Weekend of Broke Dogs and Horses

We spent our Labor Day weekend back in Madras, Oregon for the OBC Fall Field Trial. This would be the first weekend we were running Loki in broke dog stakes and the first time for Ben running Odin off horseback. Odin ran well but came up birdless in OGD. Loki's run were big as usual-- ranging in the 500- 700 yards in front of the handler but also came up birdless. Overall a good first weekend of broke dog stakes with both boys and onto the rest of the fall season.



Loki running for the first time in ODG and OLGD this weekend with his trainer Chris Tewes
of Double Gun Ranch and Ben Scouting. Had great big runs for his first broke dog stakes.



Odin running in OGD with Ben handling and trainer Chris Tewes of Double Gun Ranch
scouting at the OBC FT in Madras, OR.



Winning Weekend

This weekend we headed to the Olympic Kennel Club Dog Show in Enumclaw with Loki for a weekend of shows since he was home from the trainer. Our friend and go to pro Terri Erickson would be showing Loki for us since we were hoping to get some much needed single points towards his championship and the other dogs showing in the open class were being shown by amateurs and we had beaten them before. We were lucky this weekend and came out with big wins both Saturday and Sunday as Loki went Winners Dog (WD) and Best of Winners (BOW) for a total of 4 points towards his championship. Now we only need to get his 2 major wins (shows that are worth 3 or more points) which we'll be working on in October at the Bosie shows.

Congrats team Terri and Loki for a great winning weekend!





Best of Breed

This weekend we headed to the Nisqually Kennel Club Dog Show in Lacy with Odin to compete in the Best of Breed round as a special since he has his show championship. Our friend and pro-handler Terri Erickson showed Odin for us since the competition was all shown by pros and included the #2 Brittany in the country. Terri got her workout showing Odin since the judge made them do an additional 3 showings in the ring complete with runs to show Odin's gating off before finally choosing him as Best of Breed for Brittany's on Saturday. This was Odin's first BOB win and would mean his first times showing in the Sporting Group round. While he didn't make the cut in the group round of judging it was great to see him and he showed great.

Here's to future BOB wins!

Odin and Terri Erickson @ the NKC on 8/11/12

Our Boys

We recently had professional photo's pf the boys done while they were at the Portland dog show and they turned our great. Feel free to check out their FB page or their website.

Jam Time

Last night officially kicked off the summer jam season since I had a bag of rhubarb in the fridge that needed to be used, more in the freezer and a garden of it ready to harvest. I decided to pick up strawberries on my way home from work and turn them into jam. I tried this recipe last summer and decided it was a winner.

After a lot of chopping, stirring and canning I had a small collection of the first batch of jam for the summer. Now to just wait a few more weeks for the blackberries to be ripe and then I can perfect my blackberry jam recipes.

10th Anniversary

Today we celebrate 10 wonderful years of marriage! Wow, time has flown by! We've shared so much in the past10 years and I am filled with excitement to see what the years ahead will bring.

Hawaii 2012

We're back! We returned sun kissed and rested after 7 days in Hawaii. The weather was perfect all week and it was so nice to wake up every morning to Hawaiian trade winds, sunny skies and the knowing that there were no plans for the day.

We stayed on the island of Oahu which is first for us since we have  never been there other than to go to other islands. Our first stop once we arrived was to get outfitted with out rental car and our condo that we rented for the week. The condo was in a great location, 3 blocks form Waikiki beach which meant beach time was very convenient at any minute. It was also nice having the condo since there was kitchen and we could enjoy a lazy breakfast each morning.

We spent a good portion of our days lounging on the beach and soaking up the rays (while using SPF 110 for me, 15 for Ben). We also took in the sites of Pearl Harbor with tours of the U.S.S. Arizona, U.S.S. Missouri and the U.S.S. Bowman; North Shore; Waimea Valley; Hiking to Diamond Head, exploring the Kaaawa Valley, the  Kualoa Ranch, snorkeling, a visit to the Dole Plantation and no visit to Hawaii is complete without a Luau.

Ben was also a happy camper when it came to his stomach as he was able to find quite a few L&L Drive Inns that served a Loco Moco which is an island favorite consisting of rice, a hamburger patty, fried egg and brown gravy which I think looks  horrible but actually tastes good and his favorite drink Aloha iced tea. Add in some Mai Tai's, pineapple, pineapple ice-cream and Kalua pork and we we had full and satisfied tummies.

All in all it was a great trip and a perfect way to celebrate our 10th anniversary a week early.