Happy Holidays

Everyone is busy as a bee this time of year.  So I wanted to drop in, say a quick hello and salutations before 2015 barrels in on us.

Have a fantastically happy, joyful, super-duper fun and safe holiday with family and friends!

~Luke

Virginia Beach Part 2

This was my first time playing in the ocean and it was AWESOME!  I made up a new game.  It’s called run away from the waves before they crash onto me.

The only downside to playing on the beach is the leash law…dogs must be leashed at all times.  I’m not a rule breaker so I made sure my leash was attached to mommy.  Several times, I ran so fast, I almost pulled out her arm socket. 😉

Apparently, people were watching us play on the beach (so it’s a good thing I followed the law).  When we got back to the boardwalk and washed off the sand, we were approached by people who thought I was too cute playing in the water.  They started laughing at me because I was petrified of the shower to rinse off the salt and sand.  I acted like I was deathly afraid of water.  I further got bamboozled when we went back into our hotel and aunt Kwyn gave me a bath.  I got my revenge though.  While mommy wasn’t paying attention, wet dog Luke hopped onto the bed for an afternoon siesta.  Haha. 😀

I hope everyone enjoyed my beach pics from last week’s adventures.  This weekend I’m going to a fruit farm to pick apples and maybe a pumpkin.  I’ll make sure tons of pictures are taken of me and I will share them in a future blog.

Have a great weekend.  Until next time!

~Luke

Virginia Beach Part 1

Hiya peeps!

I went on my first vacation last weekend.  This was a trial run to see how I would handle a four hour car ride.  Guess what?  I passed with flying colors!

This was also the first time I stayed in a hotel and I was an absolute angel.  We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Virginia Beach.  They are extremely dog friendly and the view of the beach is awesome.

There were so many dogs staying in our hotel and it was a nice hotel too.  Everywhere I looked, there were dogs, dogs, dogs.  It’s off-season now so Virginia Beach is dog friendly, allowing dogs on the boardwalk and beach.

Mother Nature gave us a warm kiss.  The weather was gorgeous, 68-70 degrees and partly sunny.  Surprisingly, the Atlantic Ocean was warm.  We took tons of pics of yours truly playing on the beach so I think I will do a two part blog.

Enjoy the pics.  Until next time!

~Luke

Stretching my legs at a rest stop. Did you know Virginia is for Lovers? Woo hoo!

Our room is on the 6th floor. I watched dogs walking their people on the boardwalk.

This is an awesome view from the balcony.

I chose this bed because it was by the window.

This is what I call a dog’s life.

So many seagulls on the beach!

There are people swimming in there. I hope the water is warm!!

 

“I Don’t Know” is on 3rd

Fall is in the air, which means I get to accompany mommy to lacrosse practice and softball games.  Last week, I attended my first softball game.  Mommy plays on a team for her company so her colleagues saw me in person for the first time.  I’m sure mommy’s coworkers will tell you that I look just as cute, actually, take that back, I look cuter in person than pictures of me that mommy has at work. 😀

I sat in the dugout during the game.  When it was over, mommy let me on the field.  Everyone was impressed that I was so well behaved and stayed by mommy’s side the entire time…little did they know I’m co-dependent. 😉

If you don’t know what the title of this blog alludes to, youtube Who’s On First by Abbott & Costello.  Until next time!

~ Luke

You’re looking at an All Star 3rd baseman here!

I’m looking in the dugout because I’m fascinated by the coach’s weird hand signs.

What do you mean you’re taking me out of the game and I’m benched?! How rude!

Hey man, pass the bag of sunflower seeds…every time I watch baseball on tv, I always see players eating sunflower seeds.

More beachcombing adventures

Back on Independence Day weekend, I went to Matapeake Beach in Stevensville, Maryland with Lita and Riley.  I’m glad I had a chance to re-visit these pictures because it prepares me for next month’s beach trip to Virginia Beach during Columbus Day weekend.  Not only will I get to touch the Atlantic Ocean with my own four paws for the first time, I will have a chance to play in salt water, AND stay in a dog friendly hotel by the ocean!!!!!!!  How cool is that?!?!?!?!  😀

I will make sure tons of pictures are taken during the trip and share them with everyone.   Have a great weekend!

