Happy Anniversary

Happy First Anniversary Sara and Toby! Can you believe its a year already!

Love you,

Mom and Dad

Sunday stills, Textures....

Sometimes I just take pictures and wonder what I will ever use them for LOL, digital cameras are wonderful for that! I take a lot more pictures with my digital than I would with film.

I took these when it was really cold out a few weeks ago around Christmas, then Ed posts a challange of textures, and I thought these ice pictures would be great! These are from the window on our deck overlooking the hot tub, crazy patterns, some look like snowflakes, some look like a bug crawled around LOL. To enjoy more Sunday Stills visit the link.

Coastal Farm and Ranch surprise....

We drove over to Gresham today to Coastal Farm and Ranch. I had gotten an e flyer from them and they had Purina Sr. on sale, or so I thought LOL. the sale doesnt start until Feb. (((sigh))) I normally pay almost $21 a bag for it at our local feed store, with tax, the Ad flyer had it for $14.99! Anyway I have to wait to get the sale price untill next month, but, I only paid $16.99 a bag for it today, we bought 2 bags. A bag usually lasts Easy about 2 weeks. Hubby also found a light weight Carharrt jacket too! Coastal has irregulars for $39.99! He found one to fit and is really happy with it! He has been wanting a light jacket to wear, all he had are heavy ones.

Surprise surprise! While I was trying to find an employee and ask them about the sale price I had a very pretty lady come up to me and say "Hi, do you know who I am? Arent you Reddunappy?" Took me a second and her telling me she was Star's Mom, LOL it was Jocelyn from My life with Star/For the Love of a Horse What a nice surprise to meet her at Coastal! She is the first Blogger friends that I have been able to meet in person! So Cool! I have no idea how she recognized me LOL but I am glad she did,(I know other than  pictures on my blog LOL) it was nice to say "Hi" in person. Thanks Jocelyn!!!

Puppy training at the Mall....

We met downstairs at the Mall in front of Macys.

Seven dogs and about 12-15 people showed up!

The yellow pup in this first picture is Josh, he came on the puppy truck with Dublin, not a litter mate though, all of Dublins litter start with a D. Only one from Dublins litter came with him and he is being raised in Portland, his name is Doug. Josh is a really pretty darker red puppy.

The point of taking them to the Mall was to expose them to open stairs and balconys and lots of people, the club leader even threw some kibble on the floor to walk them over, they are suposed to ignore it, only one tried to grab some, thats pretty good.

I gave Dublin to a new guy that wants to join the club, so that he could be worked by a stranger, both of them did good. I followed along and took pictures, I got quite a workout though, I usually dont do stairs because of my knees, and they walked fast! LOL

Dublin kept checking for Meghan and I, but he did mind Todd pretty well. We had to back off and follow from a greater distance, so he would listen to Todd better.  Isnt he cute in his little jacket.

Here we walked through JC Pennys.

Dublins first ride in an elevator, he really didnt care! He is a pretty mellow pup.

Back up the stairs at the other end of the Mall

Here we stopped by the food court. Dublin isnt in this picture, but while we were standing here a janitor brushed by him and a huge stroller with little kids went in front of him and lots of people, all he did was look and wag is tail a little, he is so good, it really would be a shame to have his teeth cause him to be career changed because he is so good, not much phases him when we are out. He does get a little excited before we go and wouldnt poop at home or outside the Mall, and dang it if after he relaxed on the walk if he didnt poop in the mall, I cleaned up fast and we went on our way. The club leader said and 6mo old he was still pretty little, and to not worry about it yet, but he has done this a few times now, but yes he has only been on the planet for 6 mos, so we will see how he does, I have to find his potty trigger before we go somewhere so we dont have these accidents. Having potty acccidents is something else that can have him career changed, they have to go only when they are told.

Here is Dublin and Todd, just before the stroller went in front and around them.

Back down some stairs, Todd was really good and patient with Dublin, occationaly he likes to rush stairs, and Todd waited until all the other pups were off of the staircase and then walked him down.

And close to the bottom, they did good, it was nice to take a pic from this angle, then I had to catch up! LOL

Then we met again with the rest of the group, we had split into two groups to walk the Mall, and talked for awhile, this is Dublin, and usually as excited as he gets, he watchs everything though, but he layed quiet and was a good good boy. The slick tile floors can be a challenge to for a dog, he either had to stand or lie down, or his front feet would slide and or he would scoot backwards LOL.

Here are a couple of the older black Lab pups, all the puppies were very well behaved and as usual with a group of Guide Dog puppies, if you didnt see them, you wouldnt know they were there.

So that was a training walk at the Mall, next month we are going on the MAX transit into Portland again, but on a Saturday, at one in the afternoon, not 7 at night in the dark and rain, it should be fun! I had better remember my camera!

