Summer 2014

As summer comes to an end in most of the country (although not in Texas!), it's time to look back on a great summer!  All the pictures from the summer are in the Summer 2014 album.

We started things off with a going away night out in downtown San Antonio.  The Luxury is always a good time, and you can't go wrong with giant Jenga.

Lindsey came to town and we all enjoyed a haunted tour of downtown.  We got a special treat when we walked by San Fernando Cathedral. 

Next up was a trip to the top of the Tower of the Americas for one last night with deployer Eric.  We sure do miss having you around!

One of Eric's favorite places was the Beethoven Maennerchor.  They showed all the USA and Germany World Cup games on the big screen.  We joined in the fun for the USA-Portugal game.

While all of this was going on, Amy and I were drowning in our weekly veggie shipment.  We shared, but how do you put a dent in a haul like this?  I think some of those banana peppers are still in my freezer...

Next up was the 4th of July.  I spent the day with friends at the Missions baseball game, then enjoyed the fireworks after the game.  Another shot from this night featured as the P52 picture for Week 27.

Two days later, I was on a plane headed for Atlanta.  I spent most of the summer there.  You can read about my adventures in my post here.  While in Atlanta, I snuck away for a long weekend with Lindsey in Vancouver.  You can read about our fun here.  

I came back to San Antonio for a few weeks in August.  I spent one weekend at our office summer picnic at the river with my silly, water-hating dogs.  See that angry face Roxie has on?  That's because she got a teeny, tiny bit of river water on her ears.

  

I spent the next weekend with a group of ladies at what I hope will become an annual tradition.  You can read all about our Ladies Weekend in Austin here.

The very next weekend, I was on another plane headed for South Dakota.  I spent 10 wonderful days with my family before heading back to Atlanta.  I wrote about my trip to South Dakota here.

On my first day back in Atlanta, I was greeted by flowers from my husband.  How sweet is he?

My travels didn't end there.  I had the opportunity to travel to upstate New York for a project meeting.  It was beautiful!  I'm trying to figure out a way that I can go back while the leaves are changing.

At the end of September, I made my way back to San Antonio.  It was great to see my puppies and sleep in my bed for a change, but I still miss all my new Atlanta friends.

To close out the summer, our group of Air Force friends spent a day in Fredericksburg as a going away for one of the couples in the group.  They are successfully relocated to South Carolina.  Lucky duckies!

With such a crazy summer behind me, I'm really looking forward to a calmer fall.  Maybe...

P52 - Motion - 24/52

After a week of sweltering evening temperatures, it was finally cool enough tonight for the dogs to be in motion in the backyard.  Run for it Sam!!  

P52 - Faces - 19/52

How can you not love my Sam boy's sweet face?

Sam Boy

Sam, our 5 year-old golden retriever, is not fond of Texas.  It's really hot here, and he has a lot of fur.  I have a job here, so he has no one to open the door 17,000 times a day.  In addition to being really hot it's also very humid, and this is bad for our big floppy-eared friend.

Humid air + floppy ears = ear infection

This last one was so bad he shook a bunch of extra fluid into his left ear flap.  The vet was able to drain the fluid (more information that you probably wanted today), but she sent Sam home with the dreaded "cone of shame".

My poor baby!!  Just look at that sad face.  Fear not.  I am happy to report that after a week in the cone and a second week of us watching his every move, Sam is back to 100%.  No ear infection and no more messed up ear.

Now that's the face of a happy puppy!

Squirrel

Roxie has made a new friend.

Unfortunately, Roxie's new friend doesn't want to come down and play with her.  He just wants to sit up in the tree and throw acorns.

Poor Roxie.

Halloween Part 2

Apparently, there was an expectation that yesterday's Halloween post would include a dog in a costume.  I wouldn't want to disappoint.

Isn't she pretty?  And so tolerant of her crazy momma.

A Hiking We Will Go!

During Chris’ two week post-deployment R&R, he wanted to do nothing but hike, hike, and hike some more.  So… hike we did!

We started in Raminho, hiking nearly straight down over 200 feet to the ocean below. 

The view from the bottom was beautiful, but it was a LONG hike back up the hill! 

Even the dogs were tired by the time we got to the car. On the way home we came across one of our favorite island sights, a cow jam.

Next on our list was a hike near Agualva.  This trail took us down along one of the few natural “beaches” on the island. 

The waves were huge and we got some great pictures. 

