Welcome to Washington Alan!

Our friend Alan Ross was up to visit over the 4th of July weekend. We had such a blast! He arrived on a Wednesday evening and once at home we settled in for a pot roast dinner with a few beers.

On Thursday the weather wasn't conducive to boating (cooler temps, thunder and lightning) so we took Alan up to explore Anacortes and Deception Pass, then had a picnic lunch at North Beach in the state park.
Afterwards we pushed on at Whidbey Island heading over to Fort Casey. This is when the weather lifted and the sun came out. We thoroughly explored the Fort and stopped at the lighthouse before pushing on for a ferry ride back to the mainland.Local Wildlife - Great Shot Daryl!!!Fort Casey Wildlife
Friday was the 4th and we went to Seattle. Our primary mission downtown: The Seattle International Beer Festival at Seattle Center. First we took the monorail to the waterfront and Pike's market then stopped for beers on the pier overlooking Elliot Bay. Upon our return to Seattle Center there was time for a quick bite before entering the festival. WOW - this was REALLY cool! We'll be going back for sure every year. There was over 140 different beers and admission included a 4 ounce souvenir glass.
Friday night Daryl had pre-arranged a chili cook off with a neighbor. We brought over our 2 chili's and the party was already in full swing. We had a GREAT time. Thanks to Bill and Crystal for hosting an awesome 4th of July. There were so many fireworks, we had a show for hours! Thanks everyone!!! :-)

Saturday the weather still wasn't perfect for boating (and with gas prices we only go when it's perfect) so Daryl took Alan on a tour of the Boeing plant while I went shopping nearby. After they were done we headed out to lunch at one of our favorite places, Diamond Knot Brewery.

After being out late and a fun filled weekend we were pretty tired by Saturday afternoon. We vegged out and watched some TV and let the rest of the afternoon/evening be mellow.

Sadly on Sunday it was time for Alan to go home. Come on back my friend - we have so much more to show you. :-)

Now for a little funny (and not so funny) story about Storm and the 4th of July. Here's why it can be a pain having a smart dog. So - even though Storm has never shown any fear to loud noises in the past, I guess the hours of fireworks and us being gone sent him over the edge.

I left the party around midnight, Daryl and Alan were still there. I let myself in through the garage only to find the door from the garage into the house OPEN. I stopped short and didn't know what to do. It took me about 15 seconds to realize I should probably find out where the dogs were. I called and called, staying in the garage. Finally CJ came out. I started calling for Storm and finally he shows himself - he was in the passenger seat of my car!!!! The window was open and he jumped through it. So, now that I understand why the door is open I feel it safe to go inside.

When we left on Saturday we took my car... when we got home and I opened the garage door CJ came out... uh oh - Storm opened the door again. This time we found him in the drivers seat of Daryl's truck!!!!! He again jumped through an open window. Knowing that were taking Daryl's truck again the next day I was smart and closed all my windows.

Sunday we came home from the airport and opened the garage door - here comes CJ. I'm thinking - at least he's not in my car this time! We started calling for Storm; low and behold we see his head pop up in the backseat of my car!!!! How in the world????? The sun roof was open. Oh my gosh! That little bugger figured out the sun roof was a way in.

Mom and Dad got smart - the kennel came out of storage and now Storm is safely tucked away whenever we're gone.

CJ's little scare

CJ gave us a little scare recently. For a long time CJ has always acted like he was stiff and sore... we figured he was getting old. Along with this, CJ has arched his back for quite awhile as well. A few months ago we told the vet about a 'praying' stance CJ will sometimes stand in (front legs on the floor, hind end up in the standing position) and she said this usually occurs from stomach ache or upset. She ran some blood tests and everything came back normal.

About one month ago, CJ stopped putting his head all the way down - so if food fell to the floor he wouldn't pick it up. Two days later it stopped so we figured it was a kink in his neck. Well, around July 10 he started doing it again, only this time it didn't go away. So, off to the vet we go on 7/14. She suggests a full x-ray of his neck and spine and since we always thought he had hip dysplasia she ordered x-rays of the hips too. It was clear he was in pain - panting, wouldn't let us touch him on the back, wouldn't pick anything up from the floor, etc.

The vet immediately takes him back and sedates him for the x-rays... and I pick him up an hour later. Originally we were thinking of a spinal disk degeneration disease called IDD or IVD. The vet showed me each of the x-rays with her thoughts but said it needs to be read by the radiologist.

