Helper Henry

After helping the folks fill two big yard waste containers and after challenging the rake with a barking frenzy, Henry got to do a mud grooming. Go figure. Just managing to get good and dirty and his mom decided he needed a bath before coming inside.

All that good work undone!  Nap time now.  It was all so exhausting.  It would have been so much nicer to just come in a take that nap on Greg's chair.  Sometimes the folks are so difficult to understand.

Bolsa Chica

Henry and I are enjoying an overnight at the beach. We are in the burro all snug. We have a cloudless sky, a beach that is "no doggie zone", but lots of neighboring dogs to visit.

We are only a few miles from the dog beach - so we'll swing by for a little off leash work. So relaxing (after I managed to get the burro backed in - Henry would not even bark advice).

Back to the Beach!

Henry's favorite place lured him back. He demonstrated his joy by running circles around us again. Such a wonderful place to run free! The other dogs are great and so polite.

On the way home we passed "Henry's Place" and "Henry's Burgers." He was willing to stop to support his name sakes, but Greg and I had other ideas.

Now, off to the bath!  Boy the fun never stops - more water!

...And if anyone was keeping track, I've included a couple of the "finished with the Eugene carport" pictures.  I did finish!  Yay!! And, of course, returned to Henry.  I've been catching up on sleep and rest.  The beach trip was our first fun outing since the return.

That only leaves the rest of the house for the summer!  That won't take so long since Henry will be with us.  The plan is to paint his tail and say, "Good Doggie!" Tail wags and the bottom section of the house will be complete.  My brother Roger came up with that solution.  Sounds good to me!

Day Three

Rain again. It is beautiful. So, we have photos of the downspout at the covered parking area. The really terrible side of the garage that probably has not been painted in 50 years. That was my job...but it is too wet. And finally, what I really doing - the carport. With a picture of how close I have on the paint match.

The Project

Scraping and sanding at #2 daughter's house has been an adventure.  Eugene is certainly not Southern California - of course I knew that, but it is still a surprise when the rain switches from light mist to downpour and then back again.  It has forced me to work under the carport which is probably the easiest part of the house.

Albert and Miss Thing, the cats, have been very supportive, encouraging frequent breaks to rub furry little heads. I do miss Henry though. I dropped Stephanie's van off for repairs. While walking home did not stop to sniff even one bush!  I paused to admire some of the spring gardens though.  It was worth the stop even in the rain.

Rain? Naturally.

Last week Eugene Oregon was all sunshine and beautiful spring ... But here I am ready to paint and of course Mother Nature has other plans.

Ever positive - I've made the first trip to Home Depot. I've now got all the prep stuff. Yay!

The pup, Lennie, does not look too encouraging. She does live here so she might be a better weather predictor than a Southern California visitor.

Daddy's Boy

Mom is leaving again? Those dang daughters! You'd think Mom really misses them sometimes! Humph and wuff.

Well, I'll just be Greg's pup for the duration. I'll show her!

Birthday Boy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltPQEHecYs0
Click to play Henry's balloon video on youtube.


Happy Birthday Henry!  How did you get so handsome and smart in just two years?  I am a proud Mama.

It was too chilly for the beach so we flooded the avocado tree in the back and pretended.  I convinced Henry that this was better.  He can get really dirty in the flood mud.  So much fun!

The Two Year Old

Baby Henry with one of his brothers.

Tomorrow Henry will be two years old...and no, the Easter bunny did not bring him. It was the puppy stork. That's what I've told Henry anyway, and I'm sticking with that story.  He gets a choice. A trip to Las Vegas? A trip to Disneyland? A trip to the beach? A camp out?

"Wuff, wuff, pant, wuff!" (Translation:  BEACH PLEASE...and throw in some yummy doggie treats for me and my friends!)

Tomorrow, birthday pictures but for now a little remembering feels pretty good.   

Not even one year old Henry with Otto.

Tomorrow Henry will be two years old...and no, the Easter bunny did not bring him. It was the puppy stork. That's what I've told Henry anyway, and I'm sticking with that story.  He gets a choice. A trip to Las Vegas? A trip to Disneyland? A trip to the beach? A camp out?

Henry before his first haircut.

Blanket

Henry and I took the Honda down for a recall and had a trek to Starbucks and back while the work was done.

He marked every bush, pole and curb in sniff range. Exhausting work! So now we are at home and he is doing his best imitation of a blanket. Cozy.

So Much Fun

Henry had so much fun romping on the beach last time. So...we returned. It made me wish we lived much closer to the dog off-leash beach. This trip our visit was even better because we knew Henry would come back from his romps. Must say, it is amazing how much sand his curly hair can hold!

The bath at home afterwards revealed enough sand to fill a sandbox.

Most Fun Ever!

  

After a stay at Crystal Cove State Park in our Burro, we made a stop at the Huntington Beach Dog Park. That was the most fun ever.

The beach is off leash and there were the nicest dogs there.  Henry's folks were concerned he would be out of control uncatchable -- but he was so excited about the environment it was perfect.

The moment he was let off leash, he did ten huge racing circles around the parents, then the investigations began.  There were so many wonderful smells!

This is our new favorite place.  It might take an hour to get here from home, but the trip is well worth the time!  Henry is one happy puppy.

Visiting 1972 Totota Carina

Henry and I have taken Greg to Escondido to visit an automatic tan 72 Carina. It is not as fine as Greg's stick shift...but still pretty good looking.

We've brought the burro along on our explore. Tonight we are at Champaign Lakes (....ponds really....) RV park.

Sue Outwalked Henry!

Another walk, but the last block he finagled his Human into carrying him. Henry, the dufus! What is up about that?The crafty little guy plants his skinny rear and is immobile and slightly pathetic - or stubborn.  He is home, has sloshed water around his dish and is asleep under the fireplace on the tiles.  Could the "carry me" plea be his attempt to build my arm strength?  If so, Henry is an effective trainer.  Good boy! I'm going with that explanation.

This is Henry spelled out in Catspeak.  Henry, of course, thinks it is awesome.  Controlling cats is one of his many obsessions.  This power comes via my baby brother, Randy, and can be found at the website:  http://nekofont.upat.jp/ 

Just type in your message and it is translated into kitty.  

In other news - all concerns about Henry's very shy trip to the doggie park have evaporated.  Today Henry met up with his cousin Guster, and Gus' parents along with a ton of other relatives and a very handsome greyhound.  Cousins Henry and Gus had a great time wrestling for a solid two hours. I guess Henry is just a picky playmate.  They flew around the yard so fast that this was the best I could do with a photo. Hilarious two-some!

Dog Park Snob

Henry was very definite on our walk yesterday. He wanted a trip visiting the dog park to enjoy lots of doggie company.  On the walk he checked out every yard with a dog hiding behind the fence -- with hope.

Well, that was yesterday. Today we made the trek to the Pooch Park, and fastidious Henry decided he was a human and not a dog after all.

He found the best bench and made himself at home right next to me. He will not heel on our walks, but no problem at the dog park. He practically glued himself to his human.  He had the selection of ten pups about his size; he did a couple of butt sniffs and retired from the canine mob.

What a dog!