~ Luke

With my trusty PFD, I can play in the water twice as long as other dogs.

That little black blob in the background is Riley.

I love playing fetch!

Blah! I got seaweed in my mouth!!

I fetched the red ball. Riley is swimming towards the tennis ball.

Lita is suspicious of this interloper. She’s a brave puppy!

Goodbye August, Hello September

Hi everybody!

I can’t believe this is the third day of September.  I didn’t get a chance to share some of my August adventures with you.  Better late than never, right?! 😀

There were some days in August that weren’t too hot to play outside so I went to the dog park when the weather was cool.

 

Ready and throw the ball!!!

I’m getting hot. Got my exercise. Let’s go home.

I spent a weekend at Uncle Tony’s place.  He was packing up his stuff to move into a new house so I supervised.

Remember, I’m fragile so you will have to bubble wrap me and handle with care.

Almost every weekend, I had play dates with girls, girls, girls.  What can I say?  I’m a ladies man. 😉

Riley came over to hang out with me the first weekend in August.  Then Belle hung out with me a week after that.  I didn’t want Lita to feel left out so I came over to hang with her during Labor Day weekend.

Riley and I are tired from running around the house but it doesn’t stop us from playing while laying.

This is my come hither, submissive behavior to lure her away from the toy before I grab it.

Belle is so small, she’s like one of my toys. I was a good boy. I only chewed on her once. Haha.

She’s very smart! Belle found my treat drawer.

August wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Big Mama’s house.

Lita and I finished playing, now we want our treats!!

Sweet and Innocent

…NOT!! 😉

My friend Riley hung out with me for a few days last weekend.  She is also a black lab mix.  We are almost the same size (she’s bigger), age (she’s a little older) and similar temperament (I’m nicer…haha).

We played and played and played until we were exhausted.  Then we would take a quick catnap before we played and played and played some more.

We had so much fun going for car rides, playing tug-o-war, pulling the stuffing out of toys, fetching balls and running around the house like lunatics.  We even had a chance to go to the dog park but we didn’t stay long because a boxer bullied both of us (Aunt Kwyn called his owner a #*$@%). 😉

Every morning we would wake up Aunt Kwyn at 5 am.  What can I say, we were antsy kids at a slumber party.  Our tails would start wagging when we saw that she opened up her eye.  The moment we saw an eyeball, her siesta time was over.  You know what that means…it’s time to go for a walk!!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone.  Until next time!

~Luke

Ripping out stuffing is fun! I’m shaking it out of my toy while Riley is acting like a good girl for the camera.

Treat time! I introduced Riley to one of my favorite natural chew treats, cow tube. She likes it!

I must go to my secret hiding place upstairs so she can’t steal my treat.

We’re getting a little tired from running around the house.

But we can’t help ourselves playing one more time before…

…catnap! Okay, 30 minute break to rest our eyes and then we’ll play some more.

Check out my Doggles

I’m not sure if I consider this a present but I received cool looking and functional Doggles brand goggles in silver with skulls and crossbones design.  There’s no doubt I look cool in them.  If only I can keep them on!

I am allergic to fresh cut grass.  My eyes get irritated and my right eyelid does this weird thing that grosses everyone out.  After my eye is flushed with saline to wash out grass debris, I look normal within a few hours.  This has happened the last two times the lawn was mowed.

So Aunt Kwyn decided to order Doggles to protect my eyes during walks after the grass is cut.  I just received them two days ago and the longest I can keep them on is 2 whole minutes.  I’m still getting used to them so it’s a working progress.  I’ll keep everyone posted on the success rate of this experiment.  Until next time!

~ Luke

What is this new torture device?!

Maybe if I close my eyes then open them, this torture device will magically disappear.

Positive reinforcement with a treat to bribe me. Hmmnnn. Let me think about it.

Okay! Let’s go for a walk and test out these bad boys!

I found a stick to play with. Now excuse me while I roll on the ground and pry off this torture device.

 

 

A hiking we will go!

