Serene Sunday

We were up super early and headed off to MY beach to watch the sunrise at 6.44 am  - and it was soooooo worth it - what an awesome color display.  And LOOK - now I even have MY very own castle on the beach too !

We waited nearly a whole year!

We got up early before it was too hot and headed for MY beach and I was so glad we did. It has been nearly a year since we last saw seaweed on MY beach and one thing I discovered is how much I LOVE it. I rolled on it, squirmed on it, wiggled on it and just had the best time. Mom said it must be like dognip for me! Dweeb being the Dweeb he is didn't appreciate the aroma at all and wasn't interested in it

Fruitful Friday

There is not much we miss about living in Arkansas but having our own garden is one of them - we loved being able to grow our fruit, veggies and flowers.

Shopping around the world

We are joining Bacon for "shopping around the world" and this month we are looking at Salad Recipes. Our Dad's most favorite salad is Balsamic Beef with Arugula. It is a quick and easy salad to make and sooooooooo tasty.

So here we go with what you need - this serves two people

1 large rib eye steak (or other cut that you like).
2 cups of baby arugula (or salad spinach)
1 cup of snap or sugar peas
parmesan cheese shaved into slivers

1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar (you can use brown but we find it a little too strong)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 a large onion
1/4 of water
1 tsp of olive oil

Dressing
Chop onion very finely and fry in a small saucepan until soft with the olive oil. Add the white balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until it reduces down to a thick syrup.

Barbeque, broil or fry the steak - season with salt and pepper - cook it only to medium rare or medium (it will cook a little more when added the dressing). When cooked, let the steak stand for 5 minutes and then cut into thin strips. Add the steak to the simmering dressing, let it cook for two minutes and then turn off heat and leave it while you prepare the salad.

Toss the arugula, sugar peas and  parmesan shavings together and place on a plate - then add the steak and dressing. Serve and enjoy :)

We were benched!

The game was afoot - we were following some unusual scent, weaving in and out of the bushes, up and down hills, over creeks and under bridges - BUT - Phew - it was so hot that even though we go out early we often have to stop and have a rest. Mom called a time out and said we needed to benched from the game for a few minutes - so how handy it was to actually find a nice bench to rest on before going on and exploring some more :)

Allergies and second chances

As many of you know - I the Reilly dog suffer from many allergies - when I had a patch test done by a dermatologist Vet in Memphis I tested as severe reaction to 98 out of the 100 irritants.  We have tried many different medicines, shampoos, food and diet restrictions but the only thing that helped was Depo Medrol Shots which I was getting once a month and then every two weeks. My allergies did ease up a little when we moved to Florida and I was able to go back to once a month shots. (Note - Mom never liked using these shots as there are other medical issues it can cause but scratching myself raw also wasn't an option as I was getting constant skin infections). When I had by foot surgeries though I wasn't allowed to have the Depo Medrol shots (it suppresses the immune system and that is not a good thing when you have surgery) and our vet decided to give Apoquel another go. We had tried it for 3 months when we lived in Arkansas but it didn't help at all.  Whether is different allergens here in Florida or maybe the climate is helping - we don't know - but the Apoquel is working awesomely now and not only has my scratching stopped - but my fur is growing back ! It has been a long time since I had my big old ruff around the neck - but look at it now.  So don't give up - even if you have tried something before and it didn't work - maybe look at giving it a second go.

Flower Friday 3

Today we thought we would share one of the giant hibiscus flowers we found over at MY Cowspotdog (Jacksonville) Arboretum and Gardens - it was HUGE!  This would freak our Dad out as he is highly allergic to hibiscus - something he found out while living in Hawaii during his Navy days.

Recycling old into new.

With the hot summer weather it is often cooler to go walking through the shady woods than on the beach and we must admit it is nice to be able to rest by the lake and not be in the blazing sun :) Today we were checking out the metal sculptures that are scattered MY arboretum gardens - this one was made out of old recycled farming equipment.