Sunday stills, Sports....

Horses are my favorite sport.

These are from Meghans WAHSET equestrian team last year, still all the pics taken by me.

Sunday Stills

Please go to the link above to see what others have posted for the challenge.

Dinner out and an award....

We got to have a nice dinner at a very beautiful Bed and Breakfast on Tues. night. Hubby got voted "Safe worker of the year" by his peers at work.

Here is Hubby on the left geting his award certificate.

Here is the view from where we were sitting, the lights behind the curtains are a pretty touch. This is the small banquet room of the The Fairgate Inn here in Camas Wa. I believe it was built in the last 10-12 years. It is huge! We wanted to tour the place after dinner, but they turned off all the lights upstairs, so we figured we shouldnt go up there, just in case there were paying B&Bers.

This is the stair case right inside the front entry, there are stained glass lights on each side at the bottom, around the stair case on either side leads to the banquet room.

Here is one of the stained glass lights, of course the flash washed the colors out some. Everything is beautiful here, done very tasteful, the walls are a sage green, and there are burgandy accents everywhere.

There is a large living room with a fire place to the right as you come in the front door.

Here is a close up of this fire place, everything is very Victorian in style.

Beyond the living room or "parlor" if you will, is a quite classic mens "smoking" room or library, complete with leather chairs and a big desk.

This is the perfect "gentlemens room" Beautiful woodwork is integral in this whole place, it reminds me of a southern mansion.

to the left of the entry foyer, is a smaller dining room, also elegantly furnished. Check out that side table!

There is one bedroom on the ground floor, each are named with a brass plaque on the door, I think this is the "Cottswald" room. Hubby said it was to fancy for him LOL. The rooms here rent for $125.-$175. a night.

Back out to the foyer, candelabras on each side, fresh flowers, beautiful little touchs everywhere.

The front door has pretty stained glass too, and the beautiful mahogany stained wood.

Detail of the front draperys in that small dining room, just to the left of the front doors as you come in.

This is the front entrance, as we walked out. I have a small beef with all the pots and stuff on the front steps, as I came out in the dark, or even as we walked in, there was no place for me to hold a hand rail at all. Down the center is some kind of lights, but I really need a hand rail, I almost fell coming out in the dark, you come down all those stairs and then there is another 4 feet and another short stair, very hard for me to see in the dark. They need more lighting and access to the hand rails to be safe for people with disabilities, even mild ones like mine. Someone with bad knees that needs a hand rail would have a problem too. I should have held onto Hubbys arm when we came out.
We did have a wonderful dinner, bread, with real butter, julian carrots and yellow and green zuchini, chicken alfredo, red potato wedges and Prime rib roast. Iced tea to drink, tasted like a double bergomot Earl Grey, kinda wierd for an ice tea for me, and I am a tea drinker. Dessert was brownies, carrot cake, apple cake, and a rasberry lemon square. The food was very good and not over done, the vegies were crisp and the Prime rib rare like Hubby likes it.

This is the banquet room from the side of the building where we were parked. The parking lot was really narrow and not condusive to our big F350, but we managed to park ok lol.

I hope you enjoyed our little trip to dinner, I wanted to take many more pictures, by I am getting the eye roll and the tourest comment when I take my camera out now LOL but I do it anyway LOL

Sunday Stills, Moods and emotions....

I chose to post these pictures of dogs for this challenge, I think all of see something different in a dogs look,

The look of mischieviousness in a puppys face,

Patient exceptance in another puppys face,

Devotion in an older dogs face,

That regal look of a Labrador,

What emotions do you think they may experience? Although very different from our own, they do have emotions. What emotions do they bring out in you?

I hope I covered this one ok, puppy pictures always have the "awe cute" factor for most people.

For more Sunday stills visit here Sunday Stills

Dublins teeth again....

Awwwe Dublin, with his favorite chewy, and getting spoiled by Meghan. Dublin thinks that bean bag chair is pretty cool, he doesnt get on it on his own though, only when Meghan asks him up.

I had to take more pictures of Dublins teeth, the lower right canine is still coming in crooked.

In this next picture you will be able to see where the tooth is hitting the roof of his mouth and causing a bruise.

You can see the dark spot right below Meghans thumb, and the upper canine. He was so good for these pictures, he is a good little dog, with the right kind of mind to be a guide. But they have strict medical criteria, and 40% get career changed because of medical issues.

And the left side, which is looking pretty normal. I dont know what this will mean for Dublins career, whether or not he will be carreer changed, which would be for medical reasons. I hope that the Guide Dogs vet has good news, I sent the pictures to our club leader and he forwarded them to the vet with Dublins history, again. If he gets carreer changed there is a chance that we will get to adopt him. We will see what happens. If he is offered to us by Guide Dogs, we probably will take him, he is a fun little personality.

