The Mclean Furgang

The Dog Days of Summer

2011-08-16T11:01:00.000-04:00

Ask the dogs - it's way too hot ! We've been getting up at 4:30/5:00 o'clock every morning for the past couple of months to beat the heat. To no avail. You open the front door at o-god-thirty in the morning and a wall of humidity and warmth slaps you in the face. The last two or three days have been better..........finally ! But since we are in the middle of August I'd say I'm only cautiously optimistic that the mornings will stay that way. This morning I met my dear friend Barbara for a dog walk at 8 a.m. It felt like half the day was over around that time already. The ranger at the park entrance was happy to see us again and complained that before he only had seen us leave rather than coming in to wish him a good day. The entrance station only opens at 7 a.m. and by that time we were ready for breakfast and coffee ...........and yes, a refreshing shower !
I have never seen birds panting or squirrels laying flat on the ground to seek relief from the heat. They were suffering from the hot temperatures and I sometimes had to refill the water dishes three times a day for them. We also decided to feed them. Something I usually don't do during the summer, but they thankfully took our food offerings. Here a few summer impressions from the bird feeder:

Tessa is on the injured list

2011-07-14T11:27:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Tessa managed to hurt herself by jumping out of the car at warp speed in hot pursuit of a cat she saw on the other side of the street ! ! ! It was one of the rare moments, when her Shiloh halo slipped off to the side and prey drive took over. I'm sure you've seen that happen before with your own dogs. Your oh-so-well-behaved dog all in a sudden seems to have gone deaf and chases some critter with determination into far away places. Besides the fact that she could have been hit by a car, I don't care for moments like these to happen too often. In the interest of keeping my own sanity !
The result of this kitty chase was a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament. Great ! *grrrr* Now madame was put on six weeks of rest and relaxation and the healing process will hopefully be accelerated by acupuncture.
Usually, Tessa is terrified at the vet's, but not this one:

Upon getting into the treatment room, she first has to

inspect the place,

and once the needles are placed, she drifts off to a half hour nap. Completely relaxed and with no worry. Before she gets acupuncture though, she's being treated with osteopathic methods. By now we've gone to see Dr. McIntyre four times already and Tessa seems pain free and putting almost normal weight on her leg again. I'm thrilled ! All withoug surgery ! Yeah !

If you're in need of a fabulous osteopath and homeopath, look no further: http://holisticvethealth.com/index.html

Thank god it's summer. Because of the heat and humidity it's much easier to rest her than it would be during cooler days. Let's be honest : I'd feel extremely bad about having to leave her at home while I take the Budelheimers out for a walk. That way everybody gets to go on long sniffing excursions with very little movement, lots of wildlife to admire and quality time to check out exciting scents.

Sometimes it's even pleasant enough for a quick sun bath on the patio,

or some doggy hai-ku in the yard:

Now keep your fingers crossed that everything keeps healing as well as it does !

More of Maple, the Turtle

2011-07-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

Since we met underneath the big maple tree for the first time, my little friend now has a name: Maple. :-) From the looks of it, she spent the night in the ground cover in front of the house. Proof were all the turtle size tunnels I discovered the next morning. Call it fate, but when I looked out the kitchen window I saw her yet again on her way to the neighbor's yard that morning. It's not that I'm hanging at the kitchen window all day, and so I thought it was a wonderful coincidence that we met again. Of course I had to run inside and grab the cam. It hat started to rain and the water gave my little friend a kind of polished look:

The Day After

2011-07-06T13:16:00.001-04:00

Don't complain to me (Me=Rodney, who else ?) about not reading more of my adventures. Hu-woman is extremely lazy and full of excuses when it comes to being my personal secretary. I've been trying to explain to her that typing with claws is way more difficult as it ever would be using human fingers. Better stop complaining now before she stops typing about the stuff I'm complaining about. (GOT THAT RIGHT, RODNEY ! ! ! **hu-woman here**) Reason she won't complain about typing is, that she's been giggling all morning because I partied hard yesterday and therefore don't feel so good this morning:

Now ! If I get one sly remark about my looks today, I'll be very upset and you all will have to endure more of my writing in the future. At the moment I don't really care too much about talking food, but let me tell you: I got some duck meat for my birthday and it was DE-LISCI-OUS ! In August, Tessa's Boneday is coming up and I'm looking forward to that day's special treat. Our Humans may be a bit weird some time, but they sure know how to spoil a dog. That's it from me...........back to sleeping off that hangover !

Looking Out The Kitchen Window.....

2011-07-05T17:26:00.001-04:00

I saw a box turtle slowly coming up the hill . . .

I admired her beauty from all sides:

She seemed in search of the perfect hideout for her eggs, and even the border rocks did not pose a serious obstacle on her conquest:

I wish you all the best, little turtle. . .

It also made me wonder how a turtle manages to survive in an urban setting. They like it warm and moist and concrete and chem-lawns aren't really on their dining plan either. I tossed out some salad for her in hopes she'll find it on her way back. If she ever comes back through here. It was the first turtle I ever saw in our neighborhood. Maybe, if I see her again, I'll pick her up and take her to the swamp at Great Falls Park. I'm sure she'll do well there.

For The Ninth Time

2011-07-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

....our chaotic, always adventurous, mostly always up-to-no-good, always keeping life interesting Mr. Monstermeister, a.k.a. Mr. Budelheimer, a.k.a. Rodney is celebrating his birthday today !

Happy Birthday and we hope you delight us for many more years to come !

Morning Activities At The River

2011-06-11T11:30:00.001-04:00

This morning we fell out of bed more or less. I guess we're officially back on VA summertime and that means that those, who want to engage in outdoor activities should get out there as early as possible. Getting up at five o'clock is no problem. Disadvantage of the early rise is the fact, that around eight at night you're ready to go to bed get your zzz's before having to "fall out of bed" again. Another reason for getting up so early are the dogs since they do overheat much faster than people do. Picture you only had your tongue and the sole of your feet to perspire you'd be in serious trouble once it gets above 80 degrees. Not to mention the year round fur coat you'd be wearing. We like to take the dogs to the park. There we find more shade and the dachshunds don't get overheated too quickly from the reflecting heat which is all too present when walking in town on the hot and sizzling pavement.

This morning, the best hubby of all agreed to accompany me for a photo session at the river and here is the result:

The water is getting lower and makes for quite a pretty scenery.

Here I was trying to get the water look a little bit softer by decreasing the shutter speed. (Actually my first try at this with the new camera.)

Other "first attempts" didn't turn out too well. I would LOVED for this picture to be better. What a pity !

Eventually the heron did land and I got a better look at him and his prey.

There were lots and lots of them out, fishing for breakfast:

After watching the herons, we continued our morning walk along the river:

The vultures are feeding on the trash some picnickers left behind. Makes you wish, people would be a bit more conscientious about the locations they leave their garbage at.

These are some impressions of the trail that leads along the river. Isn't it pretty ?

We are indeed lucky to live so close to a park of such beauty.

What we left behind was a bunch of vultures on the rocks. I wonder if they enjoyed the sunrise as much as we did.

It's Photoshop Time Again

2011-06-06T17:20:00.004-04:00

As you know, I love playing around with images in Photoshop and so I would love to share a few of my creations with you. I hope you like them. :-)

The beauty of a rose

"Leaving the page"

The Budelheimers

The Furgang

Bica (Color Key)

Scene from the Mannassas Battlefield

"Have a great journey"

Harley D V-Rod (Rodney is named after this one)

Here's a fun one.

"Slybone and MadUncle" (Named after Simon and Garfunkel, of course.)

Not to forget "Smiliemonster's Greatest Hits"

Bath Time

Not to forget the "Stroll at the Lake"

On the left you see the castle of Hellenstein which is located in the town I was born in. On the right is part of my daily walking trail along the Potomac River at Great Falls Park. In this image I was trying to combine my hometown in Germany with my home in Virginia.

Knowledge is Power

"Creating a Masterpiece"
This is my little grand nephew Aaron. (I "borrowed" his brother Levin's open eye for this image)

"Eldin"

"Marie"

"Uncle Max"

My grandmother and my mother

The BW pictures above are restaurations. Pretty difficult, but the result isn't too bad, is it ?

Bjorn

Bicalina

Just playing around in Photoshop. :-)

Vintage Window

"Nightbird".
This is actually an edit of a picture I liked very much, but it's quality left much to be desired. So I turned a blurry bird at daylight into a nightbird and thus I am able to enjoy the image anyways. :-)

Wine and Song

Over time I create these little "masterpieces". I still use Photoshop 8 and I'm having loads of fun creating these images. Usually it takes anywhere up to two/three hours to finish one of these. I haven't been doing a whole lot of them lately because of my inflamed wrist joints. Still hoping for them to heal without having to have surgery. Three dogs and two arms in a cast doesn't sound good. Therfore: Photoshop has been put on ice for a while.

As always: Clicking on the images will let you view them original size, and please leave them here. Don't take them with you ! ;-)

Watergames

2011-06-03T13:41:00.001-04:00

It's been brutal the last couple of days and the heat has been almost unbearable. I always feel sorry for poor Tessa having to run around in a thick fur coat all the time. The Budelheimers take the heat much better than she does, but then again, they almost have no fur to talk about. Winter is payback time - they freeze and Tessa is frolicking.
Needless to say, when it gets hot nobody really wants to exercise either and even though we go to the park at the crack of dawn, there are times when I don't make it in time to beat the heat. Did I mention that humidity isn't all that shabby around here either ? Opening the door at 5 o'clock in the morning, you find yourself facing an instant sauna. Did I mention that I hate saunas ? They give me panic attacks ! Avoiding that total sauna feeling is not entirely possible, but trying to avoid it as best we can, makes getting up at the crack of dawn an easy task.
Right. Tessa and the heat. I got side tracked. Out comes the garden hose, which makes her turn giddy in an instant and off she goes to the grass while I stand on the patio controlling fun and games. .......and water hose of course.

Ever tried to bite water ?

Of course you have the option of ducking under it. Don't expect not to get wet though.

Take a running start, close your eyes and..........geronimoooooooooooooooo !

Hey - can I have more of this ?

Every girl needs a good facial every now and then.

Pawbath, anyone ?

This goes on for a couple of minutes and you can see her disappointment once I turn the water off.

Can you imagine how long it takes to get her dry ?

The Budelheimers don't believe in waterworks. They rather work on their tan:

Lazy bunch !

Spring wouldn't be Spring without some Flowers

2011-05-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or has spring been extremely wet this year ? I can't remember my flowers being in trouble because they are flooded out rather than dried up. Anyways - I did take a few pictures of some flower buds around our yard and I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I do:

As always: Clicking on the images will allow you to view them full size. Enjoy !

Instant Summer !

2011-05-25T14:17:00.000-04:00

Boy oh boy - we did the usual Virginia thing: Go straight from winter through a couple of days of spring into summer. Mind you, last week the temps were in the fifties, which makes us pretty cheerful. My kind of temperature ! This week is a different story: Straight from the fifties into the nineties. Guess what ? With the hot weather the humidity returns and it's back to getting up at the crack of dawn to take the furgang for a spin. I still hate walking in the neighborhood and so I end up loading them up into the car and off we go to Great Falls Park usually. It's only a 15-20 minute drive and we rather walk in the woods than in an asphalt jungle. It turned out to be a beautiful morning and we leisurely walked for almost two hours. Around nine o'clock the sun started feeling very intense already and we were glad that we got to walk under the protection of the forest shade.

It's amazing how lush and green it is this spring. We had more rain than usual and I can't wait for the hordes of mosquitoes as a result of it. This is a glance at the swamp area and I am convinced that these blood sucking little warriors are plotting big battle plans on how to get us eventually. Can't wait !

Mosquitoes and other blood sucking insects aside, there's nothing more peaceful than walking through a forest early in the morning. I just love the light coming in through the trees and the fact, that one meets only the occasional jogger. It's bliss !

