A Grand Day Out

Our grand day out yesterday was not quite as eventful as that of my most favorite claymation characters, Wallace and Gromit (in which they go to the moon for cheese), but it did involve a pug, a gaggle of greyhounds, and some excellent pastries! Since it was Mother's Day and Husband's mom was visiting us, we went to the always delicious St. Honore for breakfast.

On our way there, we spotted this elderly cutie outside Peet's Coffee. Any day that involves seeing pugs is a grand one.



Breakfast commenced with this almond croissant which served as the appetizer. Next came our entrees: a quiche Lorraine for the H, Tian Provençal for MIL, and my usual, a croque monsieur.



And for dessert: this beautiful gâteau au chocolat! The raspberries were dusted with gold powder. For the record, this was not light, as the woman in line in front of us said. It was quite substantial, but delish.



We went for a walk by the river



and came across this cavalcade of splendid greyhounds. Perhaps it was a greyhound's birthday party, as there was a giant silver balloon in the shape of the number 5. I'm quite fond of greyhounds myself. We knew a very nice rescue greyhound in Connecticut named Sawyer. However, as long as we have guinea pigs, I'm going to wait on the hound. And anyway, we have Pug, and he's dog enough for us.



At the end of our walk, we passed the Stafford Stones. (They were not, as Husband suggested, erected by the Druids.) They are in memory of the poet, William Stafford, and the stones are engraved with lines of his poetry. I especially like the line, "The river always finds the right way."

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

On Friday evening we went to a baseball game, and not just any baseball game. Humans and canines alike were allowed in the park! It was Bark in the Park night, and Pug got in free with my admission.



Pug had his picture taken with the mascot, though he was not too happy about it.



Some dogs had their very own seats



but Pug sat on our laps the whole game.



This lucky pug had her own blanket. Smart thinking!



JD Platt and the K-9 Kings offered some great entertainment in between innings.



Pug's favorite part of the evening was getting a hotdog.



He didn't think watching baseball was as fun without a hotdog. I agree.



At home, Pug relaxed with a baseball he got at the game.

Rockwood Hall

One year ago yesterday, I was going for a walk in one of my most favorite places: Rockwood Hall. (This is in the Hudson Valley, in New York, where I used to live.) I love living in the Pacific Northwest again, but there were some lovely parks in NY. I miss them.



This is the path I usually started my walks on. You'd come over a little hill and see the Hudson River and the Palisades.



A long time ago, there was an estate here. Now, only the stone walls and perimeter of the house is visible.



May is a lovely time of year in New York.



So much is blooming!



I used to sit on this bench and watch the river, and the trains coming and going. This little bird must have liked it too. I wonder where he is today...



Another path I frequently strolled.



I love close-ups of plants.



Funny how I used to dream so much about living on the West Coast again. Now that I'm here, it's just as good as I'd hoped for! And yet, I miss those little creeks and the train tracks and the river I used to walk by. But I didn't have Pug then...



And I'm glad I do. Life is better with Pug.

Chickens In The Kitchen

I'm a big fan of homemade canned fruit. I have not ventured into canning yet, but my in-laws have been doing it for years, and most times we visit them, we come home with a box full of jars! I've been enjoying canned apricots and applesauce.



I am also a fan of cutting boards in the shape of animals. Chickens and pigs especially. My own cutting board is a chicken from J.K. Adams out of Vermont. I have other cutting boards too, but they're not as cute.



I find that having chickens in the kitchen makes the kitchen feel so much more... kitcheny. (Or should that be chickeny?)



On our recent trip to Bainbridge Island, we ventured into a wonderful bookstore there called Eagle Harbor Books. Browsing led me to discover Minnie Rose Lovgreen's Recipe for Raising Chickens, which is something I would love to do someday. I bought the book even though my raising chickens may be far off in the future. There are lovely illustrations, as well as practical topics such as keeping chicks in your house, medical care, and moving a broody hen.



I'm not the only one in the house who likes chickens. Pug has his very own chicken too.

Happy Pugs and Moody Blues

A really perfect day for Pug and me is one in which we get to go for a walk and eat cheese.



And for Pug, it's a bonus if he sees some ducks. Pug loves ducks.



Now then, onto the cheese! Moody Blue is a really nice blue cheese out of Monroe, Wisconsin. If you think you don't like blue cheese, think again. This is not your typical blue. It's very smoky. I love smoky cheeses. LOVE. I also love the violets on the label, which makes it very easy to remember which cheese you're looking for when you go back to buy it a second and third time.



It's yummy on crackers. Or just by itself!



And because I'm in love with my ranunculuses, I thought I'd share more pictures of them. Aren't they pretty?



I love the tightly wound little petals. I will have to try growing these someday.

California Part III: Spring Flowers

Here is a sampling of some of the lovely flowers I saw in California:



Rhododendrons in my mom's yard.









The gardens at Allied Arts. I love strolling around and looking at all the plants and flowers, and the artists' studios.



String of Pearls.



Wisteria.



Brass Band Roses.



Lovely little shop in Potrero Hill, Bell and Trunk. They sell flowers, notecards, handknit and handfelted goods.

After spending so much time around the lovely California plants, I bought some flowers when I got home. I love having flowers in the house, and it's the simplest way to brighten up a room. I'm very fond of ranunculuses, so this pretty little bunch came home with me from the grocery store. Pug loves flowers too, and he was happy to pose with the bouquet.*

*At least one member of the ranunculus family, Buttercup, is poisonous to dogs. Fortunately, Pug does not try to eat flowers. He wants real food! If you have pugs, or any animals, you can always check for a list of toxic plants like the one at the ASPCA.

California Part II: Pug Spotting

I was on the lookout for pugs while I was in California. But in the absence of pugs, one does what one can. One spends time with cats.



This was by no means a concession. I'm a cat lover, and used to be strongly on the feline side in the cat person vs. dog person conflict. It always seemed you couldn't be both. Now that I have a pug, I can't choose. I love pugs and cats. This is my mom's cat. He was adopted from the Animal Friends Rescue Project.



I spent yet more time with a cat who belongs to friends of the family. We were invited to its birthday party, and the cat celebrated by rolling in some catnip. We celebrated by eating cupcakes.



On our way out one day, we opened the door to the garage to find the neighbor's cat sitting on top of my mom's car. He seems to think he lives at my mom's house. Probably because she feeds him, and used to let him in the house. Sometimes she takes him for rides in the car.



By day two of the trip, I was beginning to wonder if I'd see any pugs. But I did see more cats.



I liked this little bird sitting on the fountain.



At times in life, there is a lack of pugs, but there is never a lack of squirrels. One might as well enjoy the squirrels.



I thought this squirrel looked very zen sitting on his fence post and contemplating life. Or just on the lookout for hawks.



Speaking of which, there were hawks.



And then finally --finally!-- on my last day in California, I spotted two black pugs in San Francisco. I took this picture from the car as we drove by (because we were on our way to the ferry building for, I didn't know it at the time, cheese and sunflower honey).