Red Fish Island with Sunsets and Puppy Love

Rafting up at Red Fish Island for Puppy Love, Sunsets, and Dinner

Let the heavy petting begin

Sasquatch and Whitley enjoying the smells and affection.

 She got in the dinghy with Sasquatch to use the bathroom and swim.  So proud!

Mist on Sexton Pond

Exploring Lake Travis by boat

Staying the weekend at the Lost Parrot Cabins, Morrocan themed cabin, E, with a full kitchen (remember to bring your oils and spices) with pots, pans, plates, glasses, cooking utencils, steak knives, coffee mugs, and cutting boards.  Used the outdoor gas grill by our cabin to cook our (marinaded with smashed garlic, oil, pepper, red wine) ribeyes. Enjoyed it with sauted green beans in olive oil, garlic, and pepper, and finished with a bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvgnon.

View from Oasis Texas Brewery of Mansfield Dam and full Lake Travis. Enjoyed their stout and session in the A/C cooled bar, watching football and eating their beer braised pork frito pie with picante.

Pulled into a slip at the Rusty Rudder Restaurant for guacamole and chips, cranberry lemonade, beer, and lunch. 

Beer, beer, and more beer at another brewery, pumpkin beer.  Stop at Infamous Brewery near the Lake with Whitley.  On to Rainey Street with Whitley to explore dog friendly bars, Craft Pride Bar that serves only Texas beer, more pumpkin beer and eat delicious detroit style pizza from the food truck out back (similar to Chicago deep dish but no bread crust around the sides and square).  Loved the live music out back, band called Clydes.

Whitley found Sasquatch in East Texas

As my momma was on a boat enjoying the waters of the Gulf, I returned to the woods but this time found a friend.  Sasquatch, another golden retriever and sailor, came with me to explore the old sawmill site, swim in the pond, cook food by the fire, and sleep outdoors.

After the best weekend, Pappa asked if I was enjoying myself and I barked once.  Sasquatch's dad was impressed.

Camping by Aldridge sawmill and Boykin Springs

Boykin Springs Recreation Area in the Angelina National Forest, Jasper County, Texas developed campsite with bathroom, one shower per sex and hot water.  Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) forestland which is about 10.5 miles east of Zavalla on Hwy 63.

Christmas Day with the Extended Family

Our Family celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus on Christmas Day, 2015 in Texas at beautiful warm day of 82 degrees F outside and cool air conditioner on inside.

Enjoyed delicious turkey, mashed potatoes, grits casserole, green beans, yeast rolls, cranberries, scalloped oysters, brown gravy, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.  Accompanied by delicious Becker Vineyard Tempranillo wine.

Hideaway for Christmas

We stayed the night at an AirBnB in Brookhaven, MS with horses, fountain, lovely cabin, campfire, frost, and walking.  Sleeping double in a single bed and stayed warm sharing body heat.

Cooking pizza in a gas stove for dinner, S'more by the firepit, and enjoying scrambled fresh eggs, thick bacon and toast for breakfast on a cold, frost-covered morning.

Dickens on the Bayou

Mosquito Fleet Powering up at Moody Gardens

Boats at rest at Moody Gardens 

Terlingua, Spicy Chili and Dry Cold Winds

When the option of driving to west Texas came up for the famous Terlingua Chili Cook-off with other Houstonians, the answer was yes!  We pulled together our camping gear, watched the weather reports, and booked a hotel room before we left.  It is a ten-hour drive if we are lucky.  First stopping in Kerrville for the night, we stayed in dog friendly hotel, La Quinta, for an early rise in the morning before headed to Terlingua.  Lots of dogs and hunters stayed at the hotel that night. The parking lot was full of trailers with four-wheelers since deer season began that weekend.  We made it to Alpine for the last grocery store for bread and cheese, and saw lots of blue haired, tattooed people going into this local store.  Finally 2 more hours until Terlingua on TX 118, enjoyed a beautiful drive through old rock formations, mountains, desert, but saw no live wildlife.  This is a geologist dream location, once with seven volcanoes in the area.