The mountain laurels are at full bloom . . .

... and some funny looking long and low creatures have been seen grazing like miniature cows along the way.

While others wait patiently at the side of the path for the crazy photographer to pack away the cam. Today I took the small pocket cam with me again. It's just too much luggage to drag the big cam with all the lenses and three dogs in the other hand. The small cam comes in handy to quickly take some snap shots as we go along.

That's it for today, folks. We'll be back soon. I think tomorrow we will have to step aside for some serious flower pics and other yard stuff. You never know. :-)

Another Adventurous Walk

2011-05-16T18:39:00.001-04:00

Today I loaded up the furgang and we headed out towards Riverbend park. I just love the path that goes next to the river and eventually up into the woods. The footing is soft and it almost feels like walking on the beach, and the dogs love to romp around in it.
Here you can see what it looks like:

We did get some rain on and off and so it doesn't look as 'fluffy' as it usually does. The ground was a bit firmer, but still very nice to walk on. Bica hates walking on gravel and I think it does hurt her paws, because whenever we walk on good footing like this one, she gets very cheerful and bouncy. (When she's not seen somewhere in the underbrush gnawing away on grass.) I just love the colors of spring. That fresh and luscious green of the ferns covering the forest floor:

After a while we came upon "Black Pond". It's an amphibian's dream come true:

Rodney being Rodney has to check out, if there's anything worth hunting hidden there somewhere. I suspected some frogs, maybe some water turtles, but it was going to be something entirely different. Let's roll the footage:

Here we have the canine surveillance team at work. (Leashes were removed via photoshop - they looked quite disturbing in that picture.)

Some - like Rodmeister - a bit more intense and serious than others......

. . . and right before Bica's eyes he disappears underneath that wooden landing. I see something moving out of there into the open pond real fast, blowing huge bubbles. My first thought was: A SNAPPING TURTLE ! I saw Rodney's paw hanging by a thread, not knowing how on earth I would manage to carry him out of the woods to the car, which was parked at least forty minutes the other way. About 20 feet further out, I saw a brownish looking head popping out of the water which was attached to a body that was at least twice the size of Rodney's, if not bigger:

You guessed it: It was fully grown beaver and Rodney wanted him real bad.

I on the other hand was very grateful, that beavers are herbivores and not into eating teckels. I was also grateful, that this humangous looking vermin did not dig his tree felling teeth into my dog's body or drown him, as he was trying to swim after it. I had to reel him in real fast and here's yet another reason, why it's so important to keep your dogs on a leash while hiking in the woods. Especially when your blessed with a hunting maniac like Rodney. He discovered his genes at an earthdog trial and never looked back....... After I got him back to shore safe and sound, he was convinced that there must be a way to get to this beaver. All we ended up with were frogs jumping into the pond. Nonetheless - that was fun too.

Come out, come out - wherever you are ! !

Do we really have to go home now ? I'll be back !

Home again. You guys notice something ? It's always me our hu-woman seems to write about. As if the girls were angels......... Bummer !

Rodney, honey - they are !

Funtime in the Yard

2011-05-14T11:15:00.000-04:00

Usually we go for our long walk in the park early in the morning and if the weather is nice, the furgang loves to hang out in the yard. Bicalina enjoys a good roll in the grass

or a relaxed sunbath on the patio

Rodney and Tessa on the other hand love their ballgames. Not just any ball, no - it has to be a cuzball and the neighbors are probably sick and tired of hearing the loud squeals and squeaks this two-legged ball produces. My apologies to the neighbors, but the sound effects are what makes this toy so desirable. It immediately loses its charm once the squeaker dies and I may as well discard it. Our yard is on a slope and thus great exercise grounds for the gang.

Here you can see Tessa zooming in on the object of desire . . .

... with Mr. Monstermeister closing in quickly.

Sometimes Tessa turns into quite the acrobat catching the ball . . .

. . . even sliding stops are in her repertoire

... just to find herself harassed by none other than Rodney, whose short legs aren't accelerating as fast as Tessa's long ones, thus making him arrive at the landing spot a few seconds later.

Can't you tell, he's upset ? :-)

Mostly Tessa beats him to it though and brings the ball back to me . . .

Except for the few times, HE outsmarts her and then its no telling where the ball will end up. He certainly does not bring it back to me. A thousand years from now, archeologists will find a graveyard of cuzballs in the middle of Mclean and they will not have a clue what they are all about. They will say that an ancient tribe buried some sacred two legged balls to calm the gods........... Thanks, Rodney for you contribution to world history ! In the meantime I have an entire arsenal of cuzballs "in reserve" to jump into action when yet another one goes through one of Rodney's burial routines. On occasion one will pop up again, should he ever remember where he left it........

The survivors are safeguarded by none other than Tessa ! Good job, girl !

I know - I'm late yet again........

2011-05-12T10:18:00.000-04:00

This is a matter of utmost importance and even though I'm terribly late in posting it, but the news is, that as of Mai 6th, 2011 Bicalina has been with us for five years ! It seems like yesterday. I remember the day we went to the Reston Pet Fiesta to adopt her from Dachshund Rescue of America. She was the most scared little creature we had ever seen. Her eyes had lost all their spark and she looked as if she had given up on life. Who would have thought that today, five years later, she has turned into this little bundle of silliness and affection ?

I hope we get to have you around for many years to come !

Today

2011-04-27T10:39:00.000-04:00

........would have been my father's 99th birthday. This one's for you, Vati:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLr1oWjIC44

Mad Photographer

2011-04-26T17:55:00.002-04:00

Now that I have that fancy camera I always feel obliged to shoot somewhat halfway decent pictures. There have been prophecies that once I have that magnificent photographic jewel that I will have to leave the canines at home and separate my excursions into a doggy outing and a photography outing. So I've been contemplating as to how I could manage to merge two prophecies into one and I think I finally found the solution.........sort of.

Initially I would roam around in the woods with two camera bags. One for the cam and one for the lenses. Gone are the days where I would casually draw my little pocket cam and shoot at some unsuspecting bird flying by on full zoom. The results were usually very grainy and blurred and even some editing wouldn't help improve the result very much. As long as my "victims" would hold still patiently, it was okay. Once they started moving it was a different ballgame. Now with this camera I can't just draw, point and shoot. No - now different subjects and themes require different lenses. Have you ever tried to handle three dogs and change a highly delicate lens in the middle of the woods ? It's adventurous ! Three leashes looped loosely around my left wrist, with one lens in left hand and cam with other lens in the right, I'm trying to exchange the two as quickly as possible without dropping one. So far, so good. :) The furgang has been exceptionally cooperative and I've been extremely lucky that during one of these lens changes no deer, bunny, squirrel or other distraction has popped up on the horizon. That would be the end of the lens I'm afraid...........

Back to the bags. It's getting hotter and hauling several bags around with me are not really fun. Now I put the lens I don't need in a fanny pack and the cam I am slinging around my neck and off we go. That set-up works pretty well and thus we ventured out to the woods to take pictures of insects........or so I thought. I found out, that the world's most effective bug repellent is - you guessed it - a camera ! Not a bug in sight ! At least none would sit still long enough for me to take a halfway decent picture of it. What we did find was a couple of ducks in love. They were so kind to sit still long enough for me to take a few pictures. Praise to my canine gang - they waited with barking and making fools out themselves until I was done with my photo session. Aren't they great ? :-))

Here are the ducks:

Not too bad, considering the circumstances. Even met a serious photographer, who looked like a papparazzi that got lost. He had about three different cameras, a tripod, all kinds of gadgets and a backpack. He looked at me as if I had lost my marbles. Three dogs in one hand, one camera with tele lens around my neck and a fanny pack to put some spare lenses. What can I say ..........us amateurs.

Happy Easter !

2011-04-24T11:20:00.002-04:00

Rodney's New Obsession

2011-04-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

...is a little hedgehog, which omits the most awkward and thus Rodney fascinating sound.

It was one of these days again. You know.........rainy weather, nothing to do. Hanging out with a good friend............aggravating the mailman, destroying a couple of plush toys. All things, a frustrated dachshund does, when he doesn't know what to do with his boundless energy. To think that this little guy will be celebrating his ninth boneday this year. Time to slow down........nooooo, not him !

Where was I ? Right - the little plushy hedgehog. As you can recognize in the background, the hedgehog is not alone........

Someone, who's name will not be mentioned is after its life ! !

Clawing himself ferociously into the desk. . .

... and protesting on top of his lungs

...howling like a wolf at a full moon.....

Wanna know what happened next ? NOTHING ! I did not let him have it, because now I do have an object he will pay attention to. That in turn will help me get his attention, when I need it. Mostly trying to get my point across. Hedgehog has become a lure toy..... an attention getter and motivator.

I am sure it will last a day or two, and then I'm off to find yet another object he finds more interesting than - let's say: The neigbor's cat, the squirrel in the tree, the deer in the woods, the jogger on the path, the waddling toddler in the parking lot........etc.etc. Wish me luck ! :-))

Some Impressions of Spring

2011-04-23T10:58:00.004-04:00

Inspired by my friend Barbara, let's start spring with a poem by none other than Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

THE SPRING ORACLE. by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

OH prophetic bird so bright,
Blossom-songster, cuckoo bight!
In the fairest time of year,
Dearest bird, oh! deign to hear
What a youthful pair would pray,
Do thou call, if hope they may:
Thy cuck-oo, thy cuck-oo.
Ever more cuck-oo, cuck-oo!

Hearest thou? A loving pair
Fain would to the altar fare;
Yes! a pair in happy youth,
Full of virtue, full of truth.
Is the hour not fix'd by fate?
Say, how long must they still wait?
Hark! cuck-oo! hark! cuck-oo!
Silent yet! for shame, cuck-oo!

'Tis not our fault, certainly!
Only two years patient be!
But if we ourselves please here,
Will pa-pa-papas appear?
Know that thou'lt more kindness do us,
More thou'lt prophesy unto us.
One! cuck-oo! Two! cuck-oo!
Ever, ever, cuck-oo, cuck-oo, coo!

If we've calculated clearly,
We have half a dozen nearly.
If good promises we'll give,
Wilt thou say how long we'II live?
Truly, we'll confess to thee,
We'd prolong it willingly.
Coo cuck-oo, coo cuck-oo,
Coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo!

Life is one continued feast--
(If we keep no score, at least).
If now we together dwell,
Will true love remain as well?
For if that should e'er decay,
Happiness would pass away.
Coo cuck-oo, coo cuck-oo,
Coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo, coo!

Granted - the German version sounds better, but I hope not too much got lost in this translation.

The dogwoods in front of the house and behind are in full bloom:

And the butterflies feed happily on the bluebells:

The tulips are in full bloom:

And the dogs are happy campers too:

Joint sniffing excursion in the yard.

He also thinks he looks extremely handsome posing in my tulips.

Bicalina was seen sorting out some sage.

Tessa in the meantime is having a watchful eye on those two rascals who usually are up to no good.

Meandering around some more in the yard I came upon first signs of blooming azaleas and rhododendron:

Thanks for joining me on my little tour of the yard. The grass still looks as if dogs live here, but the flowers are starting to make up for the doggy racetrack around the veggie patch. :-)

Something About Me For A Change.

