Home » Posts tagged 'Cello' (Page 4)
Byers Street Bistro was the perfect place to grab a bite to eat while exploring Staunton, Va!
They were super dog friendly (even brought water bowls out for the pups!), and the food was absolutely amazing!
Cello, Brian, Brandi and Guinness entering Byers Street Bistro:
I had the fried green tomato appetizer and shrimp and grits (couldn’t resist some good southern menu choices that we can’t get up here in Southern NJ!)
Cello and Guinness enjoyed themselves and were very well-behaved:
How could Cello resist stopping at a brewing company named after her Daddy 😉 With Brian being a “ginger”… we couldn’t resist stopping at Redbeard Brewing Company , located in the historic Wharf district of Staunton, Va. It is Staunton’s first downtown brewery, and they specialize in “small batches of big beers.”
Here is Cello with her Papa Redbeard 😉
Ox-Eye Vineyards is located in the historic Wharf District of Staunton, Va. The Vineyard was named after the Ox-Eye flower that grows in abundance on the owners’ farm.
The tasting room is in a building that was originally built in 1904 and used as an office for a local coal and lumber business. The building also served as a scale house for horse drawn coal wagons. The loaded wagons would pull up under the building’s archway to be weighed by the Fairbanks scale.
While camping in Staunton, Va, we visited Barren Ridge Vineyards right after we did some
“spelunking” at Natural Chimneys in Mt. Solon, Va.
Barren Ridge Vineyards is located in Fishersville, Va on a former apple orchard. The winery makes 14 different wines, many of them award-winning. The tasting room is a converted 1890’s apple barn. The owners preserved the original structure of the barn, and it’s wooden beams. The ceiling in the tasting room is constructed of the original barn’s wood…it was really neat!
We enjoyed doing their wine tasting, and being able to have Cello in the tasting room with us:
The tasting room was really nice:
Our friends Brandi and Stan, and their dog, Guinness, also enjoyed the wine tasting:
After the tasting, we enjoyed a glass of wine overlooking the vineyard:
Looking at the AAA magazine one evening, an article caught my eye about a small town in Virginia ranked one of the best small towns in the United States… Staunton, Va. We decided that this would be a great place to camp for our annual Easter camping trip.
Staunton is a unique and quaint town made up of 5 historic districts. There is great architecture and unique shops and eateries to enjoy.
Looking at the AAA magazine one evening, an article caught my eye about a small town in Virginia ranked one of the top 20 small towns in the United States…Staunton, VA. After doing some research, and having never stayed at a KOA before, we decided to give Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA a try for our annual Easter camping trip. Not only was Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA in close proximity to the town of Staunton, it is also located between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain ranges on the site of a former walnut plantation…pretty awesome!
Our campsite was right on the lake, and was spacious and clean.
Around the campground…
We are the third camper in from the left.
The campground had a fenced-in dog run, so of course we broke out the “Chuck-It,” and let Cello run like the wind!
The sunsets we saw from our campsite were amazing!
We got to see and do some really incredible in and around Staunton, which you will see in upcoming posts!
Tommy DiRenzo
For those of you who have been following Cello’s Corner from the start, you know that Cello is short for Limoncello…and that Cello’s full name is “Tommy D’s Limoncello.” Jenny’s Grandfather, Tommy DiRenzo, was famous for his homemade Limoncello, made with his “secret recipe.”
For those of you who may not be familiar with what Limoncello is, I hope this post gives you a good explanation…
When Brian and I give someone a gift-bottle of my Pop Pop Tommy’s Limoncello, we always attach a little folded card to the bottle that explains what Limoncello is, and includes a picture of my Pop Pop Tommy and Jenny, a watermark picture of our cabin, where the Limoncello is made, and of course, Brian’s favorite puppy-picture of Miss Cello! The card explains the history of Limoncello, as well as the background behind our Limoncello recipe.
