You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Art is awesome.’ category.
A few weeks ago we went to Duluth, MN to hang out with Daniel’s aunts and uncles (Bill, Beth, Carol, and Preston) and grandparents (Ray and Priscilla).
Since I’d never been to Duluth before, Bill and Beth played tour guides and gave us a true Minnesotan experience. Our first day in Duluth was spent boating out on Lake Superior.
The weather was gorgeous and they even let me drive the boat (a first for me)! I may or may not have squealed “I feel like James Bond!” as I zipped around the bay. Also, Daniel and I may or may not have forgotten to wear sunscreen, thus causing very painful sunburns on our heads.
Beth’s dog Buddy was our constant companion – I am pretty sure he thinks he is a human.
And now for some Fun facts about Duluth, because you know you were waiting for it…
#1. They have an entire park dedicated to the viking Leif Ericson.
Side fact: Before I saw this statue, I thought the park was named after Leif Garrett.
#2. Duluth is the birthplace of Bob Dylan. He has a whole street dedicated to him.
#3. Duluth is also home to the Glensheen Historic Estate – which is basically like Downton Abbey: U.S. Edition. We toured it on our last day in Duluth. I hummed the tune from the opening credits almost the entire time. Daniel looooooved hated that.
While discovering Duluth was really fun, I have to admit, my favorite activity of the weekend involved another first for me: driving a four-wheeler.
Check out our boating-induced sunburns. Ouch.
Oh, and because no Hawkins family weekend is complete without some kind of DIY project, check out the birdhouse bench we worked on for Daniel’s Aunt Beth. The idea was that each Hawkins’ couple/family unit would be given one house on the bench to decorate in their own style.
To fit with the style of our bungalow in Kansas City, we picked the smallest house of the group – the light blue cottage smack in the middle of the bench. During the downtime between outings, I could be found painstakingly working on our little cottage to make it look just right.
I’m not going to lie, I think it turned out pretty awesome. And so us…
We had a blast in Duluth and hope to get back there sometime this winter to check out all of the fun cold weather activities Minnesota has to offer! What about you? Have you done anything for the first time this summer (like going four-wheeling or driving a boat)? For all you Minnesotans, was there anything we missed on our trip?
I have been known to dress up my foster dogs to help attract attention to them in public and to make them seem approachable.
I have also never shied away from dressing up the dogs for Halloween…
I’ve taken some flack for dressing up my dogs – some people think it’s silly or dumb or whatever. It’s fine. I do it because it’s fun. But did you know that people 100 years ago were dressing up their dogs too? Daniel recently sent me this amazing post from PetaPixel of dogs from 1905. Bonus: they are bully breeds! Here’s one of the photos – currently archived in the Library of Congress.
via PetaPixel.
Check out the post from PetaPixel to see the rest of the photos – and just try not to smile!
Because I am pretty sure I have a super-radar for picking the medically neediest dogs ever, Turk was just diagnosed with a nasty skin infection that is a result of letting an allergic rash go too long without medical treatment. Yep. I am a terrible dog owner who lets her dog suffer needlessly….well, for the record, I didn’t ignore it but I did try to treat it myself with over-the-counter hot spot spray.
Here is Turk letting me know what an awful mama I am, with full on Comfy Cone face…
As if I wouldn’t put myself through enough guilt and anxiety for causing Turk’s pain, my vet bill served as a reminder that trying to treat a rash yourself will bite you in the butt pocketbook in the end. The rash was most likely caused by an allergic reaction to something in the air – like mold that grows on tree leaves. Apparently that’s a big problem in Kansas City. To deal with the current ailments, Turk is on a couple different prescriptions, and to prevent future issues, he was also prescribed a cortisone spray for flare-ups and a medicated shampoo as well. And just to be safe, we’re switching Turk to a Limited Ingredient Diet and using the hypoallergenic Pill Pockets for awhile to rule out a food allergy.
With the different medications for Turk, switching Turk & Lucy to a different food than Rufus, and the supplements all of the dogs get each day, I was afraid I would have trouble keeping it straight. So what did this anal-retentive freak super organized grad student do? Why, I made a food & supplement schedule, of course!
Now I know exactly how much fish oil, apple cider vinegar (thanks Married with Dawgs!), probiotics, and PlaqueOff (seaweed) to give, which medications go to whom, and how much food to divvy up each mealtime. Whew. Now I just have to try to remember to take my own meds! Oh, and in case you’re wondering about those adorable little Turk & Ginger magnets, here’s a closer look…
Aren’t they awesome?!?! They were a birthday gift from my dear friend Crystal and were made by Kathleen Henn, a local artist. The little sayings on the magnets just capture Turk and Ginger Rogers so perfectly, I am thinking of having one made for Rufus, Ginger Jr., and Miss Lucy Lou as well. If you would like a magnet of your own pooch (or kitty or ferret or rabbit), you can email her at {kathleenhenn@yahoo.com}.
Yesterday was my birthday…the big 2-8. Daniel knows all about my youngest-child-birthday-expectations, and he always comes through with memorable birthday things. Such as the scavenger hunt which led me all over our house and ended with the discovery of my very own domain name! This is a photo of me after I deciphered the final clue and opened up www.ourwaldobungie.com for the first time…
Obviously there is still some work to be done to get everything moved over, but I was/am very excited! The excitement continued when I opened my new Kindle!
The Kindle was a gift from my parents, so I was on the phone with my mom as I opened it…in case the crazy eyes don’t give me away, I was very, very excited (Rufus assisted with the gift opening). My weekend consisted of catching up with friends, a date with Daniel (that included dates with Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon Levitt via film), and finally, yesterday, we did one of my all time favorite Kansas City things with Lucy Lou…we took advantage of the unseasonably warm 60 degree weather with a walk through the Nelson-Atkins Museum Sculpture Park.
We showed her all of the sculptures in our effort to ensure she is a cultured dog…
But of course, being the teenager she is, she couldn’t help but laugh when we showed her the infamous “Shuttlecocks” statues, because come on, who woulda thought shuttlecocks were art?!
After some cajoling, we did manage to get her to pose nicely though…
While I know that Lucy Lou enjoyed our walk through the Sculpture Park, I am pretty sure her favorite part of our little adventure was the car ride…
She stuck her little head out the window and soaked up the sun, although I am sure she was pretending we were driving down the PCH instead of Wornall…
If you want a dog that appreciates the arts and car rides, and you think Lucy Lou might be that girl, contact me at {ourwaldobungie@gmail.com}
Our Waldo Bungie 