Allison Cafe

Daphne's first sailing trip

This weekend we took Daphne sailing for the first time. She as a little apprehensive at first, actually she did a full-on mule maneuver at the dock. I didn’t think she was going to make it. But with a little coaxing (food never hurts!) she made it aboard and she seemed to have a great time. By the end she was snoozing with the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. She didn’t like it much when the boat started heeling, actually that always freaks Hayley out too. They had a great time though, as did we.

Sailing Puppies

What this photo can’t capture though is the conclusion of our sailing adventure. Usually after an afternoon of sailing we stop at the local fish market and enjoy some Oysters Rockefeller and a glass of wine. But since we had the dogs with us this time, we decided to buy some seafood from the market and make it ourselves at home. We had to make a quick stop at the grocery store too though, for butter and parsley of course! While in the grocery store, for I swear no more than 10 minutes, the dogs were waiting patiently in the car. Well, not so patiently so much as devouring an entire pound of raw shrimp that I accidentally left in the front of the car! Yes, that’s right this cute little face pictured above turned into a carnivrous beast and ripped the bag of raw seafood to shreds, not even so much as a shrimp’s tail was left as evidence. Hardly any of the bag was left either!

Now, it was my fault for leaving the seafood unattended in the car. But I honestly had no idea that they would get into the bag, let alone actually eat all of it! The unfair part is that I have no evidence to suggest that Hayley played a part in the sabotage of our dinner. Daphne is quite protective of her food and when we returned to the car Hayley was hiding in the back seat. So it appears Daphne may have acted solo. But we will never know.

I seriously wish that dogs could talk to us. I would love to hear Hayley’s side of the story. They are both resting peacefully tonight with full bellies after a day of sailing. Life with dogs is certainly entertaining! I’m trying not to think about what that pound of raw shrimp is doing in Daphne’s belly. I’m going to hope for the best and be thankful it wasn’t chocolate!

Our new sweet girl

Ok, so it has been too long since my last post but once again I have a great excuse. Not only have I been loving my new job and our new life in North County, we also welcomed into our lives a new family member, of the four legged kind. Miss Daphne joined us last week.

New friends

She is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. She is 6 and a half years old and is the sweetest little girl. But do not let that sweetness fool you, she actually has become top dog around our home; little Miss Hayley follows her all around. They have been getting along great, although Daphne has more interest in food than she does in playing with energetic young Hayley. Daphne’s family was moving and could not take her with them. And although I am sure she misses them she seems to have adjusted quickly and quite happily to her new home. We are so happy to have Daphne’s sweetness and calm demeanor in our home and Miss Hayley is loving having a friend around while Steve and I are at work all day.

Please join us in welcoming Daphne! Wondering how life is with 2 dogs now? Great, but I am sure I will have twice as many stories to share!

Hayley's Sweet Stare

Hayley needs your vote again today in the Canvas Press Pet Photo Contest! You can vote once every 24 hour period until midnight on 3/24. Help us win a free canvas print, she needs 40-50 votes today to get into the top 3, take a minute to help her win! Vote here.

Puppy's First Pupcake!

Miss Hayley had a very special treat today on her 2nd birthday, she had her first Pupcake.

Pupcakes From Cups La Jolla

A local cupcake lounge in La Jolla, Cups, offers peanut butter and bacon Pupcakes. Yum! It came in a small plastic bag and it appeared to have a cupcake liner, but it turns out the cupcake liner is edible! Judging by how quickly Hayley gobbled it up I would have to assume they are out of this world delicious!

Happy Birthday Miss Hayley! It seems like only yesterday we brought you home from Helen Woodward Animal Center.

Vote For Me!

Hi Friends, our furry family member, Hayley, has been entered into the Muttroplois photo contest. You can click on each photo once a day, per pet, between now and Dec. 17th to vote. The pet with the most votes will win the $1,000 grand prize. Hayley is really hoping to win so we will buy her even more goodies! Thanks for your support, visit the link below to cast your vote today!

Click here for Hayley’s page:

http://photocontest.muttropolis.com/photo.aspx?Id=851

Part 1: We flew into Missoula, Montana on a new airline, Allegiant Air. We were very impressed with Allegiant, the fares are hard to beat, $59 for a one way fare. And the service was friendly and we departed on time and landed early. We drove to Divide, a small town south of Butte and stayed several nights at the Divide Campground. We were really impressed with the Divide campground, we had a semi-private campsite right along the Big Hole River, a blue ribbon trout stream. Here we spent time visiting with old friends, learning how to fly fish and I reminisced about my childhood. This by far was our favorite part of the trip. We can still close our eyes and imagine sitting by the river, hearing nothing but the rush of water over the river rocks, with the warmth of the sun on our faces, a cool breeze on our skin, and sipping cafe lattes in the afternoon with my parents, and our friends Jack and Judy. Oh and lovable BJ too!

