Pet Sitting Oscar

When Oscar and I aren’t at the dog park or taking our walks around the beautiful Queen Anne neighborhood…

Oscar enjoying the water at Magnuson Dog Park

Walking around the neighborhood amongst the fall leaves

we are hanging around the Condo overlooking the beautiful view of Seattle and Elliott Bay.  I enjoy watching planes of all different shapes and sizes circling over the city on their way to SeaTac.  I have even seen a couple of unique aircraft.

Plane pulling a banner

I saw a blimp come in and land at Seattle Center and leave again!

Barges and ferries are constantly coming in and out of Elliott Bay.

Since I’ve been here there has been all kinds of weather.  We’ve had a wind storm with gusts of over 50 mph.  The big planters on the deck blew over and there were fallen branches and debris all over on our walk.  For over a week the city was covered with an unusual fog bank.  And we’ve had cloudy and sunny days.  Every day is beautiful in its own way.  Here are some shots I’ve gotten of the beautiful view.

Space Needle peeking out of the fog

Morning shot with the morning sun shining on the buildings

Space Needle with Mt. Rainier in background

Beautiful view of the city at night

On Oct. 26th the Space Needle was lit in Husky Purple as a tribute to UW football coach Don James. The fog cover made it look Absolutely awesome!

Oscar isn’t too interested in the view.  When I’m not rubbing his belly or playing tug of war with him, he’s pretty content hanging out on his bed.

Oscar hanging out on his bed

 

When I’m not enjoying the sights of the Bay and City, I’m watching the birds coming onto the deck and getting their breakfast.  I put out peanuts every morning for them.

Western Scrub Jay grabbing his morning peanuts

Stellar Jay coming for his breakfast

The crows sneak a few peanuts too

And the hummingbirds come to get their nectar.  There are two that I see.  I think it’s a male and female.  They’re so sweet and delicate.

This hummingbird hangs out on the deck quite often

 

Soon I’ll be leaving Oscar and this wonderful place, but I’m looking forward to going to the Phinney Ridge neighborhood to pet sit for a couple of pups I’ve watched before with a new little 4 month old Yorkie addition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking Oscar on Beautiful Queen Anne

If you’ve been reading my blogs you will know how important I believe it is to walk your dogs.  I’ve been staying in the lower Queen Anne neighborhood with Oscar for the last couple of weeks and taking him for walks every day.

Every other day I take Oscar to Magnuson Dog Park so he can have the freedom to run and play with other dogs.  He absolutely LOVES it!  And so do I.  It gives me so much pleasure to watch him socialize and run and play in the water.

Playing in the water

Social time

Having fun at Magnuson Dog Park

But on the days I don’t go to Magnuson, we walk up and down the hills of beautiful Queen Anne.  There are SO many things to see on our walk including many historic homes.  Here are just a few that we pass by along the way.

W M Chappell House

The Chappell House is a French Gothic style home built in 1906.  Chappell was one of the first men at the gold strike in Eldorado Creek in Alaska.  He came back, founded Rainier Heat & Power Co. and built this beautiful home.  The home is currently home of the Japanese Consul.

James A Gibbs House

This massive home was built in 1931.  To the left is a separate bungalow with a garage underneath and formal gardens.  To the right is a view of Seattle and below is a second large underneath garage.  The picture doesn’t do it justice.

Treat House

Close up of stained glass windows of Treat House

The Treat House is a Gable House built in 1905.  Originally the lowest floor had a ballroom, mens gambling room and stage.  It was the largest home on the hill at the time.  For many years it was used as apartments but now has been purchased and restored to its former splendor.  The stained glass windows is what sets this home apart.  Beautiful!

Martin D Ballard House

This gorgeous Georgian Revival style home was built in 1901.  It now houses six luxury apartments averaging 1200 sq. ft. each.

There are several beautiful historic apartments along our walk too.  Here are just a couple of them.

Narada Apartments

The Narada Apartments were built in 1926.  The buildings unique features are its extensive and ornate use of terra-cotta.  The projecting window bays are clad entirely of it.  It’s striking!

