Something in the air....

Last night was a very bizarre night, and it still has me scratching my head. The Sonoran Desert where we are experiences a "monsoon season" starting around mid-July for several weeks...these monsoons are pretty much a storm with crazy rainfall, lightning, thunder, etc for a few minutes. Last night there was what looked like an early monsoon rolling through Tucson...you can see them for miles, just sheets of dark clouds and rain, and try to brace yourself. The agility class that Winston is enrolled in at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona takes place every Wednesday night. We all got to the agility field ready to go last night, and were just going to chance it that the storm would blow by west of us, which it mostly did. Still, we could see tons of lightning on the other side of town, and feel a lot of wind blowing. I don't know what this kind of atmosphere does to the dogs, but it was very noticeable. Winston isn't perfect, I can admit that, but last night he was baaaaad. He couldn't focus on us...we would try to start a run on a few pieces of equipment laid out on a small course and he would just take off and do laps around the entire field of equipment, people, and dogs. Once we had him more under control, I took a breath and looked around. All of the dogs were going nuts. None of the dogs, including Winston, were scared or mean....just nutty, like they all sat down for some coffee right before class. So, I don't know what was in the air from the storm, but the instructor said that this happens every time there is a monsoon nearby. Very bizarre. Then I looked around and saw John doing laps and going nutty too (well, not really, but that would be funny).

Tim Russert

Tim Russert has always been one of my favorite journalists and interviewers. I know, join the club...this guy was loved by many. I'm sure a lot of you have seen this clip from Daily Show, but just in case you haven't, enjoy. (Thanks to Kara for sharing.)

Happy Belated Father's Day!

I know this is late, but I wanted to post some pictures of the wonderful fathers that are in our lives. I would have done this on Sunday, but I was celebrating Father's Day by asking Dad for money...just $20 to see a movie and get a sundae at Friendly's. John wanted some baseball cards.

My handsome Dad. Notice the keys in his hand...couldn't wait for the party to start!

John's Dad on his 35th (ha!) birthday last year, full of Vann's punny jokes.

John's stepdad Colon, a world traveler and best friend to Winston.

Happy Piglet

This has nothing to do with us, but this surely made me laugh. I mean, how could you look at this little piggie above and not smile?! In this report from BBC News, this piglet was afraid of the mud, so the farmers put little wellies on her feet.

Europe trip 2008

Hey everyone!

John and I arrived home last Friday from a whirlwind trip to Europe. We went to Paris, London, Interlaken (Switzerland), Cinque Terre (Italy), and the French Riviera (Antibes and Nice). It was wonderful, and it is always nice to come back home. We have been settling into our routines, enjoying time with Johnnie and Colon (here to watch the house and Winston while we were away, and visit), and starting another round of Agility class with Winston. Finally, I've posted some pictures for everyone to see...click on the picture below to get the slideshow.

Europe

Also, here are a few movies that we made along the way.

Here we are going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower while it was sparkling (which it does on the hour):

Up top (well, not tippy-top, but it was good enough!):

Here is the "ferry" we were in to get through a mountain in the Alps:

John being cheeky: