!!!!

2011-10-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the USDAA Cynosport World Games in Kentucky. USDAA for those that don't know, is another highly popular agility venue. I just checked some of the results and saw that Shelley Permann and her Cardigan Letti WON the 8 inch Performance Grand Prix! Woohoo! Major congratulations to Shelley and Letti, although I doubt she reads my blog :-)

And this is far from Letti's first time in first place! For those of you that get the Cardigan Bulletin, Letti is featured on the inside back cover with an incredibly long list of agility accomplishments! This dog is so beyond amazing! Lightening fast and accurate. When people snicker at seeing a Cardigan as an agility dog, one only need point at Letti and the point is made! Obviously, Letti is blessed with a world-class handler as well!

Here's a link to the winners' photo : http://www.usdaa.com/article.cfm?newsid=1928

And while we are talking USDAA, let me also congratulate two of the 22 inch winners:

Claudia Bates, one of the owners of the school Jimmy and I train at. She and her BC took 2nd place in the Performance Grand Prix.

Paulena Simpson, my instructor, with her BC, took 3rd place.

Just 'Cause........

2011-10-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

....I like them! The pictures and the dogs! I was out the other morning just before the sun was up and clearing the trees. There was actually a pretty sunrise behind the boys, but this is how the camera caught it.

The boys gave such a focused look at me. They are really getting this whole "posing" thing!

On this one, I liked how the light outlined Jimmy so nicely. He looks quite thoughtful here.

And here are the lovely colors I was trying to get for my background of the boys.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cat Tales....so NCC

2011-10-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

This post was inspired by Elizabeth's recent post at Chronicles of Cardigan.

I haven't had cats in my life in quite a while. It's not that I don't like them, it's just I'd rather not deal with some of their more annoying behaviors. The dogs provide me with plenty of those without adding cat quirks.

Way back in 1980 and '81 (yes, eons ago!), I lived in New Orleans for a spell. What a fabulous place, I truly loved my time there. While living there, a couple of stray kittens made their way into my life. They were beautiful domestic longhairs, one all white and one a rusty black. They were named to reflect their birthplace, Cajun and Jazz, respectively. Of course, when I moved back to the East Coast, they came along. I settled in an apartment near Annapolis, MD (another great location!) that backed up to a golf course. There was a small strip of trees between the apartment property and the golf course fairway. With all the open ground, my cats soon became indoor/outdoor cats. Cajun developed the funniest little habit that always made me smile. However, I am not so sure the golfers were smiling. He would position himself in the little strip of trees and just hang out. When a golf ball would land out in the middle of the green, he would fly out from his hiding spot, and start to bat the ball around! He'd really have a good go at it, moving the little ball well off from where it landed. When the golfers arrived, he would zoom off back to the trees. I saw him do this on numerous occasions, so it was definitely a game to him. Hopefully none of the golfers took their games so seriously that they failed to see the humor in the situation.

A few years later, I was living in another apartment, this time in Virginia. This one backed up to a large wooded park. I was on the ground floor, and the cats came and went through the sliding glass doors of the patio. By this time, I had first Cardi Dylan as well. The area just behind my apartment was a nice grassy strip that made a perfect place to play frisbee. Dylan and I would go out there, leaving the door wide open. That way the cats could come and go as they pleased. One day I was out tossing the frisbee, standing a bit of a distance from my patio. The cats were hanging out inside. Around the far end of the building came a free-ranging Lab with no owner in sight. He was just moseying around, headed in my direction. I wasn't too worried as Dylan wasn't a fighter. The Lab had to pass my open patio door on his way to visit Dylan and I guess that was just too much of an invitation to resist. He veered through the open door before I had even had a moment to react. Before I could even reach the patio, he came HAULING back out of the door, yelping in fright, with two cats painfully attached to his back! They let go after a few paces, still spitting mad, but satisfied they had defended their territory. I imagine that Lab thought twice before exploring another open door.

