Romeo's Birthday

Romeo, my older pup turned 11 today. I threw him a birthday party at the local dog park, the BuTCh,, I think he and his pup friends had a great time playing doggy games and eatin pupcakes, which are what I call the meat cakes in cupcake form.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROMEO!

Turkey, Chicken and Beef Pupcakes

Artsy Kids!!!

We did the B-Town Beat, our local art walk, and Yon Flora, of ReTreasure and I partnered up so the kids in our fair city, could have a go at the Spin Art Spinner I made. Here is what the amazing kids came up with:

I think the kids all had fun making little works of art. I know I did!

Alien Invasion

Crazy Alien drivers!

The Men and Women in Black- my town of Burien was invaded by Aliens!!! Burien holds an annual UFO Festival every year, since B-Town Blog and Emmy winner Scott Schaefer, released a movie, The Maury Island Incident ,  chronicling a UFO incident right here in Burien! Every year Aliens and Spacecraft invade area 152 ( SW 152nd Street, Burien's Main Drag) for an evening of alien merry making, all the time watching out for the MIB. It featured a costume contest, A tribute to Spock (complete with a dance mob) a 5minute Film short festival (locals made 5 minute movies). It is always a great time.


A certain Cephlapodian visitor enjoys his time at the festival!(Picture by Crystal D. German)
 

A star fleet officer driving thorugh town!

 

A traditional Vulcan  dance mob (photo by Kellie Andersen Bassen)

 

RIP Mr. Spock... Live Long and prosper! (Photo by Kellie Andersen Bassen) 

Start the first with a last....

Well here it is another years. This one, bound to be a bit different than others. 2015! THe Year I retire, the year of some changes. The year to let my hair down so to speak.

JANUARY 2015- the 30th will be  my  last day to work for the Boeing Company, and while it has been an emotional filled train ride in this JET factory, it will be one of those "what now?" moments for me. I have never much lived life to a plan, much less one that will derail my income by over half. But, since I feel that after 30 years with one company one should get to do what one wants, I am retiring. Just days away! I will miss al the people I work with and the comraderie,  with it. It is time for me to have ... well time! I will for the first time be able to be home for the pups, which will be a first. And time to do the little things I think about like volunteering for the local animal shelter, and the local arts scene.

So while I am retiring work, I am not retiring life. Not just yet... anyway!

HOWL-LOWEEN IS NEAR!!!

That time of year to be creative and drive your dog nuts! HOWL-OWEEN! In a couple of days I will debut Romeo and Buddy's look for 2014, But until then, here are some of my favorite costumes for 2014 (Courtesy of Instructables.com) to tide you over!

CORN DOG

What better way to celebrate than turning your pooch into tasty food? By Doggie Stylish

 Chi Chi Chi Chia Pet

Kkittle shows hoe to turn your pooch into a living chia pet!

Dog. James Dog.

This James Bond Dog by HenryBasenji costume has many of the elements of Romeo and Buddy's Rocket Dog costume from last year:

Never fear, UNDERDOG is here!

Instuctable contributor, soccerqueen, shows how simple it is to make an UNDERDOG cape!

Cove To Clover

It's just about time for the Annual Clove to Clover. Around these parts, this 5K Race plus a 1 mile "Wee" race for the little people is a sure sign of spring. And a sure sign that Burien folk are ready to get out and support many charities. Held on the 16th,the C2C was originally sponsored by a local Irish pub, organizer John Nelson had made it one of the go to and do events in our little city. And he is also very generous, offering the B-Town DOG group a Canopy at the finish line, to deliver information about our up and coming Dog Park here in the city. My only complaint, is that They use to offer "Angel" Sponsorships, which allowed me to be involved without having to run my fat ass all through town. But the old way was a hassle, and they still get sponsorships to the school district, allowing many kids to race for free! So a big thumbs up there. \
And if liquid sports are more your thing There is also Ye Ole Snake Crawl, A pub crawl were you can win prizes, on Friday the 14th, from 5pm (Registration)
So if you are not doing anything on Sunday, March 16, and feel a little energetic, Put on your running shoes and come on out to the Cove to Clover. There is a beer garden at the end! A great way to support local Charities!

Cove to Clover Classic
March 16th, 2014
Ye Ole Snake Crawl Pub Crawl
March 14th
Burien WA

Burien Boos!

Well, Romeo and Buddy had a great day to party down in Burien, on Sat. October 26th. THe day started off with a B-town Dog "Park-N-Bark" at the Town Square park,

where they met up with their Canine friends and owners for a walk along 152nd, the main street in Burien, and later they got to lead the Dog Costume Parade the Discover Burien puts on each year in their "Boo In Burien" celebration. The weather held out, and they boys had a great time watching the annual Weiner Dog races and eating the dog treats given out by local businesses.

