Turkey Pick Up!

Here is a brief disclaimer - I have been trying to write and publish this post for HOURS, but as Blogger is an archaic piece of #$%& it keeps insisting the everything is centered. EVERYTHING IS NOT. I let you be the judge. Anyhow, I decided just to post it anyhow rather than throwing my computer against the wall, but that is why the layout is all a (NON CENTERED!!! mess. UGHHHHHHHHH)
Sigh. Here you go...

Now, some of you may remember this picture of a dismayed Bean showing off a turkey farm picture from The New York times...

 

 

Indeed Bean! Yucky!

 

We, on the other hand, feel fortunate to have a friend who is raising very happy turkeys at Castleberry Heritage Turkeys!

 

 

I have to be honest and say that this is not OUR turkey, Giblet, who was perhaps camera shy, but this is one of their fine specimens.

 

(Also - from here on out I can't get the layout right because Blogger is an archaic piece of %$*&. So sorry...)

 

So! Last Saturday we packed up the car and headed on a mini road trip to retrieve Giblet (we do not really like to think so much about the part where he had been butchered the day before, EEP!).

 

Frank, as you can see, is feeling rather put out that he was made (briefly) to ride in the back seat...

 

However, his dismay turned to jollity when we arrived at the farm!

 

(Oh Frank, but you are not a turkey! What if someone took you home and roasted you!?!)

 

 

The pugs met a new friend, Donna (the shih tzu, the human is Ginger Castleberry herself, who raised our delicious dinner AND is one of the more delightful, sassy, and smart people one might be fortunate to call a friend... but the pugs already knew her). 

Plus, in addition to hot cider for the humans, there were treats for all canine visitors!

 

AND it was so very beautiful!

 

Frank and Bean (naughty Bean, who I am rather dismayed to say is perched up there proudly after having sniffed out something less than savory, at least to humans, from the previous day's butchering activities... his inner wolf came out and tracked it!) are posing here in front of Whitehorse Mountain, which has the lowest elevation year-round glacier in the lower 48.

OH Frank! Fascinating! We DO enjoy and educational fact.

 

In a disclaimer, I must admit that we have not yet enjoyed Giblet, he is going to be eaten for Christmas because we flew to Colorado for  Thanksgiving, which is why this post is so very delayed!

Happy belated Thanksgiving from  Frank & Bean!

 

TRAGEDY!!

People. 

Tragedy has struck.

I can't find the cow costume.  

I CANT FIND THE COW COSTUME!

How is this possible?!?

I'm wondering if Bean took it out and buried it.

Fall

 

Fall has arrived! 

Even here in the Pacific Northwest where the leaves can be a little soggy, we have started to wake up to that crispy smell in the air. And what better way to celebrate than to go for a delightful morning stroll?!

 

 

Frank. I see you specifically NOT making one eyed eye contact...

Frank does not enjoy a cool morning, but Frank! There is no need to fear the brisk morning air! The trick, of course, is to appropriately prepare and accessorize!

 

First, we add our cozy muumuu!

 

 

We love the muumuu hoodie ever so much because of its snuggly, warm nature, however we DO occasionally fear offending the fashion gods due to the black and brown contrast conundrum.

 

Next, we warm up our favorite pug heating pad and tuck in snugly into the stroller.

 

 

 (Frank only walks half way due do a bit of arthritis in his mature and well used elbow.)

 

 

Finally, add one pug and a small dose of sunshine and voilà!

 

 

A fine recipe for a perfect fall stroll!

 

Oh, and yes Bean was along for the walk, but he trots alongside in a rather more dog like manner. He likes to believe that he is rather low maintenance... For a pug.

Well, this picture just rolled in from the pug sitter... Hmm.

Road Trip, Day #2

Day #2 at the Westport Whale! Delightful.

 

In the morning we wandered out to find beach #2, we were going to try one that apparently has fascination tide pools, but found this was the path:

 

Ummmmm no. 

I am all for an adventure but NOT more eye pokes for Frank!!

It was rather steep and there were quite a lot of blackberry bushes crossing the path, so we vetoed that in favor for one another block or so down.

 

This path was much better!

 

 

Go Bean, go!

 

Frank got a ride in his sling (it's not coddling if there is a steep drop below the stairs!),

and much frisking and frolicking ensued...

 

Happy Bean #1 - Fetching

 

Happy Bean #2 - Digging

 

Happy Bean #3 - Being delighted and adorable

 

It was also lovely because it was a bit grey and so no pugs overheated!

 

Upon arrival home, Bean boldly dissected his new favorite ball in order to remove the squeaker, and Frank strove, nobly but in vain, to keep his one eye open.

