Our Annual Anniversary Get-Away! :)

Rud and I made our annual get-away to the coast for our anniversary, and Coal got his first taste of experiencing the beach! If I had to choose one photo to sum up our time there, it would be this photo, as Coal's expression says it all!! We had a blast!! :)

We threw sticks for him untill we'd satisfied his love for water and retrieving! :)

If you click on this photo, it will hopefully enlarge so you can see this "wind surfer" actually lift off the ground! He was an amazing sight! :)

Here's an exhausted, satisfied Coal, snoozing by the fire! :)

This time of year, the resort is full of people and their dogs, out enjoying the beach, and they are all the nicest people!! All the dogs were well mannered, too, and we all enjoyed each other's association! :)

Sometimes we still managed to have the beach to ourselves, which was fun, too! :)

You'll need to enlarge this photo to see the flock of birds flying past! :)

We think Coal is wishing we were still there, - and I admit, I wish we were too! :) ... We're already looking forward to next year ...! :)

Brennan's New Buddy-Hero! :)

When family were here visiting, they spent a day, up north, visiting friends! Tim is a fireman, and had arranged a special day for Brennan at the firestation! All Brennan could talk about was driving a firetruck! He loves trucks of all kinds, but firetrucks are extra special to him, so he was very excited! :)

Tim seemed to be excited too, expressing that this is his favorite part of his job! :)

As you can see, it was a very special day for Brennan, and Tim has become his new Buddy-Hero! :)

Thanks Tim and Amanda, for giving Brennan such a fun and educational experience!! :)

Welcome Glimpses! :)

We're getting into a fun stage with Coal, now. He's 5 months old, and young enough to be the poster child of "healthy" and old enough to be more enjoyable to live with! :)
It's still too soon to say he's fully potty trained, as every time we've thought he was, he had a mishap again. So I'll simply say that it's been awhile since he's had any accidents, and we've noticed it's getting easier and more enjoyable to live with him! He's biting less during play; letting us pet him more without knibbling our hands; allerting us more to his needs; and fitting in more with our lifestyle! :)

Sometimes we look at him and are surprised to see a more mature, dignified Coal, emerging! :)

Other times, the puppy is foremost in his demeanor, to the point that that's all we can see! :)

Then, in a blink of an eye, we see a more regal Coal, again!
The puppy side of him is cute, while the regal side of him is handsome and makes for a better companion! :)

It's taking awhile for me to finish this blog post, as the puppy side of Coal has been keeping me busy, tossing his various toys for him to retrieve! :)

At last, it looks like he's finally been worn out enough to lay down and rest a spell! :)

This puppy stage has been an important bonding time with him, - but Rud and I are welcoming the more mature, regal side of Coal, that we thankfully see emerging!! :) These are welcome glimpses that tell us the best is yet to come! :)

Garden Buddy! :)

Today I had an irresistible urge to get my hands into some soil and be creative with plants! So Coal and I went out to my shop room where I proceeded to fill a big pot with potting soil and arrange the plants I'd bought last week! :)

The feature plant in the pot is a beautiful, pink camellia! :)

The other plants were chosen to complement it, in spring colors of pink and yellow! :)

As usual, you may wish to click on the photos to enlarge them for a better view! :)

I had to grin when I noticed Coal managed to get soil and water on his nose and forehead! It didn't bother him at all, so it looks like I have another garden buddy!! :)

Wintry Scenes! :)

I have a feeling that the last good snow fall is behind us, where I live, untill the end of the year! To celebrate, I'm sharing some recent photos of our wintry scenes! :) ...

(Note the hummingbird feeder that was up when I left, last Fall, and forgot about when I returned in Jan. I'm doing this post on March 1st, which is typically the day that I put the hummer' feeders out! Time to take it down, clean, fill it, and hang it back up!) grin

From our home ... to yours! :)