Seasons Greetings

 Alfie the Yorkie and his new best friend want to wish everyone an absolutely wonderful Holiday season and lots of really fun games to boot.

Early Texas Freeze

  Every year, in the fall the Gaylord Texan Resort brings in thousands of pounds of ice, a crew of ice sculpting artisans from Harbin, China and creates a frozen wonderland. This year the theme for Ice! is a Charlie Brown Christmas and the creators are taking full advantage of the capabilities of coloring ice in the design. Using chisels, chainsaws and scrapers the creations are amazing to see

The entrance title carving.

Chainsaws make great cutting tools for large blocks.

Ice can be clear or an assortment of colors.

With layers of color and clear ice, an entire room is created.

Carving a nose with a scraper

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Terrierist Extraordinaire

  From my experience with young dogs I have known the difficulties of trying to bend the ideas of a playful pup to aligning with the norms of human society. Those unexpected puddles and little smells in places you don't expect always get the temper to escalate. For some reason I am having a harder time with our new Yorkshire Terrier puppy Alfie than I remember having with my chow mix Kimo. Size might have something to do with it or it might just be the silly little faces he makes, trying to keep you from getting ad at him. Whichever it is, I am determined not to be swayed and bend him to my will, I am not going to cave!!

The face of the terrierist.

"Who me, what did I do"

Beach Party

  Proof that sand between your toes gets everyone in the mood for a party. Our pups Alfie and Rosie met a dog on the beach in Frankfort, Michigan
along the shores of Lake Michigan and instantly started to play. In no time at all they were making Conga lines and rolling in the sand. Instant party even without the beach umbrella drinks.

Doggie line dancing.

Road Tripping

  Well guess where we went on our summer vacation? Since it was Alfie's first he had to do something easier to learn the rhythms of the road. Rosie started by drinking from the fountain in the middle of Belle Isle in Detroit. She forgot her passport so she could not visit Windsor. Then the road took them to the shores of Lake Michigan and Alfie carried stick that he claimed were logs felled by Paul Bunyan and Rosie tried to raise the water level. All in all a great trip and the adults even survived.

Furry Critters

  Met a pair of furry friends, one a rather large and very docile German Shepherd named Darcy and the other a really cute and small Prairie Dog named Prince. They have bonded and are now best friends but owner Taylor Williams has to treat them a little different when they go on walks since Prince the Prairie Dog just can''t keep up. He gets his own ventilated back pack so he gets to tag along,

Best buddies.

Prince gets an adapted cat carrier. 

Prince wears a leash when out and about. 

Little Alfie

  There is just something about puppies that makes them adorably cute. It may have something to do with their unbridled energy or uninhibited sense of adventure, but this little guy is starting to work his way into our family. A twelve week old Yorkshire Terrier that is enamored with the old dog Rosie and has taken only a week to decide that the entire house is his personal romper room. Each space has a different purpose and type of game, now he just needs to learn the outside is bathroom space trick.

Alfie sporting his warming shirt.

Benny's Cafe

  A new breakfast and lunch spot opened along a stretch of Highway 26 that is known for nothing but large corporate chain restaurants. With the friendly atmosphere and piles of great food that are served at Benny's Cafe it is sure to find a place amongst the larger chains.

The Berry Berry pancakes.

The No Guilt Salad.

Simple but cozy ambiance.

The avocado toast with smoked salmon.

The namesake Benny.

Tennis Face

  The Texas Christian University Women played a match against the Texas Tech University Tennis Team on Saturday afternoon. I Love the faces you get from athletes in those unguarded moments of ultimate concentration and exertion.  Tennis players can be some of the best at showing the concentration and effort that it takes to hit a little fuzzy ball. It is what I call "Tennis Face".

Latte Da Dairy

  When you spend a little time at a goat farm that has some of the best goat milk and cheeses in the area you expect the goats to be really cute. But when the guinea hens try to out strut the peacock you know they are all putting on a good show.\, but nothing is cuter than a new born, wobbly legged goat.

The day old goat pen.

Everybody is showing off.

He just thought he was the cutest.

Birds of Spring

  The feeder is filling with arriving guests, The cars are covered with black berry excrement and the drumming on the hard wood trunks of trees is incessant. All of it is just a joy to me however since it means the return of the migrating birds and with it comes spring.

A pair of Pine Warblers share the sunflower seeds at the feeder.

A cedar waxwing looks for more ammunition to bomb the car.

A snowy Woodpecker gets a treat after banging the trunk all day.

Blooming Blooms

  Indications of an impending spring appearance abound whenever you step outside. The red Quince has turned into a glowing bush of flame amidst the neutrals of bare trees and flower beds. The first vibrant scenes of the soon to be outbreak of color.

The first blankets of color.

A Rush of Spring Flight

   The latest indication of the approaching spring thaw is the rush of flittering in the trees over ones head. Flashes of color and chirps, twitters and tappings abound all around. The noises of a fresh rush of birds returning from their southerly migrations has started to fill the branches of the elms, pecans and maples that abound around the house. Myself, I find it a very pleasant sound indeed.

A cedar wax wing takes a leap of faith that spring will be here shortly.

A palliated woodpecker taps for insects.

Trails thru the Woods

Looking at the pine trees surrounding me I was sure that I was in the forest of Rip Van Winkle. The branches were covered with Grandpas Beard Lichen creating a waving curtain all around. I was looking for a different kind of dance after skinning uphill for a couple of hours. The wind was still rather brisk and chilled even after the exertion so I quickly peeled the skins from my skis and took off on a decent thru the forest. Deep, fresh powder covered everything giving a little cushion over the downed logs and rocks but as tightly spaced as the trunks were the timing had to be perfect. After a couple of rolls thru tight pines, the hillside opened into a gorgeous glade of aspen which gave a little wider spacing , letting me bump the speed a bit and feeling that euphoric flow of fresh powder skiing.  Thanks again to the mountains of New Mexico.

Ski tracks thru fresh snow and pines.

Oldmans Beard Lichen.