Hot Dog'n

The Puget Sound region is in the middle of a heat wave. The humidity feels like it's 100% today too, making for a sticky, nasty feeling when inside and outside. The heat wave has been going on since Sunday really - that night Jerill and I went to the Harry Potter movie (2.5 hours of air conditioning). Then, I was in Spokane Monday and Tuesday morning for work. It was 96 degree on the top of Snoqualmie Pass. Usually, the mountains tend to be cooler than the valley so that was a warning served as to just how unbearable it would be when I got home.

I drove to Spokane with my friend and market research colleague Jeff. He works for a company called IPSOS and I've known him for nearly 12 years! We worked at a place called Northwest Research Group together for about 8 years until I left for Safeco and he left for other opportunities. Anyway, we get along very well and I was happy when I was able to hire Jeff and his company to moderate focus groups for us in Spokane (and Seattle, Anchorage and Juneau). Jeff is addicted to a burger joint in Ellensburg, WA called Rossow's U-Totem Burgers. So, we stopped on Monday afternoon for lunch and also stopped for lunch on the way home today! Jeff is addicted to the Ellensburger - which has beef AND a slab of ham on it. I tried that burger on Monday but opted for the Fishwich today. Yesterday I also got a marshmallow milkshake (my fave) but opted for Hawaiian Punch today. I have to remember to go to Ellenburg for the rodeo this year and to stop at Rossow's for a marshmallow milkshake!

Anyway, the heat is pretty bad and after I shut down my work computer tonight I re-filled up our small swimming pool with cold water and tossed an entire hotdog into it that I had cut up into tiny little cubes. The dogs were delighted with this game! Mattie ended up eating most of the hotdog (not surprising). Lucky didn't want to get into the pool so I ended up just giving him hotdog piecs by hand -- he's so cute, he didn't need to work for the hotdogs. Scott tried his best to stick his head under the surface but he wasn't too good at breathing OUT and sucking hotdog in. We helped him out a bit too. Eventually he figured out to kick up the piece of hot dog up into the water where it floated so he didn't have to stick his entire head in. While it worked for him, it wasn't the most efficient method.

It is undeniable that Mattie is the queen of this activity. Once she figured out those brown little chunks in the bottom of the pool were 100% beef frank, she began an instantaneous metamorphosis into becoming the first aquatic dog/Hoover hybrid. Seriously, she was blowing bubbles through her nose while sucking up the pieces of hotdog along the bottom of the pool. She is like a living, breathing snork. It was seriously cute but slightly disturbing as she was so efficient and effective at this activity. Is there anything this dog can not do? I also filled up a keg bucket too and she took a dunk in that. She looks pretty freaky/ugly though when her face gets all wet -- like Predator emerging out of the swamp.