Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Doggie Play Date

Surely we've all had those surreal moments when you question what is real and what might be the result of multiple prescription medications taken at too close an interval.

Welcome to the Llano Grande celebration of Fred and Phil!




Fred and Phil are Schnauzer brothers - one silver and one black - who will be a gift for the owner of our RV resort. I'm a little fuzzy about why he's getting them, but do you really care?
They're shown above with their foster parents, the couple who trained them.
You'll notice the table also holds party hats and I did see a German Shepherd wearing one.
The table also holds water bottles. Those are for the doggie guests, not the owners.



There I am sitting next to Vickki with Bella on my lap. 
Bella didn't feel the need to schmooze.
She was actually a little overwhelmed by the number of dogs present.
See the table propped up by the fence?
There are people standing behind it, outside the fence. These people seemed mystified by the doings. I don't really blame them either. I asked if they thought we were crazy, and they said the dogs seemed sane.



Quite a crowd turned out. The afternoon had a full schedule of events with dog agility trials, a guest lecturer and a "bone hunt".

Bella and I left early. She had no patience with the dog trainer or his perfectly behaved dog, and it seemed a silly way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

I went home to drink mimosas.
Bella is taking a nap.
My family in the mid-west is shoveling snow.
Maybe they would have liked the dog play date.

Thanks to Vikki and Charley for the photos!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Bella's Valentine

Bella got a valentine today!





It's from Riley, the dashing Bichon Frise' she met at the dog park.


Riley walks by two or three times a day.
It's an exciting event for Bella, who immediately requests a stroll.


Rumor has it that Riley gave cards to three other girls but Bella seems OK with that.


The best thing - it's an edible card!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

F A T Texas



All summer at Pomme de Terre Lake - every Thursday evening  at 5:30 - a group of us meet at a restaurant for FAT. That's Friends At Table. We get together to swap jokes and drink beer and just generally have a good time.

Mike and Marcia, members of long standing, introduced us to the club. They are our neighbors here at Llano  and at the lake. So here we are, four members of FAT in Texas, when the President of FAT and First Lady of FAT come down to visit.


President Tim with the official FAT seal.
The motto?
E Pluribus Eatm


Left to right Toni, First Lady Linda, Mike, Marcia, Grace and Lester


John, Tim and Toni.
Toni's husband Ernie was at a brewer's meeting. He makes beer, lots of varieties of beer.
They are a very, very popular couple.



Mike, Marcia and First Lady Linda with camera.


Lester and Grace are from Cleveland MO, close to a blueberry farm I went to every summer.



Toni with a gummy bear.
Yes, I said GUMMY BEAR!


Add caption of your choice here.

It was a great FAT Thursday in Texas!

S P I

We drove to South Padre for lunch this week.
The seafood is amazing there, and we wanted to beat the early spring break students.
In a few weeks the beach will be solidly packed with nubile young people and bitter jealousy will make the trip impossible for me to stand.



I spent most of my life in mid-America so this sign is humorous to me. And the sign is always flashing.



Outdoor seating at Pier 19 - one of our favorite places to eat at Padre.


Temperatures are record-setting this week - 88 degrees today - so people were eating inside.



Click on the above photo to find the fishermen in waders.


It's not the life for everybody but we're making it work.