Wordless Wednesday

Freddy's Beach Adventure!

Hi there! I know it's been a while, but we are very much still here. I am working on a little recap of sorts that I will post at a later time, but for now I wanted to share a little trip Fred and I took last Wednesday.

I woke up on Wednesday, and saw that the temperature was going to creep up into the 90's, I also saw that at the beach the temps were going to be in the high 70's to low 80's perfect! I looked at Fred and said "We're going to the beach!" Of course he was all for it. So I gathered a few things, not knowing if we would stay the night or not, I packed accordingly, dog food, change of clothes, not much really. Normally, I'm not much of a spontaneous person, usually a trip to the beach entails lots of planning, and list writing to make sure I don't forget anything, so this was quite a departure for me. So off we went. The beach is about 100 miles away, and it's a pretty easy drive up over the coast range and back down to sea level. It takes about 2 hours, not bad really. Fred could not settle down while we were driving, usually as soon as I hit the highway, he settles down and sleeps, but this trip he was very interested in the drive. I think he looked out the window almost the whole time, he wasn't nervous or obnoxious, I think he knew this trip would be something special. It was a fun drive!
We got to our destination which was Rockaway, Oregon, I had made the decision to stay, so the first thing we needed to do was find a place. Apparently, I wasn't the only one that decided the beach was the place to be and we got really lucky and found a cheap little room. It was only a block, actually less than a block from the sandy beach, but no view. That was perfect, I didn't plan to spend too much time there anyway. This was my view out of the window...

 

Not much to look at, but at least I could keep an eye on my car...

They were in the process of re-siding that building, it was very noisy, but I didn't care, the price was right, and I knew they would quit before bedtime and they did.  I quickly dropped my belongings into the room, and we took off for the beach. (Finally!) As soon as we stepped onto the sandy beach, I took Fred off the leash and ZOOM! Off he went.

 

"Oh boy!"

As soon as I took the leash off, I grabbed my camera, and he was almost out of view. I didn't take my regular camera, these are all taken from my phone, and to tell you the truth, I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

And back...

 Gone again...

 

And back...I am pretty sure that's a smile.

 Yep! it is

 

 "See ya!"

Running, running, running! Weee Hooo!

"Look Mom! I can fly!"

Catching his breath...Admiring the view

 More running/flying... 

Nothing but air! So fun!

This went on for quite some time, he just ran and ran and ran. It always amazes me how fast he is. His feet barely touch the ground. He was very good though, he would take off at warp speed, stop turn around, look for me, and usually run back to me or run in the direction I was walking. Always aware of where I was. Good boy! He would also run up to everyone he saw, say a quick hello, and off he'd go, small children were especially vulnerable, he sought them out, I think... He would go up to them, and as soon as they would reach to pet him, he would take off, hoping with all hope that they would chase him, a few did and that was really great in Fred's world. No one could catch him of course, but it was very fun! He was a big hit. 

I took a quick video, this was after he'd already been running for a long time and he was running out of gas. His attention was also very much on the children making sand castles, and I cut it off a little abruptly. I was worried he might destroy the fort that they had been diligently working on. Luckily he didn't, just another quick hello, and he ran right back to me. As you can obviously tell in the video, it was a little breezy too (sorry about that), but it really was a great day to be at the beach.

 

The shadows were getting pretty long, it was getting close to sunset, and another photo opportunity...

Ahhhh! I can never get enough sunsets at the beach.

"Thanks Mom, I'm really having a great time!"

It was getting chilly really fast, actually, in the above photo, Fred was shivering a little, I forgot to bring his coat, mine too (that's why I need lists...) So we headed back to the room to eat and watch a little tv.

Fred was more concerned about what the workers were doing outside.

Dinner...

Fred was a little restless all night, I'm sure being in a different place with different sounds and smells had him on edge a bit, and I don't think he slept much. To tell you the truth, I really didn't either. I got up pretty early (before the worker's anyway) and made some coffee and began to get the day started. As for Fred, well, he wasn't quite ready to be up and about.

 "Just a few more minutes? I'm pretty cozy in here".

I got everything packed up, schlepped down some coffee, (it wasn't very good) and got ready to leave, he stayed in the bed the whole time I was getting ready. 

