Meet the Family

     I have a friend in Kentucky, this crazy sheep lady, (she really is a shepard) and she was a huge help when I decided to start this blog. She's been doing it for years. Because of her sheep farm she has a wonderful website too.(Punkin's Patch) Looking at her blog last night she showed me something else. Animal pictures are the best and sometimes the bigger they are the better. So I'm going to give my kids their five minutes of fame. Time to meet the family.
    Woody was raised in Kentucky but has been coming down here with me for 13 years. So he's pretty acquainted with the place and likes it a lot. In his younger years he would run down the beach and ride the waves like he was on a surf board. We'd walk everywhere on this island. Sometimes five miles just in the morning. But we have both aged, just a little, and we have slowed things down a bit. As much as we can with Ray around!
    Ray is now a ten month old puppy that I rescued on the island back in December. I was looking  to get Woody a new friend after I lost my beloved Sunshine. After 8 years Sunshine developed bone cancer and we had to say goodbye way to soon. But she was able to spend many years down here with us. And coming here without her was as hard for Woody as it was for me. So I set my sights on finding a new friend for both of us.  And along came Ray. (Ray of Sunshine). I was looking to get a dog from the shelter that was a little older. Maybe a year or so. But Ray came in the picture and it was a done deal. He has filled the void in a big way and Woody and I are glad to have him as part of our family.

  
    Ray would follow Woody every step of the way. Learning good habits for the most part. And learning to sniff out all the good spots to hunt squirrels, feral cats, or anything else that might run and be fun to play with.                                                                            The island is all Ray has known so when we made a trip up to Kentucky it was a whole new world for him. I could just hear him, " Damn, look at all this grass. This is great!" He got out into one of those fields on the farm and ran until he couldn't run anymore. Woody didn't understand the elation about the grass but he was excited to be there. He has been a good mentor for Ray. And has never relinquished his position as top dog.



"I don't think so"

    But I think he missed the water. It's without a doubt one of his favorite things. Anything that has to do with the water, he's all for it. My husband John, who you will get to know as time goes by, took Ray kayaking when he was a young puppy and there was no turning back. He was in love with the water

   Woody has always been the fisherman. He'll sit on the dock or in that boat as long as it takes to catch that fish. He'll have a stare down with the bobber and as soon as it starts moving, he starts getting excited. Whining, pacing, and waking me up to make sure I don't miss it!

 

     Ray is the beach bum. He knows the word "beach" as well as he knows "no"! And he's a real social butterfly. Some people appreciate his friendliness, others would prefer not to have a puppy tossing sand on their oily skin. Go figure. Don't they know it's "dog friendly" for "friendly dogs" here. And that he is. And to get to the crabs you have to do some digging. He would have had a grand time in my garden in Kentucky.

                                                       "Got Sand?"
   
I wanted to make all of these pictures really big. (But I'm not getting a whole lot of cooperation from my computer)  This was one of them. Woody enjoys life to the fullest and has taught me some very valuable lessons in his later years.One of the most important is to take my time. I've learned to stroll without getting impatient. At fourteen, Woody is steady, not fast. He does not get in a hurry. But he will do a quick step if I offer him a cookie and it's starting to rain. The way to Woody's heart is through his stomach. And a nice massage never hurts. This picture shows how truly happy he is and still loves being on top of the dune.
  

    

  

     So I hope you enjoy the pictures of my family. I am blessed to have John, Woody, Ray, and two cats you haven't met yet, in my life.
    
"Life is Good"