Shannon and Wes

I got out to enjoy a beautiful day after a week of heavy rain at...

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Cody and Luke enjoying the water

Cody and Ellie exploring

Happy dogs

Cody can't get enough of the water

A little waterfall

The dogs in front of the waterfall

Picture with the dogs

Ellie in the laundry basket

I got out to enjoy a beautiful day after a week of heavy rain at the Cascades. It wasn’t too crowded, so the dogs could do the hike off-leash, which they fully enjoyed. Cody would run ahead and we’d catch up to him when he found the next access to water (although it was freezing, so I don’t know how he liked going in it so much!) and Ellie would stand and watch Cody thinking he was crazy. After all the rain, the water level was very high and so there were extra water falls and streams of water over the path that aren’t usually there. When we got to the big waterfall at the end, it was much more powerful than normal and the rocks that you can normally stand on were under water (to compare, look at our Cascades pictures from last September). When we got home, the dogs got a bath to get the mud out and then they slept for the rest of the day. Later, we found Ellie curled up in a basket of clean towels, completely passed out!

I thought I’d upload a few new pictures of the pets.

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Ellie at the dog park

Cody catching the frisbee

Haddie, Kathy and Joe's new cat

Ellie and Oliver snoozing together

Ellie "helping" Cody with the Frisbee

Catch!

Frisbee's his favorite game

I thought I’d upload a few new pictures of the pets.

We went on a cruise on board the Allure of the Seas in January...

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

In front of the Boat

Mayan Ruins- "Palace"

Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya

Sunset by the Boat in Costa Maya

Scuba Diving in Cozumel

Formal Night on the Ship

Shannon on the Flow Rider

Wes on the Flow Rider

Wes on the Zip Line on Board

Shannon Climbing the Rock Wall on Board

We went on a cruise on board the Allure of the Seas in January with Gary and Pat. We had a great time! We went to three ports- Labadee, Haiti; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Cozumel, Mexico. We also had four days at sea to enjoy all that the boat had to offer- a zip line, a flow rider, a rock wall, a boardwalk, and many shows- including a water show, stand up comedy, and musicals. In Labadee, we had a beach day with beautiful weather. In Costa Maya we explored Mayan Ruins on a guided tour- it’s amazing what people were able to do without any modern equipment! In Cozumel we went scuba diving in beautiful, clear water. It was a great way to escape the cold winter and relax before Shannon began her last semester in the classroom.

We got our first snowfall of the year this weekend. We were...

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Ellie in her new coat

Running in the snow

Cody loves snow

3-way tug of war with a stick

Running around

We got our first snowfall of the year this weekend. We were pet-sitting Luke (he’s the one in the blue coat) and all 3 dogs had a lot of fun running around. Ellie’s coat came in time to try it out- she definitely wanted to stay out and play longer when we put it on her.

We took a weekend trip to Philadelphia since Wes hadn’t...

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

View from City Hall

View from City Hall

At the Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

We took a weekend trip to Philadelphia since Wes hadn’t been in a long time and Shannon hadn’t ever gone. On Friday, we toured City Hall, which was very cool to see. We got to go up into the tower, right below a giant statue of William Penn, to get a great view of the city. We also toured the exhibit for the Liberty Bell. On Saturday, we saw more of the historic sites related to the founding of our country, including Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was drafted. We also took a Benjamin Franklin walking tour, which was very neat. On Saturday night, we took a ghost tour of the city. Our tour guide was great- the stories she shared were very historical and had a few ghost elements, but it was much more interesting than we expected. We ate at some great restaurants and had a relaxing long weekend overall.

Our third annual trip to the dog swim to benefit the humane...

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Cody and Ellie

Ellie liking the water

Cody waiting for the ball to be thrown

Ellie swimming

Ellie on Cody's back

Cody's happy with his big-brother role

She thought this was the best

Ellie liked the slide

Cody jumping in the water after a ball

Cody jumping in the water after a ball

Our third annual trip to the dog swim to benefit the humane society was a success. They have this swim on the last weekend of the year that the Frog Pond Pool is open and it’s fun for all. We weren’t sure how Ellie would do after her dislike of swimming when we went camping and her refusal to get near the edge of the water when we went hiking last weekend. To our surprise, she liked the pool! She got right in and started swimming around. After about a half hour of swimming around and following Cody as he fetched the ball, she figured out that it would be easier to hitch a ride on his back. She climbed on his back when he was swimming and while he was standing still (she got cold so this was her way to be a little out of the water). Cody really didn’t mind, although when she tried to climb on other dogs they took offense. After a while, we went over to an island where the dogs could climb up the stairs and then jump off the side to swim after the ball. Ellie mostly sat this activity out, but Cody enjoyed jumping off the side (along with his friend Luke). All in all the day was a success, the dogs were exhausted, and Ellie put a life vest on her Christmas list.