I hung up my bridle today....

This poem touched me to the core. I have so been struggling with this. I brings tears to my eyes every time I reread it.  Keep reading, as the copy I recieved said at the top, it gets better at the end. For those of us that love horses, it really hits a cord.
..................................................................................................................................
I Hung up my Bridle Today

by Kris Garrett

11-11-09



Yesterday,
 for the first time, I was too tired to ride
Yesterday,
for the first time, I was afraid I
would be hurt if I was thrown
Yesterday,
for the first time, I heard someone
say my barn was too shabby
Yesterday,
 for the first time, I let someone tell me I was too pudgy to ride
Yesterday,
 for the first time, I realized I was old
Yesterday,
for the first time, I had to face that I could no longer keep up
Yesterday,
for the first time, I had to let go of my dreams
Yesterday,
 for the first time, I felt my heart break
Yesterday,
 for the first time, I turned my back on my friend
Yesterday,
for the first time, I knew I was done

Today,
 for the last time, I felt warm, braided leather in my hands.
Today,
 for the last time, I ran my stirrups up so they wouldn't bang my mare's sides
Today,
 for the last time, I released the buckles on the girth and watched my girl sigh
Today,
for the last time, I slowly dropped the bit so it wouldn't hit her teeth
Today,
for the last time, I gave my mare a cookie to thank her for the ride
Today,
for the last time, I buried my head in her soft, warm neck
Today,
for the last time, I inhaled the sun and the dust in her long winter coat
Today,
for the last time, I closed the gate and trudged to the muddy porch
Today,
for the last time, I tracked hay and horse hair into my house
Today,
for the last time, I pulled off my boots
and felt the sting of warm blood returning to my cold toes
Today,
 for the first time, I cried after my ride
Today,
for the first time, I felt my hands shake as I set the saddle on its rack
Today,
for the first time, I hugged my young trainer a final goodbye
Today,
 for the first time, I waited for the new owner's trailer to arrive
Today,
for the first time, I set my boots in a box to go to the Goodwill
Today,
for the first time, I sighed at the wear on my riding gloves
Today,
 for the first time, I had no hay in my hair
Today,
for the first time, I did not hear nickering when I opened my back door
Today,
 for the first time, I felt worse leaving the barn that I did when I entered
Today,
 for the first time, I had no one to check on before going to bed

Tomorrow,
 for the first time, I won't have to buy hay
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I can stay in bed longer
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I won't see the poop pile grow
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I won't be able to fly on four legs
Tomorrow,
 for the first time, I will be sorry I listened
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I will regret letting her go
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I will be angry at God
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I will be angry at myself
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I will cry the day away
Tomorrow,
for the first time, I will be glad to die

Day after tomorrow,
for the first time, I will awaken in tears
Day after tomorrow,
for the first time, I will know I was wrong
Day after tomorrow,
 for the first time, I will defy all the judgement
Day after tomorrow,
 for the first time, I will ignore my old bones
Day after tomorrow,
for the first time, I will return the buyer's check
Day after tomorrow,
 for the first time, I will bring my friend home
Day after tomorrow,
 for the first time, I will take my boots out of the box
Day after tomorrow,
for the first time, I will be reborn.

For the rest of my life,
I will have a horse in my yard.
For the rest of my life,
I will ignore the cruel judging.
For the rest of my life,
 I will watch the poop pile grow.
For the rest of my life,
I will have hay in my hair.
For the rest of my life,
I will track mud in my house.
For the rest of my life,
I will bury my face in her soft neck.
For the rest of my life,
 I will let my soul fly.
For the rest of my life,
I will never be alone.

..................................................................................
Today is Emmas 10th Birthday! Wow how time flies! She was a really cute baby!

Sunday stills, my two favorite pictures from the last year....

This one is one of my favorites for sure! Our youngest Meghan graduated High school with her Guide Dog Puppy in training Luxor. Luxor is now a working guide dog in St. Paul, Mn.

Dublins "gotcha day" he has turned out to be a pretty special dog, and his story is still being written.

That is two of my favorite photos for 2009, the year went by so fast!

I hope to take many more photos in 2010!

for more Sunday Stills go here, http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

You know my other favorite photo I took this year is the one I have as my header!

Wild color

Check out this wild colored filly at Julie Thorsons blog! so cool, gotta love Appaloosas!

http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horsetalk/

Cool sky pictures

These pictures are of the moon one night this fall when I took the puppy outside. It looked so cool that I ran back inside and got the camera, everyone else was in bed LOL I think the moon was close to full and the whole sky was lit up. I thought it was pretty cool!