I then had some fun spicing a few up with our photo editing software.

This hike ended with another bovine encounter.  This little guy was much cuter than the herd we ran into in Raminho.

Our final hike took us to Angra.  We hiked historic Mount Brazil, home to one of the island’s first military installations.  The mountain top affords panoramic views of the ocean surrounding Angra Harbor.

In addition to our many hikes, we also spent several nights gathered around a bonfire with our friends.  We learned that you cannot pop microwave popcorn over a fire, but it sure is fun to try!

Check out the rest of the pictures from this month in the pictures tab.

Visiting in Germany

Flying Space A (free military flight) is always a risky decision.  Even if you’re lucky enough to be at the top of the “standby” list, there’s no guarantee that everything will go as you planned.  Sometimes this results in creative travel.  My trip to Germany this past week is an example of just such an event.

See how much fun I had with Lindsey and the rest of the gang in Germany?  What, you don’t like my method of traveling?  Well, me neither!  The flight that Lindsey and I had been anxiously awaiting for over a month never happen – cancelled due to mission requirements.  Blah, blah, blah… all I heard was, “No Lindsey time!!!”  Needless to say, we were both very disappointed.  We tried to make the best of it with our little game, but it’s just not the same as an actual visit.  Maybe next year.

I wasn’t planning to be here last week, but that didn’t keep my week from filling up with fun activities like taking the dogs hiking with my friend Taryn.  

This girl has the best job EVER!  She’s a professional Girl Scout who lives in Italy and travels all over Europe, and they pay her to do it.  Check out the awesome video of the goat jam we ran into on the way back from our hike (thank you Taryn for letting me use your video).

Jacki, Tanya, and I attempted to satisfy our Chiptole cravings.  Our attempts were close, but nothing beats the real thing!

I also enjoyed the last bull fight of the season from the comfort of a Portuguese friends’ house.  

We celebrated a couple of birthdays with awesome strawberry cupcakes.  Lighting the candle was a little big of a challenge in the wind.

I wrapped up with week with a quick play date for the dogs.  They are always happy to spend some time running around with Hurley and Mason.

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos under the photo tab.  I've just been making an album for each month and adding to it as I go along, so check the October album for the most recent pictures.

Dog Day at the Beach

Sam and Roxie had their very first trip to the beach today (it took us a while to find one that allowed dogs).  They were joined by their friends Mason, Shilo and Hurley.   

Sam thought the water was great – especially to lie in.  Roxie didn’t want to get so much as her paws wet (I put her in the water anyway). 

Hurley spent most of the time playing fetch. 

Even Mason got his paws wet.  But just his paws.  More than that would be just plain crazy.  Shilo doesn't like my camera, so you'll just have to pretend.  Her day looked pretty much like Mason's.

Here's a couple of video clips of the pups enjoying the water and the beach.

Thanks for watching.  Until next time...

New Toys

One of my house guests found a new toy today. At least it was new to him – it’s Roxie’s favorite and has been for several years.

Gus liked it so much he made it squeak All… Day… Long. Needless to say, he didn’t get to play with his new toy very much before it had to go to toy jail. A girl’s got to keep her sanity.

I also got a new toy today. Well, I actually got it a couple of weekends ago, but this was the first time I got to use it. This lovely, monogrammed cake stand came to me as a birthday gift from Ms. Lindsey.  She got a matching one this weekend in the mail. Post pictures Lindsey!!

I was planning to make a chocolate-raspberry layer cake, but in true Lajes Commissary fashion, there were no raspberries to be found this week. So, I had to improvise. Strawberries are almost as good as raspberries.

For those of you who think this looks familiar… you’re right. You’ve seen the raspberry version in another post.

House Guests

Sam and Roxie are hosting a couple of house guests of the canine persuasion. Meet Gus and Rookie.

Gus is a 100+ pound Golden-doodle and a bit of a cuddler. Rookie is an 80 pound lab/sheppard mix.

They came in on the plane this weekend with their humans, new members of the CE family at Lajes. As this is PCS (moving) season, the kennel was full, so Gus and Rookie are going to stay with us until their humans find a place to live and get settled.  Now instead of tripping on two dogs when I walk down the stairs, I have an entire thundering herd to contend with! Everyone has been very good so far though, so I think we’ll have a great time with our guests.

I know you all love the dogs, so here are some puppy pictures for your enjoyment!