 

 

Indeed Frank! Vacation IS exhausting.

We were back just before it started to rain, yes RAIN (yay for poor California, I will try to bring it with me to Seattle) and were "forced" to settle in for a nap listening to the rain and the ocean.

 

(Yes, that is a lump of pugs under the covers)

 

The day concluded with some fresh fish (sold to stores right off of the boat down the road it Ft. Bragg).

I bought some for myself but it seemed only fair to also get a small filet for the furry handsomes as well.

 

 

Any guesses on how long it took for them to eat it all up?

6 seconds for  Bean.

                7 seconds for Frank.

Oh Frank! If only every day could be a vacation with you and your happy helper!

 

Road Trip! Day #1

 Well, the time has come to pack up our bags in the Bay Area and head up north, where we are dismayed that people are arriving in DROVES and fear it is turning into the new Bay Area. Frank & Bean are displeased by this turn of events.

 

As it has been a while since the pugs and I have had much of a break, we decided to wind our way up the Pacific Coast. Delightful! Our first stop was in at the Anderson Valley Brewery which makes the most delicious Boon't Amber Ale as well as Summer and Winter Solstice. Frank and I have enjoyed these beers for years and so were delighted to find that the brewery was right on the road to our first night's stop!

 

A new reason to like Anderson Valley Brewery? The ENTIRE facility is dog friendly. Well, maybe not the tours, I didn't ask, but the rest of it! Including the Tap Room and the Beer Garden!

We were so delighted that we made several purchases, displayed here by F&B:

 

 

Sadly I did not enjoy any sampling from the tap room as drinking and driving is not acceptable and I had precious pug cargo in the car to boot!

 

After the brewery, we headed to our first (and second actually) night's lodging in Westport, at an Airbnb that marketed itself as "Artists Oceanside House with Whale."

Hmm.

We were skeptical to say the least. Turns out there was no need! It is so very delightful; beautiful, quirky, clean, and comfortable! 

 

As far as the whale:

 

 

Now, to be fair, it may not look like much now, but from what I understand the ENTIRE thing is going to be mosaicked and I think quite fantastic. I would like to return to see it, and I think we will!

 

In addition, there are rather a lot of whales inside...

 

 

Frank, quit whispering to Bean.

 

 

 (We love that picture right above Frank, the tragedy of the whale ship Essex anyone?)

 

But! All of those small pictures that you see? Those are pieces of art made by guests! The owner leaves art supplies and paper and then frames them for the wall!

Delightful!

We wonder if ours will make the cut....

 

 

The view from the house, WITH a fenced in pug yard!

 

 

And within about 6 blocks, 3, yes 3! dog friendly beaches. We tried this one:

 

 

Frank was a bit dismayed about the copious amount of stairs, but I have been told not to coddle him so he boldly traversed the terrain on his own (I mean, with many verbal cues, but still!)

 

 

Oh BEAN! How picturesque you are there on that logt!

 

 

There was so much frolicking that we tuckered ourselves out and into a needed restful cuddle on the porch, watching the ocean and feeling RATHER content.

 

 

And after a little dinner and one of the delicious beers from the brewery visit, we were ready for a somewhat early bedtime.

 

Oh what's that Frank & Bean?

 

You are ever so exhausted from your day of travels that you can't possibly give up even one of those 7 pillows?

 

 

Oh my.

Yep, it is a rough life indeed for Frank & Bean.

 

Day 1 down!

San Francisco, The Good & The Bad Summer Time Edition... #2

Well, we have been a BIT delinquent on our San Francisco the Good & Bad posts because it turns out this little summer time stint was actually pretty delightful! And really, it just isn't as fun when there isn't something to fume about a bit!

 

So here we go with the Good:

 

Our dog walker in the East Bay. Penny.

We love her, and by love I mean the pugs go berserk when she arrives and then hide in her car when she drops them off so that they don't have to leave her. My sister and Penny literally had to corner Bean in the car one day to capture him. She has been taking the boys since 2011 and here is a snippet of the kind of delight they find in a day with her...

 

First there is the pick up, and I know you all might be concerned that Frank & Bean could suffer from having to be caged in the back of a doggie day care van...

 

 

Nope! Front seat it is!

 

And where might our handsome friends be going? For a simple walk around the park?

 

 

Heavens NO! Point Isabel Dog Park? Yes please!

While here the pack not only gets to swim but also usually gets to split a hot dog (all cut up for pups) from the dog/human snack stand.

 

Oh boys, delicious!

 

And of course I am certain that everyone is worried about wee Frank keeping up with the pack with his limited eye sight and arthritis...

