Monday Dog Blog: Wrapping Up Our Time Here + Week 6 Update

Lap Dogs

Hey folks!

Thanks for checking in on our adventures this week.

Go Cubbies!

We are enjoying some really great beach weather.

And look at Mommy walking!

Walking Perfectly Next to Mom

And here's Mom walking with us. Notice how well-behaved we are. 

Aren't We Being Good?

We are so grown up now! This year, Mommy and Mom have been letting us walk with our leashes on, but without holding onto them. This is just in case another dog or person who isn't a fan of us might pass by.

We have been doing such a good job with our new freedom and we really like the adventure!

We aren't perfect, but we are getting really good at checking in with Mom and Mommy frequently to let them know we won't go too far.

It's like one big curiosity shop here.

Mr. Gershwin Needed a Nap!

When we get back from walks we are SO very sleepy. Sometimes we can't keep our eyes open.

I LOVE This Spot Chopper Dug for Me!

One of our doggy friends, Chopper, stopped by one day and he dug a little hole. 

I (Tovah Rose) discovered this spot, and thought it was PERFECT for me. Nice and cool and just the right size.

Exploring A New Part of the Beach (Towards Ocean Isle)

I've also been going in the water more and even getting my face and paws wet!

I See Sandpipers!

And! I have a really great new hobby:

Ha! They Flew Away!

Chasing the birds!

That Is SO Satisfying!

They know I mean business and always fly away when I go after them!

I know you all think I am just a delicate little flower, but don't underestimate me! :)

I tried to take on a crab today, but Mommy told me it wasn't such a good idea.

G Wearing Mom's Sock

My little brother seems to have a sore or irritated paw.

Mommy and Mom have been taking care of him by soaking it, putting antibiotic and steroid cream on it, giving him a couple of Rimadyl, and covering his foot so he won't keep licking it.

Poor guy looks kind of pitiful with this big sock of Mom's on. But it was all that Mom and Mommy could find at 11 PM on a Thursday night!

New Sock!

Mommy is going to take Gershwin to the vet here as soon as she can get an appointment. 

Gershwin is very happy when he has his sock on. :) 

He happily wears it and relaxes when it is on.

Thankfully, Mommy found some doggy socks that G likes and Amazon overnighted to us, since they had messed up an earlier order of hers.

G Happily Walking

Thankfully, his sore paw has not stopped him from walking on the beach.

G LOVES the Water!

Mommy LOVES to walk in the water and Gershwin walks right next to her, getting his paws wet. 

I Like to Stay A Little More Dry

I prefer to stay out of the water most of the time. Mommy and Mom think I wiggle my little butt when I walk.

Aren't We Cute From the Back? :) 

It's hard to believe we're wrapping up our time here and will be heading home on Friday.

The weather looks perfect for the rest of our time here.

Mommy and Mom plan to squeeze in as much beach time as they can in between trying to pack up, organize, get ready to head home.

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Tovah Rose

Monday Dog Blog: Caption This + Week 5 Update

I've been taking a FB break during our trip but have still been posting on Instagram. Instagram is a lot more relaxing and stress-free than FB these days. Just pictures and captions--that I can do!

So, when I caught this pic of Gershwin yawning over his upcoming walk in the rain, I asked for captions.

We'd love to add yours to our list!

Here are two:

From Rachel--

Gershwin says: "I don't want to be tied to my sister!"

Tovah says: "See what I have to put up with?"

From Kate--

"Mooooommmmmmmm! Tovah ate my biscuit!"

The kids were pretty unexcited about heading out for a walk in the rain this week.

They act pretty put out by the process of 'getting dressed' in their harnesses, coats, coupler and leash.

Then, I managed to catch Gershwin's yawn coming on....

Such satisfaction after that yawn! Now we can proceed...

This week was pretty low-key beach-wise--we only made it to the beach one day! Our first two weeks here were very warm and mild, while this week has been cooler, cloudier and windier. 

We took one day to head to the outlets (a first for me!) where, *gasp*, we left the kids home all day and didn't even buy them any gifts!

We've walked on the beach or around the development to see the Osprey, and otherwise just hung out.

I had a massage one afternoon (I've found a therapist down here who does great work!).

I've been feeling pretty yucky overall--either from allergies, gastroparesis, or some combination of things--so that's held us back some.

As you can see from the above picture, this puddle is FULL of pollen!

Not feeling well has definitely gotten me down this week.

Thankfully, these guys continue to be the little loves of my life and great smugglers.

Who can resist a wet dog that wants to be swaddled and snuggled?

It's hard to believe we're heading into week 6 here...

Hopefully we will get some beach time this week!

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Emily

Monday Dog Blog: Hey! It's Gershwin Here with Week Four News

How Do You Like Me in Mommy's Hat?

Captain Gershwin here. 

I told Tovah Rose it was my turn to write a post this week.

Sandy Face. I Can Barely Keep my Eyes Open I am So Tired!

I've had so much fun on the beach this week! Look at all of this sand in my beard!

That Was a GREAT Day!

We've been able to hang out on the beach with very few other people or dogs around, so Mommy and Mom have let us walk without holding on to our leashes.

This is a real treat. 

I am so much more brave this way, and I have run into the water by myself and even gone to meet several dogs who are MUCH bigger than I am.

I like to get wet and then tear around in circles like a crazy dog and get super sandy.

My Pretty Sister

Tovah is a little more dainty about being on the beach but, she too, has really liked this walking without being held on the leash.

She likes to chase the ocean foam blowing in the wind, check out interesting things on the beach like crab shells, and sometimes she even goes after the birds! You should see how she wiggles her little butt when she is happy!

Don't We Both Fit Nicely On Mommy's Lap?

