Grandma's Doggie Day Care

I had an exuberant greeting upon my arrival at my sister's house this morning.

Three smiling, feisty canines waited behind the front gate.

I had arrived at Grandma's Doggie Day Care.

Here is "Grandma" with Tim and Bethany's dog Chassie, Matt and Heather's dog Olive, and her resident dog Penny:

Grandma is teaching her charges manners:

And now for the reward:

What a treat it is to visit Grandma's Doggie Day Care!

On The Road

I'm heading for Atascadero tomorrow morning in my rented Kia. I'm looking forward to escaping LA and breathing some invisible air (as opposed to, well, you know what the air is like in LA).

The down side? Bob won't be able to join me until Tuesday night.

The up side? Lots of blog fodder as the family gathers.

I'll keep you posted.

Light Show

Picture from the San Luis Obispo Tribune


The remnants of Hurricane Dean did an end run on the Central Coast last night, completely blindsiding the weather forecasters.

I thought it was odd that someone was using a strobe light in the middle of the night. Earplugs kept the rumbling of thunder at bay until 2:30am when I was finally shaken awake.

The best part? The fragrance of rain! It has been many long, long months since I have been blessed by that.

Dogs of the Central Coast

I have more piratey pictures from Disneyland, but first things first.

I've long been promising a "Dogs of the Central Coast" blog post.

Wait no more!

Meet the head dog:

Penny (above) belongs to my sister Christy and her family. A rescue dog, she currently resides in Atascadero, California.

Next meet Chassie in her running shoes:

She was named after the car part.

She currently resides in Templeton with my niece, SLO Lurker Bethany, and Bethany's husband Tim:

There is a new addition to the Dogs of the Central Coast.

Meet Olive:

Olive is also a rescue dog. Originally named "Jasper", Olive currently resides in Paso Robles with my niece Heather and Heather's husband Matt (not pictured - he was coaching a game):

Olive and Penny have their second meeting:

Penny was so patient and kind with Olive. Olive got brave and started chewing on Penny's beard. Penny took it like the patient "aunt" that she is.

Here is Grandma Christy with the latest in doggie grand dogs:

I love my doggie grand nieces!

Next up, more Pirates...

Central Coast Chillin'

I arrived safely in Atascadero yesterday afternoon, right before the huge brush fire broke out in LA.

I am gratefully breathing clean, fresh air and soaking up the peace and quiet.



We have given ourselves over to casual grazing of delicious Trader Joe's cuisine...



...and Farmer's Market produce:

More later (possibly a lot later).

I've got some eyelids I need to check for holes...