Katie The Wonder Dog

I have been on vacation meeting my new little granddoggie. Her name is Katie and she is a Wonder Dog. She is the gentlest little spirit of a dog with extremely long legs (just like my daughter-her mommy). Samantha and Ben adopted Katie through AARF in Virginia. They operate a no kill dog shelter.

They met Katie at Petsmart where the AARF group sets up each Saturday showing the available dogs in the area. Katie had already been in two different homes who had returned her to AARF for very silly reasons if you ask me. Katie had been blessed enough to find herself being fostered by Rachel and Ben,  who are lovely people who also had adopted Katie’s brother three years ago.

Samantha and Ben completed the application and waited not so patiently an entire week before they were able to pick up this beautiful gentle baby. Isn’t she beautiful?

Rachel and Ben are keeping in touch with Samantha and Ben (funny how the husband’s have the same name- haha). On Friday of last week we meet up with Rachel and Katie’s brother, Manny. Isn’t he precious?

We all went to a local dog park in Virginia. We do not have these wonderful parks in WV. I am in love and want one here. My hounds would love it. They had a large fenced area where you can let your dogs off the leash and let them play. These are a few of the dogs that were there to play with Katie and Manny.

After their play time in the fenced area we took Katie and Manny on a walk on one of the paved trails. I am in love with this park. The trails were wonderful. Every so often they had a water pump with a dog bowl there to water your pets. We stopped at the pond area and let them take a quick swim. Boy these two sure can swim.

We actually went to the park twice while we were there and I hated leaving each day. Katie didn’t seem to give any of the squirrels any attention. We saw this one posing for us.

Friday night Samantha and Ben invited over two great guys from their church to play Apples to Apples. I am addicted to this game. It is so much fun. While we were playing Katie got cold and was shivering so Ben put a sweatshirt on her. She didn’t like it much so he took it off of her. She loved laying on the loveseat with a tweetie bird blanket over instead. Can we say Diva?

We love Katie and are looking forward to her coming to visit over the holidays. I am sure that the hounds will love her just as much as we do.

If you want to save a dog I highly recommend looking at them through AARF. This is a link to their website to see if they have a dog for you.  

http://www.aarf.org/

ETA: I corrected location of where AARF set up to display their dogs available for adoption.

 

Heritage Farm in Huntington WV

On Saturday my husband finally took a day off from work and spent the day with me. He has not had a day off since he was in the hospital last November. We planned our day the night before and woke at 7AM to hit the floor running.

First we went to the Milton Flea Market. They had burned to the ground last year and recently reopened. They are not as large as they were before but I have no doubt that within the next year they will be back to their full splendor. We have faith in you Milton Flea Market.

Next we went to Heritage Farms in Huntington, WV. This was our third attempt at going to the museum. The first two times we went to find their gates shut and a sign saying they were closed. I highly recommend calling ahead to see if they are open if you want to go.

Mike and I love going to historical places and learning about how things were done back in time. Our friendly guide Dan was very knowledgeable and the tour lasted about 90 minutes. While we enjoyed our visit I don’t see us going back again. This place just can not compare to the Farm Museum that is in Point Pleasant, WV. If you want to see something amazing go there instead.

At Heritage Farms you are not allowed to take pictures inside the buildings. For $8 per adult you are walked around the outside of the buildings and you are allowed to enter three of them. The guide tells you things along the way. I did learn things and saw pieces of equipment that I had never seen before but was very disappointed that I could not take pictures. I believe that $8 per adult was too much to ask as well.

When we went to the Farm Museum in Point Pleasant, WV we were not charged and were allowed to enter every building and take as many pictures as we wanted. They even have a restaurant there where you can enjoy good country food. Did I mention that we loved the one in Point Pleasant? haha

I am not saying that Heritage Farms in Huntington is a bad place to go. Mike and I discussed that it probably would be enjoyable if we went during their special events where they have all of their buildings operational and have their children’s petting zoo available. None of these things were available for us on Saturday.

Here are a few pictures that I was able to take outside.

I don’t want you to think that Heritage Farm isn’t nice. We did have a pleasant visit there and do not regret going. If you are planning a trip call them first to make sure all of the areas are open before going. I think if the other areas had been open that we would have had just as nice a time as the Farm Museum in Point Pleasant.  Well, maybe.

