A Doggie Halloween party

Today was the 9th Annual Park Avenue Halloween Pet Costume Contest and parade. This event is sponsored by Bullfish http://www.bullfishparkavenue.com/ and is held in downtown Winter Park. Vendors set up tents and hawk their wares and the shops in this tony neighborhood actually have treats so your dog can trick or treat. I tell ya. It's a billion dollar a year industry. Some how I have to figure how to harness that and make a career change myself.

We got there a little late for the Big dog Costume contest, but we were able to see a little bit of the event, take some pictures and trick or treat with the dogs. It didn't matter, Beau and Finn did not dress up this year.

Winter Park is unique in that it allows, and welcomes, dogs into nearly every store on the avenue. Dogs are allowed to dine outside with their owners and most shops have water and treats out on a daily basis.

Enjoy the pictures

My Aunt Sara

She is the one seated 2nd from the left.

My Aunt Sara passed away October 5, 2008. She died of an apparent huge blood vessel bleed and they tell me it was painless - she just went to sleep. I am thankful for that.

My Aunt Sara was my first mom... She was there to help my grandmother raise me for the 1st 4 years of my life and many summers after that I spent in her presence.

Here are my top 10 memories of my Aunt Sara

10. Her answering the phone with "yep?"

9. As a child, she took me on walks around her block - she lived on a dirt road, by the St. Joseph River, and I learned all about the plants and animals hanging around.

8. Monarch hunting. We always gathered the caterpillars, fed them milkweed and kept them as they built their chrysalis and turned into the Monarch butterfly. same with tomato worms, but less spectacular.

7. Snake and turtle hunting.

6. One summer when we lived at the lake, I saw Colonel Sanders in the park next door. I was convinced it was him. Aunt Sara and Grandma told me no way. A few days later I got a note in the mail from "Colonel Sanders" saying how he had been in the park and he saw me and wanted to thank me for liking his chicken so well. I am convinced my aunt wrote that note to me.

5. She told my husband she would kill him if he ever hurt me.

4. Her damn mean cat Mitzi. She loved that cat and that cat loved her.

3. She put me on the kitchen table and had me sing "Born Free" over and over... I was 3.

2. She introduced me to the fear of spiders.

1. That she felt the same pain over the death of my father that I felt. And we will never be able to share that now.

I wasn't able to get home for her funeral. I had out of town guests coming in and the airplane tickets were outrageous. I will miss her even though in my adult years I did not see her as often as I should have. I am at peace because I know she is at peace and finally where she has wanted to be for the past 30 years - up there with my father.

Rest in peace, Aunt Sara.

Sunshine State Rhodesian Ridgeback Fun Day

The new club I belong to had their fun day October 11, 2008. Great location, great food, great games and great prizes. It was a sunny day and thankfully we had a breeze. Lure coursing practice started soon after we arrived and Finn proved that once he is old enough, he is going to be a coursing fool.

The first time the plastic bunny whizzed by, he nearly pulled me off my feet. He barked. He whined. He lunged. I had to let him run the up and down 5 times that day just to make him happy!!! Who knew. Beau wanted nothing to do with the coursing practice, so we tried it once and that was enough. He turned and looked at me like I was joking.

Then there was the Musical Sit Game. I did not participate but I took some pictures. It's similar to musical chairs, except your dog has to sit once the music stops. There was a 12 week old puppy in the competition that did exceptionally well. In the end, the top 3 winners won a great prize for their hound.

And then there was the water. Finn had never gone in water before. You would never have kn own it. He was a beast. He loved it. He ran thru the water, chased other dogs and just had a grand time.

I think the pictures tell it all. It may seem like it was all Finn today because it was. Beau stayed close to me and did not wan to swim or course.