Today we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took the...

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:53:07 -0400

Family Picture

Cody and Ellie

Cody laying in the water

The Falls

Cody swimming

On the trail

The Falls

Today we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took the dogs hiking to the Cascades. The hike is about 4 miles round trip. The dogs did very well- this was Cody’s second trip and Ellie’s first. We took the hard trail getting to the falls and the easier trail getting back. Cody, of course, headed directly towards the water every time he had the opportunity. Ellie was content to stay dry (she was very cautious around the water after we pushed her into the lake when we went camping). Cody went swimming when we got to the falls, but the rest of us decided it was far too cold to do more than stick our feet in the water.

After the hike, we all went to Ben and Jerry’s for ice cream. The dogs enjoyed some ice cream as well and are now napping for the rest of the day.

Joe and Kathy came for a visit this weekend. We took a trip...

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Group Picture

Cody in his tube

Kathy and Cody

Joe

Shannon

Cody being lazy

Wes and Cody

Sleepy pup

Joe and Kathy came for a visit this weekend. We took a trip tubing on the New River so that Cody could come along this time. Everybody had a great time. Cody stayed in his tube for the most part, but occasionally got out to sit in Joe’s lap. Wes, Shannon, and Kathy did the rapids at the end of the lazy river while Joe and Cody got out. Ellie stayed home for this trip since she didn’t enjoy the lake when we went camping.

We decided to take a camping trip and ended up at Morris Hill...

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Cody in his new life vest

Ellie's first swim

Ellie hanging out by the shore

Ellie's unsure about swimming

Happy dogs

Luke's belly flop method

Ellie's happy hanging out on the log

Family picture

Tired dogs after swimming and hiking

Camp fire

We decided to take a camping trip and ended up at Morris Hill Campground in Covington, VA. It’s located on Lake Moomaw, and was the only lake we could find that let both dogs and people swim together. We went up for one night for our first attempt at camping. Although the drive up there was quite winding and caused much doggie car-sickness, it was worth the trip.

We went swimming in the lake both days. Ellie wasn’t so sure about it, but Cody loved swimming, as usual. He enjoyed his new life vest- definitely increased his stamina. After going in a couple times, Ellie decided that perching on the log would be a better plan.

Our friend, Julianna, came too, along with her dog Luke. This was the second time Luke’s gone swimming but the first time he enjoyed it. We could hardly keep him out! He figured out that the easiest way for him to get in the water was for him to leap in and belly flop! Very funny to watch.

We enjoyed steaks and then s’mores cooked over the camp fire. The weekend was overall quite relaxing. We look forward to camping again, although we probably won’t be visiting this campground again due to the mile hike down to the lake (and worse, the mile hike back uphill). We’ll definitely be trying out another campground on Lake Moomaw, though.

Ellie, a dog we have been fostering for a few months, is going...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Ellie and Cody snuggling

Ellie after running around in the yard

Ellie at Luke's birthday party

Shannon and Ellie at Luke's birthday

Ellie hanging out with Luke

Ellie, a dog we have been fostering for a few months, is going to be a permanent member of our family now. She has won us over and we decided we’d be too sad to see her go- she fits in with our lifestyle, being friendly, mellow, and playful. We decided to make her birthday the day we took her in and saved her from euthanasia that was scheduled for 16 hours later, April 26. We’ll assume she turned 1 on the day we got her.

For the fourth of July we went to the Snyder’s for the...

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Tubing on the James

Picnic lunch at Ash Lawn-Highland

Joe getting his face painted

Grounds of Ash Lawn-Highland

Grounds of Ash Lawn-Highland

Grounds of Ash Lawn-Highland

Shannon shooting

Wes trying a rifle

Kathy tries the rifle

Joe shooting

For the fourth of July we went to the Snyder’s for the long weekend. On the third, we went tubing on the James River- a fun if not long trip. On the fourth, we went to Ash Lawn-Highland, home of James Madison. They had colonial games that we watched while having a picnic lunch, then we went on a tour of the house. That evening, we went to the house of Joe’s co-worker for a cook-out and an amazing fireworks show- the guy has a tradition of putting on an hour-long show! On the fifth, we went to the gun club because Wes had been wanting to try out shooting. He was a natural (Shannon not so much). Although Wes ended the day by taking a scope to the eyebrow from the rifle’s recoil, he still had a good time and wants to try it again.

Wedding Pictures

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Wedding Pictures:

Our photographers have put up all of the pictures from our wedding. We love how they came out!

We went on a scuba trip, but that wasn’t so much the...