Front of our card:
![Limoncello gift label and history 2 [Compatibility Mode] - Microsoft Word non-commercial use 452014 100309 AM](https://i0.wp.com/celloscorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/limoncello-gift-label-and-history-2-compatibility-mode-microsoft-word-non-commercial-use-452014-100309-am.jpg)
Inside of our card:
![Limoncello gift label and history2 [Compatibility Mode] - Microsoft Word non-commercial use 452014 100258 AM.bmp](https://i0.wp.com/celloscorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/limoncello-gift-label-and-history2-compatibility-mode-microsoft-word-non-commercial-use-452014-100258-am-bmp.jpg)
Back of the label:
![Limoncello gift label and history 2 [Compatibility Mode] -](https://i0.wp.com/celloscorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/limoncello-gift-label-and-history-2-compatibility-mode.jpg)
There are many different recipes for Limoncello – – even a cream-version. We think homemade Limoncello (especially Pop Pop Tommy’s recipe!!) is better than bottled versions bought at the liquor store that we have tried. Summer is right around the corner…and Limoncello is wonderfully refreshing on a nice summer day! …Google search a recipe or two and give it a try!
This Friday, March 14, Cello turned three years old! I truly cannot believe it has already been three years that we have been lucky enough to have her in our life.
I’d say Cello had a pretty good birthday! …See if you agree!
I put together a “Basket of Birds for the Birthday Bird Dog,” which she discovered, and helped herself to her birthday goodies (after the “OK” command of course)!
Cello’s Aunt Casey stopped by and dropped off a nice birthday card, and a birthday gift! …Thanks Aunt Casey and Cousin James!
My very cool shirt from Casey and James…perfect!
Then, Cello had a birthday treat of fresh rotisserie chicken, green beans, and carrots…
And THEN, her Daddy took her on a shopping spree to PetSmart to pick out her own birthday treats….
I think overall, this birthday gal had a GREAT day!
Happy 3rd Birthday, Cello…we love you!!!
Well, it’s been a while…a LONG while since we could say it actually felt GOOD to be outside! This winter has been brutal (and that’s putting it lightly). South Jersey has had over 18 days of snow, with snowfall totaling over 75 inches so far (and more snow in the forecast for this week!). If it wasn’t snowing, or there wasn’t snow and/or ice on the ground, it was uncomfortably cold (got down to -4 degrees one day!). The lake we live on has been frozen most of the winter, and the streets are full of BIG potholes and cracks. These types of conditions do NOT make a GSP happy! Cello did not go to the park – or walk – or run WAY too many days this winter. We’ve gotten creative with indoor physical activities like hide-and-seek, our version of the doggie stair-master (throwing a ball up-and-over our balcony so Cello has to run up-the-stairs/down-the-stairs to retrieve her ball)…as well as mentally stimulating indoor activities like practicing basic commands and “tricks.” But nothing is as wonderful as outdoor runs and walks that exhaust a GSP (a tired GSP is a good GSP!!)
Today and yesterday finally felt warm! (I never thought I would hear myself say that temperatures in the high 30’s felt warm!!!) …so Brian, Cello, and I enjoyed a 4-mile walk each day this weekend in the “warm” 39 degree weather. It was great to see runners, bikers, and other walkers out and about. Everyone was commenting on how warm it felt, and how good it was to be outside. I still was bundled up in a big winter coat and hat…but it felt so good to be out in the fresh air and in the sun – with roads you could actually walk on without worrying about slipping on ice or snow!
It will get up to 60 degrees by Tuesday – quite a tease considering by Thursday it will be 30 and possibly snowing AGAIN 🙁 …Needless to say, we are very, VERY anxious for winter to be OVER.
10 more days, 8 hours, 29 minutes until the official First Day of Spring 2014
103 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes until the official First Day of Summer 2014
…but who’s counting ?!?! 😉
Cello’s first trip inside Bass Pro Shops!
Cello was greeted with treats and pets as soon as we walked in !
Inside Bass Pro Shops
Cello had fun watching the bass swim by in the huge fish tank!
And while we shopped for a new hoodie, Cello got lots of lovin’ from another Bass Pro Shops employee! 
We had never been to Harrisburg, so after Cello’s dock diving waves on Saturday, we took her to the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA.
Brian and Cello took a walk up to the top of the stairs…
(Even though they weren’t supposed to …being rebels as usual…!)
The city was very clean and looked like a great place to visit. If we had time, I would have liked to have explored the area a bit more.
The Capitol building was beautiful!
Cello was chosen as the featured “Bird Dog of the Day” on Instagram!
Each day, one puppy and one adult bird dog picture is featured on this very popular account…and today Cello won “adult of the day!” Yay Cello!!