Wilson? Werewolf? Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

Makes Me Think of Peter Frampton

2011-10-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Here's Jimmy practicing his weave poles in our backyard. He's a speedy little devil!

Pictures by the Pro

2011-10-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

At the agility trial this past weekend, the very talented Jim Poor was there taking the action shots. As is always the case when he shoots, I can't resist buying something. And of course, I want to share!

I like all the color and how the jumps frame Jimmy. His black coat sure stands out! He looks like he is looking right into the camera.

This was our Standard run on Sunday when it was just pouring down rain. The whole shot is speckled with the heavy raindrops.

Wile E Wilson? Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Weekend Report - Winning the raffle used up my luck!

2011-10-03T04:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this weekend kicked off the fall season of agility trials. I certainly hope the way this trial went won't set the pace for the rest I have scheduled. Unfortunately, Jimmy and I went 0 for 4! Each run had at least one bobble, and that's all it takes to kill the Q!

This trial is one of the few outdoor trials I attend. And we have been having the rainiest weather lately. ( I don't know how all those Pacific North Westerners deal with it!) As this past week started out, the forecast looked promising for a sunny weekend. But by the Friday, it had changed to overcast with showers. Drat!
The whole ride down on Saturday morning, I drove through showers. Midway there, the sun struggled to come out, and I was treated to a lovely rainbow. I took it as a good omen.

Happily, the showers ended just as I was getting close to the trial site. We actually had a fairly pleasant and cool day on Saturday. Not lots of sun, but enough to warm it up a bit, and, best of all, no rain.

Now, being fresh from vacation and lots of rainy weather meant Jimmy had had very little practice. Actually in the span of 3 weeks he had attended just one class, so probably a total of 10 minutes of ring time, if that. And absolutely nothing in my yard which is a hideous mudpit.This translates into Jimmy being a bit wild. Our first run on Saturday was JWW. It was a very tight, and challenging course. Alas, a bar went down. You get one guess what went wrong in our Standard run an hour later........yep....Jimmy wouldn't get on the table on his first try. I think my handling getting to it wasn't great, and, of course, it is Jimmy's least favorite piece of equipment. Who wants to stop when you can have fun running? So Saturday was a washout even though it didn't rain!

Sunday started out cloudy and gray. Not as much rain on the drive down, but heavier clouds even at the trial site. Again, the first class of the day was JWW. It was another tight, tight course. (What's this judge run himself, chihuahuas?) Jimmy did a nice job, but alas he hit a bar early on. Here it is:

And then Standard....It started Tire, panel jump, to a dogwalk/tunnel discrimination, where Jimmy needed to go up the dogwalk. This is never good as Jimmy loves those tunnels! And there was a complicating detail...it had begun to pour down rain just a few dogs before my turn. Turn up your speakers and you'll hear it coming down! Well, of course, a tunnel looks dry and cozy, so Jimmy shot in despite my directions. He even tried to go through a second time! So, we were done from the get-go. Happily, he did do the table later on, and the off-course tunnel was our only mistake.

So, a weekend without any Q's. Sigh......I am going to blame it on this...Saturday, the club held a raffle to raise money for the club. One of the items being raffled was a very nice tote bag. I bought a few tickets and put them all toward winning the bag. And when I got back to the trial on Sunday, sure enough, I had won! Woohoo! But I would happily have traded that bag for just one Double-Q!

PS Special thanks to fellow Cardigan owner Chris T. for filming Sunday's runs.

Last But Not Least.....

2011-09-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I have finally come to the end of the pictures from our vacation. Since it seems we never go anywhere but Myrtle, I guess my photos get a bit repetitive. But I do have a fun time seeing what the camera coughs up!

After many weekends without, I have an agility trial this weekend. It's an outdoor event, so hopefully the weather cooperates. We have had endless rain lately. The agility course may be a mudpit, who knows....Anyway, think good thoughts for us as we continue our quest for Double-Qs.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Other Black Beauty

2011-09-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Handsome devil, isn't he? OK, I'm a little bit partial......

