Zoe & Ruby in the Field

No swim with the dogs at my mom's house is complete without a romp in the field.

Super-leaping Zoe!

I think Ruby has a 6th gear that she can turn up the heat & run in zoom mode.

Uh-oh, a near collision!

Got the tongue & ears going.

I think this 3 photo sequence deserves some cute name.

Ruby wants to play with Zoe so bad & they did chase for about 10 seconds, and then Ruby was back to running after the birds when Zoe didn't want to play with her.

Then of course, Tony & Ruby back in the pool to cool off.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed to Denver tonight for work & getting to visit my aunt & uncle.

Swimming Dogs

Last Saturday, Zoe & I met Tony & Ruby for a little swim time. The water was much too cold for me to get in, but Tony tried to swim with the dogs.

Zoe loves to play the splash game, but Ruby hates having water splashed or splashed at her.

You can see Zoe biting the water and Ruby shying away.

Zoe loved to swim, but not when Ruby is around. Ruby swims on top of Zoe, so Zoe stays as far away from the water when Ruby is around.

We haven't taught Ruby to jump into the water (she uses the stairs). Zoe won't lead by example because she refuses to be in the water with Ruby.

So Tony tried a few times to get her to jump, but without much real success in this area.

Ruby is such a hunter and sniffs everything.

The squirrels come down and drink the water that stays on the rocks, so I'm sure that's what Ruby smelled.

And then she was off to chase a bird in the tree.

Tony, again trying to get Ruby to get in the water.

She could sure put the brakes on and refuse to go one step further into the water.

And then back out as quickly as we got her in....

Then both dogs are running from Tony!

And here's why....

We'll have to try a different strategy next summer to teach her to jump in the pool

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Going to hang out with our friends & watch some football this afternoon.

The Big 13th Birthday Party

The big shebang was last Saturday for my sister's birthday. Instead of carting a gaggle of teenagers downtown (like they did for my brother), they hosted a game party at their house. The guys all started out in their usual place for some street football.

The girls chatted among themselves back at the house.

My brother is on the far left pointing, and a few of these guys were Haley's friends and invited to the party. The rest of them are just the regular neighborhood gang.

The girls huddle up and gossip. The ping pong table is a relic from my youth- I remember dad would always play me a game during a commercial break. That was usually long enough to beat me when I was 10.

The official party started with a game of pictionary. I was surprised how many of the kids had never played before.

Let me suggest you don't play a game that involves 10 teenagers at a time yelling every imaginable word in their vocabulary at the same time.

They all got really into it & very loud!

The one on the right is NOT the boy my sister has a crush on ;)

Boo for very low lighting & using a flash. :(

I don't think so many people have ever sat on that couch together.

I'm very proud of my sister- she's doing awesome in school, dance and volleyball.

Then the boys discovered the chocolate fondue with strawberries, cake and marshmallows.

Then a full out feeding frenzy ensued.

This is pretty much how I will always remember my parents house: everybody in the kitchen eating and having a great time.

I think there were at least 20 kids, and it was entertaining to watch the dynamics of the group.

Back outside for more games that require yelling.

Girls back to volleyball and boys back to football.

Most of the gals were pretty good & several of them are on the team with Haley.

A group shot of the gals while we waited on pizza. I think at least 8 large pizza's were destroyed, and I had all the rowdiness I could stand, so I headed home before the big birthday cake. I heard the rest of the party was a huge success though.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: H doesn't have to work all day after all, and we're going to enjoy the awesome fall weather.

Haley's Birthday

Sunday was my only sister's 13th birthday- she's officially a teenager now! As usual the family birthday dinner involves a trek to Outback & all the lobster tails & bread loaves she wants.

H was in New York, and my brother is really getting into the "distant teenager" role and barely acknowledges anybody over the age of 20.

I really hope that, as a society, one day we can possibly overcome the need to sing cheesy birthday songs at the restaurant. They are just plain embarrassing for the birthday boy or gal, and they interrupt my dinner quite often when others dare celebrate a birthday while I'm trying to grab dinner. :)

The parents are doing good. Dad has been swamped with 3 separate custom homes, and then with all the CRAZY repair work and roof jobs after the Hurricane.

I loved this shot of Haley, but am upset that it's a tad blurry because I had my shutter speed too low. Coming up: the big teenage blow-out party!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Going back to visit my high school tonight & catch a volleyball game, for old times' sake.

More Painting

Luckily, I'm not the one doing the painting this time! So- this was the way the duplex looked when I lived there about 3 years ago.

But, the paint had slowly been peeling off and it was in major need of a face lift. We were going to paint it earlier this year, but had to spend several thousand on a plumbing problem instead.

The painters worked really hard on scrapping off layers of old paint, fixing rotten boards and putting in lots of caulk to seal up the wood.

And this is how it came out looking in early September. A few shades darker, but I really like it.

They did a great job, and re-painted all the window frames, porch and doors. Another small (expensive) thing off our to-do list.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Off to Shreveport today.