It wouldn't be a blog about going home if I didn't feature all the pets. I'll keep it brief.
Scooter Loves Buster. Buster doesn't know that Scooter exists. Mom calls Scooter 'Buster's sucker fish'. They DO match.
Emma's glamor shots:
Cat Party! Our cats (and Will's cat and Mom and Dad's cats) could be in one of those kitty litter commercials where there are a million cats hanging out while the owners are in town. Except, unlike the commercials, our cats leave evidence of their mass existence everywhere they go (mostly through the sheer amount of cat hair that they generate).
Scooter and Chowder snuggle up:
We did abandon them, but none of our American pets seem to be very upset about it, I have to say. Our cats were happy to see me, at least!
After all the fun with Billy Bob teeth, it was time to go home for a while. It's always relaxing and animal friendly on the farm. The nightly dog walking ritual was fun for all.
Mom and Buster were far ahead of the (human) pack.
Picture time with Kate and Dad:
The possibilities are endless if you can figure out how to get past the confines of the leash. Sadly, some members of the family have proven many times that they can't be trusted off leash. Sorry Buster.
First the only dog who has to stay on the leash and then this humiliating picture. Had he been more cooperative on the ground, he would have looked more civilized.
Larry knows how to pose for a picture (and go for a walk off leash without disappearing into the sunset)!
After Cleveland, we went to visit Kate and Andy at their new house in Decatur, GA. Atlanta was off in the distance, but we mostly just hung around the house doing exciting things like:
Making drinks
Relaxing with a book
Being happy
Having important conversations
Practicing good oral hygiene
And keeping in touch with Jim throughout via the World Wide Web!
Now that we live in London, America is an international destination! My solo trip to America started with a visit to Cleveland, where Mom and the Shug met me at the airport. My trip over was dominated by armrest hoggers and people who insisted on grabbing onto the back of my seat to hoist themselves up. So, I was VERY happy to be off the plane and with my family!
We headed straight out to VA and Grandpa's where I said hello and then promptly took a much needed nap before we went out for half priced burgers. Unfortunately I was still jet lagged and forgot to take pictures of the half priced burgers, but they were good. There are many British foods that I enjoy, but the British hamburger is not one of them. It was great to have some big ole American burgers and fries as soon as I got there!
The next day, after the requisite visit to Target and a visit to the grocery store, where a grumpy old lady was rude to me, we celebrated Grandpa's 87th birthday! It was festive if a bit fractured.
The Shug was there
And so was Mom and, of course, her constant companion Buster the Traveling Wonderdog. I like to think he's still our dog, but he's not. He did consent to posing with me for this picture, despite his new god-like status. (in motels, food is ordered in so that Buster is not left alone. And Buster ALWAYS goes on trips. He is a lucky dog! It's no wonder he prefers Mom to me.)
Buster also works his charms on Virginia. She's almost as big of a pushover as Mom.
It took a while, but Grandpa opened his presents. He found the presents I got for him (chocolate) before I was able to wrap them up. He's fast when there are grocery bags around. In addition to chocolate, he got some nice shirts and some new shoes.
The cake was festive and Grandpa blew all the candles out (there were not 87 of them).
It was a happy day and Grandpa was so excited by it all that he stayed up all night continuing the celebrations. We left the next morning and headed to Atlanta.
A couple of days ago I said, "Those Wiis look kind of fun," without really meaning it or realizing the effect it would have on Jim. Today we have a Nintendo Wii. Of course we also had to get guitar hero. After a couple of hours I am longing for a book, but Jim is enthralled. Unfortunately, the only evidence of the Wii involves some embarrassing pictures of me looking like a homeless person with really bad hair and rockin out on guitar hero (I'm actually pretty good for someone who sucks a video games). I still don't understand how a year ago we didn't have a TV and now we have a TV with cable and a video game system. Anyway about the Wii:
Yesterday Jim and I went to the Dr. Who exhibition in London. I have distinct memories of Dr. Who in the 80's but it's quite a phenomenon over here and we are only just beginning to understand the gravity of it all. Because I haven't watch Dr. Who since about 1984 and we only saw the final episode of this season, we didn't really know who any of the characters were, but we still had fun. There were also a few people dressed up in Dr. Who costumes, which is always entertaining.
As you may know, Dr. Who and his compadres fly around multiple universes in a police box called the Tardis. Apparently it used to be able to change into any object, but got stuck as the police box. On the outside it's just a police box, but on the inside it's HUGE, which makes no logical sense, but is possible I guess if you are a sci-fi show about a non-human doctor flying around space. Here is Jim outside of the Tardis.
When we got inside, I was shocked to find that I actually wasn't sure which Dr. Who I remembered from my childhood. I knew it was one or two of these guys: Fortunately, inside they had the dates, so I was able to identify my Dr. Who's.
Further in, we had a good laugh at the episode that featured killer mannequins. The problem with Dr. Who is that sometimes it is just ridiculous which makes it funny instead of scary. I mean....killer mannequins? Basically Rose is hanging out in this warehouse and these zombie mannequins start chasing her around. Of course the Dr. saved her. Jim, though, was a little startled when the mannequins started moving their arms behind him.
This alien has Posh Spice boobs. I don't.
Jim kisses some big ugly head: Then he posed next to this fine looking lady. I think her name is Charlotte and I think she took over people's bodies because she didn't have her own. And I think she had to be frequently moisturized. Seriously!
Finally we got to something I recognized: K-9! Dr. Who's trusty robotic canine companion!
Jim, caught on video inside of the Tardis:
Beware of the Daleks! They look like first cousins of R2D2 and they float and say "Exterminate! Exterminate!" with an English accent. Oh yes, they also have really scary looking appendages which resemble a plunger and a mixer.
Jim was supposed to be demonstrating his fear of the Daleks in this video clip. Somehow I'm not convinced:
And here he is in Dalek mode: plunging and mixing in a very scary way:
We had a fun afternoon being Dr. Who fans. I think we'll start watching more carefully when it comes on again. And maybe we'll even look at some previous episodes!
