Last weekend we were lucky enough to have my parents out in DC. We went on a fantastic hike in Shenandoah with them, Darcy, Mike, Nikki, me, and Hina. On the way home we stopped at the Barrel Oak Winery (dog friendly, of course) and had a great time sitting out in the evening air relaxing. We also added to our ever-growing stockpile of wine!! They had a dog-rescue program going and everyone got to cuddle a baby fox-hound..awe... The week flew by with Darcy, mom, and dad doing some lobbying, though we did have a chance to visit Farmers and Fishers, one of our fav places in DC - sustainable food and fantastic drinks!! (worth the $12 a pop). We hadn't had enough Shenandoah though, so this weekend Mike, Darcy, Nikki, Hina, and I rented a cabin and went up again. The cabin was soooo fun - it was cozy with a fireplace and a hot-tub and a nice porch. We ate and drank like pigs and Mike and I tried to not burn the place down or cause undo bodily harm using the grill. We had a canoeing expedition on Saturday, leisurely covering 8 miles on the Shenandoah without dumping it in the rapids (we saw some pretty comical spills). Great success.
Friday was a big event - Hina turned two years old!!! She's so mature and well-behaved now..... I kinda lost it and went all out for the party with Mike, Darcy, and Nikki - two doggie cupcakes with candles ("2" and "B-E-A-R"), special fresh dog food, several toys, special bone, disney princess plates, hats for everybody... you get the picture. Can you tell we don't have kids? Anyhow, is was super fun and we even sang happy birthday out by the grill while all the humans had wood-fired pizza and beverages. Mike had the honor of drinking my last bottle of the first beer that Jeff Glenn and I made in Boston - and it didn't taste like crap! (at least, that's what he said).
All in all - tons of fun. Only 14 more weekends until we move to Vietnam! Next weekend - Puerto Rico....
