Lazaurs Wins the Grand Prize

On Saturday, the City of New Braunfels had a Doggie Dip day where dogs were allowed in the Spring Fed pool at Landa Park. It is my estimation that this was DOG HEAVEN for the dogs who attended. Lazarus spent 99% of his time swimming and Moses swam about half of the time while running at large the other half. Needless to say, both boys had a WONDERFUL time at the event. A special thank you to the City of New Braunfels Park Department for putting it on.

The big news from the Doggie Dip day was that Lazarus won grand prize at the Trick Contest. He showed off his sit, shake, high five, stay, come, heel and sit all without a treat! He was so happy to show everyone all the things he could do, he won everyone there over. What a sweetheart. Moses also participated with his sit and shake. He did a very good job as well, but Lazarus won the GRAND PRIZE and got a bag full of doggie goodies. We are so proud of him!

Other notable events were Lazie swimming over to the platform in the middle of the pool (farther than any other dog), Moses stealing a very little pair of shorts that ironically had some treats in the pocket (Approx 2T in size). Moses stealing a stuffed animal from an infant and Lazie showing off his jumping/diving skills in the pool. A good time was had by all!

I ATE DAD's PHONE!!!

It was so good and chewy. I sank my incisors right into the fun plastic part. I thought maybe if I chewed hard enough, Dad would talk to me! Also tasty, was Dad's fun cowhide toy that wrapped around the phone and hanged off his belt. I don't know why he wanted to wear a chew toy on his belt, but he finally took it off and I found it and ate it!

Proudly,

Moses

Trip to AAG Conference

We spent a few days in San Francisco to attend the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting where Kevin presented in two different sessions. It was a short trip and we stayed in the evenings with Sean and Tracey who live near Golden Gate Park. It was great to see them, and to be in a place where I fit in better, ideologically speaking.

The conference was a success and session attendees noted that Kevin's session regarding technology in Urban Geography was the most useful session they had been to in years. He was also able to speak about the Neo-liberal city in his paper session along with 9 other presenters in a special organized session.

We skipped out on the conference to do a few fun things like eat in Chinatown, go to the beach at Ocean Beach (the end of the Judah line near Tracey and Sean's place) and catch a San Francisco Giant's game (the one of three where Barry Bonds didn't hit a homerun). We FROZE at the game and I think my North Dakota tolerance for cold is wearing off.

We were happy to get back to Lazarus, Moses and Sarah though and get back to the normal routine.

Julie

Crossroads Americana Party

On Sunday, KNBT 92.1 (Radio New Braunfels) held a free concert in Landa Park. Julie, Sarah, the Boys, and I decided to go because it was a perfect day and Two Tons of Steel was slated to perform. The park was very crowded, so we parked at the Panther Canyon Trailhead and walked down the Canyon to the pavillion. Laz and Mosi were very excited and it took them about an hour to calm down. We were so proud of Lazie though because he usually does not like amplified music at all. The concert was fun, but the best thing was when they drew the grand prize which was a free trip to Puerto Vallarta. They announced the winner at it was "Julie Romig of New Braunfels!" She claims that she will take me, but nevertheless I am excited for her. Julie works next to Ascot Travel and entered seven times. She can tell you more details, but we are off to California tomorrow for a conference. The Boys will be at home with Sarah. We are hoping for the best...

The pictures are:
Two Tons of Steel performing
Julie and Sarah at the concert
Moses eyeing the food of Mr. Jackson who he met and befriended at the concert. (mainly because of his cheese he shared with him and Laz.)

Kevin

More Play at Red Bud Isle

After the Dog Walk and the great Chinese food lunch, Mom and Dad took us to Red Bud Isle! I love it because I can act pretty wild and I don't get in trouble! I played with a bulldog mix pretty rough and wore myself out. Laz was busy swimming and playing fetch, but it was a bit too cold for me to swim very much. I preferred to root around in all the paths and run. You can tell who was wet in the pictures! Anyway, Saturday was such an amazing day, and the best part was Sarah came late in the day! I love having company at our house. It is just another couple pair of hands to pet me and love me! Also, I hope that you notice my new Hot Pink collar that I picked out myself. My coolness transcends basic stereotypes!