Mosquito Fleet Everywhere

Introducing the 2016 Mosquitodore and Mosquito-adorable, and canine crew for the Mosquito Fleet of the Houston Yacht Club

Last Thing that Bud Saw

October 16, 2015 at 6:00 pm, sailor, hiking, ballchaser, protector, lover Bud died.

For an hour or two we lay down next to Bud, feed him sweet potato chips, gave him water, held him, and kissed him.  The only thing that he would eat was crispy stuff like tortilla chips, carrots, and pieces of pumpkin snap cookies, no more egg, salmon, or tubed beef.  Lot of sick people in pain like to crunch ice so maybe that helps Bud forget about his pain too.

Burlesque Anniversary

We celebrated eleven years of marriage at a Burlesque show, and got to perform on stage. The Prohibition Supper Club in downtown Houston offers three nights a week (twice per night), a real burlesque show by the Moonlight Dolls.  

Six lovely ladies show up in beautiful beaded gowns and lingerie with delightful talents of skilled singing, playing with flames, lively dancing, and acrobatics.  Transformed the room back to the roaring 20's.

Wild Flowers blooming in Texas

Whitley in the Texas Blue Bonnets

Rear Ended Accident Awareness

November 14, 2014 in Timbergrove:  This is what a little sedan can do to a stopped SUV.  Well it happened.  The matriarch who is so safety conscious was hit at a stop light.  Thank goodness that we were not in the vehicle.  There may not be a Mr. Bud anymore because of the wreck and illness.  

The guy was a real weirdo, scary.  Momma is still shakin by the whole episode.  The guy could not figure out how to leave the apt complex and now slammed into her.  Refused to call the police because apparently did not have an insurance card, because he fled.  He returned 10 minutes later with the card and his hood tied down.

So Thankful

Together with my family on Thanksgiving I am so thankful for still having Bud in my life.  His cancer, liposarcoma, is growing but he is still up, mobile, and happy.  I wash him with my tongue on a daily basis.  Bud just closes his eyes and enjoys it.  Every day is a blessing with Bud.  With some help from Papa Bud can get on the boat.  He eats a bit slower than before he got sick.  So I have to now wait for him to finish breakfast before I get to lick his bowl.

The only time Bud whimpers is when he has to go the bathroom.  He stares at his food and water bowl when they are empty and looks at our family.  He sleeps a lot more which means I sleep more since I have no one to play with.  I grab his paw and bring him my toys which he stands and tries to play for a few minutes.  Then he goes and lays down on his many soft cushy beds around the house or boat.

His cancer has doubled in size.  Not sure what to do.  Very sad. Hopefully we will still have Bud at Christmas.  Planning another sailing trip to Moody Gardens soon, and hopefully Bud will be fit to go. Praying for more time with Bud.

Halloween Costumes for our Dogs

Whitley Lioness in October 2017, so happy

October 31, 2014, Astronaut Whitley and Elvis Hound Dog King, Bud

Dog Health Care on a Boat

 

I am eleven years old Golden Retriever and have had allergies for as long as I can remember.  My food and grass allergies give me canine atopic dermatitis.

Canine atopy is likely to be a polygenetic condition (Shaw et al 2004) but no genes have yet been identified. The heritability of atopic dermatitis was around 0.47 in a group of guide dogs the majority of which were Labrador retrievers but which included some Golden retrievers and Labrador-Golden crosses (Shaw et al 2004).  That is, about 50% of the likelihood of the occurrence of this disease can be attributed to genes.

Beside the broken wrist from jumping out of SUV because I got Bud's leash wrapped around my paw, I have been in great health.

We returned from an afternoon sail from Moody Gardens in Galveston back to our home port by Clear Lake.  I was thirsty since I do not like to drink much water away from shore since  I will not pee on the boat!

