Happy Halloween!

Last night we carved our pumpkin. This year I decided to make a design based on the Oogie Boogie character from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Honestly, this was one of the quickest pumpkin carvings that I've ever done - it took me less than 20 minutes and I think it came out pretty good.

Before

After

This evening, we took Tahoe and Ashley out for a walk to calm them before the trick-or-treaters arrived. Our walk took us down a road I'd never been down before... Spooky Lane!

Spooky Lane!

Halloween decorations

Ashley distracted by the talking skull

After the walk, we prepared for the trick-or-treaters. We put the pumpkin outside and got the candy bowl ready. The trick-or-treaters started early this year -- 6pm! (I guess that's because it's a school night). Brian and I greeted them while dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Ashley wore her bumblebee costume. Tahoe wore a fur coat ; )

The pumpkin on front stoop with Tahoe and Ashley looking on

Ashley in her bee costume

Tahoe trying on a wig

To all of the ghosts and ghouls out there, Happy Halloween!

Goblin Gallop

This morning I participated in a local 5k race called the Goblin Gallop - I ran the 5k and Brian cheered me on. The Goblin Gallop is a fun and family-friendly road race where kids and adults alike are invited to run the race in Halloween costumes. I've had costumes ready for this race for Brian and me since last March -- needless to say, I was super-excited to finally pull our costumes out and dress up.

Introducing... Thing 1 & Thing 2

A 1K fun run "kicked" things off

At the start of the 5K race

As for the race results...
I finished with a time of 24:33 - that's a 7:55/per mile pace. I'm not a really strong 5k racer so I'm proud to say that 24:33 is a PR for me. Overall for Women, I placed 39 out of 772. In my age division for Women, I placed 7 out of 119.

Me at the finish line

A cute little sheriff we met at the race

Brrrr....

What? "Brrrrr?" That's the title of a post that I should be writing in December, not October. Let me just take this opportunity to say... it's freaking cold around here! It is rainy and windy and temps are hovering around 38 degrees. Brrrr!

With such miserable conditions, most people would stay inside. Of course, I am five weeks away from my 1/2 marathon in Las Vegas which means that I'm at the point in my training plan where I'm running 10-12 miles a couple times a week. Unfortunately, this morning was one of those long run days with my Team Challenge teammates. I ran 11.5 miles in 1 hour and 37 minutes. The mileage didn't bother me. The pounding rain and winds and large puddles on the trail however, were another story. (I think we were actually suppose to run for 1 hr and 50 minutes? Oh well).

Luckily for me, it didn't snow during the run. The snow didn't start falling until around 1pm today. That's right... snow! Hopefully, these are not the type of conditions that I will encounter when I run in Las Vegas.  It's so cold and wet that even Tahoe and Ashley didn't want to go outside today.

Yep, that's snow on my hat!

Snow accumulated on the car windshield

Strange Weather

The weather was a little strange during our walk yesterday evening with Tahoe and Ashley. It was 6 pm and the sky was cloudy and dark. It was also windy and it looked like it was going to start raining at any minute. Not wanting to get caught outside in a thunderstorm, we cut our walk short and headed home. Apparently, the weather for the next few days is suppose to be more of the same but colder. In fact, forecasters are actually predicting *snow* in our area on Saturday - a rare occurrence for October. 

The clouds rolling in

Tahoe - moving so fast I couldn't get a clear picture!

With Halloween just a few days away our neighborhood is gearing up for the trick-or-treaters with spooky yard decorations and displays. Brian and I tend to keep our decorations simple while others seem to go all out with spider webs, lights, and inflatable displays.  I think Tahoe and Ashley like the inflatable displays.

Our Halloween decorations

A nearby neighbor's decorations

Wacky Names

A while back, I listed several nicknames that Brian and I use frequently for Tahoe and Ashley. That's one of the great things about dogs (and pets in general), you can literally name them anything you want. In fact, there is a company, Veterinary Pet Insurance, that has compiled a list of the top 10 wackiest dog and cat names for 2011. Below are the top 10 wackiest names for dogs:

1. Almost-A-Dog
2. Franco Furter
3. Stinkie Mcstinkerson
4. Sir Seamus McPoop
5. Audrey Shepburn
6. Dewey Decimell
7. Knuckles Capone
8. Beagle Lugosi
9. Shooter Mclovin
10. Uzi Duzi-Du

Ashie-belly

The Ho-ster

Watch out for that.... Tree?

The other day, a funny thing happened while Brian and I were walking Tahoe and Ashley by the lake.  During the walk, Brian had Tahoe's leash and I had Ashley's leash. As we approached the edge of the lake, Tahoe got super excited. Tahoe got so excited that he literally yanked Brian down a hill, causing Brian's glasses to fly off of his head, and pulling him straight into the trunk of a tree. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera on me that day (lucky Brian). So, here are some photos from our walk today - while not as exciting as images of Brian being yanked down a hill, glasses flying and all, they do feature Brian, Tahoe, and Ashley and the fall foliage.

Watch out... danger ahead ; )

Tahoe

Ashebee!

Walking in the park

PS: After the little tree incident I told Brian that he should probably stick with walking Ashley... for his own safety. (In general, Ashley is much easier to walk with one exception: she can get a tad excited/aggressive when passing other dogs while on leash.)

PPS: No husbands or trees were harmed in the making of this incident.