No need!

 

 

What's that Frank?

 

 

Indeed! You are a very lucky pup. 

Thank you Penny for all of your love and care!

 

Now, for the bad (which also has a good silver lining, but that lining actually comes from Seattle)...

 

 

What you may not be able to see here is a wee bit of grey area on Frank's eye. Frank CAN NOT seem to come to SF and not poke his eye. I feel it is in protest. I watch him like a hawk, and I literally can never figure out how. It's hard having an eyeball that sticks out and can't really see so well!

 

At any rate, he poked his eye and we do not have his eye angel, Dr. Sullivan here to see him. So, we went to the emergency vet in Berkeley, and then we went back to their ophthalmologist, who we did NOT enjoy or trust. (We seem to have had NOT great luck with specialists here, but we do enjoy Dr. Hollenback at Broadway Pet Hospital for every day!)

This was followed by frantic communication and picture sending with Dr. Sullivan at the Animal Eye Clinic in Seattle, who literally swooped in and called in and saved the day, and the eye. Yet again. Twice, he called in two different prescriptions on two different days to two different pharmacies in SF/Oakland, while also saving the eyes of the pets of Seattle as well as their friends at the zoo and the aquarium and who even knows where else.

We pretty much think he is the best thing ever.

 

Oh Frank!! Who is so very lucky to have such wonderful humans in their life!!

San Francisco, The Good & the Bad Summer Time Edition!

Yep! That's right Frank & Bean fans! We are back in SF for a couple of months! It must be said that staying for 2 months is far less daunting than last fall's 5 month stint, and because we are staying with the pugs cousin Gussie for free during June, we were able to find some delightful accommodations in the city for the rest of the time which we otherwise may not have been able to afford!

 

So, here we go!
 

Starting with the good:

 

We are 1, 1! block away from the delightful Duboce Triangle Off Leash Area. Oh BEAN!!! The open field! The frisking and frolicking with your frisbee! And unlike the closest park last year, this one is MOSTLY beer cap, cigarette butt, joint butt free! Even after a weekend of sun. We aren't saying that folks should not have fun and fill themselves with delight, but, well, this is a bit more to our taste - bottle caps do not feel good on a sensitive pug paw!

 

The Bad:

 

Yes Frank and Bean, you should look perplexed. And yes you did hear me correctly when I revealed that this teeny, tiny, luke warm orange juice purchased from the café across the street from your lovely dog park was INDEED $6.50. Totally reasonable to the humans here it would appear...

 

Oh Frank & Bean! Such adventures to be had!

Sniff N' Slurp

I'm pretty sure this post doesn't need any explanation beyond it's title...

( We recommend turning your volume up :) )

 



Yep. Sniff. And. SLURP.

 

Bean! You are so very loud when enjoying a delicious treat!
 

 ( I'm sad to say that after watching this through the blog, blogger does not do a good job transferring the sound.... :( )

Definined by Frank!



At work we have a lovely pictorial dictionary which comes in very handy when you are trying to figure out the difference, say, between a saber and an epee... sometimes a picture just offers clarity that words alone cannot.

So! In the spirit of being helpful Frank likes to, every so often, pictorially assist in defining a word!

Today's word is: coordinate (in regards to articles of clothing, furniture and the like...):

 

 

 

Here we see Frank ever so stylishly leaving his tongue out in order to coordinate the design of the bedroom. Note how it matches the comforter and pillowcases almost perfectly while ALSO tying together the furry black accents. We also feel that the jaunty angle of the tongue pictured here gives a lovely nod to nonconformity... which we will have to define in another post.

Oh yes Frank, very helpful indeed!

BETTER than Fiction!!

Every so often in life, two of the best things EVER combine and you can barely believe your great fortune at being alive to experience such rapturous delight... allow me to paint the scene:

 

Imagine that you are returning from a long day at work where you have been missing your pugs. After greeting your small furry beasts you proceed to the mail box to see if anything delightful may have arrived, and in fact you DO discover a rather unadorned package from an address which you do not immediately recognize. For a brief moment you wonder if perhaps it is from the unabomber before remembering that A) he is locked up in supermax somewhere in Colorado and B) it is MUCH more pleasant to think about someone sending you something lovely rather than imagining that someone sent you a bomb. Or anthrax.

So, with the reasoning behind letter B) in mind, I ripped that package right open! There could have been NO preparation for what I found...

 

 

 

NOOOOOOOO WAAAAYYYY!!! WHAT?!!!!

HARIBO GUMMYS + PUGS!?!?!!!!!

PEOPLE!!! These are actually real!!!

