Simon In Seattle

Simon and I went to Pike Place market for a street fair today with a friend, and Caleb got to stay home and be puppysat by another friend. (She's braver than most.) I really wanted to give Simon a little more socialization around crowds of people - he'd been really shying off the last time we were out in Seattle, which surprised me. He was fine at the trade show, so I thought things had gotten back to normal.

Seems to be the case, whew. Just a little touch of the ten month old 'I'm shy today' phase, I guess. Today, he was back to his old cheerful little social self - well, he was back to his typical "Don't know you, politely let you pet me, and ignore you self." Except for a few people; one who was playing the cello on the ferry. She came over after she was done to pet him and play with him, and then she found out his name was Simon and said, "Oh! I play a song called Simon's Song..."

So, then she proceeded to sing it for him. It was terribly cute, he tilted his head and wagged the end of his tail and listened to her sing to him. (She had a lovely voice, wow.) People really get a kick out of Cardigans for some reason; I think this is the dog I've had the most comments on ever, and I've had a lot of dogs, haha. Well, then again, maybe it's because no one really wants to come up and snuggle a German Shepherd. Most people of course, don't recognize what he is. Except for a new Pembroke Corgi owner who owned a booth there who was so excited to see an actual Cardigan in person that she came running out of it. I've decided you know you're a Corgi person when both of you whip out your cell phones and share photos.



Oh! A fountain. Boooooring.



Hahah, whoa, is that my dog? Oh man, he's growing up, sheesh.



I liked this, it reminded me of an old western photo, with the lamp. I normally don't play with photographs like this, but it really works! I liked how it came out, aw.




Of course, after a long, long day, instant nap. The cutest thing was when we got to the ferry terminal, and he hopped up in the chair beside us and curled up to take a quick breather. Then an older woman sat down next to us (and haha, out came the cell phone with an adorable parti-poodle on it.) She called him and cooed over him - Simon actually walked over me to get to her, and then put his head on her lap. We were surprised; he must have really liked her... or he just knew she had a nice soft lap. Ran into my vet there too, haha - she hadn't seen him for a few months, and she was like, "Whoa, he's gorgeous, and what a good temperament, wow. Totally a big masculine head, he's no longer a puppy, is he? I love him."

So nice of her to say. That means a lot to me, she's a great vet.

Caleb, of course got into trouble. ;) But that's for another entry.

Aww.

80 degrees, what a ball!

Simon got a new toy...



Caleb expresses the fact it's too hot and I won't let him leap back into the fishpond, argh. Man, I'm tired of the fact the boys smell like mud and goldfish, ugh!



Piper then told Simon to talk to the paw, because he was being obnoxious and barking in her ear.



Finally, they apparently decided to do a homage to manymuddypaws' crew when Matt brought the steaks out to the grill. ;) (As you can see, Caleb's got a one track mind and it's all on eatin' a cow.)

I'm cute...

Caleb hamming it up, while Simon's too noble for that sort of thing any longer. ;)

(Okay, he just was watching a bird or something. But the noble thing sounded better, didn't it?)

*Insert Jaws Theme here*

Little did he know, that the terror of the deep lawn had surfaced.

(Apologies to Peter Benchley.)

I need more weekends...

Got stuff done for work, and why is it that there's always something else to do whenever I turn around lately. Oh well, weather's grand, and the boys went out and goofed around with me when we had friends over last night.

Aw, there's the redhead, being a good dog. I'm not sure who's taken over my no no bad dog lately - Caleb's suddenly becoming a sweet boy, haha. I think it's because they've been too many hours at the office lately, and they're like I am, too tired to get into trouble. Ugh.



Ahh, broherly love, right there. They were totally sitting all nice and cute and sweet and then someone poked someone and that was it. Takedown!

Enthusiasm

Caleb's got it. *grin*

Chomp!

Hahah, wow, it's like one of those pythons at the zoo. Good thing Caleb can't unhinge his jaw, or Simon would be lunch! ;)

Scotch broom is blooming!

Luckily, it's only me who sneezes and not Simon. I can admit it's awfully pretty, when I'm not breathing it in or yanking it out of my pasture.

Lazy mare, busy dogs!

Let's see - the net's been out for two days here. Go embarq - I guess it was ALL of Washington State, and it took them 48 plus hours to restore it. Bah. I hate them, I miss my earthlink. :/ So, a quick recapper of my day here.

Hahah, this is why I didn't end up riding today. Got to the barn, and my mare was taking a contented snooze. I walked over, asked, "Wanna go on the trail?" and she looked at me and flopped over flat. Cracked me up.

... that would be a "no thanks, maybe later."

Hey, I have days like that too, so I can relate. So instead, we just hung out and watched the world go by.




(Also, she's talented! She can eat grass and nap at the same time. If that's not lazy to an art form, right there... XD)

So, then, took the dogs up on a different back trail instead.



