A Few Highlights From Howlidays

The hotel where we stayed is located in Gulf Breeze.  It is pet friendly and even has its own private beach.  Which is a good thing since you can't take your dogs on the beach in Pensacola.  Until this year, that is.  They opened a dog beach this year.  We were pretty excited, even though Sadie isn't crazy about the water.

We made a special trip to the dog beach on this particular day.  Now Sadie is a pretty laid back girl.  Not much upsets her.  But she did NOT like the beach on this day, at all.  The waves were huge!  She took one step off of the boardwalk and put on the brakes.  All I can think of is that I want her picture by the sand dune!  So this is what I got.  Not the best picture either.  Oh well, the beach was actually smaller than the one at the hotel. 

You can see how rough the waves were in this picture.  The sound was pretty loud, so I can't blame Sadie for not liking it.  She was such a good girl for this entire trip though.

Crashed back at the hotel.  She's laying on my hoodie that Bec from Greytglass made for me.

Now to one of the most exciting parts of the trip!  At least for me anyway.  Last year when they announced the theme of the event, I was bound and determined to enter the costume contest.  My original thought was to make an ensemble for Sadie and Boris (my sister's greyhound).  Sadly, Boris passed away at Christmas.  So, I got the wheels turning!  I am a huge fan of Gone With the Wind and knew I wanted to do something from the movie.  So, I present, Sadie-Scarlett O'Hara!  She won too!  The prize was a pretty silver shiny collar to add to our collection.  I was so excited to win.  I had so much fun making this and Sadie was such a ham!  She loved all the attention.

This beauty is Vivie.  I like to pronounce her name like VEE-VEE, with a little French accent!  She just walked into the sand and laid down.  Her and Sadie were best buds.  Vivie is with our group, so they can see each other again before next year.  Vivie and Sadie were also in the Fashion Review on Saturday night.  However, I am waiting on pictures.  I didn't have the brains to ask someone to take pictures of the dogs that evening.

Hooray for Howlywood was the theme this year.  GPA-EC did a wonderful job with the decorations too.  Of course, Sadie was too busy looking at the people who weren't petting her to look at the camera! 

Pensacola & Fort Pickens

On Tuesday we decided to go to the historic Pensacola Lighthouse & Museum.  The top of the lighthouse has some of the most beautiful views on the Gulf Coast.

I was bound and determined to climb those stairs and enjoy that view!  And that I did.  All 177 stairs at that.  You would think going up would be tough.  Actually coming down was way worse on the old knees than I thought.  But I did it!

Along the way to the top you can step into the window wells and catch the view.  I thought this particular angle was gorgeous!

 I love the shadow on the ground below!

 Another breath taking shot!  It was very windy that day as well.

 This picture was taken from the service road.  This side actually faces the gulf.

My husband is afraid of heights.  He and Sadie decided to walk on the trails.  There was another man there with a puppy, so she got to visit.  I took this picture from one of the window wells.

 We decided to go to Fort Pickens too.  Of course, we had to stop along the way and look for shells.

 I thought this driftwood looked like a fish or whale.

I loved the arches inside Fort Pickens.  We visited here years ago when the girls were little.  I love the Civil War era!

 Another view from inside the Fort. 

More to come!

On to Florida!

The good thing about meeting someone from the area is that they can tell you all of the "must dos" before you leave!  Darla tipped us off to this little gem.  It is located in Daphne, Alabama.  There is a raised boardwalk to walk on.  Lots of wildlife in their natural elements.  This lone turtle on the log trying to find the sunshine.

We followed the boardwalk and this is how it ended.  I didn't want Sadie to have to walk all the way back with sandy paws, so we stayed on the boardwalk.  Last thing I wanted were sore toes!

 Tons of grey squirrels everywhere!   You can see my husband has her on a pretty short leash.

 She was bound and determined to get a squirrel!

 Yes, that is really a gator!  Darla warned us that they were there.  She said if you listened closely, you would be able to hear the babies making their noises.  We never did hear or see any baby gators. 

 Thank goodness we didn't see any snakes!!! 

This place was like a city park.  We would have never stopped if we didn't know about it.  It really was neat.  She told us there was an old family cemetery as well.  However, it was down a gravel road.  Since it was early in the trip, I wanted to take it easy on Sadie.

The beach at last!  This is the view from our hotel room.  GPA-EC now holds their Howlidays event at the Quality Inn in Gulfbreeze, Florida.  Rooms are simple, but with this view and the fact that they are pet friendly all year long, who cares!  Let the fun continue!!!

Home Is Where Your Bed Is

Or have bed will travel!  Sadie was such a wonderful traveling companion.  Since this was my husband's first time to go with us to any greyhound event, he couldn't believe how good she was.  All the dogs at my house love this bed.  It came from Elaine's Pet Pillows.  I bought the first bed in Dewey this year and then ordered another one shortly after getting home.  They really are the best beds.  Inside the filling is recycled foam that she cuts into cubes, which makes the bed fluff up and never go flat!  She also recycles bed sheets to make the sack for the foam.  Every part of this bed is washable.  As long as Sadie has her bed, she's good to go!

First stop on our way to Pensacola for Houndog Howlidays, was Mobile, Alabama.  We went to Oakleigh.  A nice antebellum mansion.  I think I was born about 100 years too late!  I love these homes!!!

Of course, Miss Sadie was too busy being nosy to pose for the camera.  I was fascinated with the roots of this tree.

We also visited the USS Alabama.  Of course, Sadie was happy to stay at the hotel while we did the tourist thing. 

The first highlight of the trip was meeting a Facebook friend, Darla Dean.  She is involved with Saluki rescue!  She works with Salukis from the middle east.  It is so awesome to be able to meet these people in person.  I was most intrigued by these dogs and their stories.  I will be sharing more of my trip...