Memorial Day Weekend 2013

Long weekends are wonderful. They always pass a little too quickly, but they are a great way to get a break from work without using up lots of vacation days. The best long weekends are the ones that also have a federal holiday at the beginning or end. :)

For Memorial Day weekend, Dan and I started off with a date night at the new Alamo Drafthouse theater in One Loudoun. If you’ve never been to an Alamo theater, I highly recommend you check it out. They are a combination of a movie theater and a restaurant. You purchase tickets for specific seats (so you don’t have to show up really early for the good ones), and you can order all your food and drinks (including alcohol) directly from your seats, even during the movie!

Dan and I have been to the theater three times since it opened at the beginning of May. We love the food, the funny previews before the movie, and the friendly staff. This past Friday, we saw the newest Star Trek movie, and we had yet another great visit at the Alamo. Here’s a picture we got at the theater before the show:


On Saturday, we stopped at two different parties. The first was a very yummy crab feast at a friends’ house. The crabs were delicious, and Dan had fun scaring people with the crabs before throwing them into the cooking pot.

After the crab feast, we headed west to have dinner with my family in Martinsburg. It’s always fun getting together with my cousins. Only your cousins truly understand the kind of crazy family that you come from. LOL We seem to be getting crazier as we get older too. Heehee…

Sunday brought a beautiful sunny day, and Dan and I got to clean house and watch some episodes of Castle before heading out to a VA Wine Mafia meet up. The “godfather” of our group, Kurt, had most generously opened up his pantry and basement to share some wines before they got too old to drink. The other mafia members also brought wines and snacks to share with everyone. Dan and I brought a bottle of Fox Meadow Freezeland White to share. Mmm…




There were many favorites being passed around. Some of my favorites were a Breaux rose, Crushed Cellars Merlot and Meritage, and Berry Hill’s 2010 Petit Verdot. Kurt even broke out a few special bottles – Keswick’s 2009 Cab Sav, Clarksburg’s 2010 dessert red (from Cali), and Corcoran’s special white port.



VA Mafia meet ups are always a blast, and we enjoyed every minute spent with this fantastic group!


No weekend would be complete without spending time gardening, so Monday was spent working on our veggie garden at my dad’s house and the potted garden at our house. We started with a trip to Home Depot for mulch, insect repellant, and a couple flowers.

Our veggie garden was growing, but slowly, and the zuccinni, squash, and cucumbers were getting seriously attached by some nasty yellow striped bugs. At Bluemont nursery, a worker said he had seen the same kind of bugs that we had and gave us some repellant called Eight. It is a product that has been used for years, and part of the mix comes from the extract of crushed mums.

After weeding, applying the insect repellant, and putting down some garden mulch, our garden looked much better.



The last hours of sunlight were spent cleaning up our own backyard. We moved my little maple tree into a big half-barrel pot, put down a bunch of mulch, and did a general clean up. We even gave the puppies a bath, much to their disappointment.





Dan and I thoroughly enjoyed our Memorial Day weekend. It was a great mix of relaxing, fun, and outdoor activity. Cheers to wonderful long weekends!

How To Make Tails Wag

Abigail - a precious beagle mix looking for a home
I absolutely love animals. When I was little, I wanted to be either a vet or a zoologist. I never became either, but that has not stopped me from greeting every animal that I come across. :) As any pet owner can tell you, a pet brings an incredible amount of joy to the lives of their owners, not to mention the friends and family of their owners. It is because of this that I chose to start helping more homeless pets.

When most people think about helping animals, they think about adopting animals from a shelter. While this is definitely an important undertaking, not everyone is able to adopt an animal. Perhaps they cannot afford one, or perhaps, like me, they already have as many animals as they can support. No matter what the reason, I have learned that there are many other ways to help homeless animals.

Griffin - a lovable young fellow who just found a home
Give:
Shelters are always looking for donations. Some only accept money donations, but others accept old toys, bowls, towels, and so forth.

Volunteer:
Shelters need all kinds of different volunteers. Some have a higher commitment of time, and others have a come-when-able commitment. Volunteer positions also range from keeping up grounds to working with the animals – find what fits you!

Educate:
Most people do not realize how big an impact education makes for homeless pets. Education can cover everything from presenting information about spaying/neutering to teaching your children how to greet and handle different animals.

