Hotel Visits and Family

While visiting Oklahoma City, we all got to stay in this great place with a bunch of rooms. The most exciting part is that to get to our room, we rode a much smaller room that moved up and down. I couldn't figure it out at first, because it felt like the floor was pushing up on my paws. After a few rides though I became an expert. Moses liked it too. Mom says it is good for us to ride this thing because we might get to ride them when we go visit people at hospitals. I also really enjoyed snuggling with Dad.

One night we went to visit our cousins Teresa, Kelly, Hermainie and Zippy. I got to go in the house and lay on the couch. There were also a few new toys to play with. The best part was the wonderful meatball Teresa gave me. Moses put his nose up to the meatball holder and that was enough to score us one! Yum Yum. I loved playing with Kelly and Teresa. They are great!

Your pal, Laz

Headed to Oklahoma!

Oklahoma Here We Come!

Lazarus and I got to accompany Mom and Dad to some cool place called Oklahoma City. The trip was long, but it was also fun. We stopped at this great park, called Dinosaur Tracks State Park, where Mom and Dad kept looking at the ground, and taking pictures. Laz and I swam and ran around. We had so much fun, I guess we made Dad late for some important meeting he was sopposted to attend...ops.

Then a few more hours down the freeway later, we stopped at this cool geology site. Mom was so excited and Laz and I had to tinkle real bad so I was glad we stopped. Also, Laz kept hogging the ENTIRE back seat so I had no place to sit.
-Mosi

Pawverbs and Pet Partners

Moses here...
Last night was so fun! A bunch of people and dogs came over to visit. My buddies Sky and Pudgin were here as well as Tuco, Maile and Xena (Laz may have a crush on Tuco) and I met a new buddy, Mader. Mader is a 7 month old Bloodhound and we played so hard! We played and played and ran all over the house bumping into things and flopping around. It was a BLAST! Everyone else was sitting and listening to a really nice lady speak. My attention span isn't too great, so I didn't hear all of it, but it was something about dogs getting to go visit people in hospitals and schools. I think that would be fun! Maybe that is why mom made me heel with her this morning on our walk. Anyway, all the humans seemed to have a great time and I know I had fun so all is good! Since I heeled so well this morning, Mom and Dad said I could go with them to Oklahoma! Yeehaw!

Mom wanted me to add that if you want to know more about Pet Partners, Delta Society or visiting people and places in need with your dog, click on the links below!
Delta Society and Pet Partners San Antonio
Delta Society National Site

-Mosi

Pedernales Falls State Park Trip

Hi all, Lazie here.

Last weekend, we took a real fun trip to Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, Texas. I had never been out in that part of the Hill Country before, but I really liked it. Because the park was not busy, I got to be off-leash a lot of the time and I even went swimming near the falls even though humans were warned not to swim there. We walked around the falls with Mom being excited about the geological sheeting and Dad finding the small whirlpools interesting in a erosion context. Moses loved it too and actually wore himself out as he fell asleep in the car before we even left the park territory. I love state parks, and encourage you all to get out sometime soon and enjoy one for yourself. My recommendations are:

1. Pedernales Falls-- it's on my mind
2. Turtle River State Park, Larimore, ND-- I can't forget my roots
3. Western Trails Historic Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa-- Along the Missouri River


Your pal,

Laz

Manos por Patas

I just learned about a terrible situation in Puerto Rico concerning a large number of stray and abandoned dogs. It seems many dogs are roaming the beach, in need of food, water, shelter, medical attention and love. I don't really know how to help these dogs and it makes me very sad to learn that this type of neglect is taking place in the world (and technically this is American soil) There is an organization, Manos for Patas who are trying to help. If you can, please pray for these dogs.

