Cousins on the Farm

Date December 20, 2010

It’s not Christmas yet, so I’m not going to feel too bad about my delinquency on Thanksgiving posts. We went to Julie’s dad’s farm for Thanksgiving and both of her brothers and their families came out as well. For one evening, we had 14 humans and 4 dogs! Julie, Benton, Carson, and I slept up […]

The Freedom of the Farm

Date December 19, 2010

I posted this on YouTube and on Facebook shortly after Thanksgiving, but I realize I never got around to dropping it in a blog post. We were at Julie’s dad’s farm, and a certain mother decided that it was a good time for her eldest son to get behind the wheel. Of her husband’s truck, […]

What a Difference Age Makes

Date December 1, 2010

We spent the long weekend in West Virginia, which was Fia’s first trip back to the farm since she mysteriously showed up there back in September. For a day-and-a-half, there were actually four dogs present. Fia was far and away the youngest and most active. She chased balls: She chased her boy (Benton): She goaded […]

What’re the Chances We’ll Be a One Dog Family Again…?

Date September 19, 2010

“What?” you say. “You’re already a one dog family. Aren’t you?” Well…we were. And then Julie’s Uncle Ray called from West Virginia this morning to report that a lab mix had been hanging out on Bob’s farm all weekend, she had a collar (but no tags), and she was exceedingly pleasant. Seeing as how his […]

Visiting the Farm: Part 7 (Final) — The Dogs

Date September 19, 2010

Molly’s actually slowing down to the point that she stays close to the farmhouse — peps up long enough to go find a smelly mess to roll in somewhere, and then she’s pretty much done for. Holly and Sophie, though, are still spry enough to roam around. Holly Sophie

Visiting the Farm: Part 6 — The Laborers

Date September 18, 2010

Julie has to give Bob a direct order to take a break from back-to-back tasks to spend time with his kids/grandkids… She was successful — once — during our visit, convincing him to take a break for a family walk: Pam vacillates between pushing Bob to slow down…and enabling him. She has been brainwashed, we […]

Visiting the Farm: Part 5 — Flora and Fauna

Date September 17, 2010

There were several species of butterflies flitting around during our visit to West Virginia. Maybe, some day, I’ll actually learn the species! Carson actually found this fella’ on an apple tree near The High Point: Some Flowers

Visiting the Farm: Part 4 — The Views

Date September 16, 2010

I did a fair amount of walking and riding around the farm during our visit, which meant I spent a lot of time trying to capture the different aspects of the setting. The View The River The Woods The Grass Looking up from the pond to the red cabin: …and down from the hill to […]

Visiting the Farm: Part 3 — The Kids

Date September 15, 2010

Alana Carson Carson actually got to go solo on the 4-wheeler (with an adult following and with strict rules), which made the weekend all on its own for him. He loved driving over to The High Point (which he’s making the final ascent to below): We don’t actually require that he wear a helmet while […]

Visiting the Farm: Part 2 — Deer

Date September 14, 2010

There are a lot of deer in West Virginia, and Bob works to make sure they’re regularly visible. He spreads corn in the yard in front of the farmhouse — a task that Alana gets quite upset about if she finds out that he has tackled it without her: Bob took me along with him […]