US Open

The pictures in the previous post are of Alexa (my neice), Ryan (my nephew), and Chris (my sister-in-law, their mother). Here is a photo of Matt, chris, Joseph, and I at the U.S. Open.

New York Vacation

Joseph and I just got back from New York today. We spent a few days in Long Island and a few days near Lake George, NY, in my hometown. A close relative implied my blog was boring because all I talk about is dogs. So, I've added some non-dog photos to this post....Trip highlights: eating good soft served (blueberry cheesecake with rainbow sprinkles) ice cream at Cooper's Cave in Glens Falls, NY with my brother, Greg, watching Ryan (age 8), Alexa (age 7), and Taylor (age 2) play tennis, beating Ryan in ping pong, going to the U.S. Open, meeting up with Guthrie (cousin) and Jenny (his wife) in Manhattan, and watching Joseph puke 6 times in front of everyone after landing at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport. Unfortunately, Joseph has caught some bug and is now sick in bed. Hopefully he recovers quickly.

Vote for Bailey!!!

It is that time of year again and Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue has started their annual fundraiser. For the last year I have been an active volunteer with this organization. The people who volunteer for this group dedicate their free time and extra money to help save and rehome chessies. Over the last year we've had many successful adoptions and have saved several chessies from being put to sleep in a strange place (shelter) among strangers. this has all been made possible by the money raised in last year's fundraiser and donations made throughout the year.

So, I am asking everyone to vote for Bailey's picture in the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief and Rescue (CBRR&R) photo contest. Bailey made the 2008 calendar and was Miss April. Please help her make the 2009 calendar by voting for her. Each vote costs $2.00 and you can vote as many times as you want. 100% of money raised will go toward helping save and rehome chesapeake bay retrievers. All money spent on voting is tax deductible!!! You can pay via paypal or credit card.

Bailey's picture is included on this post and is titled "Bailey on the Appalachian Trail". this is the one to vote for.

To vote, go to http://www.cbrrescue.org/

Once you are at the website, click on the link for the photo contest. Then scroll down until you find Bailey's picture, and the title next to it. She is toward the bottom of the list. (I just posted her picture and other pictures with lots of votes have been posted for a while). Voting ends in mid-September.

thanks so much to all who vote!!

Our Latest Camping Trip

Joseph and I went hiking/camping with our young friends, Jamie, Christine, and their slightly older brother, Thomas. Jamie, Christine, & Thomas are our dog sitters, neighbors, family away from family, and friends. This was our first camping & hiking excursion with 4 dogs. It was great to have 3 others to help out with the dogs. The trip was great except for a few mishaps on our way home. While eating lunch on a sidewalk cafe in Brevard, NC, Bailey threw up, grossing out two small boys and a girl walking by and Gracie lunged at a dog walking by, jumping up from under a table and knocking over Joseph's chili dogs, soda, and Thomas' water. Bailey also threw up in the truck requiring us to pull over for cleanup duties. If you ever go camping, PLEASE bury any of your darn toilet paper so someone's dog does not surrender to the temptation to eat it. GROSS!!!! Please leave no trace.....

A few more wedding pictures

I am still trying to get together a few pictures for family and friends. It's a challenging task picking a few pictures out of 1200. I've narrowed things down to 188 photos. Here a few family photos I thought you might enjoy.

First pool swim

Our pack added two new dogs to their list of canine friends, Sadie and Lotus. Lotus didn't care for our pack too much, but Sadie tolerated being cornered by Gracie, Bailey, and Ella quite well. Sadie generously shared her pool and toys. Bailey demonstrated her true chessie spirit. She belly flopped a dozen times into the pool. It was awesome to watch and she loved every minute of it. Gracie swam around the pool trying to get the toys before Bailey while Ella ran around the edge chasing her sisters and new friend. Maybe next time Ella will be brave enough to jump in!