Richmond Metro Zoo in Virginia

While I was at my daughter’s home in Virginia we all went to the Richmond Metro Zoo one day. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed seeing all of the animals. One thing happened that I doubt I will ever forget.

We went to the area where the primates are kept. They have multiple varieties of monkeys and they were amazing. We really enjoyed watching them swing on their bars and wood beams. In one particular area the monkey were inside a metal cage that was very large. There was about two feet between a wood fence holding back the spectators and the beginning of the cage.

Just inside the cage in front of us was a dead small monkey. The large monkey saw us pointing at the dead monkey and discussing it. He swooped down from his branch and grabbed the dead monkey and shoved it behind him. Then he glared his teeth at us to show us this was his.

We tried to locate an employee to tell them that there was a dead monkey but we couldn’t find anyone. Later we saw someone going to that cage so we know that it was taken care of.

Next we went to the giraffe area. You could feed the giraffe and they l0ved to eat right out of your hand. These are pictures of Samantha feeding them.

I fell in love with the prairie dogs. They had a large area to play in and there were a lot of them running all around. The little ones managed to get outside of the fence but they didn’t go far from their parents.

I loved the camels. The camels were kept in a fenced in area that was within a fenced in area. You don’t want to get too close to camels because they will spit on you. They had a long ten foot PVC pipe that led to a wood box on the ground. You could drop food through the pipe to the camels for them to eat. This one particular lazy camel just sat there waiting for people to drop him food. Isn’t he cute?

The lemars were adorable. The babies could fit through the cage and we could get pictures of them hanging from the cage. They would never leave their mommies though and she was always close by.

We had a great time despite the heat that day. We had planned to go to the botanical gardens but after leaving here we decided to do something indoors for the rest of the day. This is a wonderful place to visit and especially great for children. I recommend this as a must see when traveling through Virginia.

Girl Day

One day while I was in Virginia my daughter and I had a girl day. Her friend Shawn came with us. The three of us girls had a relaxing day doing what girls do. First we had pedicures. This was my first professional pedicure. I really enjoyed it but the cheap girl in me doesn’t see me necessarily doing this again unless I am visiting my daughter.

The woman who was doing my daughter’s pedicure was sooooooooo rude to her. She was trying to get Samantha to get more services such as paraffin wax for her feet and an eyebrow waxing. But she insulted her in the process. I think when we go back next time we should do another girl day but go to a different spa to do the pedicures.

Next we went to other stores in the mall and I had an eye opening experience. I am finally small enough to buy bras at Victoria Secret. I have always bought my bras at Kohls and always bought Playtex. I will never buy any other bra but Victoria Secret bras again.

I had my professional sizing and they gave me a tray of different styles of bras to try on. After about 12 bras I had picked out two styles of bras that I really liked. Luckily for me they were on sale. I bought three bras for a total of $72. These bras offer so much support but are comfortable at the same time. It makes a huge difference in my appearance while wearing my new clothing.

No I am not showing you pictures. Geesh. I promised you in the sock post that I would not be showing you pictures of my new bras. I know some of you were worried. haha

After shopping the three of us ladies went to Red Lobster for lunch. It was wonderful. I had the broiled seafood platter. This includes Shrimp Scampi, Grilled Scallops in garlic butter and flounder stuffed with crab. It also comes with Asparagus and a side salad. My meter testing 2 hours after this was only 87.

After lunch Shawn left us to get ready for a trip she was heading off on. I really liked meeting her and hope to see her again when I visit Samantha. Her husband is also a youth pastor like Samantha’s.

Samantha and I went to get her hair cut. It turned out very pretty. She got a cute little bob cut. You will see pics of it when I post about the Richmond Metro Zoo. She is feeding the giraffes.

We returned to her home to make the Portabella Mushroom Lasagna from this blog. She and Ben really enjoyed it. I was a bit worried since it doesn’t contain pasta but they had no trouble eating this.

ETA: I typed this post yesterday and saved it to post today. Then yesterday afternoon my daughter posted the same thing on her blog. She beat me to it. Here is her blog post.

http://foreverandever-amen.blogspot.com/2009/05/mom.html

The Determined Kitty

As most of you know I have just returned from a visit with my daughter in Virginia at her home. Since my last visit she has gotten a new cat. His name is Sambucca (Bucca for short) and he is wonderful. I believe that the cat has an identity crisis because his behaviors are more like a dog than a cat.