The blog title I chose brings up an old memory of first Cardi, Dylan. When he was a young pup and then an busy adolescent, he had free run of my apartment at the time. I knew nothing of crate training and the many benefits it provided. So, of course, it was always a crap shoot as to what I would find when I got home from work. He did an incredible amount of damage on his journey to adulthood! On one particular day, I came home to find he had taken an interest in the small bookcase I had. It was a piece of furniture my father had made by hand and had done a beautiful job with. Dylan had chewed off one of the corners, and scattered all the books around on the floor. The books were mainly contemporary novels, left over college text books, etc. Dylan had pretty much ignored all of the books, except one. The only one I really didn't want torn up, my 1929 copy of Black Beauty filled with beautiful color plates by the artist N.C.Wyeth. The cover was chewed to ruin, many pages torn out and the binding tugged apart. It was a total loss and fit only for the trash can. *Sigh* It was completely my fault. A young dog should never be left to his own devices. But why, oh why, did he have to pick that book?

Whacky Wilson's Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

The Mailbox.........but NCC*

2011-09-27T05:02:00.000-07:00

*NCC...No Corgi Content

On the day we headed to the beach without the boys, we took a long, leisurely walk north, headed toward that far off North Carolina town. After walking and hunting for Sand Dollars for about thirty minutes, we could spy an American flag poking up above one of the dunes. As we got closer, more of the scene revealed itself.....

We had come upon a mailbox in the middle of nowhere. Climbing the dune and looking behind the mailbox showed that there was nothing but more dunes, scrubland, and salt marshes. Of course, curiosity demanded that we look inside the box. It was filled with notebooks and pens. The notebooks were filled with comments of all kinds written by beach combers like us. One whole notebook was filled on 9/11, comments reflecting the writers' memories of that day. Some notebooks contained letters written by smitten teenagers. In yet another, one poignant note started, "Dear Daddy, This is my first visit to the mailbox since you left to be with our Lord. I miss you so very much.....". That one left quite a lump in my throat and stinging eyes. Many other comments where just people from all over, stating they had been there on such and such a day and where they were from. All in all, the mailbox was a very interesting and insightful find.

Of course, John and I each left our own notes behind. But if you want to know what we wrote, you will need to discover this odd little spot for yourselves.

I'll end with one more picture from that walk. The clouds that day were huge and towering!

I Got Your Back!

2011-09-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

Back to Back Buddies!

Living the T-Shirt Life!

2011-09-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

"Dirty dogs have more fun"

Occasionally......

2011-09-23T05:25:00.000-07:00

....We have the nerve! to go to a beach without the boys. This beach is right on the South Carolina/North Carolina line. You need a boat to get to it, or take a very, very long walk from a NC beach town further north along the beach.....

Or, as someone did, ride a beach bike.....

It was old and weathered and very photogenic.

No people for miles around....Ahhhh!

So pretty and peaceful

The little rectangle in the water is our jetski.

I love Sea Oats.

Close-up!

Me playing King of the Hill, or in this case Sand Dune.


The beach was covered in Sand Dollars, but since most were broken I just call it Spare Change.

We brought some lunch along which ensured we had friends. Apparently gulls don't eat carrots or peppers. Click to enlarge.

On the ride home, we stopped for a beer at a restaurant on the InterCoastal Waterway. This is what we looked at.

What a view!

Best She-Crab Soup Ever!

The New Sky Wheel in Myrtle Beach

2011-09-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

Last spring when we visited Myrtle Beach, downtown on the new boardwalk, the very beginnings of a Sky Wheel were in the works. This time, this huge 200 foot high ferris wheel was fully operational. The glass cars hold up to 8 people and are fully air-conditioned. Alas, no pets allowed so no Way-up! pictures of Wilson on the ride.

Now I do have a little bit of fear of heights, but I wasn't going to let that stop me! I just knew the view would be too great to miss. The wheel is covered in lights and runs through a range of colors and patterns. It's very pretty to watch. Our condo is at least a couple of miles north, but you can still see the wheel all lit up at night if you stand out on the beach.

