Cody-Dog of the Big Splash

Cody-dog, my brother and nephew had more fun together than should be ever allowed!
Summer 2008

~~~

xoabb

SWF - Wistful for Spring Color...

Winter upon us,

But sweet dreams of Spring to come

Makes Winter less harsh

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Sky Watch Friday

Do join us!

A 65 Lb. Missourah Lap Dog

Cody, as some of you already know, is my parent's beloved pound puppy. My mother, who is a bit of a dog whisperer, well, whatever you call a woman who, more than once, has thought to herself while on an unrelated errand: "Hmmm...I think I'll go by the dog pound today and see what's there." First time she came home with the adored Cody I (now deceased) and this summer with Cody II. Cody II had a bit of adjusting to do when she first came to her new home. She didn't bark, didn't like going outside, and during the first thunderstorm wedged herself between the headboard and wall in mom and dad's bedroom. They had a heck of a time coaxing her out. 

Then the summer relatives arrived. Cody found her voice and her love of all things children. She had the best summer swimming, boating, fetching, running, jumping into the pond, loving on the kids...and climbing up in laps. Below you can see her first stealthy maneuver...above you can see the end result.  

Reports from the Missourah home front say that all is well in Cody-Land. Of course, Mom and Dad have had to resort to renting a kid every now and then so Cody can get her fix, and mom has had to spend some time firmly explaining to Cody that while she is very welcome to climb up on Bill's lap, Mom's is off limits! Cody doesn't much like that, but she gets to sleep at the foot of their bed on her very own doggie cushion, so that assuages her feelings somewhat. All in all, it's good to be Cody II! Doesn't she look at home? Yup, a 65 lb. lap dog!

Here, being loved on the fly by Dodgie.

(For more Cody, go to Flickr on the right!)

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

P. S.  Grandma Mae's Potato Salad recipe to be posted soon! And you're gonna LOVE it!

OOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O no! O dear, O my, O DARN! I took a casual glance at my blog archive, saw the L title, so assumed this week was M. Obviously, it's not. It's O week...I've assumed incorrectly. And I'm sure you remember what occurs when one assumes...One (that would be me) makes an ~ass~ out of ~u~ and, most irritatingly ~me~. So sorry for the obvious oversight. O how onerous of me!

A Missourah~ Meal...

(Midwest is best!)

The bounty of our Missourah Midwest fishing efforts,

fried, of course! We'll worry about calories and 

the less-than-good fat-count...oh, tomorrow, if we must!

Master of the grill: Grand Roger (dad to me).

He's been fryin' Missourah fish for all of us, all of 

our lives...there's no one better!

Of course, family participation always helps...

Especially the young folk -

wonder what she told them to do...hmmm.

No summer Missourah meal is complete unless we have

GrandMa Mae's potato salad. (She always made a boiled dressing

that simply sent (and still sends) it over-the-top!)

Of course, I had to stick my 

30-years-on-the-East-Coast concoction

(heavily influenced by those 

California-health-nut voices in my head) 

into the whole MO meal, thus throwing a ~totally~

 "avocados in Missourah?? Woah! I don't think so!" 

kind of salad into the mix....

And the fam totally tolerated my 

aberration of judgement...I think...

However, our Missourah Meal was ended on a true note...

Fresh Missourah peaches smothered with 

undetermined parentage blueberries.

Who can say ~major~ Mmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Magnificent!!!

(Missourah adventures to be continued tomorrow...)

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

ABC Wednesday 

do join us!

Thanks, Mrs. Nesbitt!

A K Kind of Day

K is for kwap-ola, krud, kurses! I updated the software on my airport extreme today, because a little window popped up on my screen telling me I had to, and now the airport is kaput. I can't get anyone to fix it before Friday at 4:00pm. So...Kwap-ola, Krud, Kurses!!! Obviously, I'll only have very limited access to the internet until then, so I'll be reading when I can. I'm around - just silently so. (As my brother would say - it's a Kraptastrophe!) 

Now, on to better things... 

K is also for:

Kids

Above, that kid, Dodgie boy. In front of him my kid sister, Care and in front of her, our kid brother Bill. (We're walking down the 150 - 200 year old wagon road that leads from the top of the hill to the valley, of course at our parent's place. The only maintenance that's done to the road is a good mowing every so often. Amazing what good shape it's in after all these years.)

Our kid Dodgie in the trunk of an enormous old tree. It must have been impressive when still alive - it's by far the biggest trunk we've seen in all the woods around the house. 

"Hellllooooo....anybody up there?"

I know, I know - this photo is a bit blurry...

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Johnboat

 Anyone from the midwest with a smallish to biggish body of water on their land knows what a johnboat is. For the rest of you Midwest-wannabes, a johnboat is a small rowboat with a snubnose. Perfect for navigating a small lake or pond. And as you can see, it works!  Below, the adventures begin...

Cody-dog:

"Uh, excuse me, Auntie Nanas, I'm really not sure this long-haired human truly knows what he's doing. Hello?? AUNTIE NANAS, HELLOO! Ya think maybe you should be in here with us, just maybe??? Directions, here!?!?! Pretty please??"

Cody dog:

"Uh, oh, well, never you mind, Auntie Nanas, that Dodgie boy is with us and he knows everything so we are very safe and I am OK, and thank you very much!!"

So off they went on their grand adventure.

(Even though the end of their adventure

