News on the cancer front

A little over a week ago I completed my chemo treatments. On the way out they gave me this little cake in celebration. Then I rang the "Cancer be Gong".
This week, I had my CT scan. The tumor on my shoulder blade is almost gone. The doctor said it may even just scar tissue that shows up on the CT. Of course, we still have the issue with the lungs. The nodules there don't seem to be getting a larger.
So far, so good...

Let Us Not Malign Our Teachers

So here I am in the Obediencemobile with Moritz, my commuting Corgi pal.
I feel that I may have maligned my teach a couple of blogs ago, when I let the cyberworld know that she called me fat. She's jes watchin' my back. Actually, I want to dedicate this post to her. She's been working out of the Oakland Dog Training Club for a long time - and does it for free. She opens up the place at 2PM every Monday and doesn't leave until the Utility Dogs are done - often around 10PM. Wow.
The sun-weathered sign belies the marvellous toys and games that exist behind this door. I like this place a lot and so does Moritz. You can tell, cause we whimper and whine when we arrive, begging to get out.
Barbara, above, caring for these cute Westies as she directs her pupil (that you can't see). They are barking their heads off as Moritz and I enter the place. Soon the Westies leave and it's my turn to learn!
I greet Barbara enthusiastically, cause for some reason (can't think what) I really dig her.
We start off practicing the forced dumbell retrieve. Now. Get this. For me to have to lower myself to a "forced" retrieve is ridiculous. I readily pounce after kongs, balls and bumbers happily returning them time after time. But ya think I wanna chase after and return a dumbell? No way. So Barbara starts me out with this.
Hate it.
Hate it more. But I don't get why. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwU3x8E6e1UAt least I have great cheese-catching skills!
Moritz is starting his "Open" training. His mama has to throw a dumbell over the jump, command Moritz to "Over" the jump, then retrieve the dumbell and then finally, jump back over and come face front to his mama. Amazing job.
Okay, next? Here's Bella, who is also working on her "Open." Isn't she purty? And she's real nice too.
Thank you so much Barbara. You've given me a lifetime's worth of pawesome skills. Huggies.
PS: Barbara said my waistline was showing again - ya-hoo!!!

Snorkeling in the British Virgin Isles

Fish are fish and they don't really know much about National boundaries. So almost all of the fish we saw were similar to the ones we see in the US Virgin Isles.

Except this guy... Never saw him in the American Isles...



Beautiful colors and a whispy tail and extra large feathery fins...



Hard to tell, but this lady is about a foot long...



But, glad to see my favorite fish makes occasional visits across the pond. The bright clear weather helps really make the colors on the parrot fish pop...



So we'll just call this lady my favorite British fish!

Garden tour

After the gardening conference, we managed to beat the rain and see several gardens on the tour.

This garden, our first stop, turned out to be my favorite. It has its own website. I particularly like the page showing the evolution of the site, which started with some pretty bare bones.

I loved all the beautiful statuary, and the numerous small touches tucked here and there that blended so well with the plants.

A chandelier hanging basket.

A Euphorbia whose full name I didn't catch.
More later.
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Update: I've heard from the gardener himself, and the Euphorbia in question is "Despina". Thanks Phillip!

Windowsill Geraniums

Windowsill Geraniums, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

I saw so many of these while traveling, yet I hardly see any geraniums on windowsills here in America?
What gives?
They are beautiful, seem to be easy to care for, and grow well in containers...I don't understand why everybody doesn't have geraniums on the windowsill.

Manawa 12 Hour

Little cool this morning (37 when I headed out). After breakfast, I went to Lake Manawa Mountain Bike trail. Visited, shot some pics of the race, ate some "THORBurgers".
I did not stay for the whole race. Went home for a little and picked up mattes for the Bluffs Arts Council Photo Contest.
The sky started spitting some rain, just enough to settle the dust. As it was nearing sunset, I decided to head home - was getting tired. Ended up processing the pics I took.
9/17 - My race photos are on my web site.

Hyak Skiing ..

Went up to Snoqualmie Pass with Steve to see what looked like we wanted to ski it. After wallowing around in waist deep snow the previous day I thought skiing would be a better option than chasing ice. We drove around scouting slopes for a bit before settling on Hyak with its easy access, and well covered slopes. Of course, it had been pretty well skied out during the weekend, and probably by dawn patrollers from earlier in the day.
My backside run (photo by Steve Machuga)
We skinned up a well worn track and passed a few guys on the way up. At the top we opted to ski a little to skier's right of the main slope between some trees where there weren't as many tracks. Steve tested a rollover for avalanche danger and then we were off rejoining the main slope about half way down. There were two other skiers coming down and they informed us the backside was less tracked out, so after our first run we opted to head down the back side.
Steve on the backside
There was lots of snow cat activity at Hyak as workers are busy getting the two new lifts ready to open this season. We arrived at the top and had a much nicer run down the less traveled backside in the newly cut run down to the base of the back side chair. We skinned back up the cat track to the top and had a final run down a steeper section further skier's right on the front side before heading back to town.
Hotshot
It was nice to be out skiing, but the skiing was not of great quality. The snow was skied frequently to the point where some sections developed moguls. The back side run was much nicer though. Like I said, I can't complain I was out, but the quality of skiing lacked.