Even more DIY Dog Costumes

Here we go with more DIY Dog costumes!


Meg Allen Cole from Craftzine shows hoe to make a bacon costume perfect for your pooch!

From Small Home Big Start, a taco costume will have them say Yo quero Taco Bell

And this idea for an E.T. costume couldn't be easier... SImply wrap a blanket around your alien dog and put him in a bike basket

And finally, who doesn't love Underdog? THe greatest K9 superhero ever (sorry Krypto) the outfit is so easy.. a T-shirt with a big felt "U" on the front

IDEAS FOR DOG "HOWL"-OWEEN COSTUMES

That time of year when I try to come up with ideas for costumes for the boys- found some great inspiration too.
Ghost Dog

This would work if I could keep the sheet on the dogs. Pretty simple though. three holes, two for they eyes, on for the snout.

HEADLESS HORSEMAN:

Pretty simple- all you need is a harness, some felt and a Ken or barbie doll minus the head. Also you could do a cowboy or just about anything that rides a horse!

GANGSTA THUG DOG

Another easy costume- if you have a hoodie that fits your dog. A little swag around the neck fo' shizzle

FRUIT OF THE LOOM DOG:

Here's a costume for wine-y dogs. Turn them into the pre-pressed product with either green or purple balloons taped together and pinned by their stems to a cloth coat. Cut large grape leaves out of green felt and attach them to the dog collar.

Romeo was a cat one year- Buddy has never gone howl-oweening before. I think I have it narrowed down. But I think these are great costumes one and all!

REASONS TO CELEBRATE!!!

My Poang Patio chair was featured on Ikea Hackers. and this blog has broke the 200,000 reader mark.

Wild Strawberry Festival June 15th-16th

1500

Or rather 1507 to be totally accurate. What is 1500? That is how many blog posts I have posted since this blog began on blogger, on February 10, 2008. Woo hoo! Been a great run! Y'all tired of me yet?

PICNIC FOR EARTH

 I know--- Earth day should be Earth Year... yadda yadda. But the one good thing about Earth Day is it gives attention to the problems (and solutions) concerning our planet. The Nature Conservancy is suggesting you host or attend a picnic for Earth Day, April 22nd. And from I gather it could be a small family picnic or a large affair. The idea is to get out and enjoy nature. My idea is to have a picnic with the "boys" for lunch at one of our local parks, since it is a work day. You may want to eat dinner in the back yard or attend one of the sponsored picnics on this map. In any case, have a meal Al Fresco and enjoy the day!
Here are some Picnic Tips from the Nature Conservancy's Picnic For Earth website

If You Picnic for Earth, then You Need Green Picnic Tips!
 Choose a Location Near You Hosting your own picnic? Choose a picnic site close to home, and walk or bike to your picnic location instead of driving.

Look for a green space nearby — a local park, a sports field, a Conservancy preserve or a friend’s backyard!

Use Re-Usable or Compostable Serveware Instead of packing paper plates and disposable utensils, pack serveware that you can wash and use again and encourage your guests to do the same. If this won’t work, many brands are now offering compostable plates and silverware.

Bring Healthy Foods The lower a food is on the food chain, the lower its impact on the environment. For example, it takes about 634 gallons of water to make a hamburger. So, add more fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes to your picnic meal — those things are good for you and the planet!

Need a recipe? Pack Local, In-Season Ingredients Nothing ruins an eating-well high in the U.S. faster than seeing a sticker on your apple that says New Zealand (no offense, kiwis!). Prevent the shipping-around-the-world blues by picking up your produce from a local farmer’s market.

Lose the Napkins No one wants to walk around with mustard on her face, but paper napkins aren’t the answer. Use the picnic as an opportunity to use that cute gingham handkerchief that came with your cowboy Halloween costume five years ago. Or, you know, any old cloth napkin will do.

Compost and Recycle Your Trash: I bet someone at your picnic has a compost bin (Are you ready to give it a try? It’s easy!). Enlist that person to take home all the compostable scraps from the event, and another person to collect any recyclables.

Clean Your Picnic Site: A good picnicker is one that doesn’t leave trash at his picnic site. A great picnicker is one who picks up trash at this picnic site. Use the picnic as an opportunity to make your local green space just a little greener.