A view from the 14th St. pier restaurant

Standing right next to it on the boardwalk side.

A view of the main drag from up top!

The reflection of the wheel on a nearby hotel

Looking up at the base as we exited the ride

Down the street a bit as we headed to the car

One final shot from Wilson's WW shoot.

Wilson's What a Wheel! Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

The Hydra of Greek Mythology?

2011-09-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

Or would it be Herders of Greek Mythology?

Early Morning

2011-09-17T05:40:00.000-07:00


A cup of coffee and this view: What a way to start the day!

We had some gorgeous sunny and hot weather for a few days. However, the cold snap that has hit the country in many areas has also arrived in Myrtle Beach. It went from the high 80's/low 90's to not quite reaching 70! Today is overcast and misty over the ocean. The boys don't mind the change though!

Sometimes You Win.......

2011-09-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

Alright! We made it out!

Sometimes You Lose.........

Holy Crap!

I really didn't want saltwater in my ears!

Wilson's View

2011-09-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Here's what Wilson sees if he isn't looking down at the ground for dogs/people to watch.........But NCC.

Looking north up the coast, 11 floors up.

Full moon over the Atlantic Ocean.

Wilson's Way-up Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T04:50:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Says......

2011-09-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

.......BRING IT ON!

Cyclops....?

2011-09-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

.....or a science project gone horribly wrong?

It's All Relative......

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

...... to Jimmy.

Anne, of Fine Creek Cardigans, just sent me a very recent photo of Jimmy's beautiful grandmother Taffy (owned, trained and loved by Janet D.). She turned 15 in July and is still going strong. She was still doing agility at 13! She has earned many performance titles and is a Champion as well. I sure hope that Jimmy inherited her longevity!

Here she is:

CH Fine Creek's Salt Water Taffy

While I am on the topic of relatives, I also have a photo of Jimmy's grandfather, Laser. I met him at one of the Cardigan Nat'l Specialties I attended in KY, so the picture is not too recent. He also has many performance titles in addition to his championship.

CH Coedwig Vestavia Luminescence

And last but certainly not least, an adorable photo of Jimmy with his mother (Faeriesteed’s Deep Blue Sea, “Gidget”) taken by Anne:

Can it get any cuter?!

Which One's Wilson? Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T07:43:00.001-07:00

The Scottish Festival

2011-09-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, there was a Scottish Festival out toward the mountains at a place called Great Meadows in The Plains, Virginia. It advertised itself as being very dog-friendly and it was. Unfortunately, the weather was anything but...It was super-humid and hot. When we left home it was overcast so the heat didn't seem so bad. By the time we reached the event, and the sun broke through, phew, it was steamy.

No Scottish event is complete without bagpipes and kilts!

While primarily a Scottish theme, one of the fences was lines with flags from all over........

Near and dear to us Cardi loving folk....The Welsh flag.

An interesting fellow......

In order to interest John in going, I told him the event was including a British car show. Little did I know, it was a very, very small show!

These were about it for the car show. Ten to fifteen cars, tops!

Next we came upon a booth offering Welsh cookies. There was a whole history behind the cookies as they were the same recipe used for generations. These cookies used to go down in the mines with the men because they kept so well. So here you have a picture of my Welsh Corgis in front of his Welsh Cookies!

Who could pass up this photo-op?

Included in the event was a herding demonstration with a well-trained border collie. It was in a large field and the sheep were pretty far off. We sat in the only sliver of shade we could find, gave the boys some water, and waited. The woman hosting the show talked on and on....in the hot sun....and had lost half her audience by the time she finally got to the demo. As the BC started it's amazingly long and wide outrun to get the sheep, it's movement finally caught Jimmy's eye. I love the intensity in his eye. The wheels in his head turned on and started spinning. I know he must have been thinking: Oh! Thank doG! She did bring us to this stinking hot place for a good reason. Maybe this will be worth it afterall." Of course, it was not to be. I felt rather bad for getting his hopes up.