Mosi

Mighty Texas Dog Walk

On Saturday, we participated in the Mighty Texas Dog Walk that included more than 3000 Dogs in Austin. It benefited the Service Dogs of Texas and the event raised over $80,000 for that wonderful organization. I even made friends with one of the service dogs who was a Black Lab that was even bigger than me. He did not like many of the other dogs, but we got a long fine. We walked three miles, got a lot of treats, and had numerous sniffs. I was so excited! The rumor is that we broke a Guinness Record for the largest Dog Walk. After walking three miles, Mom and Dad went to Pei Wei and me and Mosi got a little Sweet and Sour Chicken, Rice, and fortune cookie. I love Chinese food! The pictures are of: me riding in the car up to Austin, Mom and us along the walk, and Dad and us after finishing the walk. The weather was great too. It was about 50 degrees with a stiff wind. It felt like good old North Dakota!

Your pal,

Lazie

The Yellow Rose of Texas

Kevin has planted some roses and the first one has bloomed...

Go Spurs Go!!

Kevin and I had the opportunity to sit 13 rows from the floor at last night's Spurs game against the Super Sonics. We received tickets from some friends who were going to be out of town. It was a fun time and we enjoyed seeing the players up close. There were, however, many people there not interested in the game at all who were sitting around us. I can't figure out why people would have such expensive tickets if they didn't want to watch the game. Anyway, I tried to take a few pictures, but it was difficult, so here is what I got. The Spurs won 110 to 91!!!

Julie

Promoting Pawverbs

On Palm Sunday, I got to go to church with Mom and Dad. It was a special day because the church was introducing all the small groups. I guess since I am a Pet Host for Pawverbs, Mom and Dad let me come help invite people. We didn't want to hurt Moses' feelings so I had to sneak out. Dad left the front door open and after Moses went in in kennel, I looked out the front door and I saw Dad say I could come out, and I quietly ran out and jumped in the car...It was so FUN! Then we went to church and got to stand where everyone had to walk by us to go in. I loved meeting all the people (especially those with treats...funny that they all had exactly the same kind of treats)

There was also a video that the church played that Moses was in. I did not watch it though because I do not like microphones and speakers, so I did not want to be inside at that time. Dumb ol' Moses is in the video at: http://www.grueneumc.org/Common%20Ground.html


Go Pawverbs!

Lazie

BLUEBONNETS!

The Bluebonnets have bloomed. I love romping in them. Mom had the bright idea that we would take our pictures in them since they are so pretty. Also, since Laz is so dark, it is hard to find good places to take his picture. I, however, look good almost anyhwere. This morning while on our walk, we stopped at my friend Kim's house ( a husky who always meanly barks at me, but I try to play with her anyway!)because she has lots of bluebonnets near her house by the road. Mom and Dad took Lazie's picture first because he gets hot and his tongue hangs out. (Again, I do not do that so I agreed to go second) When it was my turn, I walked out into the bluebonnets, sat for a bacon treat and felt something tingly...then prickery on my paw. I saw lots of crawly things and tried to get them off... Dad kept calling my name to look at him but I couldn't stop these crawly things. Mom finally took a close look and started to get upset, ushered me to the road, and started wiping off all the crawlys...she called fireants. I hope my picture came out!! (sadly we did not get a picture of Moses)

After that, I got to run around as fast as I could in the empty lots. WHAT FUN!!

Lovingly,
Moses

Red Bud Isle - the happiest place on Earth

Mom and Dad took us to Red Bud Isle - my favorite place - last weekend. I just LOVE it there. It is a park where I don't have to wear my leash, I can get away from Moses, Dad plays with me, and Mom keeps track of us. I can run around as much as I want, but mostly I like to stay in the water. Around every turn there is a new beach to explore. I can beat just about any other lab there to any tennis ball - whether Dad threw it or not! I was the only dog who would swim out really far to retrieve the ball. There were lots of friends there too, and the other humans are usually really nice. Moses just runs around like a mad man, but my approach is much more calculated since there is so much fun to be had. I don't want to miss ANYTHING!

