Woof, Woof

Our family just keeps growing this year.  Stopped by the breeder on my way up from Milwaukee today to meet our new pup.  He can come home in early October, they were born Aug. 11.  No name yet...suggestions welcome.  He has 11 siblings, and when I was there they were all very active.  Total chaos, getting a decent shot was a challenge...no poses from this crew until the very end, when it was nap time.  He's a Labradoddle, his mother is a Labradoddle, half lab and half poodle; father is a registered poodle.  This mix is supposed to produce an allergy free and non-shedding offspring.  We'll see.  We've also decided, since Jezebel and Smudge, we'd try and find a name that was not a self fulfilling prophecy.  We'll see on that count as well.  Can't wait until he can come home.



On the run




On the sniff




Rest time




Wrestlemania, our guy is in the center.



Most of the brood, our guy is on the far right.  The gap between this pic and the one above is 2 minutes.

My Birthday Dinner

During our recent trip visiting with Karyl and Doug we went to the Union Pacific Museum in Council Bluffs.  Great museum, among other things they had several reproductions of the interiors of passenger cars.  One was the dining car, and on display were several menus.  I commented that somewhere with all my train stuff were a number of dining car menus that my Dad had saved when he worked for Pullman.

So, on my birthday as we sat down for dinner I was pleasantly surprised to find one of those train menus next to my place setting.  Macy had done some searching and found the menus.  The meal was based on the daily special, highlighted on the first page of the menu below.  It made the meal very special.

I need to get these menus on display, they are fascinating, and help describe an era of travel that is long gone.  This menu was from the Union Pacific's City of Portland.  The train ran from Chicago to Portland via Omaha, Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah.  I couldn't find any indication of year on the menu, but I'm guessing early fifty's.  By 1960 air travel would be taking over, and US passenger service would begin it's painful decline.

The menu cover...Mt. Hood



The back page




The menu interior



My birthday dinner



The other dinner options...as well as desert.  Notice the Deluxe Dinner Salad Bowl included soup and cocktail in the price!



Wildwood

Beckett and Heather visited last week and we returned to Wildwood in Minocqua, someplace we hadn't been to in probably 30 years.  It used to be strictly a petting zoo but has expanded into the real deal...bears, tigers, and lions, but still very child focused, with lots of interaction with the animals.  Here's some pics from our very enjoyable day, sure this will be an annual visit for awhile.



Only in Wisconsin.  The Smiths and Washows have played the adjacent course so we know this threat is real.  Does this remove the liability?



Before you get into the main part of the zoo you must get through the goat gauntlet.



Beckett is fearless when it comes to petting animals of any kind.  Bears and big cats pose a problem.




Heather trying to get some food to feed the goats...as she said "they don't even respect pregnant women."




Macy has a "knack" for handling these group activities.




There were a few things the goats weren't attacking.  These huge pigs were all over the place.




There was an enclosed area with thousands of parakeets.  You could get popsicle sticks covered with bird seed.  Beckett has one here.



Lucas

Macy spent a little over a week in Virginia helping Lucas and his family settle into a routine, I went out for the weekend.  Lucas is one month old and really starting to take notice of things.  Renee and Scott have adjusted their schedules as Lucas rules the day (and night).  He was 10 lbs, 8 ozs at birth and is getting quite strong already.



Scott continues to amaze with his culinary skills.  Entree's this night included both a goat and shrimp dish.  The goat was very good and a first for us all.



Scott has an iPad now too, so Lucas and Grandpa were left to their own devices...in Grandpa's case his camera.

 

The Shaw's New Digs

Beckett, Heather and Frank moved into their new house on Friday.  In addition to our old friend Mr. Mover, the grandparents helped with the move as well.  Macy and I had the weekend shift.  Here's some pics from the weekend.

Here's a view from street level



A little closer, house gets a new coat of stain this week




Back yard view...nice pen for a dog




Behind the boxes and the pregnent woman unpacking is the kitchen




Frank's early Father's Day gift was Corn Bag Toss.  Macy was pretty good, must be that Iowa corn savvy.




Nice play set in the back yard; which led to...




Since it was only 85 on Sunday, Heather decided a new coat of stain made sense.

  

Back down to visit next Sunday to celebrate B's birthday so we'll have some more pics of the new place next week as well.

Zoofari

Way behind in Blog posts, so have to start somewhere.  Two weeks ago we spent a weekend with Beckett while his parents did a getaway to Chicago.  Good time was had by all.  Highlight for the weekend was a trip to the Milwaukee Zoo.  Macy and I probably hadn't been there for 20 years, but no problem, Beckett is already a regular, and was quite sure of what he wanted us to see.



To start the weekend Beckett and Grandma made peanut butter balls.



It wasn't a tough sell to get Beckett involved.  They were great!

First up were the "big cats".

Who's viewing whom?

Hippos are Beckett's favorite.  One eventually took a swim.

We packed a lunch, here we're picking out a table.

Smile Grandma

We ended the visit with a trip on the train, got the steam engine, so both Beckett and Grandpa were very happy.

Yellow is Beckett's favorite color.  When we got back to our car in the parking lot this is what we found parked next to us.  Needless to say Beckett was overjoyed.

Square Foot Gardening

Macy and I went to a Northwood's gardening seminar several months ago and one of the speakers was the CEO of Square Foot Gardening, a not for profit group.  Founded by Mel Bartholomew, and still the guru, it is a different approach to gardening.  30 years ago he got interested in gardening and evolved the Square Foot Gardening approach.  He had a show on PBS, then both the Discovery  and Learning Channels.  Basic principals are small plots that can be easily tended, idealy 4x4 foot, but any size works.  No rows, but 1 foot grids for planting.  So tomatoes and peppers are one per grid, lettuce 4 per grid, radishes 16 per grid...you get the drift.  Other basic rule is Mel's mix...one third peat moss, one third vermiculite, and one third blended compost.  When you rotate a crop add a trowel of compost.

We're giving it a go.  Our challenge is a short growing season, soil that is 1/2 sand, 1/4 rock, and 1/4 roots, and we're in the woods...shade!  We do have abundant water though.

We'll keep you posted.

Here's Mel's book, second addition.  Over 30 years he's evolved the approach.  Basic principal for now...you can grow anything in 6 inches of the right soil

According to Mel if you don't have the grid it ain't square foot gardening...we're all in.

Staining the beds to match the house....seems like a good idea.

Working on Mel's mix.  Blended compost in Mel's definition is at least 9 different composts.  Sorry Mel, we'll have to settle for 3 or 4.  The problem with a cult is it's so confining.

We'll place the beds somewhere in this area, grass is just coming in...no doubt the best places for the beds will be where the grass comes in best.