Palm Bay Dog Park

Wolf at the Palm Bay dog park
Gotta love those ears!

We live in Melbourne a very short distance from the off leash dog park. It's rather gross. Lots of smokers with no care or respect for the environment or non-smokers just toss their butts all over the ground even though plenty of receptacles are provided. But that's really not as bad as the fact that no one picks up after their dog poops all over the place.

In Contrast-- the Palm Bay off-leash dog park is BEAUTIFUL! Clean, lots of grass, well cared for and HUGE!
Its a few extra miles in the next town over, but well worth the drive.

The play area for dogs over 25 lbs is really large

Cool in the pool at the Palm Bay dog park- even though its a bit small for a greyhound
We've bought Wolf a large pool of his own for the house because he LOVES to be in the water

Extremist Celebrate in an extreme way

Many people wrote to me saying that I was wrong when I accused Christine Dorchak and Carey Theil of being extremist wackos associated with P.E.T.A. but I stood my ground. They have recently announced a big shindig to celebrate the end of greyhound racing in New England. How do animal rights extremists party?


"What: Three-course vegan dinner with a selection of tea and cakes. " Seriously. Its on their website.

YUMMY huh?

Don't get me wrong. I myself eat and appreciate vegetarian and vegan foods for several weeks at a time throughout the year, as my family tries to follow the guidelines of fasting and abstinence of our Orthodox Christian faith. I have friends that are vegitarians for health reasons and their own principles. I respect that.

What I cannot accept is forcing ones personal beliefs on others. You can be certain that if organizations like P.E.T.A. and Grey2k continue to chip away at their goal to eliminate all companion animals, they will take the next step to force the entire population to eat only a vegan diet. Of course if they achieve this, I don't know what the full time paid activists like Newkirk, Theil and Dorchak will do to earn a living. Perhaps they can work in some kind of rider on the legislation outlawing meat and animal products that will give them some sort of annual government stipend annually. Why not? I'm sure they will believe they have earned it.

Moving.... again

View of the new place from the outside

Spacious kitchen with LOTS of counter and cabinet space

So, we're moving again. We've been almost a year in Titusville.
We live in a brand new security patrolled, gated apartment complex with a beautiful wide open floor plan, oak cabinets, marble windowsills built smack dab in the middle of the ghetto.

I have lived in some rough places before, but never where I have actually heard gun shots. Yeah, for real.

We were going to brave it out another year because the monthly rent was actually going to be reduced by almost one hundred and twenty dollars, but things changed rather quickly. Brianna's mother has moved in with us, and this has facilitated us purchasing a home an entire year before we were planning to. We were looking around already just to see what was out there, and an excellent deal presented itself.

Wolf has already settled into his room

Needs a coat of paint before we can move in

Will be sure to post some "AFTER" pictures as well.

WOOFSTOCK 2010

Mark your calendars and reserve the date.
Date: February 21, 2010
Time: 11:30 - 4:00
Place: Wickham Park Main Pavilion (Wickham & Post Roads)
(adjacent to Brevard Community College Campus Parking Lot)
in Melbourne, Florida

CLICK ON THE LOGO ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION

WHile you're planning out your hounds social calendar-- be sure to pencil in Yappy Hour February 20, 2010
Click for more information

Last Night Time Shuttle Launch

Space Shuttle Endeavour took off from Cape Canaveral at 4:14 AM. An amazing sight from our apartment complex driveway. This is the very last night time launch planned for any space shuttle.
Pictures are not the greatest as they are from my camera phone.

O WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN......

Random Thoughts

Having been in Florida seven months now, I have realized that outside of the large cities you have to travel at least 45 minutes to get anywhere. I'm starting to feel like a native Westfielder who believe that travel anywhere outside their town constitutes a day trip.

Today we traveled the fifty minute ride out to the far side of Orlando to attend Godsgreyts pot luck picnic. The president has 10 fenced in acres around her home, so she greytfully hosted this event. Over thirty hounds and their owners off leash, but muzzled-- the hounds that is-- for safety. All in all it was a very good afternoon. Brianna had a chance to be the social butterfly she loves to be, and I had some time to watch the hounds and sample the various homemade desserts, all of which were very good. Wolfie took off o his own as soon as he realized he was off leash. After ten minutes his mommy was worried and went looking for him. Where did she find her Big Brave Wolf? Standing right by the gate we came in, looking to get out! When she called his name he ran toward her at full speed; ears up, tail wagging. For the rest of the afternoon, even though he was off leash, he did not wander too far from from her. When she moved to talk to someone else, he moved with her.

A very small, and surprisingly quite sane greyhound group.

On a completely different note, I was cleaning out my email and found this poem that I thought a couple of our friends might get a chuckle out of. There is an interesting story behind it. It was sent to me by a friend of mine who lost his father a couple years ago. His sister found this in one of their dads old phone directories, penned on the back of an old business card for a bar long closed. The telephone number on the card was "Framingham 9028". That should give you an idea how old it is.

LIQUOR AND LONGEVITY

The horse and mule live 30 years

And nothing know of wine or beers.

The goat and sheep at 20 die

And never taste of scotch and rye.

The cow drinks water by the ton

And at 18 is mostly done.

The dog at 15 cashes in

Without the aid of rum and gin.

The cat in milk and water soaks

And then in 12 short years it croaks.

The modest, sober, bone-dry hen

Lays eggs for nogs, then dies at 10.

All animals are strictly dry

They sinless live and swiftly die.

But wicked, evil, rum-soaked men

Live on to three score years and ten.

And some of us, the mighty few,

Stay pickled till we’re 92.