Check out Bird Dog of the Day on Instagram…and “like” Cello’s picture!
Please visit Cello’s Instagram for more great photos of Cello and her adventures!
Last Sunday, Brian and I drove out to Allentown, PA, to pick up one of 2 English Pointers pulled from a high-kill shelter in Kansas. The rescue in their area was full and had no foster homes available, so the German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue of NJ volunteered to help out. The female English Pointer, Amira, was being picked up by her foster parents. This is Amira:
Max was a very excitable boy, and was alert for most of his 2 hour ride to Southern NJ.
After some nice ear rubs, Max finally felt comfortable “giving in” and taking a nap!
Brian and I took Max to our house, where his foster dad was picking him up. Max’s foster dad wound up staying at our house for a good 2.5 hours while Max and Cello played their hearts out – bot inside the house and in the snow outside in the yard! I regret not taking pictures during that time to share…but I was too overwhelmed with joy watching the two play so well together, and thinking about how this wonderful dog, once discarded, is about to begin the best part of his life!
Cello was worn out from all of Max’s energy and slept like a baby that night!
It took many volunteers to transport these two English Pointer pups from Kansas to New Jersey… Thanks to everyone who helped these two cuties on their way to a better life and a forever home! If you are interested in Max or Amira, please email the German Shorthaired Rescue of New Jersey at GSPrescueNJ@hotmail.com .
UPDATE: MARCH 2014: BOTH MAX AND AMIRA HAVE BEEN ADOPTED!
Thinking of a GSP but don’t live near NJ? Think rescue! The National GSP Rescue lists regional GSP rescue groups across the United States and Canada. If you are interested in adoption, volunteering, or would like information on how to surrender your dog to rescue (Please do not surrender GSPs to a shelter or abandon them!!!!), please contact the group that covers your state or region. If there is no contact listed for your state, you can email the National GSP Rescue at rescue@gspca.org . A GSP rescue will help match you up with the perfect GSP for your family!
ANOTHER snow day here in Southern NJ… perfect day for baking dog treats!
Cello waits and watches patiently as these yummy-smelling Valentines Day treats bake in Cello’s Cucina!
Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts
Ingredients:
Directions
If your dog likes less-crunchy treats, you cool them completely on a wire rack, then serve them to your four-legged child!
These treats come out pretty crunchy even if you don’t keep them in the oven over night…so if your pup prefers softer treats, you can try reducing the cook-time, and cooling the treats on a wire rack.
Yield: Will depend on the size cookie cutter you use.
Storing: These tasty treats can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or n the freezer for up to 6 months.
Tips: The dough for these treats can be pretty sticky to work with at first, especially while kneading. You can dust your work place and rolling-pin with some extra buckwheat flour, or (my favorite) you can line your work place with parchment paper, then place another piece of parchment paper over the dough while rolling it out. Also, keep a dish of extra buckwheat flour next to you and “dip” the cookie cutter in the flour each time before making the cut-outs.
The month of January has been brutal all the way around.
First and foremost, I want to take the time to share our sympathy for our dock diving friends, Annie and Matt, who lost their beloved GSP, Bailey, suddenly on January 30th. Bailey was only 7 years old. You can view Bailey’s memorial page here. We are deeply saddened and will continue to keep Bailey, Annie, and Matt in our thoughts and Prayers. Annie has given Brian and I so much appreciated advice and help with dock diving. We looked forward to seeing Bailey at dock diving events, as she too, was a small GSP like Cello, and so very sweet. Bailey inspired us to buy Cello’s dock diving coat by Trover…and Cello’s Corner would not exist if it wasn’t for us meeting Bailey. Annie’s blog, The Little GSP, inspired me to start this site to share Cello’s Adventures with the world. We were lucky to have met Annie, Matt, and sweet Bailey…and Bailey was fortunate and blessed to have such loving, caring parents.
Our good friends, and parents of one of Cello’s boyfriends and dock diving-bud, Nemo also had an unfortunate incident. Nemo’s dad had fallen and injured himself, and Nemo’s mom travels a lot for work, …so they had asked us to care for Nemo for a short time. Despite Nemo’s dad’s unfortunate event, Nemo and Cello had a blast together. Nemo’s stay made for Cello’s first official sleep over. We had Nemo at our house for about a week, and enjoyed every second of our time with him. Nemo’s dad has since recovered, and Nemo is back home.