 was all of 100 yards away...  ;-) 

~

The ~gift~ of imagination...

I have it in spades....

...oh well.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Just an Ordinary Rock...

My Dodgie has the uncanny ability (very likely inherited/learned from his dad) of finding fauna in places that most of us would totally miss seeing them. Case in point, the turtle Dodgie pointed out to me in the creek bottom. (Yup, our parent's Missouri creek bottom.) I thought I was taking a photo of a lovely rocky creek bed. Dodgie immediately told me he didn't think it was a rock, but some living thing. I believed him because there was no way I was going to find out in an up close and personal kind of way what exactly it was. (Can you spot it in the photo below?) 

Dodgie told me that finding out what it was wasn't a problem as he would wade in and pick up that rounded "rock" to really see what it was so I didn't have to. He said it was all well and good because he had already fallen in the creek and was wet; and besides, he liked to be wet and in the creek so he could discover all new things. I couldn't argue with that kind of logic...(neither could any of you!)

Gently he lifted the "rock" and proved what he thought all along - a turtle!  Specifically it was a  a ~Red-Eared Slider~, (We know this as over the years, because of his insatiable curiosity, Dodgie's dad (my brother) has developed a first-name-basis relationship with the folks at the Missouri Department of Conservation. I'm sure he's bugged the heck out of them, but it has resulted in lots of good identifying info.)

I, of course, thought it was a common snapping turtle which would turn and bite my beloved Dodgie's nose off.  Dodgie, of course, told me I didn't know my turtles and there was no way this was a snapping turtle and it would not ever bite his or anyone else's nose off...thankfully he was right!

(Mr. Turtle was released, unharmed, back to the wild 

soon after this photo was taken.  Dodgie hiked up the 

hill, took a shower, ate dinner, and went to bed to 

dream the dreams boys do of turtles hiding in streams) 

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Busy Bee...

Work is never done when your a buzzing bumblebee...

Achoo! 

Bless You! 

Photo from the Missouri creek bottom.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

What's Your Focus?

Do you focus on what's close at hand?

Or what's far away?

~

Either way, focus on something.

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

Booche's is....FFFFFFabulous...

I have to admit that though I grew up in Columbia, MO, I had never been to or even heard of Booche's. Where the hell had I been??? Both my sis, Carrie and bro Bill knew it well and had been there many times - was I in a time capsule??? Anywho, this trip to Columbia, bro Bill informed me that it was well and good time that I visited Booche's and drown in its glory. So we did:

Sliders.......possibly the original slider? Courtesy of:

Do NOT try to see my reflected image above - do NOT!

My Brother Bill: "Ann, we must go to Booche's for lunch.

Me: "Why?"

Bill: "Because they have the best damn sliders you'll ever eat!

Me: "Bill, I've eaten sliders from White Castle???"

Bill: "You have no idea! Booche's are the very best ever"

Me: "Whatever!! I've never even heard of Booche's." (really...so embarrassing)

Booche's, (which is in Columbia, MO on S. 9th Street, for those who are interested), has been around since 1884. I lived in Columbia Missouri from the time I was about 4 (about 1959, for all you date-hungry people, ugh!) until the Fall of 1973 when, (much to my parent's delight), I graduated from Hickman High School and went off to KU. I've come back to visit regularly over the ensuing years....but never until this very summer have I even heard of Booche's, let alone visited this esteemed establishment. My God! I am bereft at what I've been missing all those years! (Can you believe this place has been in business for well over 100 years!?!?!?!)

Off to Booche's my hubs GB, brother Bill and I go.

Bill: "They have the coldest beer I've ever had, GB, you'll love it!"

GB: "Whatever..." (GB, unspoken, "Like I care!")

Young, scruffy bearded waiter (YSBW): Hi, uh like, what do you want to eat?"

Bill: "I'll have 2 sliders."

YSBW, very enthusiastically: "Great! Our sides are onions, pickles, mustard and catsup."

Bill: "I'll have the works."

YSBW, looking at GB: "And what will you have?"

GB: "I'll have a cheeseburger with lettuce and mayonnaise.

YSBW: "Uh..we don't have any sides other than onions, pickles, mustard and catsup."

GB, muttering and with a touch, just a wee little touch of sarcasm: "What kind of place is this??! Just give me a cheeseburger and a Michelob - if you're in Missouri you should always have a draft Michelob and you do have Michelob, don't you??"

YSBW: "OK, true about the Michelob in Missouri, and we have it on draft, but the sliders are really small - you really might want two of them."

GB: "OK, whatever!" GB was definitely not a believer at this point...

I order my one burger and then say: "Do you think they have French fries?"

YSBW, overhearing what I said: "MAN, we don't, but wouldn't we have made a ton of money by now if we did???"

Several minutes later our burgers are carried to our table on their little squares of wax paper with a napkin on top - no plates or cutlery, thank you - as you can see above. Bill knew how good they were...GB took his first bite and, well, if I'm honest, (however embarrassing it is to admit), he began to purr. "Damn! This is the best burger I have ever had!" He then promptly ordered a third burger.

See that grill hood on the far left?

That's the entire ~kitchen~, if you can call it that.

And it's where all the great grill goodness comes from.

A pool hall in the back...

And no sniveling!!

They're on Facebook!
Booche's: Burgers, Beer & Billiards

~~~

xoabb

expect anything!

