Ash goes swimming!

A couple of weekends ago we went up to Joe's Pond (where my grandmother lives in VT) with some of our friends for a weekend of water sports, good company, and good food. We had a great weekend! The weather was really nice and everyone had a chance to go tubing, water skiing, or both. Friday night we had dinner at my mom's house in East Burke, where we saw part of the Burke fireworks. Saturday night we grilled food at Joe's and had smores after a long day on the water.

My favorite picture of Ash from the weekend

The weekend was the first opportunity we have had to see how Ash felt about water and swimming. We were ecstatic to learn that he absolutely LOVES the water! As soon as we put him on the beach he started bounding around in the waves and leaping like a gazelle along the shore. The area is pretty isolated, so this was also a perfect time for us to practice having him off leash. He did quite well! My friend Victoria and her husband Jamie also brought their puppy Belka, an Italian water dog. The two dogs had a great time playing together and retrieving balls and sticks. Belka was a little bit more skilled at this task, but as soon as she had possession Ash did his very best to take them from her. I spent some time alone with Ash tossing balls from the beach and while it took him a bit of time to get the hang of it, he was eventually bring the balls back successfully. His swimming technique seemed to improve over the weekend as well!

See below for some videos and pictures!

PICTURES

VIDEOS

And There Was Light!

The garage finally has power! No outlets yet, but the floodlight works now. A big step forward! I should be able to finish the outlets inside tomorrow after work.

Caroline turns XXVII years old

Last Friday (June 1st) was my birthday! Not that birthdays feel quite as exciting as when I was a little kid, but I had a good time and its nice to get so many phone calls and text messages :) I have the privilege of sharing my birthday with my cousin Olivia, who turned 3 this year. It's extra cool because I am the oldest grandchild and she is the youngest (and most likely the last), and we were born just a couple of hours apart on the same day, but with a 24 year offset.

My three adorable cousins - Olivia is the one standing

David made things fun for me by spreading out all my presents - one at midnight, one before he left for work, and then two after cake. My morning present was 12 boxes of my favorite Terry's chocolate, available only at Christmas time! Because of the bathroom renovations we were staying with my grandparents, so while he was at work I sat on their porch working and enjoying the view of their stunning gardens and the comfort of having Ash laying at my feet. In the afternoon I baked myself a cake (so I could eat the batter!), and left it to cool so that David could frost it after work. Sadly, I burned my arm pretty badly on the cake pan, but the deliciousness of the cake made me forget it pretty quickly :)

We forgot to take a picture before, but now you get to see the delicious chocolate crumbs :)

Once David got home we went over to Dan and Purvi's house to join in the Olivia's celebration, where I opened gifts from them and my grandparents. David and I didn't stay for dinner though as we had plans to go to a Japanese steakhouse, where we totally stuffed ourselves on delicious filet mignon and veggies cooked on the hibachi. We continued to indulge when we got home and enjoyed a slice of cake with my grandparents! After being gone for a week, I came home to a wonderful pile of birthday cards from friends and family :) Thanks everyone for making it a special day!

My display of cards by my desk, hiding our wonderful flowered wallpaper