The Victorian Apartments

The Tudor Revival style apartments are built of red brick and terra-cotta.  It occupies an entire block.  The U-shaped building surrounds a vast terraced lawn which allows residents to not only have views of the city and Elliott Bay but to have a garden view from virtually every window.

Not only do we pass by beautiful homes and buildings, but there are several stairways tucked throughout the area.

One of the many stairways throughout the Queen Anne neighborhood

And of course since Autumn is my favorite time of year, I have to include the wonderful colors I see along the way.

Colors of fall

I can hear the rustling of the fallen leaves

The ivy turning red

More trees bursting with color

During the first week I was here I passed an older Korean lady standing underneath a huge tree.  It was littered with spiny pods underneath.  She told me she was gathering chestnuts.  She said Koreans LOVE chestnuts and they’re very expensive so she comes every year to gather them.  I got my first lesson on the difference between horse chestnuts and edible sweet chestnuts, otherwise known as the American, European, or Asian chestnut.  I had no idea that all the horse chestnuts I had been seeing were not edible, in fact could actually be poisonous.

Non edible horse chestnuts on left, edible sweet chestnuts on right

The walks up and down the hills of Queen Anne have really taken a toll on my ankles.  They are aching and swollen.  I’m not used to walking such steep hills.  But it’s been worth every ache and pain!

On my next post I’ll share the views from the condo that I’m staying in with Oscar.  Every day I look out onto Elliott Bay and the city it looks different.  Ahh, what a wonderful life I have!

Mothers Day

Brody & Calla

What a great week I’ve had pet sitting in Snohomish this past week.  I absolutely adore the two pups that I’ve been watching.  Brody is such a gentleman who loves to snuggle and Calla has the biggest personality all wrapped up in a tiny 8 lb. body!  It’s so much fun watching her play with her squeaky toys and when I open the door for her and Brody to go outside, she shoots out like a rocket, barking and chasing away any rabbits, squirrels or birds that dare come into the yard.

Speaking of the yard, what a beautiful time of year it is with all the trees and bushes in bloom!

Just a small sample of all the beautiful flowers blooming in the yard

My daughter Heather lives fairly close by so on Saturday we decided to meet at the Country Village just down the road in Bothell.  What a cool place!  It was such a beautiful, sunny day!  A perfect day for LJ to get to run around and play, and a time for Heather and I to catch up.

He had so much fun playing on all the playground toys including a Pirate’s Ship, swings, merry-go-round, etc.  He also got to watch the ducks and chickens that were walking around.  There’s a cute pond and stream going along the back and there’s even a little train to take a ride on.

Fun at Country Village

After taking a break at The Village Bean, where there was another little activity area for LJ to spend some energy, LJ and Heather took a ride on the train and then poured into the car and went home for a good nap :-).

On Sunday, Heather invited me out to lunch.  She had a bloody mary waiting for me when I arrived!  Oh how she knows her mamma!

We had a really nice visit and some snacks!  I was so glad I got to spend Mothers Day with my daughter.  I haven’t been close enough for several years to do that.  It was especially nice because Heather’s expecting her second child so it was a special day for her too!  My son lives in Wenatchee so I wasn’t able to see him but I did hear from him so it completed my day!

Thanks Heather for creating the collages for me!

Sammamish, Bella & Peep

Peep

I’m in beautiful Sammamish taking care of a canary named Peep.  I have had such a good time watching him.  It brings me back to my childhood and my moms canary named Sugar Foot.  Peep has been taking baths in the morning when I bring him his fresh water.  He splashes all over the place and fluffs his feathers enjoying every minute of his bath time!

Peep taking his bath

Every morning while I’m on my computer I turn on Pandora and listen to music.  Peep LOVES the music!  He sings along and makes beautiful music.  I think he likes Country music the best :-).  It’s a really nice way to spend my mornings!

I’m also watching a sweet little Italian Greyhound named Bella.  She’s had some issues with her hind legs and has recently had surgery so is a little weak.  Like all Italian Greyhounds, she loves cuddling and burrowing deep in the covers.

Where’s Bella?

Bella loves her nap time!

We take a slow walk every day and she’s doing great!  You can never say that Bella doesn’t like to stop and smell the roses…and everything else.  She loves exploring everything!