Cha Cha – an energetic munchkin who needs a home to play in
For myself, I started volunteering as a dog walker at Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) on Saturdays and/or Sundays. With my sporadic schedule, walking dogs gives me the freedom to volunteer without having to commit to a specific timetable, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it!

In addition to walking the dogs, I try to take pictures of each puppy I interact with and post it up on Twitter. I have no idea if this matches a dog with a potential owner, but it certainly helps spread the word that there are wonderful dogs out there looking for a good home. :)

Malcolm - a sweet Rhodesian mix who's found a home
So as we celebrate all the different holidays this month, remember all the pets who are looking for a home where they can bring more joy to the world!

Eden - a little gentleman looking for a place to play

Shalimar - a cuddly lady looking for a permanent friend to cuddle with

Happy 5th Birthday Vander!

Today I wanted to take a few moments to wish my sweet, wonderful dog a Happy Birthday. :)

To celebrate what a loving, adorable companion he is, here are some of the things I love best about him:

• He is always happy to see me walk through the door, even if I have only stepped out to grab the mail.






• He is the first to sense something is wrong and try to cheer me up.









• He is extremely playful and always does something to make me laugh. (Video )









• He has seen me on my best and worst days and still loves me.






• He cuddles with me on our sleep-in days.









• He likes to stay close to me so much that he’s always underfoot or following me into the bathroom. LOL






• He loves to play fetch. (Video)






• He has SO much fun swimming.(Video)

Like many dog owners, I could go on and on about what makes my dog so special to me. For now, I will summarize and say that he has been my best and truest companion for the past five years. I have seen people come and go in my life during that time, but he has always been beside me, for which I am truly greatful.

Love you Vander!!! :)

VA Wine Trail - Hanging out at the Creek

It’s been a busy summer for Dan and I, but we were finally able to hide the next VA Wine Trail geocache!

This new cache is hidden at Lost Creek Winery, a beautiful winery nestled on the edges of Leesburg, VA. This vineyard is close to another VA Wine Trail cache, so you can grab two caches and two tastings very easily. :)

The owners and staff are very friendly and excited about us placing this cache, so please remember to plan your expedition according to their business hours (Thursday through Monday, 11am to 5pm).

Dan and I at Lost Creek
You can find the coordinates and hint for this cache on the VA Wine Trail – Hanging out at the Creek’s page.

If you would like to find out more about Lost Creek Winery, you can find a review here.

If you would like to find out more about geocaching, you can find all the details on my previous post.

We hope you have a wonderful time finding this cache! See if you can be the first to find (FTF) and pick up the cool travel bug hidden inside!!

Puppy Parenthood: Lesson 1 - Research!

The puppies Nikki rescued
Two days ago, I found out that my sister Nikki was going to rescue two puppies from a bad home. First, I applauded her for rescuing them, and second, her questions inspired me to begin a series of posts about the most important things regarding puppy parenthood. For Nikki, I am only a text message away, but for anyone without a good dog-owner contact, I hope this information will provide you with easy access to the most important puppy knowledge. Also, feel free to post additional questions to me!

Because I never grew up with dogs of my own (though I usually adopted all the neighbor’s dogs), I had to learn many things from scratch when I purchased Vander. Lucky for me, Vander’s breeder was extremely helpful and eager to share valuable experience, as many Portuguese Water Dog breeders are.

Vander's first snow
The first thing Vander’s breeder taught me about puppy parenthood was to RESEARCH. Many owners do not know what they are getting into when they pick out a dog, which is why so many end up as rescues. People pick out a dog that they think is cute, but they are unprepared for the natural instincts and tendencies that have been bred into their puppy for generations. If you can understand the job your dog was bred to perform, you have won half the battle of raising a puppy!

Here are some easy ways to research dog breeds:

• Do a Google search on your dog’s breed. There are lots of good websites out there, and I would also recommend searching YouTube for videos.
• Find books! You can get them from the library for free or order them online if you are looking for a rarer breed.
• If at all possible, talk to someone who has owned a puppy of the same breed as yours. They are a wealth of information and experience! You can probably even visit the dog and see its behavior for yourself.

When I researched Portuguese Water Dogs, I learned that they were originally bred to live on boats and perform tasks like fetching nets or herding fish. This knowledge helped me understand and anticipate that my puppy might have some of the following characteristics:

• Intelligence – Puppies can learn fast, but they can also learn how to outsmart you.
• Mouthy – A term for a dog who likes to have something in its mouth at all times. For example: a toy, a shoe, a person’s hand.
• Companionship – A dog who wants to be with its owner ALL the time, even in the bathroom!

