fun at the lake house

On saturday after getting our hair cut, we headed over to Dan’s father’s lake house for a couple hours. It is a small house which in the process of being fixed up. it is located in a great spot on a nice small lake about 25 minutes from our house. We spent a few hours swimming, laying on the dock and enjoying the afternoon. the best part about it is that it has it’s own private dock and water access, which means it’s nice and quiet and that bruno can join us. bruno practiced jumping into the water. he also tried to swim to the middle of the lake trying to get the ducks.  we took the electric boat out for short ride. we went out to a little island in the lake. bruno enjoyed the ride, but i think he prefered to be in the water! he liked being the “captian” and catching the breeze by standing on the stern. but also loved sitting next to mom for safety. it was a nice day and we were all tired.

sunday, today we went for a short hike which is always a great time.

DOCK DOGS!!!!

FROM BRUNO:

Mom and Dad took me to this GREAT place today. My friend Bella was there too. There were lots of dogs and there was a pool. WOOO HOOOO!!!!, i LOVE to swim and i love to swim with Bella. I was SOOOOO excited to be there and take part in the events. well, we started out slow. mom and dad took me up onto this big dock. I watched what Bella did and boy did it look fun! i was pulling and barking cause i wanted to go too. well my turn came and i couldnt contain myself. mom had a favorite toy of mine. i wanted it SO bad…. mom threw it in the pool. woo hooooo i get to run and go after it. well NOT soooooo fast. there was a big drop between the dock and the water where my toy was. YEAH RIGHT!!!!!! im NOT jumping in. So i barked and talked to my toy, telling EVERYONE what i thought. Bella’s dad suggest i “cheat” and take the stairs. so i did and i got my toy.

We tried again. I was still VERY excited, but like a good boy i sat and waited till mom said “GO” and threw my toy. I thought this time around i would try to jump, i really wanted to get my toy. i was leaning off the edge getting ready to jump and with a gentle nudge i jumped into the pool.

and……. 3rd time around I jumped in MYSELF!!!!!! oh boy what fun that was. when i jumped everyone cheered for me. I felt so good about myself for jumping off the dock. the more “turns” we got the more confident i got.

then it was time for the “real” thing, well it was just a “fun jump”, but….. they were measuring and dogs took “places”. i jumped 3ft 6inches the 1st time and then 4ft 2inches the second time. AGAIN everyone was cheering for me. Afterwards i got to share all my excitement with Bella.  Although 4 ft is good for a 1st timer, the dogs today were jumping up to 18ft.

im SOOOOOO proud of myself for jumping off the dock! I can’t believe i jumped! i can’t wait to go back. it’s all so exciting and mom gets all excited with me, i can’t get enough. One of the more veteran ladies said that I have potential, she even gave mom some pointers. I am not sure what word she used to describe me exactly, maybe it was “spring”. i LOVE to jump and i can jump high and far(but we all knew that), i love to fetch, i LOVE to swim…. so maybe with some training maybe i will become better, but the only thing i care about is having fun.

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF ME GOING OFF THE DOCK MYSELF FOR THE FIRST TIME

 

SEE, I even got a ribbon! i came in 14th place beating one dog!

 And, me working on jumping

 I wouldnt be my “true” self if i didnt try to come up with my own “hound” way of doing things. here i am still learning…..

And my friend Bella

videos of my agile dog…

The pool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo-j_KjnY-M

Climbing the tree in Vermont

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGMLX6FZ2eg

Crunchy Brownies

I cannot take credit for creating this recipe. A friend suggested it, but they have become a favorite with family and friends. You can modify the amount of marshmellow, chocolate chips, peanut butter and rice cereal to your taste. I dont use a lot of marshmellow cause i dont really like marshmellow. I put in extra rice cereal and peanut butter( a few less chocolate chips) because i like it that way. Oh and i love freezing them and eating them right out of the freezer!
 
Ingredients
-Brownie Mix(boxed or from scratch)
-2 1/2 cups of marshmellow
-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips-melted
-1 cup creamy peanut putter-melted
- 2 cups rice cereal
 
-Make brownies in a greased pan as your normally would. i used a 13×9inch glass pan.
-While brownies are cooking melt the chocolate and peanut butter, set aside but make sure it’s a little warm and liquid like
-When the brownies are done cover with marshmellows
-Put the pan back in the oven until the marshmellows get warm and soft, it only takes a few minutes so keep an eye on it
-Stir rice cereal into the peanut butter and chocolate mix then spread over the brownies with marshmellows
-put in the fridge to cool and harden
-cut into pieces when cooled and the chocolate/peanut butter/cereal mixture on top is hard.
 
 

Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss

Figured i would add this to my blog. when i make it i use chicken sausage. when i use fresh mozzarella cheese, it comes out fabulous. If i use regular mozzarella i buy the block and cube it. i have made it without the cheese and it comes out great too.i typically make it with medium shells or the short ziti(i forget the proper italian name) but any pasta like penne, ziti, bowties would work. 

 
Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss
Prep Time:
5 min
Total Time:
20 min
Makes:
6 servings, 1 cup each
2 cups rotini or penne pasta, uncooked
1/2 lb.  hot or mild Italian sausage, casing removed
1 pkg. (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp.  KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, crumble meat into large deep skillet. Cook on medium-high heat 10 to 12 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally; drain. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook 2 min. or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.
DRAIN pasta. Add to skillet along with the cheeses; toss lightly

Busy, Busy, Busy

Boy things have been VERY busy. Last weekend the weather was REALLY hot. Amanda went to see a dog show and Dan’s band had show. We both survived a very hot day outside. Later in the evening we went to go see “Movin Out” which is a musical with Billy Joel Music. We had a GREAT time.

This past weekend “Father’s Day Weekend” we made a quick trip up to see amanda’s dad on friday night. We had a nice time celebrating his birthday and father’s day a couple days early. We spent some time by the pool which is always fun. Bruno had a blast as usual and came home VERY tired. If i have a chance I will post the video of him going into and out of the pool(his way), LOL. We started out sunday, father’s day with a nice hike and then spent time with Dan’s family. The past few weekends have been fun, but very busy.

enjoying the dog days of summer

What a fun weekend. Dan went away fishing with his dad and some other guys in the family. I headed to see my family.  I stayed with my mom friday night and we had a great time going to dinner and chatting.  At dinner we split a monte cristo sandwich! it was SOOO good. neither of us have had one of those in a LONG time. Then I took bruno to meet up with a friend and her dog. We went to this great place that is a huge off leash dog park. The dogs can even go swimming in the ocean. After a little bit I let bruno off leash. i was a bit nervous because of his past history of taking off but he did fine for the most part. i think bruno has a thing for auntie emily and her canine cousin Mazzie. Bruno does so well off leash when we all hang out. Auntie Emily gives him LOTS of praise with an occasional treat. and well Maz she is just beautiful and mellow, she isnt a crazy pup like bruno. 

Then is was off to my dad’s house. Bruno loves it there.  We relaxed a bit and then went out to dinner at a favorite local restaurant. Sunday, bruno had his first trip into the pool for this year. he had a great time swimming and playing fetch. I was trying to teach him to jump in…but we will have to work more on that next time when the water is warm enough for MY liking. Just…… as i packed the car and went to get bruno from the yard to head home. I noticed him on the OTHER SIDE of the fence. he snuck into the garage when the door was open and then nudged the other door open. he went on a little  adventure thru the woods. he gave me a bit of a scare(well a big scare because he wouldnt come back when i called him and i lost sight of him). well he ended up returning to the yard. YEAHHHHHH he knew to come back

it was another nice weekend and the weather was awesome.