Happy Halloween!

Today (with some help from my dad) I walked the dogs, carved a pumpkin, toasted pumpkin seeds, and gave out candy.

Below are a few pictures of Tahoe and Ashley from our walk earlier today. During the walk we saw four deer - good ol' Tahoe just couldn't resist giving them a fright and chasing after them.  We also ran into Tommy's owner. (Tommy was a dog that we would meet during our walks back when Tahoe was a few years old. Tommy and Tahoe would run around off leash and play together). She looked at Tahoe and said that he looked really good and young for his age. Sadly, Tommy is no longer around but they have welcomed a new golden to the family. Maybe we'll meet the new pup during a future walk.

After the walk, we returned to the house to carve the pumpkins.  My dad carved the big round one and I carved the oval one with the long stem. My dad's inspiration was a dog and my inspiration was a Polynesian mask.

Dad's dog pumpkin

My mask pumpkin

Lit and ready for show time

Tahoe & Ashley, waiting for the trick-or-treaters

Once the pumpkins were lit and ready to go, I put Tahoe in his bumble bee costume.  He looked so cute and he was very good.  We probably had about 100 trick-or-treaters come through.  Towards the end of the evening, I gave Tahoe and Ashley a special treat - I finally let them have their pumpkin squeaky toys.

Ashley with sparkly stars

Tahoe in his bee costume with his pumpkin toy

What happened to the pumpkin?

Ashley, determined to get her pumpkin toy

Pumpkins in the Park

Before Brian left, we picked out three pumpkins at a nearby parking lot pumpkin patch. I've been so busy that I haven't had time to think about what sort of designs I want to carve on the pumpkins.  (Pumpkin carving is a Halloween tradition that I really enjoy -- it's just not Halloween if I haven't carved a pumpkin.) Out of the three pumpkins that we purchased, I'm thinking that I would like to carve the two larger ones. What sort of image or design should I carve?

Pumpkin #1

Pumpkin #2 (on the right) - do you see Ashley in the door?

 Check back tomorrow to see my finished pumpkin carving products.

In the mean time, check out the images below for fun Halloween pumpkinspirations.  I had to oversee a pumpkin silent auction table today at work during the Park's annual fall festival.   There were some pretty unique and interesting gourds.

Pumpkin-ella and friends

Photoworks pumpkin

Pumpkin pig

The Park's pumpkin patch, in the Bumper Car Pavilion

Fall Frolic

Dear blog follower:

Yesterday, I was out of touch because I lost my camera. Luckily, a kind neighbor found my camera and placed it on my car for me to find this morning - apparently I dropped it while walking from the house to my car to go to work yesterday.

So, without further ado, below is the post that I meant to publish yesterday.
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I love the fall. In Virginia, the air becomes crisp and cool and the leaves change colors.  It's so beautiful.

This morning, the lake was covered in fog.  The air was chilly and a thin mist clung to the hills and the water.  It was very peaceful. Tahoe and Ashley went about their usual business... running around and eating grass.

A morning fog blankets the lake

There was actually a photographer in the field taking pictures too

Ashley on our morning walk

Tahoe eating the grass

Home Alone

I sometimes wonder what Tahoe and Ashley do during the day when I'm off at work and they have the run of the house. I'm guessing that they spend most of their time napping and lounging around. When I arrived home today though, I discovered some evidence that indicates that they may be a little more active than I think.

The plant had been knocked on to the floor

Ashley standing in front of the mess

What in the world were those two up to today?

Camping out in the Basement

Severe weather is headed our way. Our area is under a Tornado Warning until 3am.  Tahoe, Ashley, and I are camping out in the basement... on the couch of course.

Ashley doesn't seem too worried.

Who can resist those puppy eyes?

Tahoe was snuggling against my knee...

Now he's resting his head on my leg

Look at Ashley's belly - it's huge!

Greenies!

Greenies are one of Tahoe's and Ashley's most favorite treats. They are these green, toothbrush-shaped chew treats that come in a variety of sizes. They are designed to help clean doggie teeth and freshen doggie breath. Tahoe and Ashley get so excited even at the mention of the g-word - Tahoe tilts his head and perks up his ears and Ashley starts barking and hopping like a bunny rabbit.

Here's the crazy part... a regular bag of Greenie treats (containing 12 treats) costs $20.99 at Petco. That's $1.75 per treat! Those folks at Greenie corporate are making a killing. Needless to say, I only buy Greenies when they're on sale or if Tahoe and Ashley deserve an extra special treat.

Tonight, I felt like my babies deserved a special treat. : )

Greenies

Greenies, greenies, greenies!

Give me my Greenie!

Chomp, chomp, chomp...

Speaking of things green... here's a little green friend that paid us a visit this evening.

Who's Walking Who?

"Who's walking who?" - I get this comment all of the time from neighbors and complete strangers who see me outside walking Tahoe and Ashley.  Juggling two leashes can be tricky, particularly with two large dogs that like to pull.