2011-04-11T16:16:00.009-04:00

Very funny, Tessa ! I mean it. :-) I am not the world's most skinny person and as a former athlete who was physically active all her life pretty much 24/7, it came as no surprise to me that I had to ultimately put on a few unnecessary pounds once that all-day-running-around being active business had stopped. Mind you, I still am physically active. I like to go swimming at least 2 to 3 times a week, and having three dogs gets me out walking for at least one to two hours every day. Still - my aging body was not convinced that this was enough exercise and that tough times could be laying ahead and therefore some reserves had to be deposited. Preferably around belly, hips and a couple other not so convenient places. I tried to shed pounds for years.........to no avail. My frustration mounted to the point of depression and for every pound I lost, I gained another one back it seemed.
Tried to find help at the doctor's office, just to be told to "eat less and exercise". Thanks, Doc - very helpful ! Now my search for a good doctor is finally over when a friend of mine recommended her doctor to me. An endocrinologist (and dog breeder to say the least), located not far from where we live. I was diagnosed with type II diabetes, saw a nutritionist and was given the equipment to test my glucose levels a couple of times daily. At first I fretted, but now it's routine and I don't think about it too much anymore. I am also slowly adjusted to the necessary medication and so far my stomach is taking it in stride. Only a few days of nausea so far. To add insult to injury, I hurt my back real bad a couple of weeks ago and physical exercise isn't really too high on my to-do list these days. By now I am at least able to walk the dogs longer than an hour again and a bit faster than before. For weeks those poos guys had to go on sniffing excursions, which they didn't mind too much it seemed.
I am getting physical therapy for my ailing back and it's been improving steadily.
The good news: Just being on a special diet, medication and some (very little) exercise helped me to shed enough pounds to drop one pant size. Things are (hopefully) looking up !
I hope I can go swimming again some time this or next week and pick up my normal walking routine some time soon.

Today I had to think of my mother a lot. Today would have been her 89th birthday. She passed away at age 45 and I should have been way too young to remember, but I will never forget her. She lives on in me and in my heart. Still miss her terribly. Mutti - wherever you are - this one's for you:

That Special Bond

2011-04-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, as I was sitting at my desk, I watched Miss Bicalina trying to get comfortable:

That picture may not get across what the situation was really like. Here was Tessa trying to get in a few rays of digestive sleep after breakfast, and in waltzes Bica, trying to do just the same. For her it wasn't just as simple as it was for Tessa, just laying down and drifting off to sleep. No, she had to fluff the bed, push every strand of hair and fabric in the right position, place Tessa's paws at the exact right angle and turn in circles endlessly. Tessa's patience and sleep were tried and after being treated like Bica's personal blanket, Tessa finally had enough and disappeared.

What was left behind was a pretty perplexed looking Bicalina, who had to start the whole ceremony yet again from scratch, and after a couple of twists, digs and turns she finally had found a position that seemed acceptable for her:

One big sigh, and off to sleep she went. Tessa grew up with her around and it's almost unbelievable to think that Tessa will be turning six this year and Bica's been with us for almost five years. Bica was almost not adopted out to us, because she initially was petrofied of big dogs and now she even rules over one ! Tessa is such a sweetie and would never ever hurt her. Anyways - now, that Bica had found peace and quiet, Tessa and Rodney wanted to go outside and enjoy the morning sun. Rodney and Tessa have a different bond - they are pals. They hang out together and yes, Rodney abuses her body warmth for heating purposes as well:

Tessa usually lasts all but five minutes in that compromised position before she gets up and leaves. What was really cute though, was the scenario that unfolded in front of my office window:

There was some serious doggie smooching going on. I am so glad that our little pack gets along so well. They sometimes remind me of the three musketeers. :-))

Photo Shoot With Tessa

2011-04-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

Since Tessa was the lucky one who got to accompany me to Mason Neck State Park, she also had to sit patiently for a photo shoot. Isn't she the world's most beautiful Shiloh girl ?

Enough already !

Mason Neck State Park

2011-04-04T11:54:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I grabbed Tessa and the camera and together we went on photo tour down I-95 to the Mason Neck Wildlife Park and Refuge. I was hoping to get a few good shots at the birds there and my optimism was for the birds, because there really weren't any I could have taken pictures of. Whenever I had an opportunity, I had the false lens mounted. Here an example so you see what I mean:

Could have been some nice pics of tree swallows. Didn't work out too well. Oh well ! By the time I exchanged the panorama lens with the zoom-in lens, they were gone.

Instead I found these cute southern painted turtles:

They enjoyed the warm rays of the afternoon sun and are a sure sign, that spring has sprung and that it will be much warmer again soon.
Some more expressions I collected along the way:

Who knows - maybe next time I'll get lucky and see more of the wildlife..........

Has Rodney lost his Marbles ?

2011-04-01T11:28:00.001-04:00

As I look out the window from my office, I saw a scene unfold in front of my very eyes, which I found hard to believe. A special bonding between an obviously suicidal bunny and the one of my dachshunds I always believed to be equipped with a hunting gene of some sort:

I am not kidding you ! The bunny couldn't believe it either. ....... Could also be, that Mr. Monstermeister was just too exhausted from excessively hunting squirrels all morning. Looking at his tongue I think he's tired. Nonetheless - it's almost unbelievable. That bunny must have escaped from a household where he lives with dogs. There's just no other explanation !

Poor Rodney

2011-04-01T11:12:00.000-04:00

Evening routine in our house is as follows: After the humans are done with their dinner, the dogs get their kongs as we get comfortable on the sofa to watch some TV.
After they're done devouring the contents of their kongs, the dogs join us on the sofa. Yes - there must have been a reason why we aquired a sofa big enough to accommodate us all.
In a previous post you already saw the extensive Budelheimer begging that's going on on Rui's side of the sofa. Once he runs out of stuffing them with not-so-good-for-them yummies intended for human consumption, they lose interest and look to get comfortable. That's when they show up on my side of the couch and whoever gets there first, gets the good spot.
Yesterday it was Rodney who got the best spot in the house and with gusto he snuggled up against me to take his evening nap.
Hey - not so fast, Mr. Rodmeister ! Mrs. Bicalina knows what she's after and the final result of hunting for the best snuggle spot of the house looks as follows:

Poor Rodney got literally buried under Bica and as you can see by his expression, he wasn't all that comfortable. SHE on the other hand seemed to have found her spot and every time he moved, she growled. At some point I really felt sorry for him being pinned down like that and I helped him to escape. Did I mention before, that life with dachshunds is never dull and boring ? Now if you think, that Rodney is without faults, think no more, but look at this scenario:

Pinning poor Tessa against the wall isn't much better, or is it ? At least Bica had a good excuse: She was seen spreading smiles at the nursing home all evening last night. She always amazes me, how a little dog with such a cruel past can still find it in her heart to trust people. She still is a work in progress and every day is a challenge for her. People still scare her and she is still shy with strangers, even petrofied at times. Children and men being high up on her list of scary beings. Not so once she walks through the front door of the nursing home. She loves the seniors, climbs up on the side of their wheelchairs and climbs in bed with them. Her tail never stops wagging.

Visits usually last about an hour for her and afterwards she is always pretty much tuckered out and needs her well deserved rest.

Today's Walk

2011-03-30T12:45:00.001-04:00

....took us to Great Falls Park again. I haven't been out walking as much as I would have liked lately, because my back still isn't a hundred percent and whenever I started feeling better I did stupid things like yardwork to mess it up again. This morning I did feel well enough to grab the dogs for an outing. For the first time in a long time we walked the trails leading towards River Bend Park, which is upriver from Great Falls. The dogs had a great time sniffing and exploring and the temperature was perfect - just a little bit below 40 F. Up the hill we went on a path that lead away from the river, but was accompanied by a small creek which made it a nice change to the raging river. Once we reached the top, we continued walking towards Riverbend turning into a trail across the woods and back towards the Potomac.

Tessa was being a totally silly goose bouncing around like a puppy dog and throwing big wooden sticks through the air, which in turn didn't make her the most popular doggie companion in the Budelheimer's view. The went into hiding behind my back for me to be the lucky one who got hit by sticks the size of a medium tree.

For some miraculous reason they did survive Tessa's silly attacks and when we got to the top of the ridge we took a little break to enjoy the view below us, where the Potomac raced along in breathtaking speed. As I was sitting there taking it all in, I all in a sudden noticed a bald eagle soaring above us. What an exciting view ! I've been walking at this park for about 20 years now and at least a couple of times a week, but had never ever seen one of these majestic raptors. Oh wow ! I was so excited that I immediately had to call Rui and my friend Baerbel to tell them about my observation. Later I found out that there had been a bald eagle sighting earlier this spring and they were even seen building a nest on one of the small islands in the river. Unfortunately, the nest was destroyed and the pair hadn't been seen since. Now it is all the more exciting to see that they have returned and are probably rebuilding their nesting site. I am thrilled ! By the way - if you want to observe nesting bald eagles, go to the website of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and check out their eagle cam - it's really worth taking a look: http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html
Another great link will lead you to the site of a great photographer, who took the most amazing pictures of this bald eagle pair: http://shutterbugbob.smugmug.com/Nature/NBG-Eagles-2011-Season/15473069_fqnUQ#1177637716_gyAQa

As far as my photographic skills go: There are none today, because I left the cam at home. Not even the pocket cam got to come along. That's why I saw all these neat things today........ Happens to me all the time. Oh well - it felt good to be out in nature again ! I definitely could not be without !

Open Your Window And Shoot

2011-03-30T08:11:00.003-04:00

No, don't shoot a gun and hurt someone ! Shoot a picture is, what I was trying to imply above. It is still way too soon to start thinking about macro shots of nectar harvesting bees or dancing butterflies. The bird feeder in front of the house will have to do for now.
As they say: Practice makes perfect and here is a little collection of my latest photographic explorations (As always - clicking on the image will let you see it full size):

Always love to see the male cardinals. They do look like little tree ornaments and their red plumage shines even brighter during mating season.

This picture was taken two days ago, and if you think you detect snow on the branch you are right. We did get a dusting of the white stuff in the morning and that's why Madame Cardinal looks somewhat in disbelief.

Here we have a red bellied woodpecker sharing some morsels with a sparrow. This is one of only a few pictures I was able to get of a woodpecker. They are extremely shy and the slightest noise or movement makes them fly away. So I have to admit, that I took this shot through the closed window. Considering the circumstances, it didn't come out too bad.

This feisty looking guy is a male house finch. At first I didn't get to see any finches at all. Started putting out some thistle seed and voila - they appeared. :-)

Here you see a couple of gold finches attached to the net with thistle seed. Bon apetit !

After waiting what seemed forever, I finally succeeded in getting a good shot at a nuthatch NOT hanging off the tree upside down. They also never seem to sit still long enough to focus. I'm pretty happy with this outcome.

The picture of this little sparrow is one of my favorites. I love his expression and the way his attitude comes across. Even though it's "just a sparrow"........

Another one of my favorite birds, a tufted titmouse. Isn't he cute ?

And guess what ? Where there is bird food, there is a squirrel. In our case multiple congregations of little thieves assembling around the feeding place. I am convinced that our dogwood tree shelters the fattest tree rodents on this planet.

This feral cat has taken up residence in front of our door to prey on birds. So far he hasn't been successful - thank God ! Pretty much every morning I find him sleeping in the flower pot, all curled up. Life of a feral cat is tough ! He doesn't look malnourished though, and besides a few scratches appears healthy.

That Thing About Taking A Somewhat Decent Picture. . .

2011-03-29T14:42:00.003-04:00

I always admired people who seemed to be capable of taking these stunning pictures of everything. Be it dogs, people, landscapes, horses...........it was always breathtaking to look at them and the quality seemed perfect. Down to the last pixel. As you may have noticed, I am desperately trying to turn into a photo-achiever myself. Yeah ! The best hubby of all got me an Olympus E-620 with three different lenses as birthday-easter-christmas-and-whatever-day-you-could-give-a-gift present and it's been the BEST present EVER. Granted - I haven't figured out yet how to transport this exquisite piece of machinery around while walking the dogs, but the day will come, when I manage three dogs in the left hand, a backpack and a tripod all at once. Just kidding. I'm afraid I'll have to separate my photo outings from my doggy outings. I will still haul the pocket size camera around with me to do, what Rui calls "walk-by-photography". The definition of which is as follows: You see the object of desire, pull the cam with one hand, flick the switch to turn it on and .....fire ! That easy ! Granted, on occasion you may want to get a close-up of a wild flower, and that will actually make you stop, put the dogs in a sit-stay and start fumbling with the camera settings. The furgang is used to sudden stop-and-shoots and they all take it in stride. Unless, of course, just the moment I'm getting down on my knees to get that once in a lifetime flower portrait, an unsuspecting passer by with dog attached will show up in the distance and destroy the equilibrium of flower, photographer and ........you guessed it ........ mad Rodmeister. He's always been kind of resistant to any form of dog training and the little bit he knows flies out the window, once he decides it's time to let it fly. Therefore: Any dog, that's closer than half a mile to the flower I had set my heart on taking a picture of, is toast !