Enjoy Nature: Once your meal is over, take some time to enjoy your natural setting. Take a hike, go bird-watching or just sit back and enjoy the sounds of nature. Have kids in tow? Try this Nature Treasure Hunt.

Use Electronics Wisely: Picnic for Earth is about reconnecting with nature, but whether it’s to play some picnic tunes or send us your picnic photos via Twitter (@allhandsonearth), Facebook or Flickr, we know that your electronic devices will make an appearance. Be sure to unplug your chargers when not in use to avoid “vampire power,” which accounts for about 10 percent of household energy usage.

Arts Aglow lights up the Night

The large art installation by Celeste Cooning. Click here to see a video in action

The annual Burien Art’s Aglow festival was held on Saturday. Quite fun with all the lanterns and such, the highlight of the evening is the procession, led by VamoLá Brazilian  Drum & Dance Ensemble, and joined by hundreds of people wearing lit costumes and carrying handmade lanterns, through the local neighborhood. This year besides the Community Garden setting up lanterns and lights, a lot of the homes along the route of the procession also set up lanterns, to celebrate.

Many folks dress up in ornate lit costumes

Eat This!

Photo from Cascadian Edible Landscapes

See All you gotta do is complain. Last year after the Annual Seattle Flower and garden show, I made a comment on the questionaire that they sent me about the fact there where no displays of urban farming. Looks like they listened, or somebody had a great idea (probably the latter)- The folks at Cascadian Edible Landscapes came up with this design for an Urban garden that looks like it could be just what I was wishing for. It will be on display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Feb 8th - Feb 12th 2012, at the Washington State Convention Center. Well worth the price of admission! I will probably go on February 10 if anyone wants to meet up let me know at robj98168@yahoo.com

Booze Free New Year's

First, I think we drink too much in this country. That being said , if you go out on New Year’s Eve, make sure someone is the Designated Driver. That means no alcohol for that “designated” person. Here are a few ideas on how to make the evening a little more DD friendly. And trust me- you do not want a DUI to start the new year. First- make sure where you are going has non alcoholic drinks. This may include Sodas, Sparkling waters, coffee, tea. My thing is to go to bars that have an espresso machine. And you would be surprised how many bars now cater to non- drinkers. They have to. Most states now have laws that include the bar that served DUI people. Call ahead to find out. If you are going to a private party or staying home… then the world is your oyster. There are a number of sites that have non-alcoholic cocktails or “mocktails”. I will list some of them at the end of this post.

One of the best things I have seen (and use) for the home “Dry bar”… A Soda Stream soda maker. It makes sodas for pennies a glass. And if you are adamant about no plastic, you can make Sodas using flavored syrups. They come in glass bottles. That is how I make Crème Soda- I jigger or 1 oz. of Torani’s Sugar-Free Vanilla Crème syrup to 8 oz of soda on Ice. Or try making your own syrups. Ginger Ale is easy

Good places to find "Mocktail" Recipes:

• The Bar.Com 
• Drinks Mixer.com
• About.com MockTail Recipes 
• Martha Stewart’s Non Alcoholic Cocktail Recipes   

Garden A Glow

This is our community garden-

This is our community garden on lantern power. Actually this is part of a community festival the Burien Arts A Glow Lantern Festival, and they asked we play a small part. It was fun lighting the garden, we haven't done it since the garden was a dream and all we had was a demo garden at the BIAS.

B-Patch from the frontOur Lullaby singerLights in the gardenMore lightsEven more!Garden from the side!

A visitor!

Either this was planned or the 70's were very good to me!

Imagine you are walking along a shopping district. Then all of a sudden this 6'2" Austrian woman starts yelling Ketch-up! Ketch Chup Chup Chup! and 50 Giant dancing Brats show up... Either the 70's have been good to you or It is a Flash Mob of dancing brats promoting the upcoming Brat Trot Charity 5K in Burien! Manuela Horn provided the singing, and I have no Idea who provided the dancing brats. Just a normal day in Burien, my fair city!

Video courtesy of the B-Town Blog

CLAM DIP!!!

No- I am not dissing the republi-cons again... I am talking about Clam Dip. One of my favorite things about barbeques, family gatherings, etc. was the little tub of clam dip with the potato chips. Alas, clam dip has lost it's popularity (if it ever had any). Anyway I found a pretty good recipe for it:

• 2 small packages (6 ounces total) cream cheese
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed and finely minced
• 1 can (7 oz) minced clams, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• dash ground cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation:

Clam dip directions
Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic together until smooth. Add minced clams and blend in with remaining seasonings. Chill clam dip thoroughly. Serve clam dip with chips, crackers, or vegetable dippers.