Assistant brewer…hard at work…

Stanley helped Lance bottle his latest batch of homebrew on Tuesday night. This pup was vigilant. It’s almost as if he knew there was a place for him at the “Baying Beagle Brewery.”

Sherman, on the other hand, was content to supervise from a distance…

…and Maggie actually washed her hands of the whole ordeal. She didn’t even stick around for her photo op.

The boys head home tomorrow. I think they’ve enjoyed their week at camp, but I’m sure they’ll be so happy to have Laurie and Phillip home!

Too hot to play!

The mid-April heat wave we’ve had here in NJ left me with three beagles who were too pooped to pop yesterday! With temperatures in the low 90s, the most activity we saw from them was the occasional walk from the couch to the back yard to see if the world had cooled off to a sensible temperature.

Of course, it’s never to hot to huddle up on the couch…

Of the three beagles, Stanley definitely has the most energy. Between naps, he stood on guard…watching the back yard vigilantly for signs of fun.

(We did manage a short walk with just the three beagles last night…once the sun was down. I’m hoping we haven’t missed our shot at another pack walk, but my friend is out of town for the next couple of days…perhaps we’ll be able to squeeze one in on Thursday night before the boys go home on Friday!)

 

Greetings from Beagle Camp!

The boys have settled in nicely. Stanley has treed many a squirrel and Sherman has claimed many a lap…and Maggie has been very busy keeping up with both of them!

Sherman takes the theme of “Beagle Camp” quite seriously as he curls up here in his very own “pup tent.” (Sorry…I couldn’t resist that one. And I just love this bed. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a lap substitute…which comes in handy when you have three beagles and only two laps.)

But, of course, he’ll take the real thing if he can get it…

A camp counselor’s work is never done!

I’m sorry to say that I forgot to bring the camera on Wednesday night when Lance and I took Sherman, Stanley and Maggie for a walk in the park with our friend/neighbor Kirsten and her two dogs, Hickory (a wire-haired dachshund) and Midge (a beautiful mix of what we think is beagle, corgi, whippet and who knows what else). Three humans, five dogs…and several onlookers with more than a few comments. Some asked if we were part of a parade. Others merely wished us a “howling good time.” We’re hoping to take another walk with the full pack next week. If we do, I’ll be sure to bring the camera!

Laurie and Phillip…I hope you’re having a wonderful time!

Glub, glub

We are fine! However, the road is under 4 feet of water. On generator power, no hot water, no house phone and no Internet. No property damage, no one hurt!

Misplaced affections?

For Joe O’D and the other deck construction fans, here is a photo of Phillip wielding his new nail gun. Look at the size of that thing!! Sometimes I think that the projects around the house are merely a reason for him to buy new tools. Not that I’m complaining!

Looks like Sherman has some competition.

Don’t worry, Sherm! Uncle Bob loves you the best!

A relaxing (almost rainy) day here at B.C. Lawrenceville…

Greetings all! Lance, Maggie and I had a great time with the boys once again this weekend as Laurie and Phillip enjoyed an overnight trip to New Hope. It was a full and happy house with my in-laws, Bob & Loretta Parsons, in town for a couple days as well. As a faithful reader of the DD, Loretta was looking forward to meeting its two featured hounds…and the boys did not disappoint.

Sherman crafts a comfy nap spot in the pachysandra...

...reminding the rest of us that hard labor is for chumps.

Stanley and Maggie also look on at the weeding frenzy, but keep their distance. Maggie was content to lay in the yard. Stanley split his time between Maggie and the patio...when one of us would bend over to yank a weed, Stanley would race in to offer kisses and a distraction from silly chores.

Fashion leader

I don’t know, do black socks look dorkier pulled over the bottom of the pants, or white? This is of course all in the name of tick prevention. A bunch of years ago Phillip and I had a 2-year course of the Lyme vaccine. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but we didn’t share that opinion with many other people because they took it off the market soon thereafter. Boy, was my arm SORE for days after. Worse than a tetanus shot.

So Scott is on pins and needles to find out what happened to the UPS footprints in the driveway. Well, Scott, not too much. The guys who did the driveway never answered Phillip’s phone call looking for an estimate. We needed that to get reimbursed by UPS, but the guys obviously didn’t think it was worth their while. Frankly I don’t mind them and in fact get a little chuckle every time I see them. What could that UPS man have been thinking??

I’ll have to figure out how to meet my deadlines without my little helper here…

What Sherman lacks in typing skills and critical analysis, he makes up for with enthusiasm. I’m not sure if he seeks out my laptop because a) it’s the focus of my attention, b) it’s warm, or c) it gives him the firm neck support he needs. But he loves to plant his head there. I don’t normally let him leave it there (due to the dangers of mixing electronics with fur and drool), but I couldn’t help but capture the moment this time.

Bye for now campers!

Maggie and Stanley dancing…

Stanley knows that tennis balls are the keys to Maggie’s heart. If he can’t get her to pay attention to him, he will grab a tennis ball and stand in front of her until she gives chase. If she won’t take the bait, he might even toss her the ball to get her into the game. This time, in her haste to take advantage of this dropped-ball opportunity, she ended up performing this little two-step maneuver. It worked. She has the ball in her mouth in this shot. And Stanley got his dance with MaggieDoo!

A moment of calm for the pack…

Lance and I snapped this photo after the two of us had returned from a run. All 3 beagles were so happy to see us when we got back that they crowded around us on the patio. I couldn’t believe that the three of them had just paused there. No one was leaping into the air, no one was wrestling and no one was sounding the alarm about a rogue squirrel in our back woods–a rare moment indeed! I urged Lance to get the camera. He got ONE shot. This one. As you can see from their expressions, at least two of the three beagles are about to take off with a sprint and a howl. His attempt at a second shot captured a couple of fur blurs at the edges of the picture, and Sherman holding his sweet pose.