This picture pretty much gives you an idea on how little Mr. Eagle-Eyes is surveying the landscape. Now imagine the whole scenario from above with this equipment in hand:

I know, I know.........There's just no way. Picture I'm in the middle of changing lenses when out of nowhere a person with his dog, a bunny, a deer or something else he can't stand, appears. I got different options. Let go of Monster.........drop the expensive camera with the equally as expensive lens in the dirt.........send Tessa out to be my canine ambassador......... tie all of them to a tree and hope the roots will withstand the force !

You see there's just one option, when out with three dogs: Walk by photography, shot from the hip ! Stay tuned for some pictures taken with the new equipment. I am slowly, slowly getting the hang of it. When it comes to technical things I am not the brightest. I'm the type of person who would rather paint a picture, than read a manual or tutorial. So bear with me. We'll get there.........some day. With lots of pioneer spirit to figure this thing out. :-))

The Abandoned Houses In Palmyra

2011-03-27T09:20:00.000-04:00

As we were driving along Rt. 15 towards Orange.......

...we came upon these old houses

which probably have a story or two to tell.

Situated in quite a serene and scenic place,

it was hard to imagine

that some day soon

these old buildings, which were surrounded by really old trees will have to give way to a four lane highway going right through the hearts of their history. These pictures are testament of a time gone by. Soon these old houses and their stories will be forgotten. Also forgotten will be all the wildlife that had to give way to progress yet again as man yet again saw the need to move in onto their habitats. Progress doesn't even stop in the most rural areas of the country. It's a pity...............

Spring has sprung

2011-03-21T18:39:00.000-04:00

........and Rodney is testing the new grass with a vengeance !

Earthdog Training in Palmyra, VA

2011-03-20T17:32:00.014-04:00

Granted, it was two weeks ago, but I finally got around to posting the pictures and here they are. The Rivanna Earthdog Training day in Palmyra, VA. It was a three hour and then some drive, but it was a pretty drive and so we didn't mind at all. Could have been a bit warmer, and again it proved that little boys who lie grow up to be meteorologists. It was nowhere near those 60 degrees and we were cold and shivering most of the day. The farm was located in the midst of a beautiful countryside...........and the spectators were a charming bunch of cows, slightly curious about the going ons:
There was also a very eager dachshund participating at the event. Yes - none other than Mr. Rodmonster who enthusiastically pursued the rats which were cleverly hidden underground somewhere. Not to worry - he found them !

Others didn't show quite as much enthusiasm and would have loved to adopt a rat to be friends with. The rats were totally at ease with the dogs and seemed to know that no harm could and would come to them. My initial worries about stressed out vermin were unfounded.

Here a young Border Terrier is introduced to the "quarry".

Our doggie friend Tilly was somewhat mesmerized by the rats and is trying to understand the purpose of pursuing them.

For the more advanced and more eager beavers......uhm dogs........there was a maize of tunnels under all these grasses and one had to zig-zag on a trail of rat pee to find the quarry. Not as easy as just going straight in for the rats.

Rodney has never done this before and showed immediately, what he was bred to do. Take up the scent and follow it......

...and if it means to dive underground, underground we go ! He worked beautifully and announced his "find" after tunneling through 30 ft. of mud and water. We were so proud of him !

Even after he was done, Rui had a hard time convincing him, that his deed for the day was done.

Not fair - others still got a go at it !

Over all it was a long and fun filled day and everybody pretty much fell asleep on the drive home.

Colvin Run Mill

2011-03-03T19:50:00.008-05:00

Yesterday the new camera got its first outing. I was not sure if I was going to make it hauling the cam and the lenses around with my bad back but at the end I was glad I did. (...and I survived.) My little companion for the day was Bicalina, who enjoyed the one on one time very much.

Here a few pictures of that short excursion. (Please click on the single images to view them full size)

First a couple of shots of the buildings:

Even a place to sit and relax we found:

This Canada goose was quite intrigued by my photographic efforts:

If you want to learn more about Colvin Run Mill you can check the website:

www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/crm/

Wish me luck.

2011-02-27T09:13:00.005-05:00

I entered the following image to a photo contest:The theme was "Before and After" digital processing. The title of this image is "Cleaning up a dirty horse." The horse on the picture is Bernina and I created this image as a tribute to a wonderful Trakehner mare. The processed image already received a remarkable fifth place of a hundred in a previous competition. The participants come from all over the world and many of them are professional photographers, which makes me get a bit ambitious. You can see the first competition here: http://contests.fotki.com/contests/pblack/
The image was edited using Photoshop 8, which is a pretty basic version of Photoshop, but sufficient for hobby photographers like me. First step was eliminating the background and enhancing color and detail of Bernina's face. To blend out the overexposed flank area, I just added some texture to cover it and softened it by blurring the texture part and making it a little bit more transparent. I hope you like the result ! :-)

Again, clicking on the image will show it full size.

Winter again ?

2011-02-24T20:56:00.009-05:00

Last week we had temperatures around the 70 degree mark and a few days later, old man winter struck again. Tessa thought it was great. The Budelheimers on the other hand.............

Bica get's cold real easy. Her fur isn't great, which is partially due to her bad breeding. Poor thing does not have the best of genes and God knows what's been mixed into her heritage. Nonetheless - Rodney and Tessa had fun in the snow and here are a few pictures of the gang enjoying - or not - the white stuff:

...and Bicalina is trying to appear amused:

Gosh - February is almost over !

2011-02-23T07:24:00.019-05:00

...and I have neglected this blog yet again. How can I expect people to check it out if I don't post on a regular basis ? Thing is, that sometimes nothing significant happens and ranting about the bad stuff that's going on in the world isn't too much fun either. Finally I do have some really exciting news: The best hubby of all gave me a really nice present. A present, that combined birthday, xmas, easter, valentine's and then some. He gave me a new camera and the timing couldn't have been better, because I wasn't able to move around very much. I hurt my back and everybody who's ever hurt their back knows, how painful that is. That gave me some time to try out the new cam and here are some of the results. Squirrels and birds first and tomorrow the dogs. Please do click on the image to view it full size:

You see that a good camera makes good pictures. Even for me, who's been told over and over that her pictures aren't all that great. I think, my new Olympus E-620 helps to improve my reputation. :-) BTW: These pictures were taken with a 70-300 lens.

All images are copyrighted !

Old Man Winter

2011-01-28T11:01:00.005-05:00

...........has finally remembered us. Here we thought we'd be lucky this year and the old grump would not lay his ice cold fingers upon us. Alas, he remembered our existence and gave us a short but fierce memory boost by sending a blizzard our way, which managed to even get the president stuck in a traffic jam. President Obama was one of the lucky ones though, because lots and lots of federal workers were said to have spend more then 12 hours trapped on GW Parkway, trying to get home. The result was a heap of abandoned cars and I am almost certain, a couple of swearing snow plow operators because of them. I had the "pleasure" having to drive to the metro station and let me assure you: It was not easy, nor was it fun. Haven driven in Switzerland a lot of times and having grown up in Germany, this driving experience brought back fond memories of winters spent there. (Just kidding - it was a MESS !! )
Last year we lost a lot of trees to the weight of heavy snow and this time I was going out, armed with a broom and a pack of dogs and took care of that problem as well as I could. So far, all trees are still standing and none fell over. Yeah !
Mr. and Mrs. Budelheimer are not thrilled about the white stuff, but Tessa is tickled pink and would stay outside day and night if it weren't for me old partypooper calling her in every now and then. Looking at her lying out there in the cold gives me the chills.
Being inside at night makes it look pretty though:

Tessa was a happy camper, that's for sure:

Here you can see some of the snow beeing blown around behind the house:

The snow got heavier and heavier as time wore on:

The Battlefields in Mannassas

2011-01-16T12:43:00.006-05:00

...were the destination of yesterday's walk with the dogs. Unfortunately, Miss Bicalina had to stay home because she was limping and needed to rest her paws. She did not complain about left behind and was comforted by a nicely stuffed kong toy to help her pass the time.

The weather couldn't have been better and we hope it was cold enough to keep those usually very abundant deer ticks at bay. One of the reasons, we only frequent this national park during the winter months after a couple of frosty days have passed.
You can find more information about the park here: http://www.nps.gov/mana/ind ex.htm

We started out at the old stonehouse, which used to be a hospital during the times of the civil war.

Now let me just post a couple of impressions I collected along the way:

.........and life goes on.

2011-01-10T13:26:00.004-05:00

Walter has now been gone for a couple of days and we haven't quite found a routine without him yet. Walter and Bica had to be seperated for so long because she didn't like him, or couldn't "read" his wobbly attempts of communication. I finally succeeded in getting them back together using the method of counter conditioning and life had become less stressful for all of us, because the four dogs could be together in one room again, without the fear of Walter getting hurt by Bica.
We miss you, old boy ! Life with Walter was not easy because of his disease(s), but he was the sweetest little guy you can imagine.

Yesterday we made a fire in the reading room and Bica spent the evening on top of Walter's lambskin:The rest of the pack wasn't quite that comfortable:

Farewell, little Walter.

2011-01-07T09:57:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we had to say our final good-byes to sweet old Walter. He has touched our lives only for a short time and will be sorely missed.

Rest in peace, my sweet little Mr. Magoo. You were loved !

Before I forget

2011-01-03T18:00:00.005-05:00

......meet the new tile floor in the basement:

Here a couple of pictures from the work in progress:

...and we're done:

Mclean Tile and Marble did a great job ! Special thanks goes to my friend Liz for recommending them to us.

One of our New Year Traditions

2011-01-03T08:05:00.018-05:00

.....is going downtown D.C. for a walk. Why on New Year's day, you ask ? Simply put: Less traffic, less people, more fun. :-) We spent about one and a half hours visiting some memorials and now we had our fill for the location for at least another year.........if not longer.

Jefferson Memorial

Looking at the White House. Very much to the furgang's dismay, the presidential pooch wasn't home.

D.C. Skyline

Hordes of geese hanging out in and around the reflecting pool.

World War II Memorial

Tessa posing in front of the Lincoln Memorial
Doesn't it remind you vaguely of the Akropolis ?

Now that's a scene you all remember well from countless movies.......

Good old Abe himself.

UNTIL NEXT YEAR, D.C. ! (Maybe.)

Saying Good-Bye to 2010

2010-12-29T13:06:00.007-05:00

The year 2010 is slowly coming to an end and ahead lies a hopefully better 2011 ! Looking back. this year was the year of home improvements. We finally tackled the water problem in garage and basement and it also brought us new tiles for the basement. It was a lot of dirt and inconvenience, but we are very happy with the results. Yours truly had to pick the most expensive tile straight from Italy, but it was well worth the expense. We love the way it looks and the company putting it in for us did a great job.
Also, our old man Walter joined us this year in the late spring and despite a severe heart murmur, dementia and mild neurological problems, he's still with us. It is not easy caring for him, but we all fell in love with the little guy - even Bicalina, who initially hated his guts and bit a hole in his flank as a remembrance. I did finally get her over her hatred by using the method of counter conditioning. This method has turned Walter into a walking liver treat as far as Bica is concerned.
And here they are today:
We also have news from Germany. My niece Sassa gave birth to a healthy boy by the name of Aaron on August 6th:
We haven't met the young man yet and hope he won't grow too fast. No such luck though because according to his mom he has a good appetite. :-)
Alisa, his big sister, started school this year and brothers Lewin (4) and Eldin (11) discovered Beyblade battles which got their great aunt up in arms and out shopping, because that game is nowhere to be found in all of Germany. (That's where they live.)
We didn't travel to Europe this year. Instead we concentrated on the beautification of our house and spending some time together. As you all can see, looking at this blog, we do enjoy walking the dogs in different places and I love taking pictures of them. My cam isn't the greatest, but I am usually walking with three dogs in one hand and the cam in the other and considering the circumstances, I'm not too unhappy about the results. Other people have fancier cameras and fanciers pictures, but I can't see myself rushing through the woods with three dogs and a tripod. :-)
The Budelheimers are on ice at the moment. Since I do all the cartoon drawing with the computer mouse, this puts a lot of strain on my tendons. I just had a cortisone injection into my shoulder and also need to work on issues regarding my spine. Not to worry - they will be back in the new year.