So Long & Farewell

Ten days of wonder

Everywhere we thought to go.

We're comin' back soon!

But Fall's in the air,

Leaves are turning 'round the pond -

Time to wing back home.

~~~

xoabb

Eggspecting, etc.

ABC Wednesday - It's an E!

Eggs...

Eggs a cracking! Eagerly expecting the arrival of brothers and sisters.

Erosion...

Nature's erosion.  Look at how high the water reached,

and the amount of earth that it removed.

Must have been one heck of a storm!

Extraterrestrial

Eeee. Teee. phonnnne hommmme!

~~~

xoabb

Uh Oh....

One boy, dripping wet...

One dog, perplexed and thinking...

"Uh...is this approved human boy-child behavior???"

("Oh, and by the way? If it isn't, I had nothin' to do with it!")

That Cody - such a smart dog!

Dodgie and Cody were running around the pond

shortly after Dodgie and Bill arrived in MO. 

Of course, Dodgie "happened" to fall in. 

Hmm....Cody and I both wonder if perhaps it was intentional...

Obviously Cody wanted to be sure her humans knew she had 

nothing to do with Dodgie's pond immersion, 

and only with Dodgie's  excellent doggy supervision.

~~~

xoabb

P. S. - I am having GREAT difficulty downloading/uploading my photos via this Columbia connection, so I stole my brother's photo (the first one, second one is mine, 'tho he stole it from me - turnaround is fair play I suppose...) - when I return home to the land of the good wifi, I hope to have pond and other photos to share with y'all... 

Please, contain yourselves! I know I know, you can hardly wait!

A small taste of the fun to come: 

(below are the only photos of mine I've been able to download)

WHEEEEEEEEE!

Top of the World!

Well, at least in our little part of Missouri. 

Continuing our (Saturday) hike, we circled around the valley via the creek bed and then went home by going up the hill and cliffs at the opposite end of our parents' property. On this end of the valley, the cliffs are more compact, if you will, but just as tall. The one you see here is a good 60 to 75 feet from its top to the forest floor beneath it. (At the bottom of the visible rock you can see on the right, it just drops off).  Unfortunately this cliff is also in the way of the connector the MO State Highway Dept. thinks is absolutely necessary to build between Highway 63 Interstate 70. It will be the second interchage. Very very necessary don't you think? Enjoy the photo. In the near future this cliff will be no more as it's slated to be blown to smithereens. Isn't imminent domain just wonderful? On to happier things...

After I'd quickly come down from the top*,

Dodgie decided he, too, needed to see the world from the cliff top,

So up he climbed.

(*I lasted up there for about 6 seconds...

Heights and me?  Not so much. 

And it's getting worse the older I get!)

Dodgie on top of our MO world.

(And though it is a good 65 or so feet 

down from up there, there is that large ledge

(you can see it in the first photo, above) 

just in front of Dodgie, so he was never in any 

danger...though it does look rather precarious.) 

While the woods, valleys, cliffs, stream and hill top plateau with pond that comprises this paradise my parents call home are beautiful any year (and any time of year), this summer of '08 has simply been over the top - just breathtakingly and incredibly gorgeous. Columbia (and most of Missouri I suspect) has had so much rain this year and so few days of blistering heat, everything is green, green, green! The landscape, whether wild or manicured looks like it's still the middle of spring, not the middle of August. It's been one of the most stunning summers Missouri's seen in a long time! (When I can finally upload photos onto Flickr, I'll share some of that beauty with you.  Brother Bill has had a bit more luck with the internet and has managed to upload some of his - if you'd like a taste of this paradise, please head on over to his Missouri '08 pics! (Oh, and if you want to read about Cody, the very best pound puppy ever, visit this post of his. You won't regret it! I promise! ;-)

~~~

xoabb

 

Old Man Tree One Year Later

Yesterday my brother, seester, Dodgie and I hiked down to the creek bottom on my parents land. Mom and dad live in the middle of 50 acres within the city limits of Columbia, MO. Their house is on top of the hill with fields surrounding it and a pond about 30 feet from the deck. To get to the valley we followed the old covered wagon trail down.

Dodgie standing underneath the same tree you see above.

It was wonderful to come around the bend in the creek

and see that tree still standing in all his glory.

I see a face in the trunk - actually I see Darth Vadar - and though a little more of his face is missing, he's surprisingly intact, considering his precarious position on the side of the creek. Just down a bit to Darth's right there's another sycamore that's fallen down because of storm currents undermining it's root system.

Undeterred, that tree has branches growing out of it's top side.

My brother's photos from yesterday are here!

~~~

xoabb