1,2,3 Leap!

So there we were 'leaping' around the big rocks of the breakwater because Mom said today is a leap year day when we noticed not 1, not 2 but 3 ships leaving and heading out into the ocean. These were no ordinary ships though - the first one was the HMCS Chalottetown 339 which is a Halifax Class Frigate and it belong to the Canadian Navy. The second ship is the HMCA Athabaskan 282 and is an Iroquios Class Destroyer - and also belongs to the Canadian Navy. Lastly was the SPS Patino A14 and it is a Replenishment Oiler (it fills up other ships) and it belongs to the Spanish Navy. Oh my dog - for a minute there we thought we had been invaded!

Leaping amongst the rocks

HMCS Chalottetown 339

HMCA Athabaskan 282

SPS Patino A14

Crabbie Patties

We took Dad for a walk on MY beach and look what I found him - a nice tasty crab but you know what - he is as bad as Mom - "Leave it alone Reilly - don't roll on it Reilly - no you can't take it home Reilly - SPIT it out Reilly!"  How come Mom can pick up and take her treasures home but I can't and it was such a pretty smelly crab too !!!!

Bubba Gump Reilly

We had another pawsome walk on the beach and today I found my very own treasure - a nice fresh shrimp! Can you believe Mom told me I wasn't allowed to eat it or even roll on it and I couldn't even bring it home to show Dad - what is wrong with that? Mom also found more shells including some of her favorites - the olives. There was also some translucent duck shells, angel wing shell, patterned prickly cockles, shark eye moon shells, some murex  and three little 'baby ear' shells which look like mother of pearl. Needless to say Mom was VERY happy although she is totally baffled as to what causes them to get washed up at some times and not others. We also got to sit on the big rocks of the breakwater and watch this big Barge come in - can you believe tugs pull these things all the way to the Bahama and back. While at sea they have just one tug pulling them but when they come in to dock there are three tugs - two pushing it and one pulling it. It just seem weird to us that you can such a big ship that can't move by itself.

Submarine, Ship and Treasures

What a PAWSOME day at the beach - there we were walking along collecting some wonderful treasures that King Neptune had left on the beach and HE was VERY generous today. We got some large cockle shells, smaller pretty clam shells, angel wings some small fighting conches and 2 star fish!

Then we heard a loud honking noise and turned around to see what it was and there it be - a submarine entering the river - WOW. Mom sure wished we were closer to the breakwater so we could of got some better pics - but alas we weren't. By time we did reach the breakwater it had already entered the Navy base.

We then waited because right behind the submarine along came the Isla Bella AND we found a couple of very interesting things about this ship. Isla Bella is the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered containership and was built and launched in San Diego in 2015. The ships’ owner TOTE, in partnership with General Dynamics NASSCO, celebrated the completion of the first of two Marlin Class containerships which will do the USA to Puerto Rico run on a regular basis. The use of LNG as a marine fuel in the U.S. defines a major shift for the industry. By switching to LNG, TOTE is reducing NOx emissions by 98 percent, SOx by 97 percent, carbon dioxide by 72 and particulate matter by 60 percent. Isla Bella is currently sailing under the flag of USA - it is  233m (764 feet) The ship’s name, Isla Bella, was selected from a contest hosted in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico. (You can see the submarine better if you click on the photo to see it bigger)

Way to Windy

We were expecting lots of rain yesterday and we had a little but by 10.00 am it had cleared away and the sun was shining again so we headed off to the beach. When we got there we realized it was just way to windy on the beach as the sand was blowing every which way and Mom didn't want it blowing in our eyes so we decided to take a walk along the grassy area  that was protected by nearby buildings. It  was here we saw a number of Ospreys all standing around on the grass. We are guessing it was even to windy for them to fly. Mom got a couple of great pics of one them (he was the biggest out of all of them) and we loved the beady eyes look it gave her in the second photo - like he was saying "I'm watching you watching me!"

Wordless Wednesday

Floating in Sea Mist

We drove down to my beach and it was beautiful blue skies and lots of sunshine - but when we walked across the boardwalk and onto the beach we were surrounded by a thick sea mist. Mom loved it and said it was eerie and made it feel like we the only ones in the world - we couldn't see more than a bit 30 feet so all the buildings and people were hidden. As we were heading back up the beach we heard a fog horn blowing and in the distance saw a huge ship entering the river. Mom wished we were closer so we could of got better photos as it was shrouded in mist and looked so cool sort of floating across in the distance.

Hoist the Sails

Can you believe - yesterday Mom and Dad left us all alone in Florida and went to another State - yes they did - we were abandoned while they went to Georgia! Okay - it's not as bad as it sounds as Georgia is only 35 minutes away but we have to make them feel guilty - right? 

Anyhoo - they went to a little place called St Mary's which is on the St Mary's River. Now there isn't a lot in St Mary's - in fact the whole place looks kind of run down, lots of empty buildings and stores and the only thing that really keeps it going is the near by Kings Bay Submarine Base and the ferry that takes people over to Cumberland Island. Cumberland Island is very popular with hikers and campers as it is undeveloped and has wild horses running all over it. The river front area of St Mary's was very nice and they have created some small but really pretty parks (which I might point out Mom said were dog friendly!) and Mom and Dad enjoyed seeing those - but Mom also spotted the masts of a tall ship in the distance so off they went for a look and as it turns out this weekend they had free tours of it.