I hope you all had a good year 2010 and may the New Year bring joy and fulfill all your wishes !

Merry Christmas !

2010-12-25T13:38:00.001-05:00

Our Advent Walk at Wolftrap

2010-11-28T13:22:00.012-05:00

It was a cold morning, but nonetheless - the dogs needed their exercises as much as we did and off we went to this little park which is situated in the midst of a community called "Shouse Village". I believe it is part of Vienna. The air was crisp and the light perfect:First we admired those beautiful reflections in the lake...

Along the way, the dogs encountered some strange bird. Whilst Tessa politely tried to make contact, Mr. Monstermeister told that odd creature what he thought of it by marking it's feet more or less. Never a dull moment with this guy ! *lol*

The asphalted path let us through the woods...

...and along a small creek.

Lots of interesting places to investigate.....

...even a broken bridge, which the Budelheimers found utterly interesting to hop around on.

And where was old man Walter Magoo ?
Patiently waiting for his turn at home in a fluffy and cozy warm bed.

Handyman Walter helps to renovate the basement

2010-11-27T13:56:00.014-05:00

What can I say ? Leave it to Walter to help renovate the basement.
A little while ago we had to have a drainage system installed into the garage and the basement. In order to get all those pipes into the ground, the workers had to rip out some of the existing floor to dig that ditch and put gravel and sump pump in place.After completion of stage one, that's what the basement looked like, and here's the garage:
After the dust settled, the gravel got covered up with some special (very dusty!) concrete and left us with this view:
Now we had to let it all sit for at least five/six weeks before putting a new floor in. While I was waiting through the drying process, I started removing the old floor, which actually was a pile up of two layers and a pain to remove ! So while the younger part of the furgang enjoyed some quality time in the yard, I grabbed old man Walter, who doesn't fancy the cold outdoors too much, and retreated into the basement. As you can see, I was closely supervised:

Yikes - that floor is sticky !

Quick check on the BOD of the doggy worker's union:

No complaints from that side and so Walter and I could finish laying the floor in the basement in peace and quiet.

We're done ! Yeah !

The floor is done, the walls are painted and we can move on to the next project: Painting the walls and have a ceramic tile floor installed in the basement den. We picked a nice Italian tile and it will look real pretty when it's finished. Once the basement part of the house is all spiffed up, we'll take a short break and then we tackle the bathrooms. For now my canine engineer says good night:

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T15:09:00.003-05:00

.....from the furgang to all their friends and their families !

Nottoway Park

2010-11-09T11:27:00.009-05:00

Since I missed a couple of days again, I'll put up two postings for today.
On Sunday on our way to Home Depot (we seem to frequent this place very often these days...) we stopped by at Nottoway Park in Vienna to get at least an hour's walk in with the dogs.
Here are some of the impressions along the way:

When we got there, there was still some morning frost on the ground.....

but fall presented us with an awesome display of warm colors:

During the summer there are free concerts right in front of this county owned house every Thursday night. We regularly meet there to train the dogs and sometimes went over there to listen to the music.

It is great to have a park like this one right in the middle of town. No need to drive for hours and be stuck in traffic trying to find a nice place to walk in the countryside. We're lucky. We live close to town with all it's conveniences and yet, just a few miles down the road we have access to a couple of really nice parks where we enjoy nature and walking the dogs.

Walter went shopping

2010-11-09T09:51:00.002-05:00

It's getting cooler outside and first signs of frost have been sighted. Our grandpa Walter, who has the tendency to need a potty break in the middle of the night is also seen standing in front of the house shivering, thus forgetting that he really was out there to go potty. I hate to admit it, but crawling out of bed at three thirty I can imagine how he feels, because I stand there shivering too.

Therefore I loaded him up and off we went coat shopping. Try to find a coat for a dachshund. Either they fit around the belly and don't cover the butt, or they cover the butt but are way to big in all other areas of the wienerdog's body. After searching through countless pet stores in the area we finally found a coat that's acceptable for Mr. Magoo:
Doesn't he look like a little elf ?

Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts

2010-11-01T07:41:00.023-04:00

We wanted to go some place different and so we packed up the pack and headed towards Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna. ------> http://www.nps.gov/wotr/
From October until April there are no performances and it's a nice change of scenery. Behind the big stage is a nice park where we took a walk for about an hour. But see for yourselves:

The weather vane indicates where the park's name derives from. It actually got his name from the little creek that runs right through it: Wolf Trap Run.

As you can see, the vane sits right on top of this scenic building.Here's a look at the stage from the lawn.

Inside the building. The seats are being dissembled to be stored for the winter.Moving on and leaving the stage behind, Rui is seen doing some dachshund management. (More or less successful. *lol*)

One last look at the entire complex, and we head towards the woods.

There, nestled between the trees, is the "Theater in the Woods", which houses performances for children during the summer months.

Now let me just show you some impressions from our walk in the park:

...and at the end of our walk, the familiar weather vane waved a final good bye in our direction as we were heading back towards the parking lot:

Remembering Daytona..........

2010-10-31T14:39:00.008-04:00

It was yesterday four years ago that we had to say our final good bye to the most handsome great dane of all times, Daytona. (A.k.a. Lonie, Lonelone, Tony the Pony to name a few) Daytona was very special and very loved. When he was diagnosed with Dilated Cardio Myopathy at age 7 1/2 we were heartbroken. He will never be forgotten and I will post a few pictures of him to keep his memory alive:

Here he meets little Megan at a horse show. She insisted that he was a "horsey".

He also was a wonderful therapy dog and received the Shawna Award from Fairfax Pets on Wheels.

He also was a successful showdog, even though he sometimes lacked the enthusiasm to run around in pointless circles.
His pedigreed name was CH M&M's Harley D's Daytona

Wasn't he the handsomest ever ?
We miss you, Lonelone !

Happy Howl-o-Ween !

2010-10-31T14:25:00.003-04:00

I know - it's been eons since the last blog post, but we had a really busy month with lots of stuff to do around the house. At least now the garage doesn't turn into a riverbed any more every time it rains. Highly recommend B-Dry of Washington. They're fast, they're clean, they're curtious and beat Mid Atlantic Waterproofing by a wide margin. (Those guys were so annoying !)

Anyways. We love our house, even though we bitch and complain about it occasionally. It's our home and we're proud of it.

Halloween is upon us today and since we don't want to put up with barking dogs every time someone knocks on the door, we will leave a treat basket outside and trick-or-treat ourselves to dinner.

Happy Howl-o-Ween !

Favorite Pictures of the Furgang

2010-09-06T09:48:00.006-04:00

That's my absolute favorite of our "Con-Tessa". She looks so blue blooded on this one. :-)

I like this one of Walter. He reminds me of a cartoon character. Goofy, old Mr. Magoo.

I have to say, that this picture of Rodney always makes me chuckle. It's SO him ! ! !

This is a picture of Bica, after she's been with us for only a couple of weeks. Her eyes still show the pain she's been through, but her little soul is also starting to shine through a little.

Just Some Pictures

2010-09-03T16:30:00.012-04:00

Our dynamic duo.

Looking for a sunny spot.

Bless you ! Gesundheit !

On the outside looking in. . .

Bica

Bica wants in

Sorry Walter - this bed is taken.

Tessa

Canine Ear Cleaning Service

Sound asleep

Walterino

Still getting up early

2010-09-02T16:38:00.014-04:00

...and seriously hoping that hurricane Earl will blow some cooler air our way for the weekend. Nonetheless - we managed to walk in our favorite park with dear friends from 6:30 until 8 a.m. Just enough to make the dogs tired for a little while and relaxing upon returning home.Here are some of today's impressions:

When we left Mclean, it was still somewhat dark. . .
...but when we got to the park, Tessa met her best doggy friend of all times, Beau.
They hadn't seen each other in a while and were overjoyed.I love it, when the early morning sunlight reflects on the trees. It is a really warm glow.
Along the way the foursome got spoiled a little bit and lined up for their cookie distribution.
Early morning view of the Mather GorgeThen I turned around to catch the view upriver.
Here Rodney is inspecting the boat ramp, but decided not to go for a swim. To be honest: He doesn't like to swim. That takes care of that. I wouldn't let him swim in such a polluted river as the Potomac anyways. Not to mention the dangerous undercurrents, that could easily pull a dog - or a person for that matter - under water.
...and in the meantime back home "on the ranch", Walter was holding down the fort, sleeping peacefully until we got back.

Walter yet again

2010-08-31T10:45:00.007-04:00

Hey ! What are we ? Chopped liver ? Walter again ? ? ? ?

Sorry guys - Walter is on a roll and here is a short "movie" of me trying to make him slow down and get some rest. Unfortunately this was not on Walter's agenda at the time and here he is, fine tuning his vocal cords for a loud crescendo should I dare not to open his bedroom up again. Since he is stone deaf he obviously can't hear himself "sing":

What did we learn from this ? Under no circumstances do we mess with Mr. Magoo's time schedule - EVER ! It is amazing how age changes a living being's behavior patterns. Once released he sneezes once and triumphantly goes on his merry way. (No dachsie has been harmed during the filming of this "movie". The condition our ear drums are in is a different story. *lol* )

Got it !!!

What, if I don't wanna get it ? *grumble*
Bica is not amused...........

Walter travels...