The love birds’ sleep-over!
January has also been rough in the weather department. We have had snow-covered ground for pretty much the entire month! It’s currently snowing again – and we are due to get a hefty snow storm again in just a few more days. Temps have been either freezing, or below freezing, and the lake is frozen. Cello has made the best of both the snow, and indoor playtime, but enough is enough! We had only 2 days that were above freezing AND no snow on the ground – so we made sure to get Cello to the dog park on those two days!
Fun in the Snow
The only 2 days we could get to the park when no snow was on the ground!
And sub-zero temps left lots of time to relax indoors…
*You can also view these and other pictures of Cello’s Adventures on her Instagram and Flicker pages.
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Cello in a trapper hat!
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I love this picture of Cello…those eyes get me every time!
ANGEL EYES
Cello is joining Ruckus the Eskie again for Sepia Saturday. Ruckus says:
All are welcome to join. Please share your best sepia pics of pets, families, experiences, nature, etc! 
Here are the rules:
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“Get off your butt, move your mutt” …and join this blog hop! Join Pets Move to help track your progress!
Cello and I are joining the Resolve to Move Your Mutt Blog Hop hosted by Slim Doggy and Keep the Tail Wagging.
Cello and I resolve to get up, get out, and get moving each and every day (even on dreary days)!
No more napping!
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Rescue mission #2… 4 dogs in Kentucky in awful situations…
This past Saturday Brian and I took another road trip to pick up one of 4 German Shorthaired Pointers found abandoned in Kentucky.
The first, and eldest, “Eve” (Christmas Eve). Eve was found wandering, and thought to be a discarded puppy-mill dog. It was very obvious that she had been bred over and over again. Another volunteer from the GSP Rescue of NJ, Ally, kindly adopted this loving senior (assumed to be about 9 years old).
“The Three Reindeer”, “Prancer, Vixen, and Blitzen” , are three 1 year old litter mates, also abandoned in Kentucky. They were transported as well. Prancer and Vixen were picked up and being fostered by two other rescue volunteers, and we picked up Blitzen to foster.
Prancer has already been matched up with an approved adopter, has been renamed Belle, and will be moving into her new forever home!
Vixen is at her foster home and awaiting a forever home.
Blitzen (now referred to as Whiskey) came home with us, and will stay with us until tomorrow morning, when I will drive him to another volunteer’s home to be fostered closer to where the approved potential adopters they have for him reside. This will make it easier for meet-and-greets to be sure that Whiskey is matched up with the right family.
Whiskey has been such a joy to foster these few days. Despite his past, he is an affectionate boy who enjoys to give and receive love! He is just adorable!
Here are the “Three Reindeer” at our pick-up spot:
Here is Whiskey:
Both Vixen and Whiskey need some basic training, but are two beautiful and affectionate German Shorthaired Pointers. They are now in their foster homes, and up for adoption through the GSP Rescue of NJ. Pray that these wonderful dogs find their forever homes quickly!!
Thinking of a GSP? Think rescue! The National GSP Rescue lists regional GSP rescue groups across the United States and Canada. If you are interested in adoption, volunteering, or would like information on how to surrender your dog to rescue (Please do not surrender GSPs to a shelter or abandon them!!!!), please contact the group that covers your state or region. If there is no contact listed for your state, you can email the National GSP Rescue at rescue@gspca.org .
A GSP rescue will help match you up with the perfect GSP for your family!
UPDATE: ALL DOGS IN THIS POST HAVE BEEN ADOPTED!! YAY!
Cello is joining the Sepia Saturday Blog Hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie!