My Stylish Elbow Protector

Now as some of may know I am a total "HE" dog and refuse to sleep on any doggie beds, furniture and anything soft. I just love the cold tiles - no matter what the time of year and when I am outside I like to bask on the concrete patio. Over the years this has caused my elbows to become calloused (they even have a special name for it - hygromas) and the left one in particular has got pretty bad. Mom has tried all kinds of ointments and such to help soften it or harden it but none have really worked. With my recent foot issues I have been laying on it more heavily and it has become very sore....... so Dad went on line and after much searching found me this stylish doggie elbow protector. It is made from neoprene so it is very soft and flexible and also allows my skin to breath which Mom says is important. We had read that it is hard to keep the elbow area covered and many such protectors tend to slip down but this works like a charm and I am having no issues with it at all. Best of all - it arrived just in time for my birthday yesterday and I have been wearing it ever since (Mom does take it off every few hours just to give me a break from it ) but I must say I am finding it very comfortable.

Happy Birthday To ME !!!

On this very day - 9 years ago I was born in Desoto, Wisconsin!  We celebrated my birthday by going to the Jacksonville Cowspotdog Arboretum and Gardens for a nice walkies and then went to PetSmart to get some birthday goodies. After that we went to Woofgang Barkery to get me a Birthday Pupcake! I would of shown you but I scarfed it down before Mom could even get the camera ready :) 

Bark Ranger Duties

I have so many places to visit in order to catch up on my Bark Ranger Duties - so today we headed over to my Jacksonville Cowspotdog Arboretum Gardens. I am happy to report my volunteer gardeners have been hard at work and the gardens are looking wonderful. Mom was a bit disappointed though ....as she was hoping to see the water lilies in bloom but yet again we seem to have missed them. We did the lake loop today -which means there are 5 more trail loops I have to check on - a Bark Rangers Duties are never ending :)

I went galumphing!

Yes friends - today I did my first real galumphing since my foot saga began. I got to the bottom of the boardwalk and with a couple of woofs and a big smile I was off and running - the wind was blowing through my furs, the sand was flying behind me and my feet were a dancing across the beach - it felt sooooooo good. It made the Mom smile and laugh big time to see me galumphing again.

As luck would have it - we arrived at the breakwater just as the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS-6) was coming back into dock. It has been moored at Mayport for the last few months  doing some sea trials. This ship is referred to as a stealth ship because of its unique design and it underwent the first of three shock trials in waters off Florida on 16 June 2016. A charge of 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) was set off at around 100 yards (91 m) with the ship wired with around 260 instruments to record the effects. I must point out I was feeling so happy I stood on the rocks and barked at this ship when it went by and the guys on board waved back at me - how cool was that!

Now something else you may notice weird in the photos is the sky - the pics were all taken within moments of each other - but looking to the east the sky was dark and cloudy and then a simple turn to the west is was bright and sunny - gotta love Florida weather :)

Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday - a day to look past the black and white of world and see all the shades of brown :)

We are sending our POTP to Miss Ruby the Airedale in California - we hear she was at the ER Vets. Keep your paws in prayer for her.

Flower Friday 2

One of Mom's most favorite flowers - the Oriental Lily - this one was called "Stargazer" and has the most beautiful perfume - especially at sunrise and sunset.

Rock Sitting

Not only does the breakwater provide a safe passage for boats and block the wind but the big old rocks are so nice and cool to lay on after a walk along the beach :)

They're Back !!!!

The last few days we have been finding lots of those funny prehistoric looking horseshoe crabs washed up on the shore and this one in particular was HUGE !!!!  Now the breeding season (which is when they wash up the most) for them here in Florida is Spring and Fall so it is a bit odd to see so many of washing up in the middle of Summer. We also noticed that this year there are hardly any turtle nests and we are wondering if it because it has been sooooo hot here in Florida (in the past 6 weeks it hasn't gone below 90 degrees) Now - just a bit of usless trivia for you all - did you know horseshoe crabs are not related to crabs at all and are in fact related to spiders and scorpions. People use to think their tails were dangerous but in fact they are simply used to help the crabs flip themselves over if they end up on their backs. http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/crustaceans/horseshoe-crabs/facts/ Did you also know they have blue colored blood and it is used for medicinal purposes to assist in clotting blood - sadly this also led to huge decrease in their population? http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/how-horseshoe-crab-blood-saves-millions-lives   Of coarse the thing we really love is that they smell so awesome after a day or two baking in the 90-100 degree sun  - but for some reason Mom wouldn't let us roll on them - she is just no fun at all :)   And just to make you all jelly - we thought we would share a pic of the beach today - it was so calm and we had it all to ourselves !!!!