2010-08-30T09:06:00.010-04:00

Oldtimer Walter has problems with his anal glands on occasion. One morning I saw him scooting around on his behind and my suspicions were confirmed upon closer inspection of his rear end: Everything underneath the tail was swollen and inflamed and it looked as if a trip to the vet was in order. Now mind you - traveling with Walter-dearest is no fun. He hates riding in the car and no matter how much Mr. Budelheimer a.k.a. Rodney is trying to convince him of the opposite: Walter despises it ! ! ! It messes with his schedule and inconveniences his sleep patterns. Therefore Mr. Magoo gets to only ride in the car when it is
a b s o l u t e l y necessary. We already tried different approaches to ensure his travel comfort and every single one has been rejected so far. First trip with Walter happened with his royalty confined in his crate. He whimpered and complained the entire time throughout the trip. Second outing I secured him in well upholstered laundry basket and strapped it next to me on the passenger seat. Even worse ! He did not want to be restricted in a basket and he did not want to sit still. He also lost total control of his bladder and rear, which found me standing on the shoulder of Rt. 66 during rush hour to clean up the mess. So that was a no-no too. Third time I thought I could outsmart the old rascal and I put him in front of the passenger seat on top of some soft and fluffy blankets. Wroooooooooooong ! The result was a Walter concert from start to finish, making me wonder how such loud noises can resonate from such a small body. Amazing !
Having told you our history of Walter travels, you probably now wonder how I got him to the vet's office without suffering a nervous break down. Since I liked the basic principle of the last trip, I did a repeat performance of the basic set-up:Walter was put atop a few blankets and secured with some rolled up towels to keep him snug in place. He's contemplating as you can see......
Next to me on the seat I put a couple of charlee bears. Available at almost every pet store, they are a nice low cal treat for dogs whose happiness depends on their supply of food. Walter is one of those. He loves to eat and since one charlee bear only has about 3 calories, it doesn't hurt him to have a handful during the duration of a car trip.Recognize this slightly distressed look ? You are right. Walter is fine tuning his vocal cords to start his "Walter does not like to travel" song with a soft crescendo, which soon will turn into a fiery aria of dachsie distress if not fed by at least five charlee bears. Owning - pardon me - being owned by a virtuoso like Walter Magoo let's one shift in to overdrive in a minute flat and multi tasking becomes a breeze.Don't let those innocent looking, big brown eyes fool you. He's a manipulator and he knows how to extract charlee bears out of my hand. It is quite an experience to deal with a demented dog and requires a lot of patience, persistence, and yes - love. Dementia is a disease that progresses in stages and like humans, dogs can be affected too. There are phases of panic, disorientation, neurological problems and many more. Walter can sometimes not differentiate between night and day and there was a time, when he demanded to get up at 4 a.m. After a few weeks we were looking like zombies from lack of sleep. A few days ago I started giving him Melatonin, thinking what helps me overcome jet-lag, may help Walter find a better sleep rhythm. It did ! ! He lets us sleep now until about 5:30/6 a.m. We can live with that. :-) To help him deal with his dementia a bit better, he also gets a medication called Selegiline. We just started giving it to him a week or two ago and it may take up to two months to find out if it is effective.
More info about CDS here: http://www.lbah.com/cds.htm
Of course every drug has it's downsides and one must consider the side effects a drug may have. I personally have to take medication and upon reading about possible side effects one wonders if taking that particular pill really is all that beneficiary. If it improves my quality of life - I guess I have no choice.
To get back to Walter's bum: The treatment was successful and he's feeling much better again, thank-you-very-much !

Little Vultures

2010-08-26T15:45:00.010-04:00

This morning we had an exciting walk at our favorite park. First, when we got there we were greeted by a deer and her two fawns. They fled as fast as they could once Rodney's battlecry hit the airwaves and he threatened to have them all for breakfast. Thanks, Monsterman - nice going !We then went down towards the observation platform to check the water level of the Potomac. Last time we went there, it was alarmingly low and the sewage and run-off from the neighborhood streets were quite visible. This sight gets to me every time I go there and it makes the pleasure of viewing the beautiful scenery only half as enjoyable.
On our way we could see some young vultures sitting on the reling that surrounds the platform:Two little dots in the center of the picture - barely visible. I wanted to try to get some close ups of the two birds and that meant I had to leave Tessa and Rodney behind, because they were going to spoil the pictures for me. Tessa hates vultures with a passion and goes ballistic when she smells one. Rodney the same. So I grab Bicalina and together we zig-zag towards the vultures who sit unsuspecting on their lookout.
All in a sudden all hell is breaking lose behind me and I see Rui struggling with two highly excited dogs barking on top of their lungs. A herd of deer was racing across the meadow right in front of them, coming seemingly out of nowhere........ So much for taking pics of vultures, right ?
Wrong. Those guys seem to be fairly young and dumb, or simply unflappable. They stood their ground and let me sneak up on them even further:The dots are getting bigger. They still didn't seem to mind my presence and so I sneaked up on them a bit further and here are the results:

Kind of curious but not too concerned.......(However - I used the zoom on this one)
Getting closer. . .Checking us out.Finally they had to make a decision if they wanted to be tame birds, or if they wanted to continue to live in the wild. The chose latter.

**As always: Clicking on the images will show them in their original size **

Playing For Change

2010-08-10T13:48:00.011-04:00

Today, let's not "talk dogs". The heat and humidity are horrendous and we just did a little sniffing round in the dark at about 5:30 a.m.

A little while ago I stumbled about this program, called "Playing For Change".
Here's their mission statement:

The Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) is dedicated to connecting the world through music by providing resources (including, but not limited to facilities, supplies, and educational programs) to musicians and their communities around the world.

* Several years ago, a small group of filmmakers set out with a dream to make a documentary film about street musicians from around the world. That dream has grown not only into a reality, but into a global sensation called Playing For Change, and has touched the lives of millions of people.

* While traveling to around the world to film and record these musicians, the crew became intimately involved with the music and people of each community they visited.

* Many of these people lived very modestly in communities with limited resources; nevertheless, they were full of generosity, warmth, and above all they were connected to each other by a common thread: music.

* In an effort to ensure that anyone with the desire to receive a music education would have the opportunity to do so, the Playing For Change Foundation was born.

* The Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) is dedicated to the fundamental idea that peace and change are possible through the universal language of music.

* Music is our ammunition.

(source:http://playingforchange.com/band

If you like what you've been reading, here's an example of their music, showing street musicians from all over the world:

Our Morning Walk

2010-08-06T10:07:00.013-04:00

No thanks to Mr. Magoo (Walter that is...) we still do get up anywhere between 4 and 5 in the morning. Which is okay, now that we are plagued by heat and humidity. Come winter though, I want that old man to change his habits of howling like a wolf at oh-god-thirty, just because he thinks he should be getting something to eat. This is not about having to go out. This definitely has to do with the senility of his stomach, and that seems to go right along with his somewhat forgetful brain. He simply forgets that we do like to sleep until at least 5:15 a.m.Moi ? I would never ever do anything like that. Waking up people in the middle of the night ? They're making that up !

Neither here nor there. No thanks to Walter we were ready to roll - more or less - around 6 o'clock. Humidity was already alive and well and so we strolled slowly from one blade of grass to another.Bicalina got "stationary" and started grazing like a little goat. Nothing better than fresh greens after a good rainstorm. Last night we had a couple of severe thunderstorms in the area and this morning it was obvious that there had been some destruction going on in the neighborhood. On the upside: The grass got greener and tasted fresher.
We also investigated the porch of the old Lewinsville Farmhouse......and found the setting quite tranquil.
Strange objects were also seen along the way. Did somebody try to set up a 'green office'?

Here a few more impressions we found along the way:
Pumpkin behind bars.

A natural frame.

Flowers reaching for the morning sky.

Now we're back home and the dogs are snoozing away in their beds, trying to stay cool. It will be another day in the nineties. . .

The Potomac River

2010-08-05T14:03:00.019-04:00

... is only about 15 minutes from our house and we pretty much go there for our walks every day. We've seen the river almost rise over the observation platform at Great Falls Park and we encountered days when the water level was so low that you could almost cross the river on foot to reach the MD side. (Not really - but you get my drift.)

This is what it looked like this morning. We definitely need rain !

I didn't post this picture to primarily show you the state of the river. No - I want you to look closely at the foamy stuff that is floating around in front of the run off pipe, which leads into the river just at that spot. Not visible to the naked eye are all the plastic bottles, garbage bags and other debris which float along the shores of this otherwise very scenic river.
People close their eyes. They don't want to see it. Some try to make a difference, but their efforts seem fruitless. Concerned citizens within the Commonwealth volunteer to protect their natural resources. They monitor the streams, rivers, and lakes in their backyard. There is no limit one's contribution: Be a water quality monitor, participate in stream cleanups and stream bank restoration, or help educate yourself and neighbors! For starters: Stop using chemicals on your lawns and pesticides.

Everybody can make a difference. If you're interested, read on about "the state of the nation's river": http://www.potomac.org/site/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/pc_sonr_web.512kb.pdf

Here some info about Potomac water quality: http://www.potomac.org/site/water-quality/
Mind you that the Potomac at Great Falls belongs to the MD side. The MD side is 66% impaired, as far as pollution goes.

A SNAPSHOT OF POTOMAC WATERSHED HEALTH

Of approximately 10,000 stream miles assessed in the watershed, more than 3,800 miles were deemed “threatened” or “impaired”.
The Potomac is one of the least dam-regulated large river systems in the eastern United States.
The Potomac has the highest level of nitrogen and the third highest level of phosphorus of all the major rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These nutrients can limit the growth of submerged aquatic vegetation, cause low oxygen conditions and create deadzones.
Approximately 90% DC area drinking water comes from Potomac.
Between 1986 and 1999, Maryland averaged more than 6,000 acres of forest loss per year. Forests are capable of capturing up to 6 times more rain than grass alone and 20 times more rain than impervious surfaces, such as parking lots.
Over a 30-year period, the tree canopy in Washington, DC has declined by 16% and the stormwater runoff has increased by 34%.
Swimming is not an approved activity in the waters of the Potomac and Anacostia in the District of Columbia.
Effluent from wastewater treatment plants is currently the most notably identified point-source contribution of endocrine disrupting contaminants in the Potomac River.
Emerging contaminants in the Potomac include personal care products, pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications, agricultural pollution, animal feedlots, industrial byproducts, and biosolids.
In the last three decades, many areas in the watershed have seen their population more than double. A growing population alters and stresses the natural state of its land and water.
The Potomac watershed is expected to add more than 1 million people to its population over the next 20 years.
The most densely populated area in the watershed is the Middle Potomac, including Washington, DC, which is home to 3.72 or about 70% of the watershed’s population.
In the next 20 years, the population of the Potomac watershed is expected to grow 10% each decade, adding 1 million inhabitants to reach a population of 6.25 million.
An 80% prevalence of the intersex condition was reported in male smallmouth bass in the Shenandoah and Fork rivers of the Potomac in a 2002 USGS study.
View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.
EPA reviews anywhere from 1500-3000 “new” chemicals annually-- many of which enter Potomac waterways, undetected by wastewater treatment plants.
The combined sewer system in Washington, DC includes 53 combined sewer overflow outfalls in the Potomac watershed: 10 of which discharge to the main stem, 15 to the Anacostia River, and 28 to Rock Creek and its tributaries.
Along the Anacostia shoreline, 17 discharge locations result in 2-3 billion gallons of sewage overflow into the river each year.
The Potomac River delivers the largest amount of sediment to the Chesapeake Bay each year which can limit the growth and submerged aquatic vegetation and affect populations of all fish, shellfish and birds that depend on this vegetation as a source of food or shelter.

Please note: Sources include State of the Nation’s River reports 2007, 2008 and 2009, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. (Source:Potomac Conservancy)

Another eye opener is "Poisoned Waters" which aired on PBS's "Frontline" last year: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/view/
This delicate system is fed by the billions of gallons of raw sewage brought in by none other than the Potomac River. No thanks to mankind, nature is taking a devastating beating.........Once We Cared...Back in the 1970s, the public demanded action. Nixon's EPA sued big polluters, tackled auto emissions, banned DDT. What changed?

There are days where walking along the trails at Great Falls Park is anything but enjoyable. The smell of sewage follows you pretty much everywhere. Especially near the river bank and all the way on the carriage path along the swamp trail.

That park is near and dear to me and we enjoy it tremendously. We've been walking there now for over 20 years on a regular basis and looking at that polluted river makes me sad. There are people who don't see the importance of clean rivers and lakes, but to me it's an important issue.
Name one river in all of VA where you could jump in and go for a swim. I couldn't name ONE !

Two years ago Tessa got really sick from going swimming in a creek. Scary ! Real scary. :(
So don't tell me, the rivers and creeks are cleaner than they once were. They are just not clean enough ! Pollution is a ticking time bomb. We destroy nature slowly, yet we can not exist without nature. So why is it, that we destroy systematically what sustains our ability to live ?
It's up to each and every one of us to make a difference. Nature provided for us all her life. Now it's time to pay back and take care of her.

Comments welcomed !

Tessa and Beau go to Summer Camp

2010-08-05T12:53:00.016-04:00

It's the time of summer break and kids everywhere enjoy camp activities. Tessa and her best pal Beau got a summer job. They went out to teach children about how to behave around dogs and Beau impressed everyone by showing off his skills as a search and rescue dog. (SAR)Yesterday we went to the Cub Run Recreation Center, and I forgot to take my camera. So there won't be a lot of reporting about yesterday's event, but nonetheless - I didn't forget to take the cam to last week's event and here are some impressions of that demonstration:

First my friend Barbara taught the children everything there is to know about surviving in the woods in case you get lost. Tessa is watching patiently. . .