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German Shorthaired Pointers are often discarded, given up, abandoned, and returned due to their high energy level and strong hunting drive. Some are discarded by hunters because they won’t hunt, or they may be “gun-shy.” We have fallen in love with this sometimes misunderstood breed. ..So…Cello, Brian, and I have been volunteering for the GSP Rescue of NJ. We have made phone calls to vets for background checks and references, visited GSPs in shelters to evaluate them and offer the help of the GSP rescue, called potential adopters for initial screening, and to go over their application, and have done home inspections for potential adopters. Cello has even volunteered as a donation dog, wearing a donation vest and “working the crowd” with her cuteness at events such as the Ocean County Gunning and Decoy Show in Tuckerton, NJ. We recently decided we could help out a bit more…so we signed up to pick up and/or transport GSPs to their foster homes, and to foster a dog if needed. This past weekend, we were able to help two GSPs who were on the “urgent” list in Kentucky …they were scheduled to be euthanized. Here is the story of the rescue of Penny and Perry…
Meet Penny and Perry…
About two weeks ago, A regional GSP rescue group in the Kentucky area contacted the GSP Rescue of NJ about Penny and Perry because the rescue’s foster homes were full, and they would not have been able to save Penny and Perry from a kill shelter in Kentucky. Penny and Perry were found roaming in Perryville Battlefield State Park, in Perryville, Kentucky.
Penny and Perry were brought to a kill-shelter, and held for the required amount of days to see if their owners would come forward. No one claimed them after the hold-period was over, and they were placed on the euthanization list. We received an email from the GSP Rescue of NJ to see if anyone could foster these two sweethearts, or to help pick them up from transport. Two members quickly offered to foster. When I had seen the email, no one had responded to do the pick up and transporting, so Brian and I volunteered to do this. Just after the regional GSP Rescue group in the Kentucky area contacted the GSP Rescue of NJ, a woman in Kentucky came in to the shelter and adopted both Perry and Penny.
…But not even two days later, the woman returned Penny and Perry to the kill shelter because they were “too hyper.” The regional GSP rescue in the Kentucky area got back in touch with the GSP Rescue of NJ, and foster homes in NJ and pick-up and transport was again set.
Early this past Saturday morning, Brian and I took an 1hr and 45 minute road trip to pick Penny and Perry up from their Kentucky transport. I cried as soon as I saw them – – both were skin and bones, and severely dehydrated..but as Brian brought each one out of their crate to put a slip-lead on them, each dog stood up on their hind legs, put their front paws up to Brian’s chest, and kissed Brian with appreciation. These two dogs were so sweet loving!! It was heart-wrenching to me that no one claimed them in the first place, that they were returned to a kill-shelter by someone who didn’t understand the breed – -and that these two loving dogs were close to being euthanized!
Brian and I had no crates to transport them with , so I rode in the back of our truck with Penny and Perry…for an hour and 45 minutes, these dogs smothered me in love and puppy kisses. Here are some pictures from the ride home… and then when Perry got to our house.
We arrived back to our house with Penny and Perry, and walked them around the yard and provided plenty of water for them both. Penny’s foster family picked her up right away (I bawled my eyes out, as I had already became attached to these two wonderful dogs!!) Perry’s foster parents could not pick him up until Sunday, so Cello was going to have her first sleep-over!
We bathed Perry, gave him plenty of access to water, and fed him. Although extremely affectionate, Perry knew no basic commands, and did not have leash or house manners. Brian took Perry out on the street in front of our house, and I brought Cello out to meet Perry… both Cello and Perry were very happy to see each other! We walked them together down the street, and then back to our yard. When we were back inside our fenced-in yard, we let Cello off her leash…but Perry had already tried to leap our fence while on his leash, so we were unable to let him wander the yard off-lead. Luckily we had beautiful weather and were able to spend the day and most of the night outdoors. (Perry was not house trained, and had a bad case of diarrhea!) While outside, Perry saw other dogs, people, bikes, and cars go by our yard, and he did not once bark – he was such a good boy!! My aunt and uncle came to visit, and Perry greeted them gently, without jumping, barking, or being rough. Perry’s tail did not stop wagging from the time we picked him up from transport, until we saw him leave with his foster family!!
Perry
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Perry finally settled down and took a nap out by the lake!
When we came inside, Perry got a visit from my mom, who brought him over some nice treats to enjoy.
Perry immediately became attached to Brian – and became upset if Brian was out of his sight. …So Brain loaded up a crate with nice soft fluffy quilts and blankets, and put the crate right in front of our couch. Brian slept on the couch so that Perry would not be upset or alone. Perry did very well throughout the night. He was very content sleeping next to Brian, and whimpered each time he was about to have an accident (Brian ran him outside about 6 times that night due to his loose bowl movements). Overall, Perry did great!