This afternoon, my dad decided to try his hand at walking Ashley and Tahoe... 

Ashley is wondering "who is this holding my leash?"

How did the leashes get tangled?

 Behind the back?

Overall, he did pretty well.  As I told him, the real test is holding the leashes for both dogs while trying to pick up doggie doodoo as another dog approaches on the sidewalk... I've had some pretty crazy experiences trying to do just that.

Man's best friend.

Hachi

A few weeks ago, Brian and I watched a movie on the Hallmark channel called Hachi. The movie is based on the true tale of a Japanese Akita dog that became a national icon in Japan. In this adaptation, Richard Gere plays a college professor who finds the dog abandoned at a Rhode Island train station on his commute home. Unable to find an owner for the dog, Gere takes him in for the night. The two quickly establish a bond and Hachi (his name derived from the Japanese symbol on his collar, meaning "eight") becomes part of the family. Soon, Gere is walking with Hachi to the train station in the morning and finding the dog waiting for him when he arrives home daily.

Half way through the movie, I realized two things: 1. this was the Hallmark channel so I knew that the story would be heart-wrenching and 2. this was a story about a dog and dog movies/stories usually end with the dog eventually dying (ex. Marley and Me). I thought about turning the channel but I didn't. I had to continue watching...  and of course, by the end of the movie I was in tears.

A bronze statue of Hachi at Shibuya Station

Exploring the Hills

Today, our walk took us on the hills near the lake. (We avoided the trail because there was a woman practicing tai chi on the trail.)

The hills next to the lake

Ashley

Tahoe eating grass... yuck!

"Something smells good..."

The woman practicing tai chi was at the top of the grassy hill to the left.

Hazards of Walking with Dogs & OVO

During our walk this morning, Tahoe, Ashley, and I ran into this guy and his two dogs.  We've seen them before on other walks and it is always the same thing with them. As we approach, his dogs always start barking aggressively. Then, Tahoe gets excited and Ashley goes bizzerk. It takes all of my strength to keep Tahoe and Ashley from dragging me to the ground.

For the sake of this blog, let's call the guy Mr. X.
Mr. X has one black lab and one white dog that is similar in size to a Border Collie. (His dogs are smaller than Tahoe and Ashley). Mr. X lives in townhouse that is close to the lake.  Whenever I see him on the trail, he never adjusts his path.  I am always having to rearrange my walk when I see him to avoid him.  However, what bugs me the most about Mr. X is that he'll squat on the trail by the lake - hang out there for 20 minutes while his dogs run around off leash - and then proceed on his merry way back to his house, not realizing that there may be people that would like to walk on the trail to get to the woods without getting attacked by his dogs. I've never met Mr. X but I've already decided that I don't like him.  I have come to this conclusion based on the fact that his dogs bark at Tahoe and Ashley for no good reason and based on the fact that he is not considerate of others when he "walks" his dogs.

So, today we ran into Mr. X and his dumb dogs. I guess it's just one of the hazards of walking with dogs.  Not all dogs are friendly and not all dog owners are considerate.
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This evening I went to see Cirque du Soleil's "Ovo" at the National Harbor.  It was a really neat show - it's theme revolved around a world of insects including: beatles, ladybugs, praying mantis, etc. The music, costuming, and acrobatics were terrific.

The Plateau parking lot at the National Harbor

The Cirque du Soleil tents

Our Lake

This morning we walked to the lake. The lake is about a five minute walk from our house - I take Tahoe and Ashley there just about every time I take them for a walk.  Because it's a wide open space and trail, I can let Tahoe off the leash to run around.  I could also let Ashley off the leash too but I don't. (Last Fall, I let her off the leash at the park nearby and she ran away. For a half hour, I searched for her in the woods with Tahoe. Two dog walkers nearby overheard me yelling her name and they offered to help.  After several minutes, Ashley finally wandered out of the woods in front of the dog walkers. Not wanting to re-live that experience, I do not let Ashley off of the leash anymore.)

Our lake

Tahoe on the hill by the lake

Ashley looking at a dog ahead on the trail

Tahoe smiling

Answers from yesterday's quiz:
1. Ashley   2. Ashley   3. Tahoe   4. Ashley   5. Ashley 
6. Tahoe   7. Tahoe   8. Ashley   9. Tahoe   10. Tahoe

How well do you know Tahoe and Ashley?

I bet you would say that you know Ashley and Tahoe pretty well, eh? Well... prove it! Look at the ten photos below and identify who is who. (It's not as easy as you might think.) Good luck!

1. Name that dog.

2. Who does this paw belong to?

3. Who does that paw belong to?

4. Who could it be?

5. What in the world...

6. Whose noggin is this?

7. Who does this tail belong to?

8. Is this Tahoe or Ashley?

9. Is this Ashley or Tahoe?

10. Who is this?

Stay tuned... Answers will be revealed tomorrow.