After some classroom time, we head out to the woods where Beau will show how he is trained to find missing persons.

While some of the children are hiding in the woods, the rest of the kids are learning about the search and find process. They are fascinated !

Tessa always gets very upset when Beau leaves her behind on his searches. Once he has found a "victim" he will run back to Barbara and bark at her to make her follow him to the lost person.
That's when I have a really hard time holding on to Tessa. She thinks she has to go and help her buddy...
So once it's confirmed that Beau has located the victims and they have been found, Tessa gets to go and "find" Beau. The kids love that part of the search too, because it's a joy to see Tessa taking off into the distance to do her own search. Here you can see how happy they both come running back to us. Mind you, all this happens at around noon time with temperatures sometimes well into the nineties.

That's why it's so important that the dogs have access to water at all times. We only stayed in the sun for about half an hour and then we headed back into the shade. Many dog owners make the mistake of shaving down their dogs, thus taking away the only protection the dog has against the sun. Not only is it bad for the dog's skin, it also causes the undercoat to grow in real dense and it will over time ruin their coat.

.......but back to summer camp. Considering that Tessa didn't grow up with children, it keeps amazing me over and over how much she enjoys them. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I did take her to the school bus every morning when she was a puppy. She never had a bad experience with children and thinks they are so much fun !

Just a few "Tessa with Kids Impressions":

At the end just a little anecdote from yesterday's excursion: It was hot ! REAL hot ! The temperature was about 96F and the humidity was at around 90%. It felt like being in a tropical greenhouse. The dogs got really hot and even though we parked them in the shade as much as we could, they consumed a lot of water and were panting heavily. Some of the kids felt sorry for Tessa and took some sponges to give her a refreshing sponge bath. (I wish I had the cam for this one. It was priceless ! ) So here are at least ten kids armed with soaking wet sponges which they unleashed onto my panting dog. Some dogs would have run away in panic. Not Tessa. She was soaking up all the water and the kids attached to it. The highlight of her spa treatment was a shower with the hose. They stuck that hose in her mouth, sprayed under her belly and washed down her legs. Tessa thought it was great ! The whole scene reminded me of the movie "Car Wash". Remember that one ? ;-)

***clicking on the images will show them in their original size***

Who says, Seniors are slow ?

2010-07-26T12:54:00.003-04:00

Walter begs to differ ! :-)

That Heat Is Unbearable !

2010-07-23T10:46:00.012-04:00

I can't remember how it feels to stay in bed past 4:30/5 o'clock in the morning. The bad news is, that the doggy gang is all peachy with getting breakfast served in the dark and I am sure they also don't mind watching sunrises until the cows come home. I for one would love to be able to walk in broad daylight again without having to worry about park rangers oversleeping and not opening gates on time and stuff like that. If I meet another person who tells me that global warming isn't happening, I think I'll forget my good upbringing. Even the last skeptic must by now admit that mankind has managed to do more damage to this planet in the last fifty years than all of our ancestors in thousands and thousands of years before us..........
Be kind to Mother Earth. Don't let your cars idle forever, recycle, use earth friendly products and don't pollute the environment. It's the only one we've got !

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

The furgang in the meantime is totally and completely unaware of all my worries and I think they have gone into serious summer hibernation. What else is there to do ?

Ozzie and Harriet

2010-07-21T08:52:00.016-04:00

Abbot and Costello, Stan and Ollie, Lucy and Ricky..........you get the idea.
How about:
Tessa and Walter.

It is really touching to see how Tessa takes care of the old man. She won't let him out of her sight and even doesn't mind being used as a canine scratch post for itchy Walter ears. Aren't they precious ? The Budelheimers still aren't all that warm and fuzzy about Walter, but we can live with that. He's got Tessa and there aren't many old dachshund geezers calling such an attractive girl their own. You go Walter !

Wherever there is Walter, Tessa isn't far behind.

A Few New Photoshop Creations

2010-07-19T17:04:00.011-04:00

*Clicking on the images will show them in their original size*

The somewhat "antiqued" Rodmonster

Beaty Eye

Knowledge is Power !

What else would a dog read but Jack London's "The Sea Wolf" ?

Even Walter was "abused" as Photoshop model.

Tessa the Night Wolf

The Pool Babe

Bica gave us a good scare.......

2010-07-18T13:39:00.006-04:00

...this morning. After we were done with our morning walk at Great Falls Park, we decided to stop by at the German bakery to get some bread. Since it's really hot and humid - even at 7:30 in the morning - we decided that Rui stays with the dogs and I go in to get the bread. Said and done. Ten minutes later I get out of the store to find Bica in the middle of the parking lot threatening to run into the busy street. Before Rui was able to put a leash on her, she had slipped through the small opening of the car door and ran out to look for me. My heart sank and my adrenaline shot up, once I realized what had happened. One wrong move and she could potentially get run over by a car. Rt. 29 is a very busy thoroughfare and chances of her getting hit or killed were high. There were a few people in the parking lot and thankfully they stood very still being fully aware of Bica's shyness. Nobody tried to go towards her, which would have made her run off in panic. I sat down and she came over to me, but would not let me touch her.
Then I did what I should have done before. I ran to the car and opened the door for her. Thank God she ran towards the car and away from the street. At the car I was able to grab her and put her inside. You should have seen the collective sigh of relief all around us !
Trust, or lack thereof, has always been a big issue in Bica's life. In situations like these she reminds us that people are not her favorite species and despite all the efforts we have made over the last couple of years, there is still that trust issue that will never be completely resolved.

Don't ever scare us like that again, Bicalina !

Rise and Shine !

2010-07-17T15:18:00.005-04:00

I know, it's Saturday and we should be sleeping in. Instead we get up at o-god-thirty to take the dogs for their "spin". Today we got to the park so early that we found ourselves standing in front of a locked gate. Great Falls Park didn't want us that early and so we went "one over" to Riverbend Park, just to find the gates locked as well. Now what ? We decided to try the Nature Center which was about two minutes from Riverbend. I don't need to tell you that the gates there were locked as well. We were starting to long for a nice breakfast and a good strong cup of coffee, rather than walking the dogs. On our way back we passed the gates of Riverbend Park and just as we were about to pass a truck pulled up and the park manager opened up for us. Yeah !
Dogs need their daily walks. By nature they are roaming animals and just being locked up in a backyard somewhere does not really provide quality of life for them. Therefore we spend at least one to two hours in the woods every day. If there is no time, we make time. I have to admit that I would not be walking every day if it weren't for the dogs. They are my furry motivators. What's the point in exercising on a hot and humid day if it weren't for the dogs ? We could be turning around in bed one more time and sleep in. Instead we're dripping sweat, wipe cobwebs off our faces and drown ourselves in bug spray to please the furgang. I hope they know how lucky they are............. Needless to say, on a real humid day we don't speed walk, but rather make it a long sniffing excursion which they dogs enjoy tremendously.

Grandpa Walter on the other hand is not a morning dog. I have to carefully wake him up, because startling him may cause his old ticker to go into overdrive and we don't want to risk that. It takes him about five minutes to become conscious and then we have to do the wild dash to the door for morning potty duties. Old age and bladder control don't seem to go together too well. Even in dogs. After Walter is done slurping his breakfast soup, he climbs back to bed and won't be seen until about noon.

The rest of the furgang gets their gear on and off we go. The advantages of being the first ones at the park are plentiful. First one doesn't encounter people with dogs, which makes my existence a lot more pleasant because I don't have to dart into ditches, the underbrush or behind trees upon seeing the oncoming enemy (Monster's point of view). We also get to see a lot of wildlife, which is always nice, depending on the direction the wind is blowing. If you ever see a woman with three dogs attached to her left hand and a cam in the right at a wild dash through the underbrush, don't fear: It's us in hot pursuit of some deer, fox, skunk or other wild animal. You probably will hear us first anyways, because Monster tends to announce every single track of a deer he'll find. That's a breed trait and it took breeders probably half a century to achieve that trait just to annoy those of us who don't necessarily go out to hunt for their dinner.
Besides wildlife there is another beauty of nature I love to admire: The sunrise. It may get boring, but here's today's sunrise over the Potomac at Riverbend Park. Enjoy !
On our way back from the park I had to turn the car around and help put this little guy into safety. He was crossing the street and I was not so sure if he was going to make it at first.

Let's just hope he didn't try to crawl back across . . .

Needless to say, the strong cup of coffee tasted even better after a walk. So walk your dogs - it's an important part of their life and it keeps you on your toes. Just think of all the nice sunrises and the wildlife you may be missing !

A Typical Summer Walk

2010-07-16T10:25:00.014-04:00

Getting up at 5 o'clock sharp has turned into routine by now. I wouldn't want to sleep in, because the thought of being exposed to that humidity at even higher temperatures than those at six in the morning makes me melt. The young crew has no problems getting up at those hours, but Walter is a different story. Waking him up is a chore and if he had bed covers he'd pull them over his ears and moan. Being deaf has its advantages, I guess. Anyways - the dogs ALL get up and go out at this ungodly hour and after Walter has willingly climbed back into his bed, the rest of the gang heads out for morning entertainments at the park. Before we can begin the sunrise perspiration round we drop hu-man off at the metro station and off we go.One of the more convenient and close by parks is Lewinsville Park in Mclean. There are lots of bunnies, chipmunks and birds to be chased and the gang loves to go there.

Another beautiful thing about getting up early: One gets to see gorgeous sunrises. Check this out:This is an old farmhouse which was donated to the county. Nowadays it can be rented for social functions like wedding receptions and such.

As we are sleepwalking through the park, the sun will come up further and reveal other pretty sights:

Flowergardens......

Odd looking patriotic scarecrows. . .
(Must be a tea party plot *lol* )

Path flanked by gardens. . .

Beautiful sunflowers, reflecting the morning sun.

Let's not forget those bunnies and their high entertainment value.

After about an hour of all this humid excitement, the furgang is ready to call it a morning and head on home !

*Please click on images to view full size*

The Dog Days Of Summer

2010-07-15T13:24:00.006-04:00

It seems just yesterday that I wrote about blizzards, snow drifts and cold days. Now I find myself all in a sudden submerged in what I would call a 'sticky heat wave'. One way of finding some relief from temperatures in the 90's is going swimming. I try to swim three to four times a week and I must say it sure beats going to the gym sweating bullets.Dogs are way more heat sensitive than we are, and exercising them turns into a real challenge. Unless we get up at around 5 o'clock in the morning, I don't really see a chance to get them out without jeopardizing their health. Tessa's fur is fit for life in the arctic circle and the dachshunds may not have that kind of fur coat, but they make up for it by being very low to the ground, thus catching all the heat that reflects from the ground. On a hot day the temperature of asphalt can easily reach over 150 F, posing a serious health risk for dogs - especially those low to the ground.
The furgang usually gets fed two regular meals. One in a.m and one in p.m. Their a.m. ration stays pretty much the same in the summer. However, I replace their evening ration with some frozen meat in a kong and boy, do they love that ! Not only is it a refreshing treat, it also gives them some pleasant entertainment during times where physical activities have to be limited because of the temperature.

I would love to take them swimming. Try to find a lake, river or creek around here that isn't polluted to the point where it gets worrisome to send your dog in. Also, the Budelheimers are made from sugar and will melt should they ever be exposed to something as highly dangerous as water. Tessa would love to go for a swim. The question is: Where ? ? ?
Doggy swim places charge you easily $ 40 for half an hour which is quite costly, not counting in more than an hour driving time to get there. Thank God there's the garden hose and she actually truly enjoys getting hosed down on occasion.

Back to getting up early. The amount of wildlife one encounters is great - even with a bunch of lunatic dogs at your side. This morning we went to Great Falls Park and saw lots of deer and vultures:
The dogs last about an hour and then they're ready to go back home. Oh the dog days of summer........ I'm all for winter right about now. :-)

Not What The Brochure Said.....