Saturday - Outdoor Fun

Running
This morning started off with running -  yep, I'm still training for my upcoming 1/2 marathon. I met up with my Team Challenge "teammates" on the Capital Crescent Trail in Bethesda, MD at 8am.  It was a cool 50 degrees, dry, and overcast. Our goal was to run for 1 hour and 40 minutes. During the run I maintained a comfortable pace and ran approximately 11.5 miles. It was a good workout.

After the run - at mile marker 3.5 on the CCT

Tennis
Once I arrived home from the run, Henry came over and the three of us - Brian, Henry, and me - headed out to the nearby tennis courts to hit some balls. We played a few games, rotating teams, and we kept playing until each of us won a set. There were also a few times when each of us hit a ball way off of the court. We each had our own excuses for poor aim and lack of ball control: Henry had a big blister on his foot, Brian couldn't see because of the sun, and I was tired from running earlier in the morning. (Personally, I think I had the best excuse).

Brian, carefully returning the ball

Serving up some heat!

Walking
Later in the afternoon, Brian and I took Tahoe and Ashley out for a walk around the lake. With the cooler temps, the leaves are starting to fall and change colors.  It was bright and sunny out - a nice afternoon to be outside with my husband and two favorite pooches.

The leaves by the lake are changing colors

Superdog!

Brian and Ashley

Walking on the hill

Weims in the woods

Farewell to Babu

Sometime ago, a friend asked me why I call my father "Babu." In swahili "babu" means "wise" or "respected elder"... Grandfather essentially. Swahili is the official language of Tanzania. In December of 2007, my father and I traveled to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. My father was one of the oldest clients to climb Kilimanjaro with the company that we outfitted with. During the trip, the porters and guides - some with Masai roots - called my father Babu. They told us that it meant respected grandfather. The nickname just sort of stuck. (They were all really impressed with my father's physical fitness and stamina, considering his age, and they would tell him that constantly.) I like to call him Babu because it reminds me of our trip and something special that we shared.

Taking a break while climbing Kili

Me, Baso, and Babu, Uhuru Peak, the top of Kili - Dec. 25, 2007

For almost a year now, I have shared my home with Babu. (He moved in last November to help me with Tahoe and Ashley when Brian went off to Guam.) As I type this post, he is on the road moving on to bigger and better things (and a much warmer climate) in Tucson, Arizona. His plan all along was to eventually relocate to Tucson for a while and today, Brian and I helped "send" him off.

Babu... Tucson bound!

I am grateful for the time that I have had this past year to get to know my dad again.  I will miss his sense of adventure, love of the outdoors and exercise, and his supportive ear and shoulder. I will miss my dog-walking partner, gym buddy, and biking guru... amongst many other things, I will also miss buying him pastries from the supermarket! (I don't think he knows how happy it made me to buy him a pie or a cherry turnover.)

I wish him all the best as he moves on to his next big adventure in Tucson. We will miss you Babu!

Babu with his two favorite pooches, Tahoe & Ashley

Vimer-runners

Tahoe and Ashley are two special weims. They have a very distinctive appearance with their sleek gray fur and large muscular builds. In fact, Tahoe and Ashley are a bit like local celebrities in our neighborhood.  As I've mentioned in earlier posts, people are constantly stopping us during our walks to ask about what type of dog they are or to ask if they can pet them. The conversation usually goes a bit like this:

Stranger - "What type of dog is that?"
Me - "Weimaraner"
Stranger - "Weimar-what?"
Me - "Weimaraner"
Stranger - "Oh" <I have no clue what that woman just said but I'll nod my head anyways>

Ashley and Tahoe - weimaraners

Tahoe

Ashley

Tahoe napping, after a long walk

Columbus Day Weekend

Beautiful blue skies and temperatures in the 70's... ahh!
It was a gorgeous weekend perfect for getting out and about. On Saturday I continued with my training for the Vegas 1/2 marathon with a 13 mile run on the Mt. Vernon trail. I maintained a comfortable pace (9:30/per mile) and it felt pretty good. After the run, I joined Babu for a bike ride on his favorite loop. I rode for an hour and then headed home - my neck and shoulders were starting to get stiff so I figured it was time to rest.

On Sunday I participated in the Occoquan Challenge, a 5k rowing head race on the Occoquan Reservoir. I rowed in the Club 8+ and the Club 4+. And the results... we came in 1st in the 8+ and 2nd in the 4+. The water was flat and the weather was perfect. Even Brian and Babu came out to watch and cheer me on.

Tahoe and Ashley also got out for their usual walks. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera have died so I haven't been able to capture any pictures from the walks (or from any of my activities). So, the images posted below are all courtesy of Babu.
Thanks Babu!

My #1 fan

After crossing the finish line

Beautiful day... to a carry a boat

Is that Brian de-rigging?

All smiles

Friday Afternoon

Friday afternoon walk with Tahoe and Ashley...

By the lake

Happy Ashley!

The weather has gotten cooler and the sun is setting earlier. Unfortunately, Tahoe and Ashley's evening walks have increasingly been in darkness. (A frustrating detail when it comes to pooper-scooping). Today though, I made it home with plenty of afternoon sunshine and time to take Tahoe and Ashley out.

Fields of gold

World Animal Day

Yesterday was World Animal Day. What is World Animal Day you ask? It's a holiday where animals are celebrated all throughout the globe.  World Animal Day also coincides with the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis [1181-1226] is the patron saint of animals. Churches throughout the world observe the Sunday closest to October 4th with the Blessing of the Animals.

This weim doesn't look too pleased to be getting blessed with oil.