Feather Cactus Bloom

My feather cactus hasn't bloomed since we moved out of our house two years ago. It's blooming now! Most likely, it enjoys the southern exposure that it did not have at the loft.

GG's New Digs

Hi! GG, the Las Vegas Cockapoo here! Grandma, I bet you were thinking I would never speak up! I've just been so busy since we moved into our new house that I haven't had time to get Mom to take all these pictures. My Dad had to get the property management company to fix a lot of little things, then he had to build stuff in the garage, then he had to grow grass, then he was busy talking to our new neighbor ... I like that part because our new neighbor has two little kids that look a lot like me ... well, they are small and have four legs. I guess the resemblance ends there. We love to play together. Then, Mom got busy with her job again. I don't know where she goes but she comes back really tired a couple of days each week. And, she goes hiking. I don't want to say anything but she comes back really dirty after that. Then, she sits at the computer for most of the rest of the day. Something about another blog. Soooo! Well, here I am, finally. Like my backyard?

I would like to show you around a little. In the second picture, you can see my front door. Here's where I bark a lot. It's also a cool place to lay. The third picture is an overview of the living room. My bed is in the perfect place ... the middle of the floor! You can also see my toy box. Very important. The next picture shows the guest bedroom. Grandma, this is where you and Gordon will stay when you visit. Small but there's a nice view. Mom had just rubbed my tummy and I was staying there just in case she came back and rubbed it some more after she took the picture.

The next picture shows me sitting beside the dining room table. This is my view when Mom and Dad are eating lunch. They don't give me anything from the table anymore so I sit patiently until they finish. I'm such a good dog! Oh, also, Mom's cacti are sitting on that table to the right. The cacti are very happy there. She will probably put some of the cacti upstairs in the loft in the winter. The loft is in the picture to the left. It is a cozy room where I think Mom will spend some time when it gets colder.

I get to choose which ball I play with every day. That's fun! I sleep in my bed in the morning. I only get on Mom and Dad's bed when they invite me up. I play with Mei Mei and Happy when our neighbor is outside. I chase balls in the yard. And, this morning, I did something really cool! Mom was busy down at the pond cutting a tree and I wasn't getting enough attention so I threw my ball in the pond. I got a lot of attention then! Unfortunately, I had to wait and wait and wait until the ball came close enough to the edge so that Dad could reach it. That was kind of a bummer. It took so long that I thought I was going to have to go in after it. In the meantime, Mom gave me another ball and I threw that one into the pond twice. For some reason, Mom and Dad didn't see the humor in this.

GG's Family Vacation at the Grand Canyon - 06-19-11 thru 06-23-11

Hi! GG, the Las Vegas Cockapoo here. My family went on a vacation to the Grand Canyon last week and all I got was this lousy T-shirt ... well, actually, I didn't even get a T-shirt. What I got was a stay at doggy camp with all my friends. From what I hear, it was really hot anyway and I was probably happier in the air conditioning. My Mom and Dad and Uncle camped at Mather Campground where the temperature ranged from 37 degrees the first night to 88 degrees the last day! ... Hmmm ... I'm kinda glad I wasn't there. Anyway, I'll tell you what they told me when they got home.

My Mom got a nice big campsite, #266B, where there was plenty of room for two tents, two cars to park and a big family to gather. Two nights, Uncle Tim slept in the extra tent. One night Cousin Mitchell slept there. Then, one night, Cousin Paige slept there. If I had been there, I would have slept there to keep Paige warm if Mom and Dad would have let me. I heard there was an elk that walked through the campsite one afternoon while everyone was having lunch. If I had been there, I would have told that elk a thing or two. I have experience with elk.


On the first evening, my family had hamburgers, turkey burgers and boca burgers on the grill. They were delicious, so they said. Then, the three campers buried themselves under all kinds of sleeping bags and blankets for a cozy cold night. Everyone else went back to their Yavapai Lodge hotel rooms. Early the next morning, five of them set out for the South Kaibab Trail. One hiker, Gordon, proudly made it down to Ooh Aah Point and turned around. Two hikers, Debbie and Pam, went down and back to Cedar Ridge then returned to the hotel via the Rim Trail. The final two hikers got down to Skeleton Point where they could see the Colorado River. The trip back up was hot but they were no worse for the wear.