Wait a minute! Is that what I think it is?!?!

And here is Wilson, taking in the scene. Knowing him as I do, I can see his wheels turning, too!

Now that's what I'm talking about! Sheep!

Jimmy to Wilson: Hey, dude, tell me you see it too!? I can't believe my eyes! Oh, happy days!

And what Celtic event would be complete without a dragon? Or a burly man in a skirt, for that matter!

By the time we had walked to the end of a row of vendors and back, we were all over-heated and cranky. It had the potential to be a fun outing for the dogs, but they really do wilt in that kind of weather. Me, too!

But our day wasn't done yet! We hopped back in the car, got the A/C blasting, and headed for part two of our day! And it more than made up for the tease of seeing sheep! We went down to Lake Anna for a BBQ with friends who own a summer home on the lake. The second Wilson was out of the car, he could smell the water! I was dragged downhill to the dock and he was wet up to his eyeballs instantly, all thoughts of sheep-herding erased. One of the neighbors nearby was throwing a big party on their dock so we headed over there.
I so wish I had had my camera along. Several young adults were hurling themselves into the water, cannonball-style, one after the other, splash, splash, splash! Jimmy went ballistic wanting to control the herd of swimming people. He ran out into the water and started swimming for them as fast as he could! They were pretty far out and he just kept going. He was gonna round them up no matter what! After much shouting from me, he eventually turned around, and came back. So we played fetch for quite a while, much to the boys delight. At one point, another totally great photo-op I missed, Wilson dove off the side of the dock after his stick. The dock was at a minimum, two feet above the water! This left Jimmy stranded on the dock, wanting to jump in, but too scared. He frantically paced back and forth a few seconds, figured it out, and ran back off the dock, entered the water from the shore, swam out to Wilson, and stole his stick!

We finally headed for home at about 9PM. The instant the dogs were in the car, they were sound asleep! And they pretty much slept through Monday. I tried to take them for a morning walk, but they would have none of it. They took care of business and made it totally clear they wanted to go home.

Rain is in the forecast for pretty much this whole week. The boys have a long opportunity to relax and recover.

So Sl-e-e-e-e-e-py!

2011-09-05T04:54:00.000-07:00

So tired...Can't keep my tongue in......

Go away. You're bothering me!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Beginnings and Endings

2011-09-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't had my camera out much recently so I don't have any new photos to share. So, I thought I'd look at ones I have but not posted before.

This first one is of our first night ever with baby Wilson. We drove all the way to the big Lexington, KY dog show to meet him (and Marla), a long 10 hour drive. Obviously we weren't going to just turn around and drive home so we stayed at the La Quinta. Here's Wilson relaxing on the bed:

Wilson thinking: Gee, knuckle bones as big as my head! Maybe this "new home" thing won't be so bad after all!

Next, Jimmy on one of his very early days with us. Hard to believe he was ever so small!

Trouble Contained!!!!!

As this weekend marks the traditional end to summer, I am both glad and sad. I love that the weather will give way to crisp, low humidity days and beautiful colors on the trees. I am sad as the hours of daylight dwindle and we have less and less time to play outdoors. The boys don't care about the daylight, the night sounds and smells are equally fascinating as far as they are concerned. They say "Bring on the cold weather, that's what we love!"

Have a great 3-day weekend, everyone!

Whipped Wilson's Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Pillow Fight?

2011-08-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

This was the scene in the front guest room when I got home from giving John a ride to pick up his motorcycle from the shop. It looks like either the boys had quite the pillow fight while we were out, or some early winds from approaching Hurricane Irene whirled things around a bit! Since the windows were closed tight, I don't think Irene is to blame :-)

What an odd week, we started with an earthquake and we are ending with a hurricane. Mother Nature must have had her Wheaties for sure! I hope all my East Coast friends weather this storm well!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE!

(and try to stay safe and dry!)