Dog sledding in Canada

Five years ago, Tracey and I sat in my kitchen on New Years Day, drinking margaritas and writing out our list of 50 "Things to Do." An hour and some very sloppy handwriting later, I had a list of things that I have been slowly checking off over the years. Visit Galapagos Islands - check! See waterfalls at bottom of Grand Canyon - check! Host a theme party - check! Learn to whistle - not yet.

During the Thornton -Cooper sibling reunion in Canada, I am happy to say that I checked another "to do" off the list - dog sledding! I couldn't convince Tracey that it was a good idea, but I was determined to see what the fuss is about and I managed to convince Toby to go with me. We had a great time, and we're pretty sure the dogs did, too. They were so cute all lined up and just howling to go! I mean it - they were loud! We got to meet all the dogs on our team before we headed off for a very short run, only thirty minutes. The dogs were so playful that a couple of them had difficulty paying attention. One kept swiping snow off the banks as he ran. It was all very cool, and Toby and I laughed and laughed. We were the last run of the day, so the dogs all got to eat their snacks when we got back. The snacks looked and smelled very much like a frozen mash of raw chicken and fish. Blech. Toby and I are pretty sure that Sadie would make an excellent sled dog.

Here are the photos, in reverse order (sorry.)

The Coopers all wrapped up in the sled -

Here were are again, in the sled. The black dog up front - Duke - was the troublemaker.

Running and running-

Pups patiently waiting and hoping to be picked for the run -

Pups staring at the food -

I am very happy to say that the dogs all seemed happy and healthy.

Dulce is growing up

Tracey's sweet pup, Dulce, is growing up! You may recall that she was less than five pounds and very sick when Tracey adopted her in the fall. Dulce is now the pciture of health and quite the robust puppy. She refuses to sit still for pictures, but Tracey has managed to get a couple. Here she is, cute as can be!

Dulce at the park for a play date -


Dulce at Tracey's parent's house for Christmas. Sorry, I can't seem to make this one any bigger.

Canada Trip Part I - Hitting the slopes

Toby and I had such a great time in Canada with our siblings (you, too, James). We spent about two days on the slopes at the Lake Louise ski resort. I stuck to the green runs, which were really quite advanced green runs with super-steep hills. I fell several times, but managed to walk away with only one giant bruise on my hip. Bill may or may not have cracked/separated a rib so I think I did really well, considering.

Here are some of the great shots of us skiing/snowboarding. Thanks to Toby, as always, for taking such great photos.

Here are Toby, Beth, James and myself on a quad chair lift. I am proud to report that this was my very first ski trip where I did not fall in, on, around or off a lift. Woo-hoo!



Striking quite the pose -note the very nervous smile.

Beth and James were quite a pair. Beth is a boarder and James is a skier, and they are both really great on the snow! James kept quite a close eye on me when we were all together, which I really appreciated!

Bill made his debut on the snowboard! He really did very well, and only cursed once or twice (per minute) (sorry Mom).

Too cute, as always...

Look at Bill, rocketing down the mountain!

Apres ski, my favorite part of the day. This is my favorite picture of Toby and Beth.

This last one is a great shot of Bill, but I was obviously exhausted!

If I can figure out how to put video on the blog, I'll post all the videos Toby took of everybody going down the mountain. I can barely ski without falling over, so I don't quite know how Toby manages to stay up AND take video of everybody else.

Later in the week I'll post photos from our dog-sledding adventure and the scenery from around Lake Louise. It was just gorgeous!

Update from South Africa

Here is an excerpt from Toby's mom on the situation in South Africa. Sally is spending about two weeks with Garrod, which is surely a much needed reunion for both of them.

"This morning I went to the church where the refugees are staying. Most were out working or looking for work, but there were quite a few children there and people lying around on the stairs. I just felt like crying, it is such a terrible situation for them to be in, but I suppose they are the lucky ones, having found shelter and medical help if necessary. There was a room where some people were selling produce and goods they had aquired, a room just for mothers and babies and another where the unaccompanied minors sleep. There was an area of pipework where washing is hung and someone had clambered up very high to find a place for her washing.

The office is in a modern block, very airy and the people are so very friendly and welcoming.

On Wednesday we leave for Kruger. I do hope Dad can relax, he needs a rest, but seems to be coping well with this mission. He does quite a lot of the cooking in the house and is the barman and the others seem to be very fond of him."

Of course Toby and I are not at all surprised that Garrod's fellow workers are very fond of him, as he cooks a delicious roast and pours a strong drink. And, more importantly, he is a fabulous friend and person. We are so proud of the work he is doing.

Y'all are not going to believe this...

We just sold our townhouse for the full asking price! Unbelievable! We priced it five percent below what the rest of our neighbors are asking, and we sold it in less than a week and without an agent. I'm pretty sure I can see pigs out my office window. Or am I dreaming?

Toby and I are off to Canada tomorrow for the first ever Thornton-Cooper Sibling Reunion. You know what that means - you can expect about 100 pictures next week!

Our new house!!!!

Toby and I just put a contract on a house in downtown Franklin! It has to be the absolutely cutest and coolest house ever. We are so excited! We are also incredibly exhausted from the stress of it all! Closing is May 4th, and we'll probably be nervous wrecks until then. The house is fab, but the location may be even more fab. The house is only two blocks off of Main Street, and can walk to lots of restaurants, shops, bars, the library, the post office, the park, the bank, and just about everything else we need. We've definitely bought in to a certain lifestyle, which means we are sacrificing a little bit of square footage and yard. I'm also doubling my commute to work, which will now be about 30-35 minutes each way.

Enough with the disclaimers, here it is!

Here is the view from the street -


Here is the sunroom

Here is the (small, very small) kitchen

Here is the dining room. The ceiling has been painted white since this picture was taken, thank goodness.

Here is the side yard, which accounts for most of the yard

I started calling this house the "Dr. Seuss House" weeks ago, because the previous owners had very, well, unique tastes in color. Most of the unique colors have been replaced by beige, which I think might disappoint Toby a bit. You really should take a look at all the pictures on this link: http://www.showcasebyagent.com/sba/index.php?sbo=706196

In the meantime, if you know anybody who is looking for a townhouse in Nashville, we're ready to make a deal!

England is Snow-rific!

The southeast of England is experiencing a record snowfall, and it seems to have most everything snarled up. We're familiar with that problem here in the South. :) Sally has been dealing with a bad furnace and car troubles, all while Garrod is away in South Africa, so we're hoping that she is able to enjoy the snow - from the pictures below, it is clear that sweet Paddy is having a great time!

The picture below was taken looking out on the lane from the front door.

Sweet old Paddy acting like a puppy!

Hopefully he's worn himself out so that Sally can get a good night's rest!