I am in the water in one of the pictures... you have to look to see me!

Your Pal,
Laz

Devastation in New Orleans

As geographers, we don't only like picking up states but also better understanding the spatiality of the human condition. With that being said, we decided to stop in New Orleans on the way home. I had seen a presentation at the 2006 REP Conference and had wondered about the planning implications of rebuilding parts of the city after Katrina. We decided to go to the Levee district which is near UNO was along Lake Ponchartrain. It had been a middle class neighborhood that took a lot of damage. A year and a half later, it is still a disaster. it angered Julie and I to think about the billions of dollars spent by the USA on a misguided Civil War in Iraq and how many American Citizens have been forgotten. While it might not be the federal government's job to bail out poor residential choices and insurance coverage, but these people are Americans and should be treated better. If these areas are not going to be rebuilt, the structures should be demolished to avoid continued hazards from rats, mold, etc. The French Quarter was no different than the two other times I have been there, and the Garden District to the west along the Mississippi was at the final stages of recovery. Julie will be sharing these images with her Geology class and I will be talking about this in both my political geography and planning class.

Kevin

A Long Trip for Spring Break

Over the last week, Julie and I drove to Florida to see my family during Spring Break. Julie had never been in the Deep South before and was excited to "pick-up" a few more states. She is posing in Georgia (the fortieth state she has been in) in the SW corner near Chattahoochee, Florida. On our way, we also stopped in Gainesville and walked around the campus of the University of Florida. We took a few photos and moved onto Melbourne and then over to Venice. We were spectators at three Spring Training baseball games in Viera, Vero Beach, and Sarasota. We had a nice visit with my family. On the way back to Texas, we stopped in New Orleans. The city is not in good shape, and more explanation and photo evidence will come. We walked around the French Quarter a bit and also drove over to the Garden District. Those areas are a bit higher and sustained much less damage. The dogs were very excited to see us when we picked them up at the kennel.

Kevin

Laz and Dad Hang Out

While Mosi and Mom watched Lost last night, Dad and I chilled out to the blues. I like it when he plays that guitar, and I have always liked music. I used to listen to easy listening a lot when I'd hang out at Daria's. Mom even got me a Dean Martin CD that I liked. Then, I liked bluegrass a lot, and I still like to listen to bluegrass on Sunday mornings. Lately, I have been into classic country and I like it when Mom sings along with Loretta Lynn and Johnny and June Cash. Dad has turned me onto the blues though, and I like to chill out on the afghan rug while he plays. It was a nice way to end the day and relax after swimming at the river.

Your pal,
Lazarus

Recent activities

Dad and Mom have been busy lately as you can see from the lack of recent postings. Mom spent a lot of time filling in little circles last night that she kept calling an answer sheet. Her students are taking their midterm exam right now. I don't know what that is, but it has something to do with a blood bath and a curve? Dad left last night with his bone that he never chews and sounds funny (I think it's called a Guitar) and was gone for a little over an hour. It smelled like he had been to San Marcos, and when he came home, he played something called a 12 bar blues. I really liked it. Last night he smelled similar to Sunday afternoon after he and Mom went to see the Patio Boys band at Cheatham Street Warehouse. I guess Dad's guitar teacher plays in that band and is the one in the Red Hawaiian shirt. Anyway, I have enjoyed the warm days and cool nights lately-- a lot of outside play in the sun and snuggling in bed at night. I got to hang out with them on Saturday as they did some yard work. They are so proud of those silly painted rocks that represent institutions of higher learning that we have attended or taught at. At least our Daria's Place was included, but I guess one school is missing? Can anyone figure out which is missing? Well, I better get a good daily nap today because there is a rumor that we are going to the river tonight!

Mosi