Well I ran up to pier to the bathroom and drink some water.  I returned to the boat and drank some more water from the hose.  After some encouragement I ate a little dinner and then something horrible happened.  My stomach began to swell to the size of a small pumpkin.  I went to my matriarch to tell her that I needed to throw up.  She quickly got me to the head to throw up.  She then notice my enlarged stomach and rib cage.  Papa came on board and he carried me upstairs.  They rushed me and Bud to the emergency Vet on I-45.  Bud did not want to go in.

They x-rayed my insides and made sure that my stomach had not twisted.  Thank goodness it had not twisted and was just gas.  They put a big, long tube down my mouth into my stomach to release the gas.  You could hear the gas being released.  The pressure went down, and I felt so much better.  I had bloat without torsion (twisting) also now as gastric dilatation.   No one understands why this happened.  Probably from drinking too much water and getting air in my stomach at the water hose.

Before leaving, make a bloat kit for your dog.

Know First Aid and CPR for Dogs.

Drunkin Sailor Dog Disorder

After the Idiopathic Vestibular (Old Dog/ Drunkin Sailor) Disease

Dogs with idiopathic vestibular disease have some combination of the following signs:

• A head tilt
• An unsteady gait, loss of balance, or falling over
• Circling in one direction
• Eyes rapidly moving from side to side, known as nystagmus,
• Sudden vomiting

SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL: TOP 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT VESTIBULAR DISEASE by Jared Galle of Ann Arbor, MI

Other Cancer Treatment: Taxol

Success Stories of Taxol

Paclitaxel, the most well-known natural-source cancer drug in the United States, is derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree (Taxus brevifolia) and is used in the treatment of breast, lung, and ovarian cancer, as well as Kaposi's sarcoma. 

Cannot Keep a Good Dog Down

After discovering that my partner in crime and travels, Bud, was sick with myxoid liposarcoma, cancer of the fatty cells (soft tissue) in his chest and under his arms.  He will be going to the canine oncologist possibly to have it removed, so that I can have more time with Bud.  This cancer (I have heard) can spread to other organs, and he does not want any big masses on his chest.

Here is a collection of my travels across the USA with Bud.  Stay strong.

 We are looking into foods, spices, and herbs to help slow down the growth, turmeric (curcumin), bakers yeast, (beta glucans), apigenin (celery, apples, parsley, teas,artichokes).  I know that we can not stop it, but at least give me more time with my best Bud.


 

Great information before you see the doctor or oncologist from the Cancer: What Should You Ask Vet from Dallas Gold.  

Thank you!

Voyage to the NC Outer Banks and Back

Planning our Trip to the Outer Banks (avoid Atlanta traffic)

Wild Mustangs on OBX

Dogs Sharing the Boat

Two dogs that share everything love the bigger SUV with the big Bud bed.

Bashful Bud, yellow lab, cuddles under Whitley's head while driving across Texas in a smaller SUV.

Bud, yellow lab, sure does make a great pillow for Whitley, golden retriever.

Learning to share tight quarters with a growing puppy.

First sailing trip, everyone finds the best spot

Hot Springs Soaking with Flames

Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs, AR on fire 2-28-14 at 5:45pm

Fire Fighters on all sides to put flames out and keep asbestos contained until the next Saturday morning. Entergy Arkansas turned off the power on the streets so many businesses had to close for the day and night.

After five and a half years, we returned to Hot Springs, Arkansas for two birthdays (Whitley's and JT's), we were excited for soakings and hikes in the mountains.  What a historical place Hot Springs is and now get to see one of these remarkable historical buildings in flames.

To Schnitzel with Love

NEW BRAUNFELS VERSION OF THE BIG PRETZEL

I love me some Potato cakes and Apple sauce at Friesenhaus

Polka music and soon dancing at the Friesenhaus

Das Boots, full of Das Beer, is a hell of a lot of beer after eating all that food.  Four different types of Pork Schnitzel that was Texas size.  Leftovers for me and gas.