Manos por Patas is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the suffering of stray dogs (called “satos” by the locals) roaming Puerto Rico, desperately in need of medical attention, food and water, and a loving touch.

http://www.manosporpatas.org/mission.htm

Trip to WRR

Julie also set up a visit for us over the weekend to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in the Hill Country. Our main mission was to meet Guiseppe (See posting from Aug. 23). We got a special tour of the facility and got to meet and greet the animals who wanted to visit with us. The first photo is of Guiseppe and Mary the donkeys who aren't terribly friendly. I got within about 3 feet of them and that was as close as they were comfortable with. A large, juvenile cow came up to me and wanted to play and have me scratch their horns which I did. It was the largest being I have ever played with and they wanted to play a game of push which was not easy for me. It was a great morning to spend with animals who are getting a chance to relax and have an enjoyable retirement.

Kevin

Birthday trip to North Padre Island

I got to take a trip on my birthday to the beach. For six years (4 in AZ and 2 in ND) that was not very easy to do, so I took advantage of my opportunity this year. The air temperature was about 89 and the water temp was 83. The water was clear and pretty rough for the Gulf. We took Laz and Moses along who absolutely love the beach. Once we crossed the causeway bridge (about 20 minutes before we got to our destination) the boys were in a hyper state of enthusiasm and excitement. Laz loves swimming and we played a lot of football in the shallow water. He was able to play and not get too hot. Moses loves swimming, but he also likes chasing the seagulls and other shore birds. Julie also had fun in the waves and watching Moses burn thousands of calories running along the beach. We drive in the 4X4 section of the beach so as to not disturb other beach-goers with the dogs and their occasional poor manners. We went for the day and were home before the sun was down.

Kevin

Praying for Myanmar

While this blog is usually reserved for more light-hearted entries about the dogs and fun activities, I want people to be aware a bit more about the on-going situation in Myanmar. This is a state currently run by a rogue regime who disregarded the results of the last national election in 1990. They are kept afloat by unscrupulous corporations who pay for leases to explore for natural gas and oil. A famous dissident and peace advocate (who won the Nobel Peace Prize) in the 1990s has been under arrest for over 10 years. Because of tremendous crony-ism, the government was in debt-- so they decided to raise the price of diesel 500% in August to create more revenue. This brought another groundswell of animosity toward the junta or illegitimate regime. To deal with this groundswell, the militia has brutally retaliated towards the dissidents killing at least hundreds of individuals and forcing many of their political opponents into hiding. Taking up the cause lately have been many Buddhist monks who have marched on Rangoon in non-violent manners to bring attention to the corruption and brutality of the government. The monks have also been slaughtered. As Christians, our pack is heartbroken thinking about the pain and suffering of the population and the monks. Our government is not in a position to proactively help because we do not have diplomatic relations with Myanmar and do not recognize their current government. We simply ask for prayer and thoughts for a peaceful resolution to this world crises.

Kevin

Sources: CIA factbook, NY Times, Wikipedia, CNN

A fun weekend (Lazarus)

Well, Moses gave you his two cents, but here's the highlights from last weekend. First, we all went tubing on the Guadalupe River on Friday morning. I had so much fun swimming, sitting in the tube with Dad, and shooting the rapids! Second, on Saturday morning, we went to Pet Fest in San Marcos. Mosi did win a basketball, but we also scored three frisbees and numerous treats! Dad and I ran in the 1 mile fun run and I took two swimming breaks! I also got to say hello to a lot of cute girls who were helping with the event. Then, I hung out for a while with the Heart of Texas Labrador Rescue folks who knew what a great specimen I am! After we all went to the exhibits and went to the Pet Blessing, me, Mom and Dad went swimming in the San Marcos. The water was too cold for Mosi. Then, Saturday evening, Mom and Dad were really happy-- something about the Longhorns losing? On Sunday night, we all got to go to a party and that was a lot of fun. It was at a friends house, and most of the people there liked me and Moses. The whole weekend was a total blast. Although we were tired!

