Blue Dog

Blue is a blue-eyed Australian cattle dog. He has $1,800 in savings, a Facebook page, a lawyer, and an air-conditioned dog house. What Blue doesn't have is a permanent home. On June 13, the City Council of Elephant Butte, NM will decide Blue's fate. So, what happened?

Last Spring, a woman was fatally mauled by pit bulls in nearby Truth or Consequences. (Yep, Truth or Consequences is a real town - Babu's driven through there!) After that, a woman started complaining to the city that Blue would follow her and her dog on a nearby walking path. Soon after, Blue was cited for being off-leash which caught the attention of an Albuquerque attorney and the Elephant Butt lake property owner. Now, the community has come together to try and get an exemption for Blue so he can live out the rest of his years in front of the Elephant Butte General Store, that he now calls home.

Laws are laws but, do you think an exception should be made for Blue? Should he be allowed to roam where he pleases, off-leash? Many community members that know him think so. (More information on Blue can be found here and here.)

Blue dog  (AP image)

A Poopy Post

There was a lot of poop on our walk this afternoon...  It was hard to keep up with all of the pooper-scooping! I would attribute the extra "poopiness" of the walk to the warm and muggy weather that we've been experiencing. At one point, Ashley became so overheated that she had to lay down. Luckily, we were able to coax her home before a storm came through.

Tahoe on the path

Ashley on the move

Juggling two weims

Warm afternoon by the lake

Ashley, pooped out

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! To celebrate the holiday, Brian and I headed to my mum's for a crab feast. What better way to kick off the "official" start of summer! I hope that you had a lovely, long weekend.

Crabs, shrimp, salad, and beer - yummy!

Turtling and a Lighthouse

While on vacation at the Outer Banks this week, I've had a chance to rest, relax, and enjoy time with friends. Don't get the wrong idea though...  even with all of the r & r, we've been quite busy!

Earlier this week we went turtling, I mean, crabbing near the Currituck Lighthouse. The Currituck Lighthouse is a few miles north from where we are staying. It's nestled on the grounds of the Currituck Heritage Park on the Currituck Sound side. The water from the Sound rolls into the park and feeds a shallow area used as a boat ramp and boat slips. This is where the crabbing "magic" happens.

Crabbing - bait of choice... raw chicken, of course

Riley, crab-dog extraordinaire!

In total, we caught 5 crabs

Unfortunately, crabs weren't the only things we were catching. Apparently, there is a ginormous prehistoric turtle that lives in these waters, as well as a variety of other fish and turtles. Honestly, I think we caught more turtles than crabs. ; )

The claws of the prehistoric turtle monster

Yep, it's a turtle alright - a cousin of the monster

Turtle on the run

While at the Currituck Heritage Park, we also took time to visit the Lighthouse. The Currituck Lighthouse was built in 1875. It is 162 ft tall. For a small fee, visitors can climb its 214 steps to the top for a panoramic view of the Sound.

In front of the lighthouse sign

The Currituck Lighthouse

OBX

Well... I'm in North Carolina - the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

OBX - public beach access

Beach to the right...

...and beach to the left

Brian was not able to join me for this trip because of his work schedule. So, he is at home working and taking care of Tahoe and Ashley while I am at the beach with our friends (and my gracious hosts) the Hua's.  Although Tahoe and Ashley aren't here with me, Brian and I have brought Tahoe to the Outer Banks before. In fact, I was walking earlier today and passed one of the houses we once stayed at. Seeing this house always reminds me of Tahoe because the year that we vacationed there, Tahoe jumped off of the top deck onto the slanted roof. He ran back and forth on the roof and scared me half to death until we were finally able coax him back into the house. Crazy Tahoe!

Tahoe's "roof-walking" house

Road Trip

Last night I packed my bags and prepared for a trip out of town. I woke up early this morning, grabbed my bags (and my bike) and loaded my things in my friend Jim's car. Tahoe and Ashley watched us from the front door as we prepared to leave.

Tahoe and Ashley (and chipmunk?)

Jim's car, fully loaded and enroute

So where did we drive to? Tune in tomorrow to find out...

Friday evening

Another busy week has come and gone... how time flies!
Tahoe and Ashley have been antsy all week so Brian and I were happy to be able to take them out for a long walk this evening. The weather was perfect and Tahoe and Ashley enjoyed stretching their legs and running in the tall grass.

Ashley & Tahoe -- on the path, with children ahead

Happy Mr. Tahoe!

Ashley's big nose!

Tahoe, running on the trail

I'm headed out of town for a little bit (without Tahoe, Ashley, and Brian) but, I hope to be able to update the blog and let you know what I'm up to soon.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Pomp & Circumstance... and Moms

This weekend, we celebrated Claire's Senior Art show and soon-to-be graduation from George Mason University and Mother's day.

On Friday evening, we headed over to the Art & Design Building at George Mason University with Brian's mum and dad. Claire had a project in the Senior Art Show - Amato To-mah-to - a book that Claire designed and edited.

Claire, the happy graduate

Amato To-mah-to book cover

Mr. & Mrs. Cho and Mr. & Mrs. Cho

Afterwards, we all headed to Honey Pig for some authentic Korean BBQ. We celebrated Claire's graduation and Mother's Day with Brian's mum.

Claire & Henry enjoying makgeolli

Brian's mum working the grill

Mother's Day cont.
On Sunday, I took my mum out to Skyline Drive to celebrate Mother's Day. It was a beautiful day for a hike and a drive in the country. First we had breakfast at IHOP and then we drove out to the Shenandoah mountains where we went on a little hike and stopped at several scenic overlooks. It was a great way to relax and spend time with my mum.

Blackberry blossoms on the trail

My mum

Up a tree

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and that you too were able to tell your mother (or a mother that you know) how special she is.

And the Oscar Goes to...

I spent some time at Lorton Prison yesterday morning. No... I was not under arrest... I was actually a victim in Hurricane Victoria!

Ready for the hurricane!

Practicing my part - victim

Lorton Prison compound has been closed for several years. The buildings that remain on the site are used by the Fire Department and the Police Department for training. Yesterday, I was an "actor" in a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) disaster training exercise, conducted at Lorton Prison. My scenario: I was a victim in Hurricane Victoria and I hit my head on a cabinet and sprained an ankle. I am happy to report that I was rescued from my building by two responders and that I survived thanks to the care that I received. Unfortunately, a lady who was near me in the Medical area was not as lucky... after she was brought into the Medical area, the responders left her alone for at least 20 minutes! Sadly, she "died" by the time they got around to caring for her. She definitely deserves an Oscar for her performance.

Looking out of my cell, waiting to be rescued

CERT volunteers

After the training exercise, I decided to stop into Starbuck's for a cup of tea on the way home. I was still wearing my make-up from the disaster scenario. Funny thing, people seemed to get out of my way quickly but no one said a word to me except for the guy behind the counter - he liked my sweatshirt!

PS: Brian can now add CERT training certified to his resume. He successfully completed the training and final exercise.

Dog Wisdom

"Marley [my dog] taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight... Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty and love."
~quote from John Grogan, author of Marley and Me

Tahoe and Ashley are the most loving and loyal companions in my life.