Mr. Potato Head... Is that you?

Who is that strange person buffing the bumper on my dad's car? Kojak? Mr. Clean? Mr. Potato Head?

Where are my sunglasses when I need them? My eyes need protection from the glare that's coming off the top of his head. "Ouch, ouch! I think I'm burning my retinas!"

My dad was going for a "low maintenance" look and I think he achieved it. No more combs or shampoo... just sunscreen for the top of his head from now on.

"I've fallen… and I can't get up!"

Sunday was not a great day for my human dad. First of all, he got a speeding ticket on his way to a golf tournament in Apple Valley. The policeman wrote him up for driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone. The last time my dad got a ticket was a couple of years ago when he was moving my human brother up to college. He got a ticket for driving 78 mph that time too (while pulling a trailer) so at least he's consistent. This is what he looked like when he came home from the golf tournament...

After my dad calmed down and ate some lunch he decided it would be fun to go for a hike. For some bizarre reason he thought I would have fun hiking with him. Now I have a hard time "hiking" around the block... why he thought I could hike a mile and a half on a dirt trail is beyond me. But hey, I'm game for anything! Especially if it means going for a car ride! So my dad shoved me into the car, we waved good-bye to my mom and away we went. About 30 minutes later my dad called my mom and told her that I wasn't having a very good time. He also told her that I didn't like to walk on the rocks and well, basically he was implying that I was being a big wuss. Like that's some kind of news flash?? HELLO! Everybody already knows that I'm a big wuss. What happened is that I popped a hamstring (do dogs have hamstrings?) or pulled a muscle at about the 1/8 mile mark. At that point I sat down and refused to go any farther.

My dad was pulling his hair out (what's left of it anyway) because he didn't know how to get me back to the car. He ended up having to carry me back to the car (my mom was amazed that he didn't give himself a hernia) and we came back home. Geesh... I don't know why my dad was making such a big deal about having to carry me... I only weigh 100 pounds

Once my dad got me home I refused to walk at all. My mom and dad were really worried that I dislocated my hips or something like that. They kept an eye on me all night (my mom even brought my food and water to me while I was lying down - yeah baby!) I was a little bit sore the next morning (hey, I walked a whole 1/8 of a mile!) but I was able to get up and walk again much to everyone's relief. Now my dad says that my hiking days are over because I embarrass him too much. Gee, I'm so disappointed... (NOT!)

Happy Cinco de McMayo!

Camera Critters Sunday #4

Hi, Ollie here! This is my buddy Wilbur. Wilbur as you can see is a Basset Hound with super long ears that almost drag on the ground when he walks. Wilbur's mom and dad are good friends with my mom and dad and they live a couple of miles away from us. My mom loves to take pictures of Wilbur and his canine sister Dolly whenever she can.

Here's Dolly...

¿Te gusta mi sombrero?

Imagine my mom's surprise this morning when she flipped her calendar page and found these kitties in sombreros... "NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!" What was really amusing is that the cat on the left is a mirror image of the Evil Prow Prow kitty. Of course Prow Prow would never allow herself to be photographed wearing a hat... my mom would have to wear a suit of armor if she attempted to dress Prow Prow in any type of clothing.

As for myself... well I have no qualms about posing in hats. I'll do anything for attention... I have no dignity.

Pssst... Don't show this picture to my dad! He doesn't like it when I wear his hats.

Fetch...THE COMFY CHAIR!

My mom loves Monty Python and one of her favorite episodes is The Spanish Inquisition. "NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!" In a classic scene an old woman is "tortured" with the rack (a plastic dish drying rack), she's poked with soft cushions and finally she's pushed into a really plush comfy chair. Here's Justin's version of the comfy chair... (if this picture looks familiar it's probably because you remember this amusing photo).


"So you think you are strong because you can survive the soft cushions? Well, we shall see. Biggles! Put him in the Comfy Chair! Now -- you will stay in the Comfy Chair until lunch time, with only a cup of coffee at eleven. I suppose we make it worse by shouting a lot, do we? Confess! Confess! Confess!"*

*With apologies to Monty Python.

Pyro Spectaculars Show - 2008

I hate fireworks. Fireworks scare me because they explode and make loud noises. I spend the 4th of July shaking like a leaf until the fireworks stop. My human brother Justin used to tease me by following me around with bubblewrap and popping it in my face. I HATED that! And don't even get me started on how he would torment me with Hostess cupcake containers... grrr! But I digress... my mom and dad went to a fireworks show last Saturday night. The show was put on by Pyro Spectaculars... they're the people who put on our 4th of July fireworks show in Big Bear every year. The fireworks show also included a BBQ. This year they served tri-tip beef, BBQ chicken, beans, corn and tater salad. Here's my mom's plate...


After my mom and dad ate their dinner they took a stroll over to a carnival which was adjacent to the fireworks area. They found a taco stand that smelled wonderful... (I wish I could include smell-o-vision with these pictures.) There was even a lady making homemade tortillas for the tacos. My mom was really pissed off a little miffed that they didn't find the taco stand before they ate their BBQ. She would have much preferred homemade tacos for dinner!

Here's a close-up of the taco filling...

For some bizarre reason my mom thought this little dog was cute. She said she liked the way his bottom teeth jutted out...

And here's the obligatory fireworks picture...

My mom took lots of fireworks pictures which she'll probably compile into a Kodak Gallery album soon. I say phooey on the fireworks photos (they scare me)... I do like the food pictures though! ::drool::