Homecoming Week

Luke (Batman) for super hero day at school

Luke's friend Courtney was Spanish duchess

Courtney escorted by her grandfather

Luke escorting Allie 

Luke and Courtney

Luke had a fun week this week for homecoming.  He is a senior and enjoying his last year of high school.  They had a super hero day, and he dressed as Batman.  He was a candidate for homecoming king.  He did not get crowned as king, but was very pleased that his friend Brandon did.  Here are pictures from homecoming week.

New Victory Cross Country Tour

Rog's new Victory Cross Country Tour

Vegas on her favorite perch in front of the bay window.  She can see what's going on outside along with what's on the table for supper!

All of our dogs happily cooling out on the leather couch on this 105 degree day, from left, Wishbone, Vegas, and Victory

Victory and Vegas with the new Victory motorcycle

Wishbone with the new motorcycle

Rog on the Victory and Bill on the Harley, getting ready to go riding.

Rog got a new Victory Cross Country Tour motorcycle.  Our dogs, Atlantis Wildcat Victory (Victory) and Dalmino's Victory Vegas (Vegas) were named after his first Victory Vegas motorcycle, and he now has a Victory Cross Country, so I guess if we end up with another Dalmatian puppy some day, the name might be C.C.  Rog loves the new bike, as it has lots of great features, particularly comfort, great radio and Ipod hookup, 3 plugs so you can hookup GPS, Ipod, and another gadget, great storage in the saddle bags, fantastic gauges with a thermometer telling the temperature outside, saddlebags with plenty of room for gear when traveling, and plenty of power.

Pictures of Lightning Strike

This continues my original post from July 18th about the lightning strike.  Here are pictures of the tree that was struck and the animals that did not get struck.  I am so thankful every day that 3 goats survived and all horses and ponies survived.  The horses and ponies were out in the pasture away from the barn when the lightning strike happened.  Please be careful when it's lightning outside!!

Jr. and Jet eating hay by the barn.  We've had Jr. since he was two years old and he is 14 now.  Jet is 18 years old and we've had him since he was six months old.  Jr. is a registered Paint gelding and Jet is a registered POA gelding.

Jet, my favorite!

All that is left is shredded trunk of the tree that got struck.

My three survivor goats, Andrew, Fudge, and Al Pine.  All very old wethers that we've had since they were babies.

More of the shredded tree.  This tree was 50 feet tall and about 3 feet around before it was struck.

Andrew and Al Pine

Al Pine, such a sweet boy, named after the Rescue Heroes t.v. show that Luke liked when he was a little boy

This is the chunk of tree that flew about 30 yards and landed by the big horses' barn.

Tree that flew 30 yards and scraped along the big horse barn and landed outside one of their stall doors

Chunk of tree by the big horse barn

Starlite, our beautiful Classic Shetland pony that we got from Bob and June Masters in Missouri when she was a yearling

Peppy, my best driving pony.  All three of my ponies are Classic Shetlands.

Flashy, a gorgeous mare out of Dolly, and Peppy above is her sire.  Dolly was Luke's first pony when he was five years old, and she was awesome.  Everywhere we went trail riding, people would want to buy her, she was such a great pony and very beautiful to look at.  

I am thankful these guys all survived the lightning, as huge trunks of tree flew everywhere in their paddocks.

Lightning Strike

Are you afraid of lightning?  If you are not, you should be!  I was outside sweeping sidewalks this past Sunday, and it had been a very nice day.  We went to church, Rog smoked some delicious ribs on the smoker and Luke baked a german chocolate cake and Rog did the homemade coconut pecan frosting for the cake.  While I was sweeping, it was thundering and lightning, and sprinkling a little rain.  I never have worried too much about thunder or lightning, because I have to feed horses and goats every morning before work, no matter what the weather.  While I was sweeping, there was a HUGE KABOOM, and I could feel the electricity crackling in the air.  I thought that a transformer in our neighborhood had been struck by lightning, but we still had electricity, so I didn't worry too much.  Vegas was outside with me when it struck, and we both jumped a foot off the ground, it was so loud and scary.  We didn't get any wind, and only about 2/10" of rain.  I went to the barn about 1 1/2 hours later, and was shocked by what I saw.  The lightning had struck one of our trees in the goat pasture.  The tree was originally about 50 feet tall and 3 feet around.  The lightning had shredded the tree, split it into many pieces, and had thrown huge pieces of tree about 30 yards away.  One chunk, so big I could not lift it, and still had the roots attached, had been catapulted out of the ground, through the horse fence, skidded along the tin of the horse barn, and landed about 30 yards from the original tree.  I am so thankful the horses were not at the barn and were out in the pasture during the strike.  The goat pasture looked like a war zone, with huge branches and tree trunk everywhere.  It was sad losing such a beautiful tree, but our sweet little goat, Sissie, was a casualty of the strike.  I found her dead at the base of the tree that had been struck.  I'm not sure if she was struck by lightning, or hit by the flying pieces of tree.  I really loved her, and miss her tremendously.  I was so upset at the unfairness that this happened to such an innocent and sweet animal.  Rog reminded me that she had a good life.  She was about 13 years old, and we had her for about 10 years.  She was a joy, and is greatly missed.  Here is a picture of Sissie girl.  We will never forget her, and have been very blessed by her presence in our lives.

The message for all who read this, is be careful when it's lightning and thundering outside.  Mother nature is extremely powerful, and lightning can be very destructive and dangerous.  I will never again treat it as lightly as I used to.

Dals and Their Nylabone

Victory and Vegas sharing their nylabone with Wishbone in his chair keeping on eye on things.  What a wonderful life we have with these great dogs.  

The dogs' new ride, a 2012 Chevy Traverse, has tons of cargo space with room for 2 Dal crates behind the second row of seats, so can take dogs, luggage and passengers, with plenty of room, lots of leg room, and fun to drive

Victory with his nylabone, he always stands them up with his paws.  What a funny boy he is!  We always laugh and smile at these dogs, they are really funny and love it when you laugh at them.

Here is Vegas chewing on the bone and Victory waiting his turn.  Wishbone is snoozing.  They all get along so well, we never have fights between them.  And, if they ever tried, they would not get away with it!

The sweetness of Texas

You cannot beat Texas in the Spring.  There is nothing as beautiful as the bluebonnets here during a good bluebonnet year and 2012 was a spectacular year for bluebonnets.  Bluebonnets are even more special when you see some beautiful Longhorns amongst them.  Longhorns are some of the most majestic cattle, and I wish I owned some, but if I did, I wouldn't be able to part with them, so it's good I don't own any.  All of my animals stay here until they die of old age. because they are all family.  Here are some special pictures of flowers and beautiful animals in the "sweet arms of Texas" (thanks Chris Ledoux for the great song.)

Longhorn in the bluebonnets

Victory and iris

Vegas and iris

Vegas and iris

Purple iris

Victory and autumn sage

Vegas and autumn sage and petunia

Bluebonnets

Dalmatian Club of America National Show in Tulsa, OK

Here are pictures from the Dalmatian Club of America National Show in Tulsa, OK.  This was my first national show, and I learned a lot.  It was really exciting to see all the beautiful Dalmatians and to meet the relatives of our dogs.

Vegas (Dalmino's Victory Vegas) in open liver bitches

Vegas

Vegas

Victory's sire, Argus, winning the stud dog class with two of his offspring

Argus

Victory (Atlantis Wildcat Victory) in Best of Breed class

Victory

Victory

Victory