Columbia Gorge Day Trip

Jeff and I drove up Columbia River Gorge on the fourth of July with our son David, his wife Emily, and Emily's father. Ellie came along too. We visited pFriem Brewery in Hood River for lunch and dogs had to wait outside, so we took turns sitting with her.

Everyone enjoyed their food and beer, and pFriem's near a river front park, so we caught glimpses of kite sails skimming past and kids climbing rocks. Quite a fun day!

Along with the coast, Columbia Gorge is my other favorite spot in the Pacific NW. Jeff and I didn't get the chance to visit Crown Point and the Women's Forum Lookout this time, but I plan to go back to take photos soon. We tried to drive to Crown Point, but a small-town 4th of July parade was due to begin and roads would've closed down. Next time.

More news: We sold our house in May (yay!) and are living in an apartment until our new home is ready in Ridgefield, WA. Ridgefield's 15 minutes north of Vancouver, so not too far away. Once the house is done, take a road trip and come visit!

An Ellie Mosaic

I know it's been forever since I posted. But my last few months have been taken up with two daughters home for the summer and also our adorable new puppy. Introducing Ellie, our new little corgi! I think Murphy would have approved.

Newsflash

Meet Ellie, our little puppy-to-be! We visited her this last weekend.



I'm ready to hyperventilate, I'm so excited (that may be a slight exaggeration, but not much). She's a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, like Murphy. Can't wait to bring our baby home!

Murphy's 14 Years

I waited a long time to post this--but last month we said goodbye to our sweet corgi dog, Murphy. As Anna said, he was "sassy till the end."

When the phone rings, no one's barking at us to hurry up and answer it. As we're going out the door, no doggie nips at our heels to move us along. If Jeff accidentally drops goldfish crackers on the floor while he's making his lunch, no one rushes over to gobble up the crumbs. And most of all, no velvety Murphy ears to scratch...they were the softest ears around!

Love you, Murphy. Since we had you in our lives, I'm forever a corgi fan.

Around the Cul-De-Sac

I typed in the title of this post, and then googled cul-de-sac on a whim. The original meaning made me giggle!
Cul-de-sac (literally "butt of bag" in Catalan) is an expression of Catalan origin, says Wikipedia.

This photo is called "Still Life of Murphy & Forsythia." Murphy could care less about what cul-de-sac means, he just wants to leap up and finish our walk.

We managed to take a walkabout between rain drops this afternoon. But our rain garden grew mighty full. Should I be watching for an invasion of bullfrogs?

Murphy of the Living Dead

After seeing Dooce's recent photo of Chuck, I knew my Halloween picture of Murphy would include multiple rolls of ace bandages. Meet Murphy of the Living Dead, just in time for October 31st.

p.s. Murphy only looks mournful because he wants his treat NOW. I promise no pain was involved--just much cajoling.

Happy end of October!