Three month old Vander with toy
Sometimes, when you adopt a dog, you may not know exactly what mix of dog you are adopting. This does not mean that you cannot research what your puppy’s tendencies are! There are plenty of basic puppy books that cover the most common dog traits. Your dog will probably not display every characteristic mentioned in these books, but you will be a more prepared owner if you have a general knowledge of puppy behavior.

As you start your research, do not be overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge available. More than likely, your research will not stop after you bring home your puppy, which is just fine. Continued learning is good for both you and your puppy. Have fun with it!

Two month old Vander and I

Morven Park

Just outside of Leesburg town limits lies majestic Morven Park, home to Virginia’s 55th governor Westmoreland Davis. I first learned about the park at Leesburg’s monthly First Friday event, where a volunteer handed me a flyer and told me about some of the features the park offered. One important thing that I learned from the volunteer is that leashed dogs are allowed on the grounds – important knowledge for anyone who likes to bring their dogs on day trips.

A gorgeous tree I found in the gardens.
Covering 1000 acres of open and wooded property, Morven Park is a fantastic picnic location. The grounds contain numerous gardens, all of which are well maintained and great for pictures. The grounds of the park are free, and you can tour the governor’s mansion or take a ride in a horse drawn carriage for a small fee at different hours during the week and weekend.

One of the garden paths
I have visited the park on a few occasions and have always found it open and relaxing. Sometimes I see other visitors, but each time I have gone, it is never crowded. On my most recent trip, Dan and I brought the dogs with us. They LOVED running through the fields and playing fetch with fallen branches. :)

Puppies resting in the shade after playing fetch.
Whether you live around Leesburg, or are just passing through, Morven Park is a great location to visit. I would also recommend it to people who are planning an event, such as a wedding or party. The gardens and mansions are excellent settings for any event!

For any additional information, visit the Morven Park website. Enjoy!

A view of the mansion from one of the farther fields

Barrel Oak Winery

Right off of Route 66 in Virginia is Barrel Oak Winery, or BOW for short. This fantastic winery has top ratings in multiple categories, including the most family-friendly. I love BOW for multiple reasons and have decided to dedicate a whole post to this fantastic location. :)

As with all wineries, the wine needs to be delicious, and Dan and I both enjoy the wines at BOW. They have a mix of both whites and reds, and I have favorites in each category. On our visit this weekend, Dan and I enjoyed glasses of their Norton and Seyval Blanc. We also picked up bottles of their Steel Chardonnay and Peanut’s Petite Cuvee (which is Dan’s new favorite summer red).


BOW’s tastings are done in a beautiful wooden building that also has lots of indoor seating for cold and/or rainy days. While I still visit wineries on cold or rainy days, the best days to visit a winery are sunny ones. To accommodate the sunny day crowds, BOW has dozens of patio tables and picnic tables scattered across its hillside. When we visited this weekend, there were cars parked everywhere along the hillside, but we had absolutely no trouble finding an open picnic table to sit down at. They even have umbrellas for those who do not want to sit in the direct sunlight.

Another wonderful feature of having the tables on the hillside is that everyone has an unhindered view of the grape-vine covered hills stretching into the distance. The scenery really was breathtaking yesterday!


As you drive up the hill to the tasting house, the first and most noticeable thing about BOW is that it is very family-friendly. Anyone and everyone can come to this winery had enjoy themselves. They have provided games of corn hole, and they even have a sand pile that kids can play in.

Of all the wonderful qualities of BOW, my favorite is its love for dogs. You can even bring your four-legged family members into the tasting room with you! BOW places bowls of water and containers treats to share with your dog(s). The owners of the winery have also adopted several sweet, friendly strays who wander the property greeting all the visitors. There are many great Virginia wineries that love and support animals, but there is something about BOW that goes above and beyond the standard expression– maybe it is the paw prints on the top of each and every bottle of their wine. :)

This is puppy found a cork and was carrying it around like a pacifier. Priceless!
Vander sitting on the picnic table and watching all the activity around us.
By now, it should be pretty obvious that BOW should be on your places-to-visit list. :) Be sure to bring your friends and family with you, especially your four-legged ones!