Alligator in the Kitchen

Everything was in order this afternoon when Susan and I left to go see Julie and Julia, but when we came home, the first thing we saw when we opened the door was an alligator in the kitchen. Mind you, it was a small alligator, but even so it did cause us to pause for just a second. As it turns out, the alligator was not the only interesting item on the kitchen floor. Apparently, Tillie was entertaining herself by pulling magnets off the refrigerator. I can just imagine what Toby must have been thinking.

The good news - she didn't eat any of them, or at least any that we have noticed are missing.

Tillie's Laundry Basket

Tillie has two very nice beds, one in the front room, and her crate in Susan's bedroom. But when she gets tired, she climbs into the laundry basket. The basket sits in the main bathroom and the first time Tillie climbed in to take a nap we couldn't find her. Now, the first place we look for her is in the basket. This time she is sleeping with one of her toys.

Wenatchee National Forest

Susan and I went into the Wenatchee National Forest yesterday to locate a cache hidden near the Soda Springs trail head. On the way up, we stopped and had breakfast at the Restaurant at Squaw Rock. We shared a breakfast pizza that was fantastic. We are going to go back and try a Weazil the next time we are in the area.
As we approached the coordinates, we parked at a nearby camping area, then crossed this bridge to reach the beginning of the trail.

Just a short distance down the trail we came upon Soda Springs, shown below.

We had a difficult time locating the cache as the GPS unit kept turning off due to the extensive tree cover. We ended up locating the cache based on the hints provided by the owner, instead of from the coordinates.
It was just wonderful being in the forest for half the day. I even found one huckleberry! On the way home we stopped at Gold Creek and went into the restaurant for something to drink. They have a wonderful area in the back of the building with a waterfall, pond and numberus bird feeders. There were chipmucks everywhere. They even provided binoculars and a bird book in the restaurant.

Big and Little Cows Ear

Since the day we brought Tillie home, we have been giving her a cows ear to chew on. Toby chewed on these when he was a puppy and every once in awhile he still likes to have one. Toby had been very patient, watching Tillie chew on "his" cows ear until yesterday when he had enough and took the ear away from Tillie. She tried her best to get him to relinquish the ear to no avail. This morning I decided it was time that they each had an ear to chew on. So far, so good. They even trade ears and keep right on chewing.

Toby and Tillie Playing

It may have taken him 19 days, but Toby finally started playing tug-a-war with Tillie. Secretly, I believe he really likes her, but he doesn't want her to know that. One clue is that he comes running when she cries to make sure she is OK.

I took this picture last Friday evening on August 21. Mom and Dad arrived Friday afternoon, and when Susan came home from work Toby was ready to play tug-a-war. Maybe he was just showing off for Grandma and Grandpa. Mom and Dad went home this morning so we'll see what happens when Susan comes home today.

Tillie Hiding

It is amazing how fast Tillie can find a place to hide. We had just come in from outside and I went to look out the front door to see if the mail had arrived. When I turned around, I could not find her.

I called her, of course, but she still doesn't come every time. If you look closely at the bottom corner of the dresser, you can see the white on the top of her head.

I moved the shoes and was getting ready to move the crate for a better picture and she popped her head up. She blends right in with the stuffed bear, which by the way she really likes.

Geocaching

We went Geocaching again this morning and found the cache within seconds of locating the coordinates.

Not only did we find it quickly, but the cache was only 1.2 miles from home. The owner had cleverly hidden the cache inside a sign for a local business.

Farm Expo

Yesterday Susan and I went to the 28Th Anniversary of the Central Washington Farm Expo.

The expo is held at the Agricultural Museum in Union Gap.

This belt driven saw was fun to watch as it cut the end of the log at left. The entire saw took up too much ground to get it all in one shot. The people running this exhibit were also making home made ice cream in an old ice cream maker and selling it. Since we already bought Kettle Korn, we didn't get any ice cream.

I have never seen a collection of old wagons like they had at this exhibit.

This is a 1918 Avery Tracker. They were actually having a contest to name the ugliest tractor at the expo.