Back in April, I went on a hike at Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, which is right next door to Great Falls National Park.  According to the trail map, we were supposed to hike down an easy embankment to the Potomac River.  Instead we followed a trail that led to a steep rocky cliff overlooking the river.  Needless to say, we never made it down to the Potomac River.  This place always floods after heavy rains so maybe the trail washed away that day…or maybe Aunt Kwyn can’t follow a map to save her life. 😉

Come on slow pokes! Follow me!!

I see the river behind the trees but who will lower me down the cliff? I should’ve taken rock climbing lessons.

 

Now fast forward three months later.  I went on a hike at Great Falls National Park today.  Guess what?  We found an easy trail to the Potomac River!  Our path led to a boat put-in/take-out area so access to the river was a hop, skip and a jump away.  It was hot and humid outside so the cool water was very refreshing.

Today was another day of Luke’s Adventures.  If you will excuse me, I had a long day and I need to go to sleep now.  Zzzzzzzzz.

~Luke

It’s gettin’ hot in here. So take off all your clothes. I’m gettin’ so hot I wanna take my clothes off. (btw, for those not hip, this is a song by Nelly)

Do my eyes fool me? I see water down yonder!!

Oh. This is a pleasant trickle of water flowing downstream.

This is more like it! Hey dude! Mind if I join you?

Cowabunga!!!!!

July 4th weekend

I celebrated Independence Day at Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg last Friday.  I went with Aunt Kwyn and we met up with Aunt Kim and her mom.  The weather was gorgeous in the high 70s after a week of oppressive heat and humidity.  The winery allows friendly dogs inside the tasting room so yours truly was hamming it up.  Just about everybody pet me then came around and pet me again.  I was too cute in my Under Armour shirt.  What can I say?  I’m a fashion victim. 😉

Aunt Kim! What are you doing waaay down there? Come back!!

I’m keeping my eyes on her in case she falls into the pond. Where’s Waldo?  Er, Aunt Kim?

Okay ADD kicking in. Let’s head back to our table so we can eat more treats.

On Saturday, I went to the dog beach with my dog peeps (Lita and Riley) and human peeps (mommy, Aunt Kwyn, Cousin Dave, Cousin Amy and Keli).  We had a blast and played for a few hours.  Again, the weather was gorgeous.  The Chesapeake Bay was a little choppy because Hurricane Arthur passed by a day earlier, but I had on my trusty PFD (personal flotation device) so I was able to play in the water without getting tired (or inadvertently drinking bay water) like the other dogs.  One dog accidentally drank the bay water while playing fetch and threw up his food all over the sand.  EEEEWWWWW!!!!

I’m a male model posing “naked” on the beach.

Riley and I back on shore after fetching our respective balls.

Lita finding a cool spot in the shade to eat her food.

We took tons of pics at the beach so I’ll share more in the days (or weeks) to come.

Until next time! ~Luke

1…2…3…

Goofy face!! 😀

Too hot to trot

Boy it’s been hot outside this week and it’s supposed to be hotter next week!  I overheat within 10 minutes so I haven’t been playing outdoors much.  The good news is, there’s always a bbq or party on the weekend so I get to play with my doggy friends when the sun sets.  Tomorrow, I will see Lita as we celebrate great grandma’s 93rd birthday.  Hopefully we will have some pictures taken because I haven’t posted a pic of Lita in a while.

Have a great weekend everybody!

~Luke

Chillin’ out last Friday evening on the patio of Bogati Bodega Winery near Leesburg, Virginia.

Humans, stop bothering me and drink your wine! I want to eat my snack in peace.

 

 

Welcome to the terrible 2s

I am officially 2 years old!  The funny thing is people who meet me for the first time think that I am still a puppy lab because of my baby face.  What can I say?  It’s the beagle part of me that makes me look young. 😀

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Luke

A birthday burger (cake)!!!!!

Happy birthday to me!

Everyday is my birthday

…but today really is my birthday!  I’m officially 2 years old.  Hard to believe how quickly time flies.

Today is also Father’s Day.  So just like last year, grandpa will share his day with me.  We’re having a family dinner tonight.  While everyone is busy prepping, I will lurk around the kitchen waiting for food to fall on the floor.  Maybe if I look extra cute, I will get scraps to eat too! 😀

Hopefully there will be cute birthday pics of moi to share later this week.  In the mean time, these pics below represent a typical day of Luke’s Adventures!

