Bailey has visitors

These are three of the four children from across the street. . . the fourth is just a baby and I didn't trust a rambunctious puppy around him!  They came over to see Bailey for the first time.  It's kind of hard to say who was having the most fun here, the kids or Bailey!

Meet Bailey!

Bailey came home yesterday.  My thanks to the breeders for driving her to Buffalo for me and to my good friend, Nancy, for going with me to bring her home.  On the hour drive back to Rochester, Bailey slept in Nancy's lap most of the way and when she did wake up, she just wanted to be cuddled!

I want to say a word about the breeders, Patty and William Finch of Starlight Buckeye Labs in Ohio.  Not only did they provide me with a quality Lab, but they are just very nice people to deal with.

In the picture above, taken just a few minutes ago, Bailey is dragging around Morgan's favorite stick, which weighs almost as much as she does!!!

Every dog lover has their own favorite breed, but there is just something about Labrador Retrievers that I truly love.  Their personality, their looks, their playfulness, their temperament.  Bailey is my fifth Lab dating back to 1985.

Little Things

Sometimes it's small, seemingly insignificant, things that make the biggest impact on you.  Things that probably you wouldn't give a second thought to.

I haven't made it a secret that I'm bringing home a new puppy soon. . . very soon!

I drove 5 1/2 hours to the outskirts of Cleveland to meet with the breeders.  In my visit with them, it was clear they were the caliber of breeder that I had been told they were.  I gave them a deposit on the puppy and discussed when I would return to bring the puppy home.

While I made an effort to find someone to return with me to bring the puppy home, I ran into a roadblock at every turn.  There is no way I would leave a puppy in a car in the middle of August long enough to go to the restroom at a rest stop.  I found a way around that but I won't be specific!!!

This weekend my phone rang.  There was no name on the caller ID and I don't know anyone from Akron, Ohio, so I almost didn't answer.  But I did!  It was the breeder.  She lives out from Akron and when I realized who I was talking to, I laughed and told her I thought of not answering it!

She said, "We are concerned about you driving that far by yourself with a young puppy."  They offered to drive to Buffalo to deliver the puppy to me.  I quickly told her she had made me an offer I couldn't refuse!  We agreed on a location to meet and she will call me when they are close and I will head out down the NYS Thruway.  Meantime,  a close friend has agreed to ride to Buffalo with me.  She is a cancer survivor and didn't feel she could tolerate a trip to Ohio and back in one day, but Buffalo is well within her limits.

All this was heartwarming to me that the breeder would be that considerate of me.

But what happened next really melted my heart.

I quickly e-mailed a few close friends, telling them I didn't have to drive 10 hours (round trip) to bring the puppy home.  I was elated.

One of them e-mailed me right back stating, "I would feel comfortable if you would give me information on where you are going to meet the breeder, the breeder's name, address, etc.  I don't like you making a transaction of this level at a strange location."

Yes, I laughed at that!  I told her she sounded like me!  I'm not sure she was aware that I had already met these people and knew they were decent people.

She will get the information.  The fact is, whenever I go outside my usual route of "Work/Wegmans/Costco", I always tell someone my flight plane, in case the unthinkable happens.

I am truly blessed to have people that care about my wellbeing.  You know who you are.  THANKS!

Tired pups!

 

 

Young puppies play hard for 15 to 20 minutes, then they collapse!  One of these will be Bailey, the one I will bring home soon.  I truly feel sorry for someone who has never had a Lab in their life.  It is their personality.  It is the way they can talk with their eyes.  It is their keen sense of perception.  They are just one of a kind.

New puppy coming soon!

Yesterday I drove to the Cleveland area to meet with a breeder of Labrador Retrievers.  Here is a short video of what I observed while there.

Three yellow Lab puppies, 7 weeks old, and full of energy.

I will be bringing my new puppy home in two weeks.  Yes, I am excited!  

Beef ribs on the grill tonight!

Beef ribs on the grill tonight.  Great tasting.

Time to mix up more bbq sauce

I really don't have a favorite bbq sauce.  I have several that I like.  If I'm using it on pulled pork, then I like my Carolina style sauce.

This one is tomatoey and just downright delicious on bbq chicken.

It comes from my Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichen, copyright 2000.  I think he has come out with a new version since then.  But this one is filled with many great recipes.

6 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups ketchup
coarse salt to taste

Combine all ingredients except the ketchup in a large, deep, heavy, nonreactive saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat.  Cook uncovered until all the ingredients are dissolved, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the ketchup and bring to a boil, stirring well, as the ketchup has a tendency to spatter.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce heat slightly and gently simmer the sauce, uncovered, until dark, thick, and richly flavored, about 30 minutes, stirring often.  Use right away or transfer to jars, cover, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.  It will keep for several months.

Makes 5 cups.

It's a double paddle canoe!

Someone that saw my post below asked, "You look like you are sitting on the floor of that canoe."

I am!

That is a Hornbeck Boat, www.hornbeckboats.com.  It is 12 feet long and weighs 12 pounds!  There is a foam pad installed in the boat and a foam backrest, even foot braces like a kayak has.  This model is known as the New Trick.  They come in varying lengths up to 15 feet.  The 12 foot is the most popular.

The way you get in and out of it is easy and unique.  You stand in the water with the top of the canoe resting behind your knees.  Then you simply sit down and land on the foam.  Next, you swing your legs around inside the boat and you are all set to take off!  It is easier than getting in and out of a kayak.

I love the ease in which it handles and tracks.  It is a real joy to paddle.

Paddling on Black Creek

My friend, Nancy, and I enjoyed a nice paddle on Black Creek today.  This section of Black Creek meanders through dense wooded land with a lot of wildflowers and birds from ducks to herons.

Last minute dinner plans

About 3:00 this afternoon, I realized I hadn't checked my phone since earlier in the day.  Hmm. . . Robert Lauterbach had called but didn't leave a message.  So I called him back.

"Yeah, I got my new smoker and wondered if you wanted to come over for dinner?"

It didn't take much to convince me!  Nancy had told me he was looking at smokers and I told her I highly recommended the one I have.

Now most people who are new to smoking meat would start with a chicken.  It is the easiest to prepare, one that any novice can handle.  Not Robert!  He used both racks of the smoker and had a pork shoulder on the bottom rack and a rack of ribs on the top!

It was an enjoyable evening and our conversation ranged from everything to the validity of taking down the Confederate flag to the crazy things I said as I was coming out of surgery several weeks back!  

Nancy and I have plans to go paddling tomorrow.  Robert is welcome to come along and use my kayak if he wants.

Nancy and Robert and I go back a long way. . . decades actually.  I have always valued their friendship.