For the love of dogs...

It's been all about the dogs since we moved into our new place. We've been watching our friends dogs while they've gone on vacations. This has been good practice for us. It's really funny because Eric and I were talking about what kind of dog we would get and Eric mentioned Golden Retriever among a few other breeds and I like Corgis. So, one Sunday afternoon while riding our bikes, we met a family up at the Steilacoom dog park. They had this great dog, Carmen, who is half Golden and half Corgi. They said they were looking for a new home for her since they are both being deployed to Iraq soon. They brought her down to our house last weekend for a trial visit. Things went really great. So, it looks like Carmen will be coming to be a part of our family in early October! We are really, really, really excited and happy :)

Meet Carmen:

She's a super sweetheart and really well trained already!

This is Bailey, our neighbors dog. She stays with us often.

This is Canyon, our friends dog, who also has stayed with us. Here Eric is firing him "Trump Style" for eating Eric's precious salt bagel while Eric turned his back for just a minute!

Evolution of a Spare Bedroom

Finally, some pictures of our house... This set of three pictures shows the "remodeling" of the spare bedroom. It was a big task, but we finished in time for Besty's August visit.

Eric showing his frustration at the damaged walls (He's pretending to fence with the walls using a utility knife)

Two layers of pigmented shelac and 2.5 big tubs of spackle later...


Here's the finished room. Perfect for Betsy's visit!

Seaside and Cannon Beach

Eric, his sister Betsy, and I visited Seaside and Cannon Beach, Oregon early in the week. We stayed at Aunt Barb and Uncle Jerrys' condo in Seaside. The weather was amazing. It was warm and clear. We were even able to see the lunar eclipse on Monday night.

View of Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in the distance.

A cool view from a hike we took from Ecola State Park to Indian Beach along the bluffs.

Eric eats Haystack Rock!!!

Betsy chillin' on the rocks at Indian Beach.

Betsy had a very relaxing time - a far cry from busy hospital life (she's a chief resident doctor back in Richmond, Virginia). She especially loved the great birdwatching from the place in Seaside.

Picture of a cool pattern left by beach insects on the sand!

Two cute corgies that we met at the beach. They were addorable :) Yes, it is time for Eric and I to get a pup. Stay tuned!

Betsy visits!

Eric's sister Betsy came to visit from Richmond, Virginia. We've been having fun visiting and going on many small advenvtures.

Hard at Work

I spent the early part of the week taking sediment samples out on some remote eastern Washington Lakes. Long days, but really fun and interesting. No, I didn't really eat that sediment.

A few more STP shots...

At the STP there were professionals taking pictures of riders at different places along the route. I'm posting a couple of my favorite pro pics:

It's been ahwile...

It's been awhile since I posted (sorry Ronna). We've been busy working on our house. In fact, Eric completely gutted our bathroom tonight! Down to the 2X4's! I will post some pictures of the house soon.

In July, Eric, Dad and I did the STP (Seattle to Portland) 200 mile ride. We had a great time, sore bums and all. We stayed at Dad's in Centralia - the conveniently located half way point. The following weekend I did a triathlon in Chelan, WA with some good friends.


View from our snazzy hotel over looking Lake Union - just a quick drive to the starting line of the STP!!!


We were lucky enough to get a picture of the famous cyclist Marco Pantani, oh wait it's my Dad.



Here we are waiting in line for the Longview bridge (to Oregon). They escorted us over in groups of several hundred riders at a time.

At the finish in Portland! It was huge celebration and the portable showers felt sooooooo good.

Just chillin' and waiting for the bus to take us back to Seattle. It felt good to be off the bike.

Here's my favorite triathlon photo. I had the coolest number ever: 123!

Our triathlon bikes on the car!

Wine tasting in Chelan with my tri-budies Susan (left) and Andrea (right). They did an awesome job for their first triathlons.