~Luke

Playing at the dog park before it gets too hot outside.

Waiting my turn to taste a healthy organic green smoothie. This one has kale, spinach, banana, apple, orange and hemp protein powder.

I always lick the glass clean.  Absolutely delicious!

Trying to get to the goodies inside this treat. Honest Kitchen turkey happens to be the filling today.

Play play play with my toys before falling asleep.

I blinked and May disappeared

Hiya peeps!

I can’t believe it’s already June.  Where did May go?!  I sure had spring fever.  The weather was perfect outside, not too hot and not too cold.  My social calendar was jam packed full of fun stuff to do every weekend.

We celebrated Mother’s Day at my aunt’s house.  I also played at the dog park, visited a vineyard, attended a BBQ and swam in a lake.  Life is good when you’re Lukie. 😉

Until next time!

~ Luke

P.S.  Somebody’s birthday is in two weeks!!

Chillin’ with my homegirls on Mother’s Day. Riley is on the left, Lita is on the right, and I’m the monkey in the middle.

Listenin’ to a bluegrass band play while having a picnic at Barrel Oak Winery on Memorial Day weekend. Everyone thought I was too cute with my shirt.

I met a new friend at a birthday BBQ. We have our eyes on the treat. Yum yum!

Cooling off in the lake.

Splish splash. I really swam far out!

I love picnics!

I spent a sunny afternoon hanging out with mommy and aunt Kwyn.  We went to the park for a hike then we had a picnic at a local winery.  We went to Quattro Goomba’s Winery in Aldie, Virginia.  This was the first time any of us visited here so we didn’t know what to expect.

It was crowded!  Everyone had a pitcher of the wine slushie and a couple slices of the homemade Sicilian pizza.  There was a live musician who played really good music.

Surprisingly, the wine slushie was delicious!  It was fruity and the wine was prominent.  This is a very refreshing drink when it’s too hot to drink wine outside.  So we did the same thing as everyone else (monkey see monkey do), we bought wine slushies and pizza.  Then we had a picnic and soaked in the sun.  It was a gorgeous day!  I was a happy boy!

~ Luke

It’s time to visit vineyards!

Spring has sprung and it’s warm enough to sit outside and have a picnic at local vineyards.  That means yours truly gets to tag along at dog friendly vineyards.

Last Friday, I visited Sunset Hills Vineyard in Purcellville, Virgnia.  I was chillin’ on the porch as we listened to live music.  It rained but the sky opened up enough for a nice picture of the sunset.

I hadn’t seen aunt Kim in forever but I recognized her as soon as she got out of her car.  I did my whimpering doggie thing and she was putty in my hands. 😉

Grandma and grandpa have been feeding me too many treats since Christmas and I packed on the winter pounds.  Well, aunt Kim (she’s a veterinarian) confirmed that I was obese.  Now that the weather is nice, I will be doing a lot of hiking so I’ll be back to my normal healthy svelte self sooner than you can snap your fingers. 😀

Have a happy Easter and Passover everyone.  Until next time!

~ Luke

 

Happiness is…

…finding a big stick to play with.  Winter is over and it’s officially spring time which means I’ll be doing lots of fun outdoor activities like watching mommy play lacrosse, hiking, going to the beach, camping and visiting vineyards.  Let the fun begin!

~ Luke

OMG!!!

What is this?!  Call the exterminator!!  I think it’s a rat.  I’m scared!!!!

OMG!  There’s two of them!

~Luke

Let them eat cake

I stand corrected.  Let ME eat cake! 😀

I get so excited when I see cake.  I’m like a kid in a candy store. 😉

Uncle Tony’s birthday was a couple weeks ago.  We bought a red velvet cake for him.  Unfortunately, I was not allowed to eat it but I hear it was delicious.  Three more months until my birthday.  Then I can eat cake!!!!!!! 😀

~ Luke

Uncle Tony sure is old. Look at all the candles on the cake!

I licked the icing when no one was looking. Haha!