Divide is the small town in rural Montana where I grew up. My parents built the house we lived in. Jack and Judy were our neighbors, but actually much more than that. They are our Montana family. I attended a 2 room schoolhouse (see the slide show above) just a short distance from our house. And yes, in the winter I did ski to school on occasion. That is something for the grand kids someday! It meant so much to come back here, but also even more to share it with my husband.

Stay tuned for the next stage of our journey, Glacier National Park!

It’s been awhile since Hayley shared her latest stories with you, here are a few words from our favorite furry friend.

Wow, what a great time we had at YiaYia and Papou’s house in Connecticut! My friend Buddy shared the electric fence with me and we got to run free, well almost free. If I went too far I heard some rapidly increasing beeping noises, followed by a sharp shock to my neck if I crossed the line. I only had to learn that lesson once, ok well twice, before I learned not to go past the white little flags in the yard.

Buddy and Me

What fun it was to roam the yard with no leash, chase Buddy’s toys and bask in the sun. I even got to hang out at the party for Papou’s birthday and I almost got a bit of chocolate cupcake, so close.

When can we go back? I miss my morning walks with YiaYia. I miss being spoiled by Papou and all my east coast human friends. Good times. But I can’t complain, I have a pretty gig going here on the west coast. Today we went for a walk by the ocean and I got to watch birds and squirrels, run in the park and get lots of attention from people along the way. Now I just need to get my humans to feed me yummy treats like Papou did.

Seaside Picnic, Just Your Not So Average Tuesday

In this economy you often hear people talking about having to cut back. Most of us have cut back in one or more ways. But what my husband and I are finding is that cutting back on expenses does not have to mean cutting back on fun. There are plenty of terrific ways to stretch your dollar, and to get out and enjoy ourselves. This week we transformed what started out as an average Tuesday, into a romantic seaside escape.

It is easy to come home from work at the end of the day, watch TV, and slip into our same old routine. But today we packed our dinner into our picnic basket, and enjoyed the California sunset that was within a few minutes of our home. The weather report had called for clouds, and possibly rain this morning, so when I stepped outside at 2:00pm and saw a clear sky, and felt the warmth of the sun, I decided a picnic would be the perfect way to spend our Tuesday evening.

Picnics can be a great way to not only try new recipes, but also to use up leftovers. We decided to make good use of our chicken leftovers to create a gourmet chicken sandwich with roasted red bell peppers and arugula for our picnic. Not only were we able to make use of our grilled chicken leftovers from earlier in the week, we also saved ourselves time when preparing for the picnic by already having cooked the poultry. Picnics also are a great time to enjoy all of your favorite finger foods, like nuts and watermelon slices.

Our total preparation time for the picnic was about 30 minutes, maybe a little more if you count the fact that we had to pack toys and snacks for our dog too. So I guess it was technically a picnic for three. Our dog, Hayley, also found the picnic a great activity, she was able to roll around in the grass and watch squirrels; while we dined on gourmet sandwiches, risotto with peas and prosciutto, watermelon and a tasty Red, White and Blueberry dessert, which we assembled at the picnic site quite easily. We also enjoyed a fun summertime refreshment, Arnold Palmer beverages. Which are a mix of equal parts lemonade and iced tea.

A little side note on the menu for our picnic. We were not worried about the risotto staying warm while we journeyed to the picnic site. Risotto is actually a fun grain to work with. It can be eaten hot or cold. It can actually be substituted for sushi rice in a pinch when making your own sushi rolls. The key to planning for a easy and enjoyable picnic, is picking items for the menu that are easily served at the picnic site with little effort. You often may not have the space, or frankly the desire, to be cutting and preparing food once you are there.

I think our favorite part was after dinner, as we enjoyed the amazing sunset and relaxed there together in the warmth of the evening sun. As the sea spray touched our faces, we each took a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh air. And we didn’t miss the old routine, not even for a second. There is something about dining outdoors that is not only relaxing, but gives you an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the beauty of the nature that we live with.

Whatever the occasion for a picnic, and no matter the place, once you are there you will be glad you took the time to plan it. Click more for Picnic Tips and Recipes:

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In celebration of Hayley’s 1 Year anniversary since her adoption, I thought I would share one my favorite commercials. The Pedigree Adoption Drive commercials really tug at your heart strings with the shots of sad little faces behind a fence at the pound, but this one makes you smile to see a very happy Oliver in his new home. Kind of like Miss Hayley.

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I thought I would create a fun little photo montage to share with you all. It is a year of memories with Hayley “Bird”. Hayley says that she feels more loved than ever and can’t imagine what her life would be if we hadn’t rescued her 1 year ago today. We love you Hayley!