TGIF

I really enjoy my Fridays. I get off from work a little early and usually grab Ayla to go have fun somewhere. Most of this past summer we went to Shadow Cliffs, part of the East Bay Regional Parks system. The main lake has a swimming beach, fishing docks, boat rentals, grassy picnic grounds, and probably a ton of other stuff. But I haven't really been there, because if you go over the hill on the other side of the parking lot there's a bunch of little lakes and dogs are allowed to be off-leash. That's such a rarity, the grail search of dog owners out here, a place where your dog can run unfettered by nylon or leather leads.

So today we headed out to Shadow Cliffs for what will probably be one of the last trips till next season. Ayla loves going here. She really likes swimming, or her approximation of it. She often makes friends with the other dogs we see and I've met some interesting and mostly nice people. They're not always nice though.

A couple of weeks ago we went, and there's one beach area that Ayla can use to get in the water. All the other areas have drop offs and she's a bit wonky and can't handle them. So we're playing fetch in the water, she's splashing about and having fun, when two fishermen come up behind us. One sets his tackle on a table a ways back while the other continues on. I nod my hello and continue playing with my dog. A few minutes later the remaining fisherman comes up behind us, rod in line. In disbelief, I ask is he's planning on fishing here, to which he responds, "Yes, its the only clear space [its not the only one, he didn't want to walk farther]." I say, "Yes I know its a clear space and the only one where my disabled dog can get in the water." "Hmmph," he says, readying his cast. "Well, I guess we'll leave," I say. "Oh you don't have to," he responds. "But I don't want my dog getting hooked on your line," I say. "Hmmph." "We have to go now, Ayla," I say and lead her away while she's looking behind her.

What? Why would a fisherman want to fish where a dog has been swimming? There's not going to be any fish there! And why would someone push their way in where someone else already is? What happened to first-come first-served? I was just flabbergasted and left, though I wish now I had said something and stood my ground. Anyway, we walked a loop around and came back, by which time he had left, and resumed playing in the water.

That rant aside, it really is a wonderful place. Here's a little slideshow of pictures I took today:

Its been a nice relaxing day and a good start to the weekend. After Shadow Cliffs we came home and rested, then I did some grocery shopping. For dinner I made Giada De Laurentiis' Veggie Meatloaf with Checca Sauce, which I watched her make last weekend and have wanted to do since. It was tasty but turned out more like a casserole. I think there's probably twice as much rice and lentils in the recipe than there needs to be. Two measly eggs and some mozarella isn't enough to bind it all together, like Giada's was on the show. Chris liked it and the checca sauce, so I'll play around with the recipe and get it to work right. Oh, and don't serve it with mashed potatoes. Can you say carb overload?

Marco....

I haven't written in ages! Time to rectify that! I'm not going to try to remember everything that happened between July and now - I'll just tell the stories as they come to me...

First of all, big congrats to Lizzy-poo and thanks for giving me an excuse to knit baby stuff!

I also have to brag a little bit about how great of a wife I am. :) Chris got his 30th birthday present a little early (August instead of February, but whatever!)

I bought my husband a convertible! Its an '03 Toyota MR2 and the little thing is a totally fun to drive, when I can wrestle the keys out of his hands. It also means he likes driving more and I get to be a passenger, since I used to do most/all of the driving. Now I get to sit back and enjoy the scenery. We actually piled the three of us in there and went for a drive, but Ayla didn't like sitting partly on the floorboard and partly on my lap too much. I can't say that I did either, but its tolerable. We can do short little trips to the park and such, but my Jetta remains the doggy-mobile. I'm not sure if we'll ever take it on a trip since we couldn't take Ayla and there's no storage to speak of, just a little bin behind the seats suitable for a tiny overnight bag (engine is in the back, spare tire under the hood), but its great to do little errands in and for commuting to work.

Its been a good summer, though quick. We spent a lot of time in one of our favorite places, our patio. Here's a little photo story courtesy of Ayla I'll call "How not to sleep on a dog bed"

This looks like it might be comfy...

Wait, I'm not doing it right...

Yeah, definitely not right...
What, you're gonna laugh at me? Buy me a bigger bed!
That's all for now. I'll do my best to keep this current. Toodles!

Nothing like fresh BBQ pizza!

These were seriously easy and quick to make. Mix 1-1/4 cups flour, a packet of yeast, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup warm water until a soft dough forms. Form into 4 balls, spray with cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes. Then heat your grill to high, roll out the balls between wax paper to about 4-inch circles. Gently lay them on the grill and then flip after 30 seconds (they'll puff up a little). Top with your desired toppings, close cover, and let cook for about 5 minutes until done.

I love it. I can have pizza all summer and not heat the entire condo up with my oven. The rise time for the dough is about the same as my traditional pizza dough, but the cook time is much faster. And cooking outdoors is wonderful. Oh, and you can see that since I'm grilling again I've successfully gotten my propane tank refilled. Wohoo!

We had a nice weekend. I took Ayla swimming twice. She seemed excited to be splashing around in the water with the other dogs, and excited to be out of the house and having fun again. Here she is post-swimming yesterday. Am I the only crazy person out there that covers my dog with her own blanket while she sleeps?
Otherwise it was a very restful weekend. I enjoyed the nice weather on the patio; got some knitting done and then had to rip it all out since I messed up and my attempts at a fix only made it worse, then started over; made good food, and generally took it easy.

Here's Gretel in a normal sleep position. You can kinda see her naked belly. It hasn't changed since the vet visit. Oh well, I'll continue keeping my eye on her.

Ayla and I are going for a jog today after work. The biggest thing I'll need to do the rest of the evening is decide what to make for dinner. I guess it could be worse! :)