2007

Charlotte and Valri are off to lunch at my favorite seafood restaurant in the area. The food is making me hungry. And it’s a beautiful winter day on the coast.

The best dog in the whole world was born on September 1, 1997. We brought her home on October 4, 1997 to her new family. My brother Scott got a standard poodle named Joe the year before, and we were sold on how awesome standard poodles were. Right away you could see she was the sweetest dog you would ever meet. She had the most mellow disposition, and was always a puppy right to the end. She loved running and playing with her family, especially other pets. She enjoyed running circles around every dog she ever met. ...

Gabe and Charlotte head up to visit George and San Francisco with Gordon while Monica, Nick, and I are at Max’s wedding. Gabe and Zach seem to be enjoying themselves. I think lunch was just an opportunity to make funny faces. And then things get really crazy. I’ll let you guess who’s mouth is whose. Charlotte manages to catch Santa surfing in Capitola while dropping her dad off. Seems there was some contention when it came to splitting up the ballons after Santa took off. This is a good way to wind up on the naughty list. ...

Monica, Nick, and I are in Silver Springs Maryland for Max and Shweta’s wedding. Lynda and her family, Carole and David, Jonathan and Joni and the twins are here too. It’s an awesome opportunity to see everyone and be there for Max and Shweta on a very special day. The ceremony is at a Hindu temple just north of Washington DC. It’s such a treat to be a part of such a unique ceremony. Of course my Indian is a bit rusty. ...

Nick, Monica, and I are in the DC area for Max’s wedding, while Charlotte and Gabe work at this year’s SVEF Christmas tree lot. Nick and I worked out butts off earlier in the week unloading the trailer truck, so now it’s time to start selling them. If you’re local, make sure you stop by and buy a tree while helping our schools.

George’s family, Gordon, and Gloria are here again for our annual turkey and ham feast. It really is wonderful that we have family so close, and the cousins all get to see each other at these gatherings. Gloria’s dog is joined by the new kittens and an adorable little pot-bellied pig. Time to dig in. Lindsey and Monica are so proud of their mashed potato mountain. The pig is ridiculously cute. Of course the incredibly loud squealing he produces when you pick him up reminds you he is just a farm animal. ...

We’re still missing Abby every day, and the loneliness in the house without her around is a challenge. I suggested to Charlotte that a new standard poodle puppy for Christmas might be just the thing. After a lot of research, we’ve managed to find a beautiful little female up in Oregon at Marsan Poodles. Here’s some photos of the puppy when she was about one month old.

Charlotte just got a new Honda Civic Hybrid, so it’s time to say goodbye to my old car. She’s got about 115K miles and still running sweet. Any takers?

Charlotte was out hiking with Sonia recently. They brought the poodles(Abby and Phoebe) along for the fun. Unfortunately Abby was having so much fun running through the woods, she managed to rupture all the ligaments in her right front wrist. Charlotte had to carry her out of the woods on her shoulders as Abby was no longer able to walk. The trip to the vet hasn’t produced a happy result, so it’s a splint until we can find out what the surgical options are.

Charlotte is showing her SVHS spirit at this year’s last football game against Santa Cruz.