Your pal,

Lazie

A fun weekend (Mosi)

Wow! What a wonderful weekend! We got to go to Pet Fest in San Marcos on Saturday. Even though I didn't feel all that well, I still had a blast. I got to walk with Mom, I got blessed by the pastor at the Episcopal church, I got a bunch of treats, and meet a lot of different people and dogs. My friend David even was there because he ran in the 5K race that morning, and I got my picture taken with him! Then, they had a drawing, and they picked my number and I won a squekie basketball that I love! It was a lot of fun and I loved every minute of it! I have been playing with my new ball all weekend, and so far it has survived my teeth.

Mosi

Cookies for the Geography Picnic

Today is the Geography Department picnic. While I am not allowed to go to the Picnic because it is in Sewell Park (not dog friendly), I did get to participate in making cookies for the event. My job is to be Dad's watcher, helper, and to get in the way as much as I can! I also got to lick the bowl before it was rinsed and placed into the dishwasher. Anyway, I wanted to upload these photos so you could see me working and Moses was watching over the cooling cookies. Have a great weekend everyone!

Your pal,

Lazarus

Doggie Dip Day II (Moses)

Hey, Mosi here. I wanted to let you know how much fun I had at Doggie Dip day on Saturday. I know the Lab (water dog) was the big star, but I did really well swimming and retrieving too. I also made a ton of friends! By the end of the party, nearly everyone knew my name. I even got other people to give me treats! Some lady also gave me this really cool lei. I thought is was stylish and helped me get my swerve on and flirt with all the cute girls. We played so hard that we crashed on the 7 minute car ride home.

Take care,

Mosi

Doggie Dip Day II (Laz)

This past weekend, we got to go swimming at the Landa Park pool again for Doggie Dip Day. It is a spring fed pool so our hair does not clog up the filter, but the dogs are only allowed in the pool at the beginning and end of the swimming season. The party started at Noon on Saturday, but we got there at 11:50. I was the first dog in the pool. I loved swimming around and I played for the full 3 hours. I was in the water for the whole time except to tinkle and I pooped once. Dad played with me a lot and we played tennis ball fetch. I was clearly the best swimmer there and wowed a lot of people with my ability to carry two balls in my mouth. I just love water sports! The weather was good for the event as well.

Your pal,

Lazarus

PS> The next day, I got to go to Sunday school and hang out with the Junior and Senior High class. I was so excited that I was not really able to calm down too much, but I did get a donut from Pastor Karen! Moses got one too!

Our 6th Annual NFL Picks

While no one has specifically asked us about our NFL picks, Julie and I have been prognosticating the NFL standings since we have been married. Last year, was the first year Julie did better than me with her random pick of New Orleans panning out. These are based on little research and should not be used in any significant gambling or wagering way.

JULIE
AFC Division Winners
New York Jets
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
San Diego

Wild Cards
Jacksonville
Tennessee

NFC Division Winners
Dallas
Chicago
New Orleans
Seattle

Wild Cards
Arizona
Philadelphia

KEVIN
AFC Division Winners
New England
Cincinnati
Indianapolis
Denver

Wild Cards
Baltimore
Pittsburgh

NFC Division Winners
Dallas
Chicago
Carolina
Seattle

Wild Cards
St. Louis
Green Bay

Julie's Super Bowl
Cincinnati vs. Dallas

Kevin's Super Bowl
Baltimore vs. Dallas


Can you tell were from Texas?

Enchanted Rock SP

This past Labor Day weekend, the pack decided to take a trip out into the "wilderness" of Texas. Julie had been wanting to see the Llano Uplift, so we went to see a part of it at Enchanted Rock State Park north of Fredricksburg, TX. We hiked about 3 miles around the large granitic batholith that has been on the crustal surface even through the period when Central Texas was under the waters of the great inland sea. Since it has been so wet, there were plenty of bajadas and water catchment areas that the dogs enjoyed finding and playing in. Julie even brought home some samples of the pink granite (high in potassium) for her rock garden and Geology class.

Kevin