Vacation

Today we made the decision to take everyone with us next week on vacation to the OBX. We have a pet friendly rental and Cody always goes with us (as did Angel Jack). This year we knew we would be taking Cocoa with us. She had cancer and though doing well is on too many medications to leave in someone's care for a week. Harley frets when his sister isn't home so he was coming too. Matt and I had both been thinking but not sharing with each other that we wanted to take everyone with us this year. Cody and the 6 cats. We don't have that Crazy Cat Couple magnet on the back of our car for nothing! lol So stay tuned! we'll blog our adventures. Here is a picture of our precious Cocoa.

More Awards for Daytona

My gorgeous blue eyed fellow has won more awards! The Happy Household Pet Cat Club has announced their standings for the 2007-2008 show season. HHPCC scores both CFA and TICA cats together so it can be very competitive. Showing a Household Pet in TICA is serious business. It is just now becoming popular to show Household Pets in CFA again. I won't get into the difference between the two organizations but I consider CFA to be the more classier of the orgs. TICA does award titles - just like they do for pedigreed cats for Household Pets. The CFA does not which is why TICA is so popular with Household Pet exhibitors. Daytona is a TICA Quadruple Grand Master. So, he can hang with the big cats :)

Anyway, my little show stopper was named 2nd Best in the Region (the regions are slightly different with HHPCC) and FIFTH best cat in the USA/Canada!

Woo Hoo! how great is that!

And, for those of you who live in Tidewater and can get a copy of Pet Tails (we have an issue in each of the libraries), there is an article about Daytona in the August/September issue.

Additionally, my geezer meezer Harley was 9th best cat in the region. Not bad for a 13 year old who started his show career at age 12!

CFA Site Updated

Finally, the CFA (Cat Fanciers' Association) Southern Region updated the site to include pictures of the Household Pet Regional Winners. So, now the top 10 HHPs in the region are up on the site, too! Now, I really feel like it is official! List and Pictures of the Top 10 Household Pets in the CFA Southern Region

Dad

Today would have been my father's 70th birthday. Tragically, we lost him too young at the age of 54. A career US Navy man, he died from Mesothelioma as a result working as a pipefitter for decades. I found a few pictures and posted them to an album on Flickr. Photo Album for Dad

However, even in his short life my Dad accomplished more than most people ever will. As I get closer to the age that he was when he died, I realize what an incredible man he was. After retiring from the Navy and a second career at the ship yard, he was able to realize his dream. He moved back to the Eastern Shore of Maryland (where both my mother and my father are from and where the family still lives) and became an Eastern Shore Waterman fishing for blue crabs and tonging for oysters. He bought a traditional style workboat called The Thelma.
He lead a busy and active life and was a highly respected businessman and town council member. National Geographic leased the boat and Dad for photo shoots. This is one of my favorite pictures of my father taken by a National Geographic photographer.

My father's family reunion was just days away from his 70th birthday and I made a visit to the Veteran's cemetery where he is laid to rest. Rare is it that I am on the Shore for holidays and such and I usually have flowers delivered to my father's grave by a local florist. This time I was able to visit for myself and brought flowers with me from Virginia Beach.

Happy Birthday Dad! We all miss you! I know you're giving them h*ll in Heaven about one thing or another!

My "Tammy" Flowers

I have to share some pictures of these gorgeous flowers in my flower bed - especially since I have a black thumb :).

I think they are Amaryllis but I call them my "Tammy" flowers. I bought the bulbs as part of a fundraiser for Relay for Life. My little sister Tammy is a breast cancer survivor. She's my hero and a total inspiration. When I look at these cheerful little flowers, they totally remind me of her.

I'm a Stalker!

One day, I noticed birds diving and chasing something across the back yard. I saw something small and furry dive under the “ghetto deck”. Aaaaaaggghhhh we have a rat living in the back yard I thought! I asked Matt to pick up the deck to see what was living there.

Here is what he found living in the back yard…a baby bunny!

The cats are fascinated with baby bunny, too. Here are Sammy, Daytona and Harley Baby Bunny watching..... (yes we still have the Ghetto Deck :)

A close up of Baby Bunny through the screen door:

Since then, I've become obsessed with watching and looking for our Baby Bunny....

Short video clips of the cats watching Baby Bunny:

This morning he was in the back yard. When I came home from work, he was snacking on grass in the front yard and then dashed to our front flower bed. He does a good job of hiding!


And then he dashed away....
Our friends and neighbors one house down swear baby bunny is THEIR bunny and he loves their house best but I think he really loves us best.

CFA Honors Southern Stars

On June 12, 2008, in Charlotte North Carolina, the Southern Region of the Cat Fanciers' Association held their annual regional awards banquet. The banquet honors the achievements of cats in the Southern Region. In addition to honoring the pedigreed cats, Household Pets were also honored with the top 10 Household Pets in the region receiving awards. It was a very classy event. Becky's husband Harry called it the "Cat Prom" which just cracked me up!

It was a beautiful wonderful night. I can't even begin to describe how much fun the evening was. In the Household Pet class, you really get to know the other "moms and dads". You spend entire weekends with the same people. You cheer for their cats and celebrate their successes and cry with them when one leaves for The Bridge. So topping that off with a fancy night to celebrate those same cats and spend time with their family was priceless.

The evening started off with a cocktail hour followed by dinner.

Becky and Harry
Kim and Matt

Next came the awards ceremony. As each owner came up to receive the award for their cat, the cat's picture was flashed on large screens in the ballroom.

Kim and Matt accepting the award for Best Household Pet - Daytona
You can see Daytona's picture on the computer screen at the bottom of the picture

Becky and Harry accepting the award for Best British Shorthair (Paddy) in Premiership.

Daytona with his beautiful Rosette

The progam listed the cats that were receiving awards

I found this insert in our program - how cool is this!

Click here for more pictures of the banquet.