Let me first say that Bucca is a very handsome kitty and quite large. He does not jump or leap or even hop over items. He walks around them. He seems to understand his limitations. What he doesn’t understand is why people aren’t petting him at all times. Meet Bucca. Isn’t he beautiful?

Bucca follows you around everywhere you go and if he knows that you are awake he will scratch on your bedroom door until you let him in. On my first night there he came into my room and got onto the bed. He went above my head and laid down. After a couple of minutes I felt a big thwack on the top of my head. He was letting me know that I should be petting him.

If you are in the kitchen cooking he is even more your buddy. He is there for you in case you drop something. When I cook breakfast he kept licking my feet and ankles to remind me that he was there needing attention, food or just hoping that I would be distracted and drop something. When I didn’t stop to play with him I immediately felt his paws on my behind. This cat is so large that when he stands on his hind legs he can reach my waist.

Do you recall the new cat bed that I got for my cat? Well I thought that Chessie would eventually begin to use it and all except for that one time she refused to get into it. I took it with me to Virginia and Samantha’s other cat, Kahlua loves it. She slept in it daily and was so happy to have it. Isn’t she very photogenic?

Kahlua isn’t very cuddly but she loves my daughter and makes her happy so I love her too. She has Bucca wrapped around her little paw too. Bucca constantly grooms her and loves on her. Kahlua is very vocal but seems to have calmed down greatly now that she has Bucca in her life. I did notice that she didn’t cry as often as she had in the past. Bucca is a positive addition to the family.

Mexican Police!!!

On Friday as I have mentioned we rented a jeep and drove all over Cozumel. We had noticed earlier in the week that none of the Taxi drivers stopped for red lights. As we entered the downtown area to return the Jeep we got to a red light. We stopped but the traffic on the other side did not. They had a red light as well. The cars behind us began beeping angrily at us and even the police car behind us was beeping. We went ahead and pulled ahead and immediately the Mexican police turned on their lights and we were surrounded by 6 different officers. They were very friendly but it was obvious that they had beeped for us to go but were pulling us over instead.

They asked us where we were from and when we were leaving. We told them that we were from West Virginia and were leaving the next morning. We asked why the other cars had not stopped (all were Mexican drivers) for the red light and were not stopped and the police told us not to worry about the other drivers. They took my husband’s drivers license and told us that we would have to go to the police station to pay a fine. They said that they would hold his drivers license until we paid the fine.

We were stopped by them directly in front of the place where we needed to return the jeep. They allowed us to return the jeep and then walk the two blocks to the police station. They led us down a hallway and we had to pay $20 before Mike’s drivers license could be return.

When we left there we took a taxi further into the downtown area for dinner. After dinner we walked along the street and watched the Mexican police. When an American parked along the street they were given tickets. When a Mexican parked along the street they were asked to move their vehicle.  When we took the taxi back to the hotel that night our driver never once stopped for a red light. I think what makes me bitter was the police beeping at us to follow through with the others and then when we did we were pulled over and ticketed.

Despite this my husband and I laughed our heads off the entire day. Even while in the police station. We had to laugh at the absurdity of it all.  We had a wonderful time on our vacation and this only gives us stories to tell our grandchildren once they are old enough to understand.  Mike can’t wait to go back to Mexico but we will not be staying in Cozumel again.  The island is perfect if you love to Scuba Dive but if you want to go to many of the landmarks and see the Mayan Ruins you really need to be on the mainland in the Riviera Maya area.

While shopping I found something that I could not live without. As soon as I saw it I knew that I would have to buy it. Had the woman owning the shop realized it she could have easily asked much much more and I would have willingly paid it. The statue below stands about two feet high and is currently on the top of my desk. I can’t get enough of looking at it.

This was the only one of the kind that we saw in any of the more than 100 shops that we went into They all had this form of statue but none with Joseph and Mary taking Jesus down from the cross together. I found a similar one for my mom and sister. Luckily the shop owner had two of them.

Mike kept seeing these statues in the forms of dogs and it was hysterical watching him trying to explain to the shop owners that he was looking for a Basset Hound. Finally a man taught us out to say Basset Hound in Spanish. We began going from shop to shop asking for a Sancheecha (I know this is misspelled).  On our last day there Mike found what he was looking for.

