Good Morning Oakley

Drew is camping with friends for the weekend after Thanksgiving and that means we get to have Oakley. I am having a quiet morning by the fire and Oak brings a toy up to be an proceeds to make all this noise.  I LOVE her!  Make sure to turn up the volume.

Yahoo Rat

This is an old video from when I worked at Yahoo but I wanted to make sure it was saved somewhere safe because it is a classic and its story is still told to this day.  

Thanksgiving 2021

It was our first Thanksgiving after the Pandemic Thanksgiving where we did solo/zoom thanksgivings and it was wonderful to be back together.  Guest list included my folks, Jim's folks and the kids.  Kaylene came by for a few hours pre-dinner before going to her family in Gilroy.  We missed Grandpa Roy who was in the hospital getting a "tune up".

The menu was prime rib, twice baked potatoes, portobello mushrooms, asparagus, salad, rolls and cranberry sauce.  The cranberry sauce and rolls were last minute additions and who knew how yummy cranberry sauce is with any menu!

We taught Grandpa Tom how to play Swipe and played thru the day.  He is quiet the card shark and picked it up so fast!

These two goofballs!  

 This was the dog location during dinner!  You would have thought they hiked all day!

Gypsy Forest

I did my second hike in the "Gypsy Forest" on the day before Thanksgiving.  I was with my friend Shannon who drove up from Carmel to meet me.  I couldn't think of a better way to start the long holiday weekend then wandering around in the forest with a dear friend.

 Note:  The "Gypsy Forest" is actually the Byrne Milliron Forest.  And we did the Byrne Trail, which goes around the outer part of the forest.  It was surprisingly steep.

Spice Drawer

It's funny the things that you don't get done during over a year of a pandemic and then all of a sudden you have time for it.  The thing I finally made time for was cleaning out the spice drawer.   At our house, we have a problem with condiments and spices.  By problem I mean we have too much of both. I was able to throw out the old stuff and condense the multiples....and just see what we have!  Who knew an organized spice drawer could bring such joy.

Salmon Bowls

This is a new recipe that Kaylene and Drew made for us.  G has made the request to have it when she is home for Thanksgiving.

Salmon Rub:

Ingredients:

-1 tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar

-2 tsp smoked paprika

-2 tsp onion powder

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1 tsp chili powder

-kosher salt

-4 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Mix all of the seasoning together. Then, add the olive oil and make it into a paste. Then, add the paste to salmon and rub in.

Cook in oven on 350 and when it is finished drizzle some honey over the top.

Coleslaw:

Ingredients: 1 cup shredded cabbage, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 1/2 jalapeño minced, 1 cup mango diced, 2 tbsp lime juice

Coconut rice:

Make white or basmati rice with coconut milk instead of water.  So delish!

Make your own rice bowl with the above ingredients.  Eat it up!  (The pic above is actually tofu as I use the rub on tofu for me.)

UC Davis Football

Jim and I met Brian and Diana in Davis and joined G at the UC Davis/Sac State rivalry football game.  We stopped by G's apartment first (see pic above).

It was an absolutely beautiful fall day that was perfect for football!  We did a quick walk to the Memorial Union before the game, which led to a lot of reminiscing for Auntie D, who is a Davis Alum.

Davis lost 7 to 27 and didn't even score until the last 3 minutes of the game.  The highlight of the day was seeing Pint run out on the field to pick up the tee after kick off.

 

Bird Down

Jim and I found this hawk in the middle of the street.  It looks like it had just been hit by a car or hit a power poles.  It was still breathing a little bit and notice the rat it still had clutched in its talons.

Woods Creek Fishing

It was time for another fishing trip organized by Cousin Gary.  As usual, we all dropped everything and made plans to join him.  It was a cool fall day and we had clear skies!

We went in a new way to Woods Creek where we walked about 2 miles until we hit the creek.  The we walked about another mile up to the upper meadow.   

Lisa was the first to catch a fish and caught it in the lower meadow.  You can see her technique below.

We had Hops, Oak and Ahi with us so when the hiking stopped and the fishing started, I hung back with the dogs.  This is when I found this cool pine cone, which we think is from a white fir.  The pine nuts inside were so fragrant.

When we took a break, we let the dogs off leash.  Oak proceeded to run into the creek, step off a ledge and end up completely underwater in a deep hole!  

Having a snack in the upper meadow.  We hit just the end of the fall leaves with the change in colors.

We caught a few fish but most of them were just gumming the bait.  I watched one fish take the bait like a harmonica in its mouth 4 or 5 times before he tired of the game.

Astrid 1st and 2nd Report Cards

These are Astrid's first two report cards from professional training.  The first one is below and the most recent above.  When we got her first one, we were quite concerned because she did not seem to be settled and was not performing well.  The second report is better.  To be on the right track you want all the behaviors in Part 1 checked and none of the behaviors in Part 2 checked.  So we are going in the right direction.  The anxiety does not surprise us because she tends to be quite introverted and goes off to find a quiet spot if there is too much activity - or even if there is not.  So the activity of the kennels and training must be a lot for her.  The good news is if they think she is too anxious, they will release her and send her home to us!

With her most recent report she is picking up a dumbbell off the table but then quickly drops it.  They want her to hold onto it.  Her dropping it does not surprise me because she was a champ at getting a ball and then dropping it at my feet.  She is probably wondering why they won't pick up the dumbbell and throw it for her!

All in all, she seems like she is on a good path and she will decide if the life of a service dog is right for her.