Spillage

This past September my grandma Mary Louise passed away. Jerill and I loaded up the dogs in the CR-V and took off to Montana to attend her funeral. The photo above is of Saint Mary's Lake in Glacier National Park in Northern Montana. If you ever get the opportunity to go to GNP, go. The mountains are spectacular and the drive through the park does not disappoint.

The flyball tournament today went well. All of our dogs (Roxie, Skookum, Brat, CD and Tac) ran well and we all had a lot of fun.

On the way home from the tournament I had my first major spill in the Hybrid.

Instead of being smart and dumping the lidded dog water bowl out at the parking lot, I decided to tote the water bowl with me for some stupid reason (it was still pretty full of water). And, instead of being smart and putting the bowl on the floor of the car, I sat it on the backseat. Well, I guess I took a corner a little too fast (thinking I was in the WRX apparently) and, without me knowing it at the time, the big water bowl tipped on its side. Thus, I came home to find the back seat soaked with about 2 cups of water. Yes, at least it was just water but still, I'm worried that my new car scent will now be dirty-dog-bowl scent. I love dogs but I agree, they do sometimes stink. So, that's the car's first major spill. I guess I should have sprung for the Scotchguard option afterall. And to top it off, I only averaged 38 mpg today (stupid Tiger Mountain).

Our out-of-town guest, Michael, got in late today, due to some mechanical problems on his first flight in Dallas (the landing gear wouldn't go down!). These delays forced him to miss his connecting flight. And, then American Airlines managed to lose his luggage. So, we didn't make it up to the Alpental Oktoberfest as planned - but we did get to the Mt Si Bar & Grill where they serve good food and Snoqualmie Brewery beer. After dinner we drove out to Snoqualmie Falls. If you didn't know, the waterfall is lit up at night (at least it was tonight).

To give credit where credit is due, I didn't take this picture - I found it on Flickr (but this is what the Falls looked like tonight!)


Mattie, our Smithfield Sheepdog, adored Michael when he first got to the house and they met outside in our driveway. For those of you who know Mattie and have/have tried to meet Mattie at our house, this is atypical behavior for her. However, not to disappoint you all, when we returned from dinner, she forgot she met Michael and decided he was now a threat to the peace of our home. Now for Dog Tip #1: Whenever you get to a point in your life when you think you might want a guard dog / protection dog, don't get one. But, if you decide you really do need one, get one that's come pre-trained and make sure you have an umbrella policy.