Most people here really like dogs and, so far, all of the other dogs we have met are so friendly. What a great place to be a dog or dog owner or dog lover!

I Taste Eggs!

Back at the house, life can be a bit of a different story.

As you can see, Mommy and Mom make me work really, really hard.

I Work SO Hard!

They make me pre-wash the dishes! Can you believe that?

(Oh! Oh! Oh! Is that some scrambled eggs Mommy left for me?! :))

Ready to Go!

There's a little debate going on between Mommy and Mom:

"Do Tovah Rose and Gershwin like each other?"

"Do they love one another?"

Mommy is sure we love and like one another.

Mom is a little bit more on the fence. She thinks maybe we just tolerate one another. She especially thinks that Tovah Rose would have preferred to remain an only child, whereas I would have liked to be one of many. :)

Tovah Couldn't Keep Her Head Up on the Ride Home!

Mommy takes photos like these two of us in the car (on the way to and from the beach) to 'prove' to Mom that we really do love one another. 

Who's willing to chime in on our doggy behavior?

We REALLY Don't Want to Go for an Evening Constitutional

Mom takes us out for one last potty break at about 9:00 each night. 

This is what we have to say about it: "Are you kidding us?! We are exhausted from this beach thing!"

We do not cooperate very well when it comes to getting 'dressed' in our harnesses and coupler to head out for this evening ritual.

We've wrapped up our 4th week here, which brings us into the home stretch of our time here. It's going by so quickly!

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Gershwin

Kindred Spirit: The WALK I Will Never Forget

I will never forget today:

The day I WALKED to the Kindred Spirit mailbox on Bird Island Reserve.

Looking Back From the Mailbox to Where We Walked From

In years past, we have used the Rolls to get to the Kindred Spirit mailbox, but this year we have no Rolls. This is in part because it is broken, in part because insurance will not replace it, in part because it is increasingly difficult for Mom to push me and in part because I need it only for longer outings.

Distance from Mailbox to Ocean

The only way to the mailbox is to walk about 1.25 miles each way, not including the walk over from the street to the beach. 

Dunes Behind Mailbox

Bird Island, which is part of Sunset Beach, is completely uninhabited, with no roads or development.

Mailbox and Bench Nestled in Dunes

Our yearly pilgrimage to the Kindred Spirit mailbox is one of my favorite parts of our time here. It's a spiritual place, where people stop to write in notebooks that are placed in the box.

People from the island tend to the box, keeping it stocked with pens and notebooks. An author has used the stories to write some of her books.

New Kindred Spirit Mailbox

Since our previous three years here, the box has been moved, as has the one bench. The other bench has been removed and so has the flag that flew directing people to the box.

But, it's still the same special place.

My Entry

Each year, I spend some time reflecting on our time her at Sunset Beach and the blessing that it is.

Being at Kindred Spirit mailbox changes me each year.

Today, when we arrived at the beach, I decided that the weather signaled that it was the perfect day to try to make the journey to the mailbox.

It was warm, sunny, not too hot and not too windy.

Deep In Thought, With Help from T and G

Let's remind ourselves how far I walk in a day: I typically walk one mile or a little more for exercise as many days a week as possible.

Otherwise, I walk around the house or on an errand and usually make it to between 4000 and 6000 steps.

TODAY, I blew that number out of the water. 

According to my phone, I walked 3.3 miles from the time we left the car until we made it back to the car.

HOLY COW!

My Fitbit and my iPhone couldn't come to an agreement on number of steps. Even though my Fitbit was on ALL day, it still thought I had walked fewer steps than my iPhone, which I only wore during our time on the beach.

Regardless, even for my Fitbit it was the most active day I've ever had and when I synced it, little animated fireworks decorated the screen.

A Kiss from G

You may remember that it was just last year at the beach that I began 'training' to walk a mile.

One mile.

That was my goal.

Because the climate is so temperate here and it is so flat, I just gradually worked on my stamina.

By May of last year, I was able to walk a mile.

Since then, I've mostly worked on walking more frequently, squeezing more steps into the day, standing longer by doing things like shopping or errands, and varying the speed or difficulty of my walk.

Shells and Such around the Mailbox Pole

I've not come anywhere close to walking this far in a day, other than a couple of times last Fall when we were in Maine.

:)

We rested for a while at the box, as well as before and after our trips over the walkway to and from the car. 

It took us about 35 minutes each way to walk to the box.

Just Taking a Little Break

While I wrote, Mom and the kids hung out watching the waves.

Dune Girl

Tovah Rose curled up in the dunes and almost fell asleep!

Bench

I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow, whether I'll be able to even get out of bed.

But I was determined to get to this mailbox this year. On my own two feet.

New White Box

I'm trying so hard just to savor this victory for what it is.

Trying not to feel anxious about how I might feel tomorrow or what the post-exertional malaise might be like.

Lots of Sandpipers to Watch On Our Way Home

For some time now, I've been floating the idea in my head that I would like to be strong enough to walk a 5K. 

After today, that's feeling like an achievable goal down the road.

Being able to walk along the beach is so therapeutic.

I love walking with my shoes off (even if I do have hose on), getting my feet wet, playing with G in the water, looking for sand dollars (of which I found one of the most precious quarter-sized ones today), watching the birds, and getting to see the sunlight change throughout the afternoon as the tide comes in and out.

Today was a victory. A big one.

Today was joyful.

Today was spiritual.

Today showed me I'm stronger and braver than I sometimes believe.

Right now, I'm resting in the gratitude I feel for this day.

A Look Down the Beach After We Got Back From the Box

I love it here at Sunset Beach. I love being with Mom and the fur kids. And I love that I'm in this beautiful place healing...a little bit each day.

Thank you, Kindred Spirit mailbox, for being such a special part of this island.

Blessings,

Emily