Move over PB&J, ice cream & pie, Sex and the City & wine! The planet has a NEW best combination ever!!! (after Frank & Bean of course).

As you might have guessed Möpse is German for pug, or actually pugs, plural, I believe...

 

Ever so many thanks to our amazing friend Daphne who could not possibly have anticipated (actually she probably could) the extreme amount of joy that was felt in our hearts. I did promise one Möpse each to F&B who are quite fond of a gummy IF I can ever bring myself to open them.

 

 

Indeed Frank, it IS absolutely and unbelievably delightful!

We would like to give whomever brought this combination together a lick and a wag.

 

(Oh, Bean didn't want to feel left out of the photos and festivities...)

  

 

 

 

The Easter Pug

Frank would like to audition for the role of Easter Bunny. Actually, he would like to replace the Easter Bunny as the Easter Pug... just LOOK at  how fine he looks in a pastel ribbon!

Now if I could just get him to carry a basket...it's hard with such a wee squishy faced muzzle!

 

 

Happy Belated Easter!

 

 

 

Girl Scouts

Frank and Bean are perplexed.
 

And dismayed.

 

How is it possible that first, a year or two ago, the Thin Mint boxes shrunk and NOW, this year, the tubes of cookies don't even span the length of the new teeny tiny box? They are 2/3 at best!

Certainly the cost did not shrink with the boxes? Nor with the tubes?

 

Now, pugs of course are not allowed to eat a Thin Mint because of the chocolate, but the cookies DO live next to the dog treats; therefore each time a human enjoys a people cookie the pugs usually get a canine cookie as well. We wouldn't want them to feel left out. Thus the dismay at the lack of cookies/trips to the cookie jar.

 

The back of the box does mention that the Girl Scouts can earn their daisy leaf financial literacy badge... perhaps this is the lesson provided for good old American consumerism and profits?

 

 

Perplexed. And. Dismayed.

 

Strollin'

Over the last year there has been a wee cloud of loss descending on the adventures of  Frank and Bean. You see, as Frank approaches his older more debonair years, he seems to have acquired a slight bit of arthritis. While it is most possible to bring our sling or backpack along for walks and to scoop him up when he starts limping, 20 pounds of pug when you are a rather small human gets to be a lot after about 15 minutes or so. Delightful long walks up the hill and through the neighborhood and running local errands on foot where the pugs were greeted with delight and a biscuit seemed sadly to be a thing of the past.

 

And poor wee Bean, who is still young and needs some longer walks... just look at how dismayed he is!

 

 

Oh. Well. Maybe he doesn't seem THAT dismayed.

 

Never the less! A solution had to be found!

(Much to the dismay of a few fickle naysayers who may have quite rudely used the term ridiculous. Clearly they have never had the distinct pleasure of being charmed by a pug).

 

Et voila!

 

 

Pug stroller!!! Look! It even has a rain cover for local weather!! EEE!

 

Now, it must be said that I have a suspicion that this may have been a somewhat poorly made reject from the  world of human strollers... it perhaps would not live up to our rigorous safety standards, but we care not! We LOOOOOOOOOOVE it!

 

It is also a wee bit bigger than I had imagined, a detail that bothered me at first until I realized that there is room for groceries (though Frank then pokes his head immediately into those bags), beer, and/or any number of things too large or heavy to carry all the way home!

(NOTE: some people are less than delighted when they have graciously stopped for you and your baby and then see that, in fact, you are not pushing a delicate human infant but rather a stroller full of beer and pug.) 

(2nd NOTE: Some people are EXTRA delighted when they see that they have in fact stopped for a stroller of beer & pug!)

 

Some of the stroller's finer points:

 

Holders for  human water, canine treats, tennis balls, and poop bags... all highly accessible!

 

 On the way UP the hill, when Frank is getting his exercise, it seems that Frank can use it as a guide! It rolls along right in his very small field of vision! OH Frank! It has been so long since you pranced proudly out in front of us rather than on my heels!

 

 

OH! Just look at how proud he is!

 

 He is also ever so pleased and perky when it is time to ride home!

 

 

And there is Bean, getting his exercise...

 

 

Oh Bean. Now, it may happen that sometimes I feel a bit bad and Bean gets to go for a short ride....

 

 

But Bean! That is not for all of the time... you can ride more when you too become an older gent!

(To be fair, I had just worn him out throwing that very filthy ball many, many times at the park.)

 

And finally, so many riding options!

 For example when it rains:

 

 

A special peep hole at the back so that Frank can make certain I am still there!

 

Oh. MY! Frank & Bean, such delight!

 

Best. Purchase. Ever.