In the above picture, check out the bottom quilt…my mom had given us some quilts and blankets she was going to get rid of so that we had some bedding for Perry. One of the quilts she gave us was mine as a kid (and has to be over 35 years old at this point!!) It’s a Life Savers candy quilt… but how cool/coincidental is that?!?!… LIFE SAVERS, and we are using it to help this GSP who would have lost his life if it wasn’t for the volunteers at several GSP rescues! I thought the Life Savers quilt was just too cool!
Cello was a polite hostess, and Perry was a great house guest. Perry’s foster family came to pick him up Sunday morning (more tears and sobbing on my part…!)
Both Penny and Perry need some basic training, but are two beautiful and affectionate German Shorthaired Pointers, and are now in their foster homes and up for adoption through the GSP Rescue of NJ. Penny has been renamed Casey by her foster family, and Perry is now referred to as Chester (short for Winchester) by his foster family. Pray that these wonderful dogs find their forever homes quickly!!
Thinking of a GSP? Think rescue! The National GSP Rescue lists regional GSP rescue groups across the United States and Canada. If you are interested in adoption, volunteering, or would like information on how to surrender your dog to rescue (Please do not surrender GSPs to a shelter or abandon them!!!!), please contact the group that covers your state or region. If there is no contact listed for your state, you can email the National GSP Rescue at rescue@gspca.org .
A GSP rescue will help match you up with the perfect GSP for your family!
UPDATE: BOTH PENNY AND PERRY HAVE BEEN ADOPTED!! YAY!
UPDATE ON “PERRY” (NOW CHESTER) on 02/20/2014: Here are some pictures of a very happy and healthy Chester at his forever home sent to me by his loving family!
Cello’s Canine Candy Canes
INGREDIENTS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
NOTES:
Garbanzo bean flour: Although a great alternative to grain-based flour, this flour is SUPER sticky and can be difficult to work with. Keep adding flour until dough is at a consistency you are comfortable working with. Allowing the dough to cool in freezer will help with handling this sticky dough.
Broth/Stock: No matter which stock you choose (Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable), be sure to check that it does NOT contain any form of onion, or onion powder
Food Coloring: rather than use artificial coloring, I chose an all-natural vegetable base coloring made from beet juice (India Tree brand vegetable colorants). Beet powder is also another great alternative to artificial coloring.
Yield: will depend on how long/thick you make each “worm” when you are twisting the candy canes. My batch made 15 candy canes.
Storing: Remember, these treats do not have any preservatives, so they will need to be refrigerated, or frozen for use at a later time. These canine candy canes will keep fresh for approximately two weeks in the refrigerator, or for about 6 months in the freezer.
Cello visited Santa Claus in North East, MD ! …She’s on the Nice List… are you?!?
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Cello is mailing a letter to Santa 😉
We had never been to this park when we camped at Elk Neck State Park in the past, so we decided to explore! North East Community Park is a waterfront park – it has a walking path along the water, dock, playground, covered pavilions for rent, picnic tables and restrooms.
North East Beach is located within Elk Neck State Park. Dogs are allowed on the beach on the “off-season.” Cello loves to run in the sand and had a blast chasing her ball!
Playing ball on North East Beach!
Only a short out-and-back walk in Elk Neck State Park will get you to Turkey Point Lighthouse. Once at the lighthouse, there is an amazing view!
Turkey Point Lighthouse in Elk Neck State Park, MD
We camped in Elk Neck State Park in North East, MD for Thanksgiving with our friends, Brandi and Stan. Cello and I kicked off the day with our first mile of the Holiday Streak Challenge! (Thanks Annie for getting us motivated and moving!) …then Brian deep-fried the turkey….YUM! We had a great trip – lots of fun, and lots to be thankful for!
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Deep fried turkey…Delicious!
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What an awesome sunset!
The kitchen has been the longest-running project. We built the cabinets all by hand – with no plans to follow, and no idea what we were doing! We get complements on them constantly – they really came out great – and fit right in with our cabin!
The kitchen is mostly completed as of today (11/16/2013)…but we still need to complete the ceiling (we are going to do a tin ceiling), get hardware for the cabinets, and complete the chinking on 3 walls of the kitchen and adjoining pantry.
The kitchen when we originally looked at the house…
The kitchen during the demolition…
Building the cabinets
…and the kitchen as of 11/16/13
Copper farm sink…Brian’s pick!