Resting Before the River Ride

Hooray Return to Marfa

beautiful architecture of Marfa Courthouse, 1886 Presidio County

Do you believe in the Marfa lights? Nah

Dogs in New Braunfels

Tubing the Comal River and Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, TX in the summer 2012 and 2013.

We rented houses both years Lil Kahuna one way up the River Rd, and the next Market Haus off the Comal River in downtown New Braunfels (good walking distance). Both were close to the tube rentals.

 At Lil Kahuna on the Guadalupe I swam with my lifejacket all the way to the bridge. My family rode in tubes which looked boring since they could not swim with me. There is only a couple of places to pee (on dry land) so don't let them pass you by.

Most of the river is shallow but the last part is way deep. I saw big geese and ducks along the swim but was not allowed to chase them. Finally we made it to the bridge and I had to go. But my family said "NO" because it was a campsite and they had no bags.  We jumped in an open aired bus and went back to the cottage for lunch and bathroom break.

Oh was I tired. I slept for hours and got to go for dinner on a patio over the river. A live band played over the river's edge (Three Men Band), and I got to shake my tail feathers with everyone else.

The Comal River was cold and clear, but we decided that I should not go because of the shoots which are pretty fast, and not a safe thing for my injured paw.

I found out that you can walk around the shoots but I was happy at the rental house watching television and listening the parrot next door.

Saturday morning was the farmers market and dogs were allowed. Since this was my family's first time going, they felt that I should stay.   I was pissed when I heard that dogs were there.  I had a big backyard.  The grass made my feet itch so I stayed by the bamboo to avoid the grass. Next door there were a few little dogs that would not stop yelling at me. This house was not quiet.

My family made me some healthy snacks from the farmers market and a few bites of grassfeed beef.

Good with grass.

Back to Wimberley

So tired from that long journey

But this was mine first

Mooing in Fort Worth Stockyards

From our Hotel Room at the Stockyards, watching the horses

That's the one that gave me the long stare...

Cattle drive

Put those pups to bed...

Cannot wait for a Love Shack burger

Bud and I are here. Finally after arriving from College Station, we ride around the old Stockyards of Fort Worth. Where are all the cows? I heard that it was called Cowtown, cow pens and ramps, but no cows. I love cows not just because of hamburger, but they are our backyard neighbors. The young ones play with us along the fence, and if I get a chance, manure perfume is my favorite.

We pull in front of the Stockyard Hotel, and there were horses walking down the road. I love horses too (they scare me though face to face). We walked around until our Cowboy themed room was ready. There was the biggest cow that I had ever seen and it was looking around at me. Oh the smile on my face lit up Fort Worth. Longhorns stretched as long as the cow was. He kept watching me as we walked far around him. People were getting on his back for pictures. Wow! He had on a saddle too. I meet some horses too. We sniffed noses, and their noses were huge.

Our room is ready and the busboy loads all of the dog food, jackets, popup crates, and toys into the cart, and we go up a magic old style elevator. The floor changes and we go to our room. There on the floor is a sitting area and a walking area (feel like your outdoors) not a potty area...

The room was nice, and we setup our crates and blankets. Papa saw cowboys on horseback walking down the street, so I had to see for myself (he lifted my front paws to see out the windows). Tied up to a post was a horse (woof, it could not hear me), and the cowboy was getting a drink.

We were on our best behavior, and all the guests at the hotel said that we were better than their kids. I hope so. There was a grassy area next door that was a perfect potty spot. The sidewalks were crowded with people, and got to see some old family friends last seen in Estes Park, Colorado. Fun times... We missed the cow parade because our family was worried that someone might spook the cows (only 10 cows anyway). Something fell from the ceiling in our room so we did not have to pay for the dog fee, and Ma got sick from something in the air. Pa got sick from too much drink. We stayed in perfect health and got a serving of steak the first night.