The ship is called the Peacemaker and both Mom and Dad were amazed at the inside of it - talk about sailing in luxury! (Make sure you click on the pics to see them bigger and check out their website too - the inside is amazing) It was so roomy inside with beautiful stained glass panels everywhere and the most comfortable fixtures. Mom sad the wood smelled absolutely beautiful too. Then Mom heard they were planning to sail to Australia soon  and she was all ready to jump aboard and go....until she got home and started reading about the ship.

The Peacemaker, originally named Avany, was built on a riverbank in southern Brazil using traditional methods and tropical hardwoods, and was launched in 1989. The original owner motored in the southern Atlantic Ocean before bringing the ship up through the Caribbean to Savannah, Georgia, where they intended to rig it as a three-masted staysail Marconi rigged motor sailer. The work was never done and in the summer of 2000 it was purchased by the Twelve Tribes. They spent the next seven years replacing all of the ship’s mechanical and electrical systems and rigging it as a barquentine. The refit vessel set sail for the first time in the spring of 2007, under the name Peacemaker - now some of you may remember we mentioned before how it is considered to be VERY bad luck to change a ships name after if has been launched - and that is what they did with this. Mom said that is bad ju-ju and she couldn't go sailing on a ship that had changed it's name :)

When Mom and Dad read that Twelve Tribes were the owners they thought is was an Indian group but when they got home and did some research it turns out it is a religious group who some refer to as a 'cult'.  Now we don't know if it is or not but one thing we do know - is the ship is currently for sale so if you happen to have $2.9 million in your piggy bank - it could be all yours :)

Sunday Selfies

You can't see us :)

You can't see us today because we are hiding - we are practicing our camouflage techniques :)

Ahoy me hearties - there be treasures

Woo hoo - when we went to the beach this morning there were treasures to be found ! The clean white sands of yesterday was covered in shell grit today and hidden amongst it was TREASURES! Mom found two nice sized fighting conches, a HUGE giant clam shell and lots of smaller ones plus a pair of angel wing shells and tiniest little baby conch shell.  Check out the beautiful color inside one of the conch shells and see the tiny little baby conch next to it :)

Now she also found something else The last two photos - can you guess what they are - there was LOTS them washed up today. If you can't guess - you can go here to read about it :)

Epic Fail - Chewy.com Review

Today thanks to Chewy.com we are "meant" to be reviewing the Outward Hound Kibble Drop. We must report though - that our review was an EPIC FAIL.

This is how it went - we received this doggie puzzle a few weeks ago and Mom took it out the box added some treats and put it down on the floor. I the Reilly dog sniffed at it, wacked it with my paw which tipped it over and all the treats fell out - SCORE. Needless to say having done it once and finding a way that worked .......every time Mom tried it again I did the same thing :)

Okay there is always Denny - he loves puzzles! Mom is thinking she should be able to get him to play with it and get some good pics. She fills up the puzzle with treats, puts it on the floor and Denny sniffs at it then pick the whole thing up in his mouth and tips it over - spilling all the treats out at once and you GUESSED it - every time she gives it Denny - he does the same thing!

Mom has tried us with this puzzle multiple times over the last couple of weeks but the result is always the same. So our review is - WAY TO EASY!













Disclaimer
Chewy.com sent us the Outwardhound Kibble Dropin return for an honest review. We were not paid or compensated for our review in any other way and our opinion is purely our own.

Wiped Clean !

King Neptune must of decided to do some spring cleaning because he WIPED  MY beach clean  over night. There was not a shell to be seen anywhere - it was just clean white fresh sand - Mom was SO disappointed but I had a blast galumping all over it. (Mom calls it galumping as I gallop around but my boots make a clumping sound). Dweeb of coarse stayed right next to Mom's feet - he is such a dufus! Sadly no treasures today, no ships, just us on the beach but at least it was sunny today and warm - a lovely 76 degrees. Something did happen to make Mom smile though - she actually got saluted and told to "have a wonderful day Mam" as we went through the security gate at the Mayport base today. Dad ALWAYS gets saluted because he is a Commander but they don't often salute women anymore. Mom thanked the young man for the salute and his service and for making her smile - he replied "my pleasure Mam"

The sea was a churning....

Mom was going to say it was a 'wild and wooly' day at the beach today but when I checked MY etymology dictionary I pointed out to her that  "wild and wooly" actually refers to being "lawless and uncultured" which didn't quite fit with the sea today. Anyhoo there was an awesome east wind blowing (we have been waiting for this as the east winds push treasures on shore) and the sea was churning around like it was a giant washing machine with sea foam suds blowing all over the place! Mom says we will be first down the beach tomorrow morning to see what King Neptune has left for us. We thought we share some pics of Dweeb in "panic" mode - this was because there were shrunken human types at the beach today (day off school for presidents day) so he was constantly looking over his shoulders instead of at Mom.

Happy Valentine Day

I the Reilly dog am sending big Valentine hugs to my Sweetie - the adorable Princess Katie

and

I the Denny dog would like to ask little Miss Ruby to be my Valentine this year - I have had a secret crush on her for a long time but have been to shy to say anything. And NO Murphy - this is not your Ruby - it is a different Ruby.

Happy Valentine Day to all the peeps out there and just remember to include us in those romantic dinners, picnics, evening strolls, walks in the parks etc.  :)