Other end of the kitchen
Adjoining pantry/laundry room (still needing the chinking in between the logs down as well as the ceiling)
2019
Chinking (white stuff!) getting done in the kitchen:
2018: The “tin” ceiling going up!
2019
One of the walls in our kitchen was nothing but rotted logs (from old roof leakage) and a very tiny window. We had the logs on hand, but hadn’t gotten around to replacing the wall. Friends of ours called us one morning to tell us they were removing a large window from their home to replace with a larger window, and that they thought we may be able to use it…well, it was a perfect size, and we dropped what we were doing that day, and ripped out the wall and old window!
Rotted logs and old window removed
New window in and trimmed, and new logs installed…just need to stain the logs, and chink in between logs
2019: Farm table and chinking/trim complete
November 2013
Cello was participating in a dock diving contest in Easton, and Holiday Park was the closest campground to Easton. We had been here before (our first camping trip with our travel trailer almost a year ago) and enjoyed the campground, our view, and the location (close to St. Michaels, Easton, and Annapolis). Friends Brandi, Stan, their daughter, Payton, and their dog Guinness joined us for this trip. Cello won her first 1st place medal while dock diving, and for the first time won 1st place overall in the Masters Division of her dock diving contest!
Our campsite
View from our campsite
The “champion” on our campsite 🙂
October 2013
…Lake in Wood Resort…Probably the coolest campground we’ve been to yet! Also one of thee prettiest, and well-kept campgrounds! This campground also had wood carvings and totem poles everywhere! In addition, the “cabins” you could rent were not cabins at all – – they were a double-decker bus, tee-pee, caboose, etc! Cello rates this one 5 paws!
We had lots of company on this trip! Friends Brandi, Stan, their daughter, Payton, and dog, Guinness (they just bought a travel trailer and this was their very first trip with it!!) , Aunt Joyce and Uncle Johnny, and friends Chris and Cindy with their dog, and Cello’s boyfriend, Memphis!
Our campsite
Some of the totem poles and wood carvings around the campground
“Cabin” rentals
Cello and Memphis inn the fenced-in dog run!
September 2013
Cello’s first dock diving contest! This wasn’t really a “true” campground, but they had camping spots for events such as Fido’s Festival.
August 2013
Making our way back home we stayed a few nights at Cape Cod Campresort & Cabins. While here, we visited the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Cello was allowed on the ferries, and on public buses on each island!
Our campsite
August 2013
Next stop in Maine was Mt. Desert Narrows. While here, we visited Stephen King’s house in Bangor ME, Bar Harbor, Bass Harbor Head Light, and Acadia National Park.
View from our campsite
August 2013
First destination spot in Maine was Megunitcook Campground by the Sea. We went to Lobster Festival in Rockland, and visited the town Camden, Maine, as well as Camden Hills .
View from the campground
Our campsite
Cello is all set with her Maine- themed trailer buddy!
Cello is ready for some lobster!
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August 2013
On our way to our longest trip ever! Aunt Joyce and Uncle Johnny joined us on this great adventure to Maine, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket! First stop: Boston Minuteman Campground for some sleep to recharge ourselves for the rest of the drive to our first destination in Maine!
July 2013
Aunt Joyce and Uncle Johnny went with us to Conewago Isle. Allthough when we pulled in, we were not impressed with what we saw, our site was right on the Conewago Creek, and we wound up having one of the funnest camping weekends!
Our Campsites (Us on the left, Joyce and Johnny on the right)
View from our campsite
Cello likes to watch Uncle Johnny set up his trailer from the window!
June 2013
We went with Jerry, Russ, and Dixie to Delaware River Family Campground. We hiked, visited NJ’s tallest waterfall, Buttermilk Falls, historic Millbrook Village, Crater Lake, and Four Sisters Winery.
Our campsite
View from our campsite
Cello…enjoying the camping life!
April 2013
Aunt Joyce and Uncle Johnny, and friends Chris and Cindy and their dog, Memphis (one of Cello’s boyfriends) joined us on this trip. I had a great birthday – we hiked, then had a little birthday party around the campfire with cake and cupcakes!
Our campsite
View from our campsite
Happy Birthday to me! …camping style!