The next day I got the radiology report: A lump near his left femur bone is calcification due to an old injury of his iliopsoas muscle. For the spine, no obvious significantly narrowed invertebral spaces noted, with the possible exception of T10-11, which is usually considered a normal variant. We'll just keep an eye out if any discomfort presents itself. For our last concern the radiologist confirmed distention of the stomach... so, we now think we have it narrowed down to a tummy problem.

While talking to the vet we discussed other things CJ does and pinned most all of it to the stomach. Poor CJ has had these symptoms for a long time, but I never put 2 and 2 together. The next question is, what is causing the problem: Sensitive stomach, ulcers, bacteria or a combination of those. So, we put him on a chicken and rice diet, Sucralfate pills to help coat the tummy lining and yogurt with live cultures and pro-biotics to kill any possible bacteria.

I know - this is a long story to read, and I'm getting to the worst of CJ's little scare. The morning after the x-rays CJ wouldn't lie down, at all. He was pacing the house (and had been for a few days). When he'd stop pacing his eyes would close, tongue would stick out and he'd fall over. I was TERRIFIED! I called Daryl in tears 'Something is wrong with CJ'. Daryl almost left work...

Since CJ didn't have his pain pill and stomach pill the night before or that morning the vet thought he was in pain and needed sleep, but couldn't lie down so he was falling over due to fatigue. I gave him his pills, put him in the kennel and covered it to make it dark. I added some soft music so my walking past the room wouldn't disturb him. He did sleep, but only for a little while. However, when I let him out of the kennel a few hours later he was better.

After a few days on the pills, yogurt and chicken/rice diet CJ has turned a new leaf. I forgot how much energy this dog has! I can't believe he's been feeling like this for so long and I never knew it. There are symptoms I never would have attributed to stomach issues, but that's why I'm not a vet! :-)

So, for all of you out there still awake and reading this post - here are the symptoms - and never dismiss something unusual... it's better to call your vet and ask questions!!

Arched back (we just figured he was stiff and sore)
Eating a lot of grass (never throwing up though)
Praying position (I thought it was from sore hips or back)
Doesn't eat his food well (poor dog was always full and I was making him eat!)
Gagging (I thought he was clearing his throat, turns out the vet said it was probably gastrointestinal fluids coming up)
Loud burping (I thought he just burped a lot)

Then the more serious things which alerted us to a problem: not putting his head all the way down (gastrointestinal fluids causing a burning sensation in his throat), pacing and the heavy panting/breathing. Also, the burping got louder and more frequent about 2 weeks prior to the vet visit.

Now, he scarfs up his chicken/rice every day, he doesn't arch his back, he's not breathing heavy anymore, he puts his head all the way down to pick stuff up and I haven't heard him burp or gag in days. He still eats grass, and he still goes into the pray position though.

So, it would seem that CJ is going to be allright. I got such a scare out of this episode though, I'm reserving my celebrations until I can observe him a little longer. I promise you CJ, I will do my best to pay more attention to the signals you send us................

Fairhaven to Bellingham

Sunday (the 29th) we decided to go up north and explore Bellingham a little more. First we went off the interstate and took Chuckanut Drive, which is a scenic byway established in 1869. It's forested and hugs right along the water so it offers great views. The end of the road (so to speak) is in Fairhaven, a cool little suburb (once it's own town) of Bellingham; and it's also the home to a ferry terminal serving Alaska.

From here we parked the truck and accessed a walking trail that takes us through the absolutely beautiful Boulevard Park and into Downtown Bellingham. It's 2.5 miles, some of it on a long pier and the rest through trees with glimpses of the bay. We realized it takes us right to our favorite Bellingham Brewery, Boundary Bay which is also where we stopped for a meal during one of Emily and Jesse's visits!

It was a great way to spend an afternoon - but I don't know what we were thinking when deciding to go for a long walk on a 95 degree day!!! Fortunately we found an ice cream shop after finishing our 5 mile trek. Here's a photo that Daryl took of the view from the trail:

Boating with friends

Saturday June 28th we took the boat out with our friends (and neighbors), Melissa and Brian. It was a hot day on land (85+) but a cool and wonderful day on the water. We first went to Seattle where we docked and went to Pike's Place for lunch and a bit of wandering around. From there we took off and headed out to Blake Island where we found a quiet little bay to drop anchor and relax for the afternoon. Sadly, all great days must come to an end - but we have pictures to relive it.Handsome captain and co-captain at our service!Melissa showing off her great smileMelissa and BrianTina and Melissa chillin'View of Mt. Rainier from our anchored spotOur boat compared to a yacht and cruise ship.