Of course, we had to go to the beach one more time before we hit the road, and just like the day before, as soon as we got to the sand, I took the leash off, and Fred took off like a shot. Only this time he went about 100 feet and pulled up. Poor guy, it seems he was a bit stiff from the day before. He sniffed around a bit, waited for me to catch up and we had a nice quiet walk before heading back to the car. He slept hard all the way home. 

It was a quick trip, but it sure was nice to get away, if even for a short time. :)

Thanks for reading!

Shopping with Fred

More often than not, Fred goes to the grocery store or shopping in general for that matter, with me. Unless of course, I plan on shopping for a long time, which is very rare, or if it's really sunny and warm, which is also very rare. Sometimes he even gets to come into the store with me, like at Home Depot, or Petco, stores like that. He gets lot of attention and he loves every minute of it. People get such a kick out of him. I think I may have mentioned this before, but there just aren't very many Boston's in this part of the country. I've actually brought him into Walgreen's and no one seems to mind.  So there is always that moment when we pull into the parking lot when Fred's not sure if he gets to actually go into the store or if he's going to be waiting in the car. Even if I tell him he won't be coming in, he still gives it the old college try to convince me otherwise. On this particular day, my daughter and I were searching far and wide for a parking space at Costco, which if you aren't familiar, it is like a humongous warehouse type store. I think back east they are called Sam's Club, anyway you get the idea, parking is an ordeal. It was a very exciting time for Fred while we were searching for a spot. He wasn't sure if he would be coming with or staying in the car. It was almost too much for him.  Molly was able to get this little peek into Fred's world on video.

Poor guy, he's such a worrier.

He didn't get to go inside this time, and he survived. (barely)

Semi Wordless Wednesday

He worships this space heater...

"zzzzzzz"

"what?"

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Fred, A Fashion Show

I know it's been a while since I have posted a Fred ism. Since the season's have changed, our activities really haven't been that blog worthy. Thank you to those who have checked in with with me, it means a lot.

Thank you for all of your comments and ideas that you shared on my last  post. I am happy to report that we have reached an agreement and Fred is now perfectly fine sleeping in his Snoopy bed as long as he is covered up. We have yet to get seriously cold outside, maybe one or two nighst of frost. When it does come, I think we are prepared...
Since my last post, I have managed to pull out the cold weather attire that I have for Fred and I thought I would share a little fashion show of the various articles of clothing that I have for Fred for the crummy weather that is now upon us .

Lounge Wear

The "Snuggie"

"You look ridiculous Fred!"

"C'mon Buddy, we're still friends, right? I feel ridiculous. I can't move my legs!"

Day Wear

I love how the pockets are set all the way up on the the middle of his back, not sure what the deal is.

"Again, limited movement here Mom."

"And...it's ITCHY!"

Outdoor Wear

"I like this one. It's comfortable and I can move my legs."

Last year, we had a pretty decent snow "event" and somehow, Fred managed to lose this one in the snow and I had to wait quite a while for the snow to melt until I could find it. I think the cat ripped it off of him and hid it. It was in a very obscure spot.

Running errands, traveling clothes

Fred is glued to that sunny spot when the sun shines. The only time Fred is not in the same room with me is when the sun shines in the front room. He got very excited when I put this on him. He thought we were going to go somewhere. It was difficult for me to get a decent picture.

I have to say, this one is my favorite coat, I like the red and black combination for Fred. Very outdoorsy. I think he likes it too.

Stylin!

Going for a walk wear

This little set up has made our walks so much more enjoyable. A regular collar just chokes him, even if there is very gentle pulling. This completely eliminates that problem.

And of course, you all remember....

Swimwear!

You can read about this one here

I hope you have enjoyed our little pageant. I know I did.

As for Fred...you be the judge ;-)

Fred Woke Me Up This Morning

I woke up a little before 4:00 AM. I had no idea why I was awake, I just was. Something woke me up.

Soon after my home improvements this summer, I decided to adjust the sleeping arrangements between Fred and I. As you well know, I love Fred, dearly, not to the point of weirdness, but he means the world to me. Pretty much all of his little life, he has slept in the bed with me, under the covers.  For the most part it’s worked fine, kind of. His hair is very coarse and he sheds plenty of it. It can be penetrating at times. This can drive a person crazy, it’s itchy. Once, I was walking in my bare feet around the house and one of his hairs poked into my foot like a sliver. I had to get the tweezers to remove it, it was weird and it really hurt. That’s how coarse it is.