Cello pondering over the blue rocks…
March 2013
On our way home from Myrtle Beach, we decided to try another stop-over location. We stayed the night at South Forty Camp Resort. It was a quick visit, just to get some sleep before continuing on our travels home. I forgot to take a picture of our campsite at this campground – but here were our views from the campsite…
March 2013
Our Easter destination with friends Jerry, Russ, and their dog Dixie, was to Ocean Lakes Campground. Ocean Lakes was quite the experience! It was like it’s own little city – over 2,000 sites, on 310 acres! It was HUGE! And everyone there had golf carts – it was quite the experience! Cello got to walk on the beach each morning, and we took day trips to Conway, Georgetown (lots of dog friendly bars/restaurants!), and Murrells Inlet. We ate Easter dinner in our trailer – Jerry made lasagna roll-ups, and I made meatballs, sausage, and gravy. What a great time we had!
March, 2013
We didn’t want to drive all the way through, so we decided to do a stop-over on the way to our Easter camping trip to Myrtle Beach. If you are every passing through this area and need a stop-over place to stay, I highly recommenced staying here. The sites were pull through, level, clean – and some (like ours) even had their own gazebo! The facilities were immaculate!
February 2013
We decided to get away for Valentine’s Day weekend, so we took a trip back to Elk Neck State Park, since they are open year-round. Spending Valentine’s Day in the trailer was fun and dinner was great! Cello got to run on the beach since no one was there!
November 2012
This is our first time camping for Thanksgiving…we went to Elk Neck State Park with friends Jerry, Russ, and their dog, Dixie. Russ deep fried a turkey (our first time having deep fried turkey…YUM!!!) We visited Turkey Point Lighthouse and the town of Northeast, and went on a nice hike to see the white clay cliffs.
Our campsite
Cello gearing up for the chilly weather
Happy Thanksgiving 2012!
October 2012
Aunt Joyce and Uncle Johnny joined us on this trip to Gettysburg Family Campground. We visited a dog friendly Irish pup/restaurant, O’Rourke’s, Gettysburg National Military Park, and the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Brian and Johnny played a round of mini-golf before we left (Johnny won!)
September 2012
Hickory Run State Park was our last tent-camping trip. The campground was very nice, and the hike was enjoyable.
Our campsite
View of the rocks at Hickory Run
Cello’s new “camp-buddy” Lamb Chop
August 2011
Our anniversary trip to Big Meadows Campground was such a memorable one! Deer had no fear and would walk right up to the campsite, drives on Skyline Drive, great hikes, bear sightings, and anniversary dinner, camp style!
Our 5th Anniversary, Camp-style!
July 2012
North/South Lake was another favorite trip of ours. The campground was beautiful, our site was right on the water, and we had a bear walk right by our campsite each night! It was so neat to see, but very scary to have a bear only 15-20 feet away from us! We had to sign a waiver at this campground about the bear, and agree to take the necessary precautions – which luckily WE did – because that bear that walked by our campsite ransacked another tenting family’s tent who didn’t follow the rules, and had food inside their tent! Great hikes here as well.
Our campsite
View from our campsite (on the water)
May 2012
Ricketts Glen State Park – one of the most beautiful campgrounds with one of our favorite hikes ever – we hiked a short while and saw over 20 waterfalls – beautiful! My Aunt Joyce and Uncle Johnny joined us on this trip – THEIR first tent camping trip ever! (They were hooked after just one trip as well!)
Cello had a crate inside our tent just in case… looks like she enjoys her camping crate!
April 2012
Back to Blue Rocks Family Campground for our second camping trip ever, and for the first of many camping trips in the 2012 camping season. It was also for my 40th birthday (am I really that old??) It dropped down to 29 degrees the first night, and snowed… We had a below-freezing rated sleeping bag, and sat around the fire for as long as we could before retiring to our tent. To go to sleep in the tent, I had a layer of Under Armour on, a layer of thermals, a layer of sweat pants, a winter coat, a winter hat, and hand/foot warmers jammed every which place I could find! Oddly, Cello slept in our sleeping bag for only a short time before working her way out to on top of the covers! Crazy dog! Luckily, the rest of the weekend was warm, and we had an enjoyable time.
We had to pack Cello her own chair for around the fire since during our first camping trip she “stole” Brian’s the first time he got up out of it!
Cello loved being in the tent! We brought some of her “bed buddy’s” from home to keep her company 🙂