This draws our trip to Cozumel to a close. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with me so far on this story of our adventures.  I still have more pictures but I am sure most of you have heard enough and to be honest so much has happened since we returned home that I need to get busy adding Caleb’s Halloween pictures to the blog. He made such a cute a little rooster.

Friday in Cozumel

I am sorry that I have been away from the blog for a week. Last Saturday my husband got a piece of baked chicken caught in his throat and he has been in the hospital all week. He is doing much better but he had to have two surgeries this week and will need more over the next couple of months. For now he is on pureed food but that is another topic for another blog entry. For now I want to finish with the Cozumel adventure so that I can move on to other things.

On Friday we rented a jeep and drove off on our own to explore the island. We really wish that we had done this sooner. First we headed south and found ourselves in Paradise Beach. We had been told all week that this was the prettiest area of the island. It did not disappoint us. I was surprised once I got there exactly how small it was and how busy. Here are a couple of beach pictures from this area.

We continued around the island and there are mile after mile of beach area that are completely deserted. It was breathtaking. The water really beat hard and many of the beach areas were rocky but I could just imagine my son fishing there. Often out in the middle of no where you would see a small hut set up and people would be selling their wares.

We kept going south until we came to a lighthouse. The price of admission was $3 per person. We had to sign a waiver before climbing the 134 stairs to the top. Once you get to the top the scene was breathtaking. This area is so magnificent. Definitely worth the price of admission. During the summer they have many more attractions there and the price is $10 per person.

About 500 yards from the lighthouse are several other sights to see. You can see Mayan ruin replicas, a crocodile area and there are many reptiles in the area to get great pictures of.

Upon leaving this area we drove back to the downtown area of Cozumel. This is when “IT” happened. Our next adventure of the day included an escort by the Cozumel police to their local police station. I will tell about this on my next blog entry.

Cozumel Museum

One particular day while we were on vacation in Cozumel the rain would not subside so we looked towards indoor things to do. We found the Cozumel Museum to entertain us for about 90 minutes. It is conveniently located 2 blocks down from the ferry that can take you to Play Del Carmen. Admission is $3 per person.

One thing that I noticed in Mexico is that they have a firm grasp on ways to conserve energy. While inside the museum they had men standing guard at each room. When it was empty they would turn off the light to that particular room and close the door. The museum is well maintained and very clean. We enjoyed our time there. All of the signs detailing the items displayed are written in English and in Spanish.

There is one room that has many statues that are of Mayan descent. I found these to be very beautiful. They reminded me of the statues that I had photographed in Chankanaab earlier in the week.

They had a large number of beautiful cookware and pottery on display. I can see where we got many of our decorative pottery from.

In their military section they had many artifacts such as weapons and military protective wear. The swords were beautiful and there was even a small replica of a cannon. This is a soldiers helmet.

When you go upstairs you will see a room of beautiful jewelry and another room of local artists work. The paintings are absolutely breathtaking. The entire museum is worth the price of just getting to see the artwork. Below are two pictures that you have the privilege of seeing.

When you get ready to leave be sure to stop in the alleyway towards the back through the rear of the museum. They have a little Mayan hut set up that you can enter. There is a wonderful Mayan couple inside and for tips they will tell you about their Mayan culture. They speak English very well and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his stories. This pic is of a bee hive. Had the gentleman not explained how the bees used this I would never have guessed its use. 

Once you enter the hut the gentleman will show you the many kitchen tools and how the Mayan women used them to prepare their meals. They have antique stones that were used to grind the corn meal to make the food and have many dried items that were used for medicinal purposes. This was very educational.

The museum also includes an aquatic area and an area of native animals that have been taxidermied for exhibit. There are many examples of coral to enjoy as well. Upon leaving you will find a small gift shop that has items that can be found throughout the small shops of Cozumel. All proceeds go towards keeping the museum open. This was a very educational experience and we enjoyed it even if it was very small. If you go there with the idea that it can compare to the huge museums of the United States you will be disappointed. This museum has a lot to offer but you must remember that this country has always been very poor. I can see the potential that it has to offer and would love to see it grow to be a stronger country.

Xel-Ha in Mexico

The same day that we went to Tulum we went to Xel-Ha in the afternoon. This is a water park just a bit north of Tulum. Xel-Ha is considered an all inclusive park but snorkeling, swimming with the dolphins and snubaing cost extra. They have four restaurants that are included in the price of admission. The food was excellent and very low carb friendly.