2010-07-14T08:03:00.004-04:00

Walter has been part of the Mclean Furgang for a month now and he has captured our hearts with his Mr. Magoo like demeanor and sweet, confused personality. Unfortunately, a few days into his presence at our house Bica decided that Walter looked at her the wrong way and that he came too close to her precious bed. She angrily pinned him to the ground and bit him. Monster came out of nowhere and supported Bica's attempts to seriously hurt the poor old man. I was able to rescue him from the fangs of the Budelheimers and as a result of all the mayhem he got to go on his first trip to the vet with me. Thank God for nurse Tessa who felt really sorry for the little guy and helped to nurse him back to health:

Bica seems okay now with Walter and shows only tentative signs of aggression, but I am really afraid that some clumsy movement of his will trigger another outburst and so I just keep them separated for now. It's better for my peace of mind too. Monster's behavior towards Walter is pretty neutral and I'm not really worried about any danger coming from him. Now back to the "Walter Brochure". Initially I was told that Walter basically does three things: Eat, sleep and go potty. Sleeping being his number one activity. That worked out for about a week and then the "brochure" needed an update.
Walter was on "Purina" dog food when I first got him and if you have been following this blog you know that I am a strong opponent of doggy junk food. Purina being pretty high up on my list of "what-not-to-feed-to-your-dog". Walter's skin was very flaky and dull and I switched him immediately over to a diet of "Honest Kitchen" (grain free) and boiled chicken. After a month on high quality food there's not a single flake to be seen and his coat is very smooth and shiny. I understand that rescue organizations need to feed whatever donations they are getting and I'm very grateful for all they do, but after the dog's been adopted I see no reason not to change his diet for the better.
Blame the diet, blame the environment, but Walter Magoo has turned into quite an active senior.
His day now looks as follows: Get up at 5 a.m. , climb up the hill behind the house and run back down to the house. This activity takes about 10 minutes and seeing him run is so cute. It's more or less a slow motion bunny hop, but he looks very pleased with himself. After the morning exercise it's breakfast time and distribution of his heart and thyroid medicine. After that he climbs back to bed and sleeps until about 11, when he demands his second outing. He strolls around in the yard and Tessa is mostly by his side for this one. BTW: He thinks, Tessa has a very attractive rear end, that old Casanova. :-) Walter does not drink water and therefore I have to mix something tasty in with his fluids. (i.e. canned meat or chicken broth). At lunchtime he gets his "hydration soup" and goes back to sleep until about 2 pm. If I dare not be present at the time of him waking up, he'll howl like a wolf until I let him out for another patrol in the yard. After the yard patrol he does a house inspection and goes back to sleep until his inner clock tells him that it's dinner time. That is around 5 pm. 5:30pm until 7 pm he sleeps again and then it's off to yet another house and yard inspection.
In other words: The old man is feeling his oats and full of energy. After all - he's almost 100 years old in doggy years. Not bad !

Oh Dear - Water !

2010-07-13T09:31:00.003-04:00

No - not Walter. WATER ! Nothing worse for Budelheimers than water. In their opinion the world could burn up and no matter how refreshing a swim would be, it's out of the question to get those precious paws wet. Tessa on the other hand would spend her life in the water if she could.

Here comes Walter !

2010-06-15T08:25:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, June 13th, I went to pick up our new family member Walter. Walter is a bit senile and loves his routine, but it took him no 24 hours to find himself a new bed (Bica's ! ! ! ) and he even figured out where the cookie jar is. Way to go Walter. :-)

I put together a little slide show about Walter's first two days with us. Enjoy !

Clicking on "view all images" will get you to the main page. There click on "full screen" to view the show.

Just Bica...

2010-06-10T08:09:00.008-04:00

She has come a long way, our little Mrs. Budelheimer. I remember the expression on her face on the day we got her:

These images were made in the last couple of days. She has turned into such a little bundle of joy:

Somewhat mischievous at times. :-)Very often with a big grin on her face. :-)
...and always a glimpse of sunshine in her eyes ! :-)

The Budelheimer Welcome Committee

2010-06-09T18:19:00.004-04:00

........so typical:

The Budelheimers now have a Grandpa

2010-06-09T17:16:00.010-04:00

Yep - you heard right. As I am writing this, Tessa's eyes are rolling back in her head in horror ! A third dachshund is looming on the horizon to move in with us. Poor thing - she will suffer from some sort of inferiority complex. A little while ago I stumbled upon poor Walter (That's grandpa's name) and I couldn't get him out of my head. Poor Rui (God - I love that man !) was run over by my enthusiasm for helping anything in need that has four paws and a cold nose. What can I say ? He agreed to give Walter a new home if the Budelheimers were agreeable. Poor Tessa - as usual - has no say in the matter. She gets along with anyone big or small and her approval of the old man was never an issue.Walter is estimated to be about 12 years old, but upon meeting him I came to the conclusion that he must be at least around 14 years old. In other words: He needs a retirement home with tender loving care and two square meals and a soft bed he can stretch out those weary bones of his. He is a bit wobbly on his baroque little legs, but the sight of food sure makes him giddy. He's also stone deaf and I don't think I'll be teaching him any new tricks. His old ticker has a murmur and his thyroids are not what they used to be, but if he takes his medicine, he should be just fine. His mouth looks somewhat like Bicalina's and so I have two dogs on soft food. No problemo.The Budelheimers now officially have their own grandpa. (I wonder why Tessa is rolling on the floor howling right now......... )

Does anyone feel sorry for me ?

Mason Neck State Park

2010-05-23T10:46:00.019-04:00

Since we were faced with a few rainy days we wanted to take the opportunity for a nice outing yesterday, because the next couple of days I'll be walking around the neighborhood. (Looking out the window today confirms my fears.)Are you ready ?

First we encountered this heron on a fishing trip. Very successful it seems.Following the sandy trail . . .
. . . we came upon this sandy beach
As you can see, Tessa really loves the sand !Mr. Budelheimer wasn't all that convinced of the water . . .
. . . while Mrs. Budelheimer made sure she stayed away from it.

Here some more impressions from the first part of our walk:

Time to move on !

Bridge across the swamp. . .. . . and here we are looking at the swamp.
After the swamp bridge we went up through an alley of mountain laurels and after walking another hour along the trail, we reached the car. It was a really nice walk and the scenery was just beautiful.

*clicking on the images will let you view them in their original size*

My new Adobe Photoshop

2010-05-19T06:06:00.007-04:00

Oh boy - I really don't do well with change. I've been using Adobe Photoshop Elements for years now and it felt to me like a real old, comfortable shoe. You know - the ones you don't want to part from ? Unfortunately, it happened: The old Photoshop developed some glitch and became unreliable and since I am about as computer savy as a shoe, I decided to purchase the follow-up program, which is Photoshop Elements 8. The principle is pretty much the same as its predecessor's, however, it's supposed improvements are not as user friendly as the basic program.Nonetheless - I'm trying to battle progress and wanted to share some results (clicking on the images will allow you to view them in their original size):

Levin at the Petting Zoo
Do you see the ghost ?
(This picture was taken at a hotel in Bavaria, where we stayed at on our last trip to Germany.)
The Budelheimers in Color

Quality Time With Hu-Man

2010-05-17T12:36:00.005-04:00

I have to admit that I used a stuntman for this drawing to replace Rui. He would NEVER let them suffer like this ! On the contrary: I believe, that at the end the Budelheimers eat more cookies than he does. (Now I'm in trouble, because it's not true..........)

Fountainhead Regional Park, VA

2010-05-16T12:48:00.012-04:00

Today's Sunday outing lead us to Fountainhead Regional Park which is situated along the Occoquan Water Reservoir. Once we got there, we tried to find a trail map for hikers but the only thing we found was a map for mountain bikers and one for horses. We figured that we would rather meet a horse than a mountain bike and so we headed on out on the horse trail. The drawback: This trail was 17,5 miles long and the only way to get back to the parking lot was to turn around and head on back hence we came from. Apparently there is also a 2 mile long roundtrip, which we haven't found yet. It's a short distance, but for a summer walk in the heat it would be perfect.Now here are a few impressions from our walk:If that doesn't have "horse" written all over it, than I don't know. :)

Walking past an old cemetery.

Well groomed trails everywhere.
Tessa was a bit scared of that wobbly bridge, but Rodney confidently lead the way.
We came past a spot where the rocks all looked like quartz.

Once back from the horse trails, we went down to the reservoir and enjoyed the view.
Bica wasn't so sure if she liked that huge puddle. It scared her a little bit....

Tessa in the meantime was contemplating if she should rent a boat.

Then we met that goose that wasn't as fond of meeting us as we were of meeting her.

One last look, and back home we went.

Oh the Joys of Invisible Fencing...

2010-05-12T14:07:00.004-04:00

Not to worry - I am being sarcastic. On our walk through the neighborhood today we encountered at least five different dogs being contained behind what is called "invisible fencing". I know that the HSUS is after eliminating pet dogs from American households and endorsing remote controlled torture devices like this electric fencing system is yet another testament of their hatred for pets. (Looking at their annual financial statements would be another, but that's a different story.)

Back to the fencing: Here I'm peacefully walking down the street with my three well-behaved canines. They walk on leash just beautifully and nobody pulls. The dachsies go on my left side with Rodney leading the way and Bicalina right behind my foot, and on the other side you'll find Madame Tessa walking either by my side or a few feet out front at the most. Everything's honky-dory and as we come around the corner we all in a sudden find ourselves under attack from a severely distraught golden retriever with an impressive display of aggression. I always am under the impression that goldens are these all around sweet guys - at least the ones I know. (And I do know a few real nice ones !) I managed to quickly pull my threesome away from the battle scene, which was not exactly an easy task, given that Rodney immediately assumed the role of knight in shining armor, switching over to attack mode should anyone want to mess with HIS girls. Me included, I guess.
Here I'm thinking: Let's assume, an unsuspecting dog gets across this electric line and the frustrated yard dweller attacks from out of nowhere ? What, if that electrically frustrated dog gets a hold of the unsuspecting mailman ? Heaven forbid, some playful children run through that yard and become victims of that frustrated animal ?

I guess I am not the only one who feels this way. If I got your interest, please read on:

http://media.causes.com/ribbon/792146

http://www.ust.is/media/ljosmyndir/dyralif/Trainingdogswithshockcollar.pdf
(Not about electric fences, but shock color training in general)

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a783707194~db=all

http://www.hollysden.com/say-no-to-shock-collars.htm#Invisible_Fencing_Systems

http://www.positivedogs.com/articles/electronic_fencing.html

Those are only a few findings on the topic and to me they make perfect sense.
They're "just dogs"........... but when you ask their owners who put those electric devices around their necks, they will all tell you that they love them. Or do they ?

Doggy Psychology

2010-05-10T14:57:00.008-04:00

Yeah - the Budelheimers are right. Hu-woman spent the weekend (three days actually) at an Ian Dunbar dog seminar. (http://www.jamesandkenneth.com/store/show/EWD-001 )
One of Dr. Dunbar's suggestions to test your dogs' understanding of commands and human language was to lay on the floor with your arms crossed on your chest and give some simple commands to your dog. (i.e. "sit", "down", "stand"). The expression on the furgang's faces was priceless when I plopped down on the floor to test this newly aquired knowledge. Let's all face it: Who trains their dogs lying down ?
The result: Utter disbelief followed by "let's lick mom to death and jump up and down on her belly". My advice: Don't do this exercise after lunch ! ! !

Now let's get serious again. If you want some really helpful information and training tips from "Master Dunbar" himself, look up his website http://www.dogstardaily.com
It's the next best thing to taking "Rover" to doggy class. You will find lots and lots of helpful hints and information about dog training done right and how to train your dog to be a reliable canine.