Sweet Bella

And we have the most beautiful path to walk on just outside the back door.  It’s been so nice and sunny lately so the walks have been wonderful!

Is that a bird?

I wake up to this beautiful view every morning with the sound of birds singing and I get to spend my days with sweet little pets like Bella and Peep.

Outside my bedroom window

Every day I have to remind myself how lucky I am to have this wonderful job!  A big thank-you to all of my clients who put your trust in me to watch over your sweet little pups, cats, birds, etc.!  I’m so thankful to all of you!

 

Three Chihuahuas and Two Cats

What a fun and exciting week I’ve had in Bothell this week with these three adorable Chihuahuas

Lola, Maximus & Suri

And two cats.

Joe and Peppers

Wow, what a house full!  When the weather was cold and raining so we couldn’t spend very much time in the back yard or take walks (these pups don’t like the rain :-)) they were either playing with their toys, all piled on top of me cuddled up or laying around keeping warm by the fire.

Warm and cozy fire

Joe thinks he’s one of the dogs and likes to hang out with them.  He is a very verbal cat so is constantly “talking” to me.

I’ll have my breakfast NOW please!

Joe hanging out with Lola and Suri

Peppers, on the other hand, doesn’t like the dogs and definitely doesn’t like hanging out with them.  She prefers to hang out by herself in her basket or on her cat tree away from all the activity and noise.

I’ll take a belly rub please!

One day when the sun was shining and we were all in the yard, I realized that Peppers hadn’t come around for a while.  I started calling her and could hear her but couldn’t see her.  I began to worry that she was stuck somewhere or hurt and couldn’t get back.

Well, guess where I finally found her?  Yep, Peppers had hopped onto the roof and now couldn’t get down.  I’m assuming she was frightened by the dogs.  Now what do I do?  Well, I finally found an upstairs window that opened and she came right in.  Apparently this wasn’t the first time she had done this because she knew exactly where to go.

I fine mess I’ve gotten myself into!

Suri is a sweet little girl who, when I’m talking to her cocks her head asking “What?”  She’s the first one on my lap when I sit down and is constantly playing with her toys.  I absolutely LOVE her ears 🙂

Gotta love those ears!

Lola is the quietest of the three dogs.  She stands back and stares at me if she wants on my lap or wants some more petting.  She sticks more to herself and sometimes I find her laying in her crate.  Oh how I wish I knew what these little ones were thinking at times.

Oh if I only knew what you were thinking

Max is a very interesting little guy.  He was adopted, as were all the rest of the little ones in this house (Yay to their mom!) and doesn’t trust touch.  So I was warned not to put my hand on him or stare at him so he wouldn’t get threatened and bite me.  A really hard thing for someone like me who loves nothing more than loving and pamper these little guys.

Maximus – The cutest face ever!

One day I was on my computer at the counter and Suri (I thought) came up to me wanting some attention.  I leaned down and gave her some good petting and lifted her into my arms and was cradling her while I was looking at the computer screen.  All of the sudden I looked down and realized it was Max I was holding instead of Suri!  What to do now?  I think Max realized what he had allowed me to do about the same time and started to panic.  I quickly put him down but was overwhelmed with happiness that I got to hold him, even if just for a short time.  After that he was much more comfortable with me.  Hopping onto my lap, licking my face and he actually let me pet him a couple more times.  What a sweet little boy!  Yes Max, you can trust me!

Mukilteo

During the time I was pet sitting in Mukilteo I decided to pop down town to see the ferry and take a walk along the beach.  I absolutely love being by the water, listening to the water rush onto shore, and listening to the sound of the ferrys mournful horn.

Roman & Juma

The Mukilteo Lighthouse Park is right next to the ferry dock and has lots of parking, and is a pretty cool little park, so this is where I went.

Ferry coming into Mukilteo

Art in Mukilteo Lighthouse Park

Sitting on a historic plot of land, flashing a white light once every five seconds, the Mukilteo Lighthouse guides ships on their way to Everett, Washington.  The light was lit for the first time on March 1, 1906.  Electricity reached the station in 1927 and was automated in 1979.  I think it’s a beautiful little lighthouse.