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

We went on a scuba trip, but that wasn’t so much the highlight of the vacation. The waters were choppy and the boat was small (seasickness) and after all the storms, there was very little visibility. We both decided to skip the second dive and hang out (Wes on the boat, Shannon in the water because the boat was rocking so much).

We enjoyed our last dinner in the resort (and will miss the Bailey’s cheesecake for dessert). We had wonderful wait staff at this hotel as well—one waiter/bartender in particular went out of his way to make us feel welcome and got a real kick out of calling Shannon “Mrs. Baker” every time he saw us.

We went on a zipline canopy tour through the rainforest. There...

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

We went on a zipline canopy tour through the rainforest. There were 12 cables strung through the forest, the longest one being about 1/4 mile long. It was a very cool experience. The only time there was any fear of heights was when we were on a platform high up on a tree. When going on the zipline, we were up above tree tops, so it didn’t feel quite so high. At the end, we rappeled down from the last platform after walking across a rope bridge.

When we were in the pool around noon, a family of monkeys...

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Reaching for fruit

Sloth

When we were in the pool around noon, a family of monkeys suddenly came over to the trees right next to the pool. They came from over the roof to eat fruit from the trees. There were probably a dozen of them hopping around, and there seemed to be monkeys of all different ages. They really weren’t scared of people, but they didn’t try to get food from anyone either- a testament to the success of the “top ten reasons not to feed the monkeys” handout they give you when you check in.

There was also a sloth hanging around in the trees, which the monkeys briefly decided to bother.

This was a beach day spent relaxing at the resort. We went down...

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

View from the Balcony

View from the Balcony

Hot Tub on our Balcony

First time in the Pacific!

Jesus Christ Lizard

This was a beach day spent relaxing at the resort. We went down to the beach (visible from our room). The ocean was a little rough after all the storms, but it was warm, so we played in the water, riding the waves. Then we went up to the pool for some lunch and to rinse the salt water off. On the deck of the pool, we saw a few of the Jesus Christ lizards- they can walk on water!

We traveled from our first hotel near La Fortuna to our second...

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

We traveled from our first hotel near La Fortuna to our second one in Manuel Antonio, on the Pacific Coast. As we were checking out of our first hotel, they asked us where we were going, and when we told them, they made a comment about some bad weather and wished us the best of luck.

When we arrived in Manuel Antonio, we couldn’t drive to the hotel because roads were blocked by down trees, power lines, and work crews. Turns out, there was a hurricane and an earthquake a couple of days before. We ended up walking down to the resort and our bags caught up with us later when the roads were cleared of trucks. The resort was running on generator power the whole time we were there. The resort is on a steep hill overlooking the ocean, so they took us by golf cart from the reception area to our suite. It rained most of the afternoon, which was a little depressing, but after that we didn’t see any more rain during our stay in Costa Rica.

In the morning, we enjoyed sitting by the pool and looking out...

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In the morning, we enjoyed sitting by the pool and looking out at Volcano Arenal since it was a clear morning. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the volcano was erupting. We could see puffs of gray smoke coming out from the top.

We went white water rafting on class 2 and 3 rapids. It was so...

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

We went white water rafting on class 2 and 3 rapids. It was so much fun! We had a great guide on our boat that made the trip very enjoyable. About halfway down the river, we stopped for a much-needed snack. The guides took one of the 4 boats from our group and turned it upside down on the beach and used it as a cutting board to cut up about 4 pineapples, 4 watermelons, and a bunch of mangoes. It was some of the juiciest fruit we’ve ever eaten- juice was dripping down our faces and arms! Then it started pouring rain, so it washed it all away. We even learned that you can skip watermelon rind across the water like a stone.

At the end of the trip, we went to the home of the owner of the company for a late lunch- beef stew, chicken stew, beans and rice, and fresh papaya juice. The people were always so welcoming and friendly wherever we went!

In the afternoon, we went on a hike. Since we went during the...

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Shannon swinging from a hanging vine

Toucan

In the afternoon, we went on a hike. Since we went during the rainy season (which we didn’t know before we went), it rained most afternoons. So our hike through the rainforest was in the rain. We didn’t see as much wildlife as a result, but we managed to see a toucan and a poisonous snake (we didn’t get a good picture of the snake because it was too dark and we couldn’t use flash because he’d strike). We also heard some howler monkeys.

After the hike, we went to Tabacon Hot Springs and Resort to go in the hot springs and then have dinner. We arrived around sunset, so it was a little surreal walking around the grounds (they were somewhat lit, but pretty dark still). There were about 8 different pools fed by the hot springs, each a different temperature. There was lightening in the distance, but no one seemed to try to observe the rule of staying out of the water during a lightening storm, so we stayed in for a while but then got out and got ready for a buffet dinner.