Well, it was time for Fred to sleep in his own bed, his snoopy bed, which he readily sleeps in during the day. It was going to be a warm night and I just didn’t want to deal with the “snuggler”, the hair, or the occasional kick that he’s famous for. I put the snoopy bed on my bed, had a “conversation” with Fred about the new arrangement and he reluctantly agreed. That was about mid July when we started our  new “arrangement” and it has worked out very good since then, actually it’s worked out really good, for me anyway. Fred, not so much.

Even though it’s getting into the upper 40’s to low 50’s at night, I still like to have my ceiling fan on and my window cracked open just a bit when I sleep, I just do. It is very stifling for me if I don't have at least a window open a little. I know this can be an issue for Fred so I have tried to make sure that Fred will stay warm while he is in his snoopy bed. It is a challenge. You see, Fred won’t get a winter coat and the Boston breed only has one layer of fur, unlike most dogs, or animals for that matter. Most animals have 2 or more layers. He just isn’t very well equipped for the temps to be too hot or too cold. So before I go to sleep at night I make sure Fred is comfortable and covered up. By covered up I mean covered up. Completely tucked under my old sweatshirt that I use for his top blanket. No nose peeking out, nothing. Most nights he stays that way all night. He really is a funny little guy.

Very cozy snoopy bed

I tucked the snoopy bed into my old robe for extra comfort.



Obviously he's sticking out here, it wouldn't really be that interesting if he wasn't.




Apparently at some point very early this morning, his covers came off,  he made sure I was aware of his plight. He was cold.

As I lay there, trying to figure out why I was awake, I started hearing various noises coming from Fred's direction, not ordinary Fred noises, I heard heavy sighing, an occasional high whine, and a teeth chattering like sound. Ah Ha! Mystery solved! Fred was cold and he needed me to do something about it...NOW. As soon as I glanced in his direction, he POPPED out of his snoopy bed like a shot and stood above me, stared at me with his huge eyes and shivered.

Now here’s where it gets tricky. I know I could just I let him climb into the bed with me and get right back to sleep, that would be the easy thing to do. However, if I do that, I am basically telling him it’s OK to wake me up in order for him to get under the covers. This just isn’t OK for me, I’ve really been enjoying my space a lot and I want this sleeping arrangement to continue. If I let him do it once, it will become his norm, one time, that’s all it takes with Fred. So I compromised, in a way. I let him sleep on the pillow by my head. At first, Fred was quite happy just to be near me and I almost dozed off. Then the whining, chattering and shivering started, again. He was still chilly and I knew it. He was totally flying off the charts on the cuteness scale too. So of course, I started smiling because he was so cute. I probably laughed out loud. Well, since I was smiling and laughing, that was his cue  to really turn on the pathetic adorableness, the whole thing was perpetuating. It was all I could do to not just grab him and snuggle the crap out of him. But I didn’t, and it was very hard for me to resists. Fred knows very well how to push my buttons in order for him to get his way, and that’s one of them. Instead, I got up. By then it was a little after 5:00 AM, I was wide awake.

"What? No, I don't want to get up, it's too early. I can't open my eyes."

I came downstairs, made my coffee and I have been cuddling and snuggling with Fred ever since. It’s now 9:30 AM. I have been up for hours.

"This was NOT what I had in mind"
Me neither pal...

I am really not sure who the winner is here.

Tonight, I think I am going to put a heating pad in his bed, set it on the lowest setting and see how that goes. It has an auto shut off feature and it's pretty much brand new, which is good, just not sure if this will be the solution.

Any thoughts?

Sunday Stills - The Letter "B"

I have created this post primarily for my cat Buddy. He tends to take second place behind Fred on here, Fred is an attention hog. I really do spend plenty of time with him. It is a lot easier to take photos of him, he stays in one place longer. That said, here's Buddy...

Buddy loves his Bed in the Black plastic covered Box

If you look close, you can see a fang. (Bicuspid?)

It's pretty cozy in the Bed

I was still trying to take pictures of him in his bed, and this is what I got. Yikes!

On a Bench

Buddy the Blob

My Boston...look he's smiling! (sort of)

Best Buds

I adore these guys!