Mukilteo Lighthouse

The beach is pretty cool with lots of driftwood and things to explore.  Even on a week day afternoon there were plenty of people enjoying it.

Beach along Mukilteo Lighthouse Park

If you’re taking the ferry across to Clinton on Whidbey Island, be sure to leave yourself a little extra time to enjoy this great little park.  I’m so glad I took the time to take a little walk along the beach.  Maybe next time I’ll take a ride on the ferry!

McMenamins Kennedy School in Portland

I’m back in Portland pet sitting my two special little Italian Greyhounds Luna and Reilly.

Luna and Reilly – aren’t they adorable?

Before their Mom and Dad left they suggested I go to The Kennedy School to watch a movie.  Since I always try to find something new and different to do wherever I go, I decided to check it out.  WOW, what a treat!!!

The Kennedy School has quite a history.  It was an elementary school from 1915 until 1975 when it closed its doors because of its declining condition and was decided it was too old and crumbling to repair.

Mike and Brian McMenamin presented a proposal to renovate the property and on October 22, 1997, the original principal’s bell was rung on the front steps at 7 a.m. sharp to herald the old school’s new beginning as McMenamins Kennedy School.

McMenamins Kennedy School

Today, the school is a hub of activity.  It seems that there is always an event scheduled and while I was there (on a Tuesday night) it was bustling with people in every nook and cranny of the building.

The Kennedy School has 57 guest rooms, some fashioned after former classrooms complete with original chalkboards and cloakrooms, how cool is that?

Guest room at Kennedy School

A restaurant,

Courtyard Restaurant

a brewery,

several bars,

Boiler Room Bar

Detention Bar

a soaking pool,

Soaking pool. It was lit up the evening I was there and full of people. Looked wonderful!

I could go on and on.  Just walking along the halls is an experience in itself.  Original artwork and historical photographs cover the walls, ceilings, doorways and hallways.

Hallways of Kennedy School

Beautiful artwork in the halls of Kennedy School

After watching the movie ‘Lincoln’, (price of ticket $3) in the theater, which by the way was a fantastic movie if you haven’t seen it, I wandered through the halls poking my head into the restaurant and a few of the bars.  I saw enough to know that I will definitely be back!

Ticket counter for theater. The pizza looked to die for!

Comfy couches and stuffed chairs in the Theater

I used all photos from the Kennedy School website since it was pretty dark while I was there and my pictures didn’t show how beautiful the place truly is.  You can check out more pictures and learn more about Lincoln School and all the activities on the website below.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/427-kennedy-school-home

 

 

A day in Annapolis

Maddie & Zoey enjoying the sun

While the pups were enjoying the sun, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and go to downtown Annapolis.

Middleton Tavern

Annapolis is quite a historic city.  It is the capital city of Maryland and actually acted as the Nations capital for a year in the 1780’s.  The entire downtown is a National Historic Landmark.  I absolutely love all the old buildings.

The U S Navel Academy founded in 1845 is also located right in downtown Annapolis where tours are available, although I haven’t taken one.  An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed here (I can visualize Richard Gere zipping around on his little motorcycle now, ahhhh!).

Chase Lloyd house

There are a lot of houses on tour including the Chase Lloyd House where Chase Lloyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived.

Shops along Green St.

McGarvey’s Saloon & Oyster Bar

Another fun and unique thing about Annapolis is “Ego Alley”.   Ego Alley is a small, narrow waterway that leads to the heart of the city. It got its name from the endless parade of boats and yachts that traverse this dead-end canal, usually only to see and be seen.

Ego Alley

Walkway along Ego Alley

My next destination was to the Pennsylvania Dutch Farmer’s Market, or the “Amish Market” as most people call it.

Amish Market in Annapolis

Although located in Annapolis, all the Amish merchants are from Lancaster PA, the heart of PA Dutch Country.  The market is only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  The rest of the week the merchants are preparing items to sell.   And boy do they have a huge assortment!  Cheeses, produce, bakery items, more kinds of candy that you could ever imagine, preserves, etc., etc., etc.

Most of the market’s products are grown and prepared  in Lancaster County using traditional PA Dutch recipes that have been handed down by the Amish though the generations.