Previous to the trip, my Mom had injured her knee, my Dad's foot was a mess, and my Grandma's hip was acting up. So, the "gimpy brigade" plus Paige rode the bus to Bright Angel Lodge and transferred to the red route. The line for the shuttle out to Hermits Rest was very long and after waiting for two buses to load up, Paige and Mom (Kay) decided to walk on up to the first overlook. My Mom had brought her hiking stick and made good use of it. My Dad (John) and my Grandma (Marie) waited through two more buses and Grandma made it on the second. My Dad got her settled then began walking, bad foot and all. Just a note: if you ask me ... and no one did ... there are not enough shuttles posted on the red route. Everyone told me that the waits were too long in the hot sun and not enough people were being served at the busy time of the day.


The second night Grandma took everyone out to the Arizona Room steakhouse located at the Bright Angel Lodge. The steaks and salads were good but ... well, I would have been happy to eat the salmon .... After dinner, the sun was getting low to the horizon and the Grand Canyon shadows came out. They took a walk along the rim a short ways and took a few pictures.

The next day, everyone except Mom and Dad drove down to Sedona, Arizona and became one with the universe or got centered or just looked at a bunch of pretty stuff. The photo to the left shows what Mom and Dad did that day. I'm glad they had a chance to rest. They have been busy, busy, busy. By this time, everyone had figured out that the best way to communicate between each other was by texting so Mom and Dad knew when everyone was coming back and were ready with a good old fashion wiener roast.


I've heard stories about my Mom's childhood. Apparently, Grandpa (Clay) loved to have wiener roasts in their backyard especially in the fall when they were burning leaves. Sounds like great fun to me. I could probably score a couple of hot dogs in an evening, I'm sure I could. Anyway, everyone had a great fun time cooking their hot dogs on the end of drooping hanger wires.

Next, the marsh- mallows came out along with the Jiffy Pop popcorn! Wow! That sounded like my kind of evening. The weather was getting warmer overnight and everyone settled in their respective beds early enough for Uncle Tim and Cousin Mitchell to get up early the next morning for a long hot hike down the Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point.


Uncle Tim and Cousin Mitchell, both men in good shape between 29 and 48 years of age, made it back up to the rim around 12:30pm. That's pretty good time, if you ask me ... but no one ever does. Anyway, they were definitely using all engines to complete the hike and no one ended up in the clinic with heat exhaustion.

While Tim and Mitch were hiking below, Aunt Debbie, Aunt Pam and Mom took a pleasant long walk along the Rim Trail starting from the Market Plaza. At one point, they all peered below at Plateau Point and wondered if the two hikers were there yet. As it turned out, the hikers were actually at the point at that same time but it was so far away that the rim walkers could not decipher anyone on the trail. Moving on, the ladies visited the Kolb Studio, took pictures of the condor (#26) on the cliff rock, and began walking up the rim from the red route bus stop. Just a note: I sure would have liked to see that condor. I've never seen such a big bird for real ... only in pictures.


The views from the rim must have been overwhelming because Mom took a lot of them. The photo above shows the first five miles of the Bright Angel Trail as it zigzags down toward Indian Gardens. Mom was telling me about the last time she climbed that part of the trail in April. Honestly, I don't think I could do it. And, I've got two more legs than she does!

Mom caught the bus and rode out to Mohave Point where she got the river pictures then headed back to camp. Aunt Debbie and Aunt Pam continued there explorations all the way out to Hermit's Rest and back. That night, the menu included chicken on the grill by the campfire. Later, Mitchell provided S'mores, which I heard he is excellent at. They packed up the next morning and headed out. I got picked up around 3pm and I was really happy to see them again. You know, ... I just never know ....

Happy Birthday Grandma - 1/25/11

Happy Birthday, Grandma!! My Mom took this picture just for you. I tried and tried to smile for her but she said it always just looked like a snarl. But I think the painted on smile is a lot better. I hope you have a happy day!

Love, GG, the Las Vegas Cockapoo