Cowspotcat

Mom was having a chuckle when she spotted this guy sitting of the rocks just a few feet from where we were sitting - personally I don't see any likeness at all - it is a C.A.T after all and we all know I don't like cats!

There are about 20 or so feral cat that live on the Mayport base over near the breakwater. A lot of people that fish from there give the cats fish they don't want so they are all well fed (we have also seen a lady that takes a bag of cat food out and feed them on weekends). There is also a RV park across the road so they have plenty of water and shade. We have seen 4 cats that have this cowspot pattern and it is almost identical on all of them.

Kon'nichiwa, irasshai (Hello and Welcome)

Come on Mom - we have to hurry to see the ships!

This week MY Mayport Navy base is hosting 3 Japanese Navy ships and today we were lucky enough to see 2 of them (the JDS Seto Yuki and the JDS Kashima) as they were leaving to do some sea trials.

The 3 ships that are visiting include two training vessels, Hatsuki-class destroyers JDS Seto Yuki (TV 3518) and JDS Kashima (TV 3508), as well as Asagiri-class destroyer JS Asagiri (DD 151). They will conduct 16 port visits in 13 different countries. The squadron is crewed by over 750 Japanese sailors and 190 newly-commissioned ensigns, and is commanded by Rear Adm. Hidetoshi Iwasaki. Since departing Tokyo May 20, the JMSDF Training Squadron has visited Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and Panama City prior to their arrival in Mayport.

JDS Seto Yuki (TV 3518)

JDS Kashima (TV 3508)

The Rare Blue Turtle

So there we were this morning doing our beach patrol when all of sudden I saw it - I barked at it and Mom came over to see what it was. She smiled and told me it was a very rare baby blue turtle - otherwise known as "Blueish Plasticus Testudines (that means sea turtle)". Now Florida law says you must not touch or tamper with sea turtles so we left him on the beach and as the tide was coming in - we know he will soon be traveling the ocean waves - we wonder where he will turn up next?

Just as a side note - my foot is now completely healed - woo hoo! I just have to build up some more muscle in my leg and I will be back to galumphing in no time.

Flower Friday 1

Sadly we don't have any flowers at our house in Florida but at our old house in Arkansas Mom planted flowering plants every where - here I am sitting in the Azalea patch - the pinks ones flowered first and then a few weeks later the white one would flower. Mom misses her old garden.

Wordless Wednesday

Cheeky Bugger

We got to go walkies on MY beach and I am happy to report it has been 5 days now since I had any bleeding from my foot.  I am still not back to 100% yet as I lost a lot of muscle tone while my foot was in the splint - but those little daily walks to the end of the street and back with Mom are helping me get it back. Mom says I will be galumphing again in no time. Of coarse Mom wanted to get some nice pictures of us at the beach but the Dweeb was being a cheeky bugger (as Mom calls him) and making all funny faces. He was worried the waves were getting to close :)

Happy 4th of July

Hoping everyone has a safe and QUIET (not very likely) 4th of July

Strolling

Paws crossed - my foot hasn't bled for the last two days and Mom and I have been enjoying little strolls to the end of our street and back - we call it our 'special time'  (Dweeb doesn't come because he is scared of cars, trash cans, letter boxes  and basically anything that is different). It is so nice to get out and sniff about what is going on in the world. And don't worry - Mom takes Dweeb to the beach - he can walk there with nothing scaring him - unless some people come close by :)