Hasn't he got the prettiest head? I love his head. Of course, the rabbit we walked by sat and just rolled his eyes. My crew didn't even notice him - I snapped a few shots of the rabbit lazily hopping off. For a wild rabbit, he was pretty like, "Whatever," to the dogs. He knew he had it made.



Then we got three miles up and someone realized that um, they had to WALK home. Caleb voiced his woe. Woe. Woe. Woe. So sad, poor little buttercup.



Simon totally can vault that stream like no one's business. Let's just say Riley and Caleb, not so much. Needless to say, yay, more baths, the minute we got home. Sigh. It's all fun and games until I get out the shampoo. ;)

Blue on Gray

I just liked the near monochrome tones...

Ewwwww.

"You ate a cookie, I can TASTE it on your breath."

I about died laughing at this pic, mostly because Simon's expression is rather how mine was when I downloaded this onto the computer. ;)

Things you learn with Corgis.

I admit, I have always been a no dogs on the bed, no dogs on the sofa person. Ali used to defy that every which way she could. Then again, she also stuffed a suet cake and a stick of butter she stole off the counter into the cushions. It's always great to have company hunting for the remote and come up with a handful of suet.

However... um, well, it's funny. The Pems don't really like to sleep on the sofa at all. Piper will climb up there sometimes and nap, but eh, not when we're on it.

The Cardis on the other hand, come up and fully expect to hop up with you as well. Tonight, I realized I was fully whipped into shape when I couldn't find Caleb for ten minutes and was worried he'd gotten locked outside or in another room.

Really, all I had to do was look on the end of the sofa on the cat bed. I actually didn't realize it was him who had been sleeping on my feet for an hour. Sheesh.

I see...

A dandelion!

... then I ate it.

Green fields, blue skies, little Corgis.

The two of them had a blast running up and down the hills, and now they're all wiped out. Good way to end the weekend, with running dogs, tennis balls, and barking at low flying birds.

Love the shot of Caleb in the sunset, though. It's just the light playing off those huge ears.

... how not to shoot your dog.

Okay, let me start out this entry by saying Matt does a lot of things well. He cooks. He cleans. He can totally repair the wiring. He works on Nuclear Submarines for crying out loud...

However, do not ask him to stack a dog so I can take photos of him or her. Forget it. It simply does not happen, and the dogs either look like I've popped them up there for nefarious purposes of Corgi-sacrifice or they manage to look like an episode of "What Not To Handle Like," which is the Dog Show Take on "What Not To Wear."

This is why Matt NEVER showed with me with the Shepherds. Ever. Hhahah, Ali was like, "Yeah mom, I stack for you, but the Turkey Guy there? He just hands it out for sitting here. Lemme see how this is going down. Turkey for Work... or Turkey for Free. F- the establishment! Free Turkey and Free Love all the way!"

... apparently, the boys are taking this cue from Ali in Doggie Heaven. Matt approaches them and they turn into flopping, sitting, wiggling idiots when he has turkey because he hands it out like strawberry Mentos.

(Note: I did say, "Honey, just here, hold it, and stretch it and... oh, never mind.")

I swear to someone, Ali's laughing her butt off at me from up there today. Now, the problem is, I can't put the dogs on the table, stand back and feel safe about getting the shot yet, rather not have a leap and a fall, thanks. Matt can't work my camera, so that's a laugh and a half - I have a bunch of shots he took with an EAR in them. Or a leg. Hahaha, no. So here, I offer you the most awful shots of my two dogs EVER taken, good lord, I'm embarrassed to show them.

Oh well. I'm hoping to look back on this and laugh in a few weeks. I literally got the table the other day, and only used it to dry Caleb and Riley after a bath.









(Sadly, that one of Caleb's front is me holding turkey and shooting the d--- camera from the hip. Hahahah, crud. Note: There's four pictures today because work has sucked sucktastically, and I have not had a sideways breath to do much camera work. The last day we went hiking, it was pouring yet again, and dummy here forgot her camera anyway. Boo, hiss. What a week, rar. On a high note, my blower is awesome, I love it, I love it, and it works great for getting cats off the kitchen counter. Don't ask, but it was downright hilarious.

Also, I want Mentos now. Sigh. Mixed fruit ones, though. I've not had candy in two weeks.)

Sundays are good days.

Except for the fact that he was in the fishpond again and had to take yet another bath. Sigh, I wish the dryer was here! (Got the table, and it helped a ton tonight drying him, for sure...)

Trade shows are hard work.

Went to the Evergreen Trade show today with the boys. Figured we might as well socialize and work around some more crowds. They were so, so good and so well behaved, (Caleb acted like he'd seen this every day of his life) and I'm really proud of them. Simon didn't even spook when a guy walked by in a gorilla costume and hooted at him. He just had this look like, "Oh, okay crazy man in a fuzzy suit..."

(Five hours into the show, the boys gave up, and Caleb piled on Simon to take a nap. Simon was already taking a nap, so they looked incredibly adorable. Sorry for the cell-phone pic, taken by my manager. My boot is under Simon's head, if that helps - hey, they're really comfy boots. I recommend Ariat boots to anyone.)