Labour Day Weekend: Part 1

So, our weekend started off with a trip down to my mother's down in LA. Normally I drive the boy and myself down there, but this time we did things a little differently. Now, Freya was on the Bus and Train down there at 5 or 6 months old because she wasn't shy of anything. That girl had no fear. That is not the same with Rocco. Rocco showed a bit of noise shyness and noise distractions when he was a little puppy so we've put off going on the train until he was older. This seemed like a perfect time to do it because it'll be his last trip down to see my mom and he's almost 8 months old. So that is what we did this time.

Here's Rocco asleep on the Train. It didn't phase him at all. He really seemed to enjoy it.
Rocco laying down on the bus like a good boy.
I absolutely love this picture of him.
Though this has to be my favourite because it really shows off his tongue.

Such a happy boy!


I love how the sun bounces of his golden coat and shines real bright.

In both of these pictures.

One of the first things we did was go shopping for some orchids for my mommy. She loves orchids and she recently got her own classroom (yay! no more sharing!) and she wanted a few plants to liven up the small space. So please enjoy a few pictures of Rocco at various Orchid Farms.

I don't know what was up with the lighting here, but I like it!

The Orchid Farms were really close to the beach and I figured that it would be fun to take Rocco there and we hadn't had lunch yet so we sat at a bench in front of the ocean (none of us brought our bathing suits) and ate our lunch while Rocco got to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean.

This is my favourite picture at the beach.

I think if he were allowed he would have loved to swim in the ocean, but of course, we weren't really there for the day.

Coming up...Rocco has an encounter with a new kind of creature.

To Grandmother's House We Go

Hey Gang! Rocco, my brother, and I all headed down to my mom's house yesterday. My brother has a flight to catch in a few days so I said I'd take him down here. Rocco obviously knew where he was going. As soon as we stepped out of the car he got very excited. He even ran up and down the stair to the top floor apartment. He's normally very, very good about not pulling me up or down the stairs, but here is a different story.

Last night he had his first taste of people food (dramatic music). My mom and step-dad's dining room table is a little hard for four people to sit at and be comfortable. So my mom was eating her home made paninni (I'm sorry, but I can't spell) in a nice wicker chair. She had just picked up one half of the sandwich when Rocco came over to say hello. Noe, Rocco is not very interested in people food. I'll get up to get something in the other room and leave my bowl of cereal in perfect doggie reach (my hand never leaves in tie down) and he has never bothered it. He's more interested in being near, and sometimes on, people. Anyway, as he went up to lick her in her face he ended up licking and mushroom. Of course his thought was, "Wow! This stuff is good!" So he kept licking it until I was able to get him away (while my mother put up a valiant fight with her feet it took hands to pull him away). What I am so shocked at is the fact that he didn't try to grab the mushroom out of the sandwich and eat it or eat it right on the plate, he just licked it like it was some one's hand or arm. I took this time to teach him not to take food from peoples' hands or from their plate. I had my mother offer him a piece of her sandwich. Every time he went to eat it he got a correction. About the time after the third correction he got the idea that I'm not suppose to eat this and looked up at me. He's quite a smart boy. So, I gave him a "Nice" and piece of his food.

He also didn't sleep in a kennel last night. I have this handy collapsible kennel for the puppies over here. It fits so nicely under the bed in the second bedroom. But, it's a bit of a pain to get out and set up then set back down. So, since I'm sleeping in the living room on a blow up mattress for two nights, I didn't want to go through the trouble of setting it up. Plus, it's huge and the living room isn't! I could sleep in there quite comfortably with Freya (I'm not sure if that will be true with Rocco seeing as he is ginormous). So, Rocco slept on a tie down on his blanket right next to the blow up mattress. He was a little sad that he couldn't cuddle with me because I stuck in on a short tie down for his first time. He kept setting his nose and front paws on the mattress. :) But he really did swimmingly and had a good night's sleep! Unfortunately for me the blow up mattress has this mysterious leak. So I ended up on the ground this morning and due to uncomfy positions I woke up a few times last night. Rocco doesn't seem to mind though. He's sleeping quite happily on the mattress with his head on my pillows. (Pictures to follow when I get home)

Don't forget about the Name Game to post your guess. My recent guess is Lloyd.