The collection of tractors was amazing!

Band of the Golden West

Tonight there was a special concert at Franklin Park. The Band of the Golden West performed. The United States Air Force band is stationed in the San Francisco area at Travis Air Force Base. This is the only active duty Air Force band west of the Rockies. The band is comprised of 47 musicians under the command of Major Keith H. Bland. In addition to performing for civilian communities throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, the band supports 10 Air Force Bases, 5 Air Force Reserve Wings and 5 recruiting squadrons in over 500 annual performances for 1.5 million listeners.

The bands history dates back to 1941, but has had its current name since May 1, 1997. The soloist tonight was Senior Airman Pamela McKenzie. She has an excellent voice and clearly enjoyed performing a number of songs.

The bands last two performances were in Suisun City, California on August 8, and in Snoqualmie, WA last evening. Tomorrow they will perform in Ellensburg at Memorial Park.

Tillie's Reflection

It is so very cute watching puppies learn about their environment. Tillie spotted her reflection in the doors of the TV cabinet and entertained us for quite awhile.

Tillie also went into her crate (with the door open) willingly and slept yesterday for the first time. Toby ran around the house and let Tillie chase him yesterday but he still will not play tug-a-war with her. Last night, Toby even relaxed in his bed in the front room with us for the first time since we brought Tillie home.

Tillie's First 5 Days

Tillie is very busy getting to know her new house and toys. She has taken a liking to Awful Mad Kitty and even though Kitty is almost bigger than she is, Tillie can pull Kitty around the house. As you can see, she is very fond of chewing on Kitty's ear. Tillie is very fond of chewing on everything at this stage. She doesn't know yet what to think about the noise from the squeaky toys. Sometimes she just looks at the toy, tipping her head with a curious look on her face and sometimes she barks and runs away. She is darling to watch.

Tillie plays and plays and then just crashes. If she doesn't have a lap available, her favorite places include a pillow, the carpet or her crate. She also has a towel she is quite fond of, both for chewing and for relaxing.

Tillie and her Mama relaxing at the end of a very busy day.

Toby is starting to come around. He is eating and drinking again, and he is getting closer to Tillie all the time, but he hasn't started playing yet.

Tillie on the Ferry

We picked up our new puppy, Tillie, on Sunday in Poulsbo. We have learned that she doesn't get car sick or sea sick, and is very curious about everything.

Stonehenge & Maryhill Museum of Art

On Saturday August 1, Susan and I visited Stonehenge and the Maryhill Museum of Art.

Stonehenge was the first monument in our nation to honor military personnel who gave their lives in World War 1. It also serves as a reminder of the works of Samuel Hill who established a townsite here, with a post office, hotel, general store, nearly 10 miles of experimental paved roads and the Maryhill Museum located three miles to the west - all on his own land. Sam Hill's tomb is located here on the opposite side of the monument.

The design duplicates the size and original form of England's famous Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. At this site, the altar stone was dedicated on July 4, 1918. The full structure was completed and dedicated on May 30, 1929.

From inside the monument, the Columbia River is seen in the distance and you can barely make out the bridge that crosses the river into Biggs, Oregon.

Since we were so close to the John Day Dam, we also found a cache located on the hills above the dam.

The Maryhill Museum was originally planned as a private residence for entrepreneur Sam Hill. In 1907 he purchased over 5,000 acres of land along the Columbia River to start an agricultural community. He named the new ranchlands project after his daughter, Mary, and started construction in 1914.

When the planned farm community didn't work out, Lois Fuller convinced Hill to convert his unfinished house into an art museum. The museum was dedicated in 1926.

There are about 100 chess sets on exhibit representing the many countries, cultures and periods in which chess has been played.

Maryhill's Outdoor Sculpture Invitational has become one of the premier venues for Northwest artists who create and exhibit large-scale art. The dramatic and rugged setting, with fantastic views of the Columbia River Gorge provides a unique environment for visitors to experience these diverse works. The 2009 Invitational features a number of works from Northwest sculptors.