Month: April 2018

We have had a lovely time here in Mount Pleasant – enjoying great weather and time in our home before going on the road again.

Lenny and Lola have enjoyed their fenced in backyard again and the doggie door gave them control over their ins and outs. Even Lola has mastered using the door! It’s such fun to see her learn new things and be so proud of herself. She has really matured and has probably reached her adult weight of five pounds. Her metabolism is very high so that works to keep her slim and trim. She can play catch until your arm falls off and is a precise in the air or on the bounce retriever – we think she’s part Labrador . Both of our Yorkshire Terriers have had their rabies shots and we updated other inoculations so they are all set for our big trip. Great to have them get a clean bill of health!

All kinds of birds and water fowl love our small lake and in addition to our Carolina (formerly Canadian) Geese, mallards and anhinga visitors, we also have a great blue heron who frequently feeds and naps here. We have also spotted an osprey pair using the lake as a quick stop fish store. Our bluebirds, cardinals, and smaller birds are back singing their songs much to our delight. Lola attempts to scare the smaller birds off with her barking but they ignore her – she’s just not that scary. Also our turtle population has exploded – Rick saw about thirty of them sunbathing on the opposite bank one day. We have not seen any alligators but we expect they are out there – locally large gators continue to be spotted.

Just window shopping here…

Our new tall neighbor pretending to sleep…

Osprey circling and spotting prey……

Osprey fish grab…….

Mallards checking the water temps….

Fisher birds extraordinaire – these are Anhinga – related to cormorants but with light colored feathers on their bellies and necks – they frequently pose this way to dry their oily wings in the sun.

This fellow is wing drying and just chilling with two members of our large turtle family along the bank next to our backyard

A day at the beach on Isle of Palms with the dogs was wonderful and they enjoyed discovering new spots in the sand and ocean waves again.

Lenny smelled ocean right away and felt right at home and Lola, although shocked at first by the little waves – got in the swing – jumping in and out of the water. A moderate breeze brought some cooling – Lola start to shiver so hard her ears might fall off but Rick warmed her in his jacket as we walked to a cute boardwalk lunch place. There we all enjoyed a lunch of yummy cheeseburgers and delicious fries as a reward.

Lenny & Rick just water strolling….

Lola surprised by her first wave – holy catfish – that was a shock! But back at it right away.

When not out in the backyard or beaching – Lola is on constant surveillance duty – always protecting our castle.

We can’t imagine life without these two wonderful dogs! They enhance our lives and complete our family.

Hug your dog today – everyday is Love a Doggie Day!

Our season in Florida ended April 1 and we headed back to Oak Plantation for the Taj and our home in Mt Pleasant for us and dogs. We had a terrific winter season and look forward to spending even more time next season enjoying LaBelle, Riverbend & Fort Myers area.

It’s nice to be in the sticks & bricks home for a month. Our house faired well in the winter and we started redoing the front gardens right away. Roses appear to do best with this climate and minimal attention, so we pulled out the older ground covers and ornamental grasses to make room for a few more roses bushes. Some of our smaller palms suffered in the cold snap during January but we will wait to see if they come back during the summer. Our taller ones did well especially our new addition. 😊

The rosemary plant that started two years ago as a 3 inches plant had turned into a giant woody stemmed plant that needed a severe trimming and shaping She looks much better now. Our landscaper has done a good job maintaining the lawns so they came back green and thick.

The interior of the house needed some spring cleaning and sprucing up – it looks bright and cheerful now for spring.

We had a terrific dinner at the Old Post House Inn in Old Towne Monday night with our neighbors who house watch while we are gone. It was a rollicking good time with good food and great stories and laughs. They were so kind to keep an eye on our place – we wanted to show our gratitude. It’s nice to have neighbors you can feel comfortable with upon your return from months of travel. They are going to Italy for the first time so we have offered our two cents given our 2006 Italy Trip was one of our best. It’s always nice to get hints and ideas from someone who has visited your destination before.

I joined my friend at her book club meeting one day and met thirteen other avid mystery book readers. What a fabulous discussion and I got at least ten new authors to pursue. I’d like to start this type of book club at Riverbend – each participant reports on what they are reading – there are no assigned books. Mystery is the theme but people’s choices run the full range of possibilities. Great fun to hear people talk about books they liked or didn’t and why.

We will continue to enjoy friends and family here for another two weeks or so and then begin our travels for 2018 – north and then west to begin our sixty day tour of British Columbia, the Yukon & Alaska. We are preparing our itineraries, our clothes and other incidentals for this six month trip to the far north and back. So excited about this opportunity!