I picked up some beautiful vegetables, meat, a loaf of home-made wheat bread, and I had to get a piece of shoefly pie, a traditional Amish pie.  It’s different from anything I’ve ever tasted, and if you’ve never had it, it’s kind of hard to describe.  The filling is sort of like the filling of a pecan pie, but not as sweet, the main ingredient is molasses, and it has a crumbled topping.  Sooo good!

Shoefly pie

After going back to the house to walk Maddie and Zoey and have some snuggle time, Donna picked me up and we went to dinner at a small Greek restaurant called Georges Restaurant.  It’s just down the street from where I’m staying and it is so inviting and cozy.  George and his family have had this restaurant since 1983 and it’s always good, and always busy.

We got to Georges before the crowd hit. It was full when we left

We had one of their specialties, George’s Special White Pizza.  It was topped with chicken, smoked salmon, capers, spinach, red onions, feta cheese and Greek olives.  It was delicious!

Enjoying one of Georges specialty pizzas

George preparing a meal at the booth next to ours. Fun!

The end of another wonderful day in Maryland!

Pet sitting at Green Lake

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been pet sitting Mabel and Eddie at a house just steps from Green Lake.  What a wonderful place to spend my days!  Each day I take the pups for a walk around the lake, and each day I see something different.  One day my daughter and her son LJ joined me.  LJ absolutely loves to toddle around and watch the ducks.

One day someone had left a beautiful heart make from flowers on a stump along the path.  How cool is that?

Spring is coming and flowers are blooming!

And every day someone is trying their luck at catching some fish.

I enjoy watching all the people, dogs, babies, etc., and the pups enjoy checking out the squirrels, other dogs, ducks and everything else.  It’s a wonderful outing for them!

One really special thing that I found along the sidewalk on my way to the park is something called Little Free Library.  I had never heard of it so I had to google it.  This is such a wonderful idea!  Here is an excerpt from the Seattle Times published on July 11th, 2012 explaining what they’re all about.

Little Free Libraries pop up in Puget Sound area

By Erik Lacitis

Seattle Times staff reporter                       

Little Free Libraries can be a friendly way to share books with neighbors.  In an age of cynicism, when everything seems so ironic, there are some who choose not to be.

In the Northwest, and cities across the country and even in countries like Ghana and China, in the past year some 2,100 simple, little gestures of goodwill have been built: Little Free Libraries.

It looks like a birdhouse on a post, usually in front of somebody’s house. There are about a dozen in the Puget Sound area, with more on the way.

What they contain are free books. The little hutches each fit about 20 or so titles.

See a book that piques your interest? Take it.

And if at some point you’d like to contribute a book, great.

Is this the greatest idea or what?

Tomorrow I head to Maryland to pet sit little Maddie & Zoey.  I’m so looking forward to seeing them again!

Pet sitting and the loss of a sweet old Lab

For the last week and a half I’ve been pet sitting, first in Seattle, then in Wenatchee.  In Seattle I watched Clarence & Charlie, a couple of sweet pups that keep me on my toes and make me laugh every day (Man I LOVE my job!!!).  Clarence is wearing a cone because he has just been neutered.  But it didn’t slow him down one bit!

Clarence & Charlie

Then this week I came back in Wenatchee to watch two rambunctious, spirited, and absolutely amazing Chessies, Maggie Mae and Uncle Gus, along with sweet little Alex the cat.

Maggie & Gus

The last time I watched Alex she was very sick.  Her blood pressure had shot up and damaged some of her eye sight.  She was in pretty bad shape.  But boy did she bounce back!  She has regained some of her eye sight and has a good feel for her surroundings and, I’m happy to say, gets around great again and is back to her old sweet self :-).

Little Miss Alex

With a heavy heart I am sorry to say that lovable old Brook, a 16 year old Chocolate Lab has passed since I’ve last been here.  She had been failing for quite some time.  She was blind in one eye and had lost her hearing. The last time I watched her in September I knew that her time here would soon be over.  She was having trouble getting to her feet, but her spirit was still strong and she still got excited to play a bit in the yard and get her rubs and treats.   My eyes are filled with tears just thinking of her now.  Good-by my sweet Brook.  I will miss you for a long, long time, but I am so glad I got to be a part of your life.