Oh the places I've been

Had a wonderful trip last week.  Even though I was working, I felt a little like I was on vacation.  Maybe because I got away from the office and home for a couple days and has no responsibilities other than to get my particular tasks accomplished.

Longview was cold and rainy.  I arrived two hours early so Clover and I walked around downtown for a bit.  Then it was off to Pendleton.  When I arrived around 5 p.m. it was 102 degrees.  I got to see these guys:

Pershing did not want his picture taken.  We were goofing around and I said I wasn't speaking to him the rest of the night.  Then I forgot that I said that.  About 5 minutes later he came and said "Aunt Jenny, you can take my picture now".  And who felt like a heel?  I told him I was just kidding about not talking to him.  The poor kid.  But he did let me take three pictures.  He's so forgiving.

See those two grey things by Woodrow's head?  Those are his knees.  This kid has legs.  He's only 12 and already 5'6".  I got to swim and play with these guys for two nights and it was hard to leave on Thursday.  I wish I could see them every day.

So my Dad is spending the week days at their house as my Sister-in-Law is in Portland working on her Doctorate and my Brother is at work.  The first night I was there we had this:

Mmmmmmmm. Ribs.  We also had Smith Baked Beans.  Family recipe.  LOVE them.  I could eat an entire pot.  My family doesn't care for Smith Baked Beans so if I make them, I usually get them all to myself.  They like something I call "Faked beans".  You take a can of Pork-n-Beans and add ketchup and green peppers.  Tasty?  No. Not at all.

Brother has one yellow lab, Dad has two black labs and I have the four-legged Clover.  It was LabFest 2012. 

Belle.  She's got a torn ligament in her knee but it doesn't hold her back.

Barkley.  The dog who has no idea how to be a dog.

Sophie, Ice Queen of Echo. I think that's her whole name. She's the oldest of the herd at 10 years.  She's kind of aloof, but she'll follow my Dad all over the yard so she can lie under his chair while he reads.

Clover, in a rare moment of calm.  She chased dogs, tried to get them to chase her, jumped in the pool, and wandered all of the house while we slept.

Clover has found a baseball and is trying to get the other dogs to play.  Belle knows what to do, she just can't chase Clover because of her knee.  Barkley has no idea what is going but he's happy about whatever it is.

Brother has a torn Achilles tendon.  He's actually having surgery as I write this.

I wish I had taken more pictures of my trip, but I wasn't in the mood to get out anywhere and take pictures of the scenery because it was 450 degrees outside.  It was a great week. Let's leave it at that.