Better late than never . . A Hill Country Christmas

Crazy Dog Ranch . . . aka Rancho Feldto . . . aka Vista Hermosa

The puppies loved the fountain (but didn't jump in) . . . unlike one dog I know

Rocket loved herding Maggy, but Maggy did NOT like being herded AT ALL

Sweet Girl
All three Border Collies down by the water
Hank is an excellent jumper And he's got great hang time!Dagny's Favorite Game Playing at the Water

The Border Collier Stance - one paw up (all three did it)

Patrick, Rocket, Hank, and Reeses during a training session

A Man and his Dog

Warming by the FirePrincess claimed her own chair Christmas Morning -and a Big Yawn from Hank

A brand new HAMBURGER!

At the River

Me and My Babies in their Christmas Outfits

Not quite as good as the Christmas card . . .

We took the dogs down to the river, but all of a sudden: "where's Reeses?"
Patrick the Hero This is where the wedding tent was! Football is a fun puppy game

Another launch
Rocket and Dagny

We met Bear (good name, huh?) down by the river


Hayride Night

Dinner with Gigi

Red and Black Article

http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2008/01/08/Opinions/Candidates.Threaten.Liberty-3147080.shtml

The Worst Dog in the World

Here Emma Kathryn has stole Patrick's shoe (again), but Dagny, Hank, and Rocket are able to save it. Pretty Impressive, guys.

Gettin' Ready for Christmas!

Shooting the First Rhamey Christmas Card Photo:

The puppies were not the easiest subjects, but this was partly because the place we chose is one of their favorite places to play. Hence, the idea of sitting still while only inches away from the super fun water was pretty hard. It took a little while, but we finally figured out how to get them to look at the camera when Patrick ran to join us after starting the timer.

A couple tries that didn’t work out:

But they got to play afterwards

An Early Christmas Present From Proud Grandparents:

Weave Polls!

They are really an outside thing, of course, but it was too dark (and cold), so I set them up in the living room!

Tired of Posing
Our Beautiful Christmas Tree
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Decorations!

Our very first tree (before decorations)!

At first we had only 6 ornaments and lights, Including these two.

But Santa’s helper sent us some more, and here is our beautiful tree fully decorated. It is the most beautiful tree ever! Unfortunately, I am so sad that it is really hard to get a good picture of a lit Christmas tree since it obviously looks best in dim lighting, and a flash ruins it. I’ll keep trying. Oh, and for anyone wondering why the bottom of the tree looks a little bare, while the puppies have been very good about not playing with the ornaments, low hanging ornaments are still no match for wagging puppy tails.

The Most Beautiful Christmas Tree Ever!

Our Nativity Scene
Dressing up the dining room
I really didn’t pose this picture . . .

Georgia 31, GA Tech 17

Me and Uga before the Tech Game!

He was very sweet!

The GA Tech "Crazies"

Mama and Papa Ackerman
Me and Mom - it was pretty chilly
Uga watching the warm-upWe were really close!

Things the Puppies Learned since Thanksgiving Weekend:

1. How to escape from a fenced yard when it becomes clear that Mommy and Daddy must have forgotten about you:

While we were in Atlanta , my aunt and uncle were kind enough to agree to keep the puppies in their fenced yard (where their two dogs happily stay without any trouble).

Enter Dagny.
Enter Hank.

2. That Waffle House ROCKS!

I got a call on my cell phone (the number on their collars) at about 8:00 AM on Sunday morning from a nice young man who was standing in front of Waffle House with “two black and white dogs. Are they yours?” Oh yeah they were.

In all seriousness, we were very concerned that they had gotten out and very very relieved that they had avoided any cars, but it is difficult to not appreciate the humor that our dogs passed up all the neighbors’ houses, Wendy’s, a gas station, and instead chose the single greatest establishment ever . . . Waffle House! Also, the fact that they stayed together during this little rendezvous is just a little too comical to ignore. My vote is that Dagny was the ringleader for this bad puppy behavior but that Hank probably chose Waffle House.

Upon getting back home, I decided to update their tags with a little more info (address and another phone number). And, since Hank’s old collar was stretched to the limit, I got him a blue one to match Dagny’s pink “Life is Good” collar. He looks very handsome in it!

Dagny and Hank were very happy to be home and promptly fell asleep and stayed zonked out all afternoon and evening. Apparently their big adventure was quite tiring.

3. If you stand on the air conditioner, you can stare at the people in the dining room. Grrrrrrrrreat.
4. That First Birthdays are Good Times.

For their first birthday, Dagny and Hank got pig ears, a big bone, a new squirrelly, and a squeaky bone toy (that I said wouldn’t last – and didn’t). We also went down to the little stream where they like to play in the water. That is always a hit!

The pig ears were, of course, the favorite items, but the big bone (which Hank picked out) led to what was probably the greatest weekend of his life. He "worked" on it for hours and hours and hours, and the proceeded to place pieces in various hiding places around the house (behind cushions, the TV, etc.). We think they’ve all been rediscovered and eaten by now, but if you are ever a guest at Casa Rhamey and find a little piece of bone in your pillow, sorry - that was Hank’s doing.

Present Time!

The Birthday Girl with her squeaky bone before Hank destroyed it. The Birthday Girl very upset that The Birthday Boy has the squeaky bone.

Pig Ears are sooooo Yummy!

Notice how they use their paws like hands; it is pretty creepy actually.

Hank and his bone - BLISS!