Upon entering the park we immediately saw several Macaws just making themselves comfortable in a garden area. They even posed for pictures for me. There was a toucan as well but he never stood still long enough to get a clear picture.

In another area you could get your picture taken with the Macaws for a price of $12 a picture. These are the birds that would sit on your shoulder.

 

We had both planned on snubaing at the park but I did not feel well on this day so only Mike went. Snubaing is a helmet like thing that goes on your head that has air pumped into it from a long hose above ground. It allows for your head to be completely under the water but within an air bubble. He was able to pet stingrays and to see many underwater life while he was 25 feet under the water. He told me later that before going under they asked him if he was a Diabetic. Appears that they would not have allowed me to go under anyway even if I wanted to go. While he did this I shopped.

The park has several gift shops to enjoy. They had unique and colorful items to purchase. We did purchase some beach shoes in order to get around the park more comfortably.

After Mike finished his adventure in snubaing we went for a lazy float in an inter tube in the water. For something that looked so easy I sure did feel it in my stomach muscles. Mike said that he could feel it in his arms the next day from all of the paddling that he did.

After our little time in the water we walked down to the area where a small lighthouse is. The beach area was beautiful and we were able to get many wonderful pictures.

We arrived back to the main park area just as a huge rainstorm approached. We quickly went into one of the restaurants and enjoyed a very nice dinner. Mike was very pleased with his stuffed chicken and I loved my grilled fish. The strangest thing about rain is Mexico is that it can be pouring on one side of the street and not even a sprinkle on the other. The rain can last five minutes and then twenty minutes later can be beautiful and sunny again.

We left there and returned to Playa Del Carmen to return by ferry to Cozumel. We truly enjoyed our day and met a lovely couple on the tour bus. Our tour guides name was Freddy and we will never forget his tales of his brother that he has living in Texas. He is his brother by a different mother. lol I guess you just kind of had to be there. lol

Tulum in Mexico

On Tuesday we took a ferry ride from Cozumel to the mainland of Mexico. One reason that Mike and I both agree that we will not vacation again in Cozumel is because that while it is beautiful it is cut off from the main attractions of Mexico. The ferry ride takes a half an hour and costs $56 round trip for two people. The only time that we took the ferry over it was raining heavily and many people had seasickness. I have to admit that I felt horrible about half way across. That feeling did not leave for the rest of the day.

Once we arrived to the mainland of Mexico we found a little restaurant and had breakfast. Then we met up with a tour group and jumped on a van for a 50 minute ride to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum. The ruins were built in 1200 AD and are amazingly modern in their design. I am married to a contractor and got to hear all about this while there. The village of Tulum is accessible by walking a ten minute path to the entrance. Wear insect repellent. While on the path we happened across this fellow sunning himself about a foot from the path. He could have cared less that we were there. He would have taken both hands to have picked him up. We didn’t try of course.

Once you get to the entrance you take a small path to the left and it circles around the side of the cliff. When you get to the top you can see the beach beside you. I hope that you can tell from this picture exactly how high you are from the water.

While we were there wind was blowing heavily and we were about to get a torrential downpour at any minute. We still followed our friendly bilingual guide around the enormous area. This village could take about an hour to walk around completely.

The main building in the center of the village was massive. This building was even bigger than our state Capitol here in West Virginia. The stairs on the front of the building seem to go on forever.

Mike really enjoyed this place. He seems to have a new obsession with Mayan Ruins. He is wanting to go back to Mexico soon to go to the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins. We have been told that they are ten times as big as Tulum and it takes 11 hours to totally view all of the village.

The ruins are well maintained and I wish that we had more time to explore them and to take more photographs than we did. The rain did not hold off for long and before the tour was actually over we all had to run for cover. If you get the opportunity to visit the Mayan Ruins please take it. You won’t regret it.

There is a gift shop and restaurant about ten minutes from the ruins where you can purchase memorabilia. Be forewarned that the restrooms will quickly remind you that you are in a very poor country. There are no toilet seats, you can not flush toilet paper and you have to get your toilet paper as you enter the bathroom and take it to the stall with you.  Make sure to judge how much you will be needing prior to entering the stall. There was a very well dressed woman who worked the restroom. Her job was to take the plunger to the toilets to flush them. She has a box for people to leave her tips on the counter. If you go please be sure to tip her generously.