Oh, Possum

So many people have asked about Possum I think I'll make a post just for him. He is growing like a weed. The other day I thought I would give him a bone as a treat.(Aren't I nice?) So I gave him a Nylabone, recommended by vets. It's plastic of some sorts but says it's digestible.(Scary) He was happily chewing away for about 15 minutes when I looked over and couldn't see the bone anymore. I walked over in time to see him finish chewing and swallowing something, but couldn't tell what. I looked around for the bone but there was not even a speck of it anywhere. I called the vet to see if it was even possible for him to have actually eaten the nylabone whole and they seemed so incredulous. They were sure he hid it someplace and I just missed it. I, however, believed my brilliant dog has eaten this 5 inch plastic bone and am now convinced that sometime that night or early the next day will have to take Possum to the emergency vet and pay sooo much money to have it surgically removed. But the night passed and the next day and all systems were functional. I was waiting for him to turn into a very sick puppy but I guess his tummy is pretty strong. It's been almost a week and he's fine, yet we still haven't found the bone. So Possum will not be getting another one of those.

Besides trying to eat inappropriate things, he is doing well. Though he is still nippy with me more than anyone else. Puppy classes start today so hopefully that will help. I am trying to assert my calm assertiveness and exude dominance, but somehow Possum isn't picking up on my calm assertiveness. So here's hoping he can become a always lovable, non nipping puppy soon. I'll post some pictures later.

Some More Maine Pics

One of Tia's fantastic ideas was to hide a treasure map left by Captain Hook. Our house was right on a beach so the kids each had to find their "X"on the beach and dig. The older kids did not get an "X," so their searching took a bit longer. Buried were little "treasures" from Maine.

Above was taken at Sand Beach in Acadia National Park.
Ocean water in Maine is COLD! But we found this kind of
shallow tide pool which was much warmer and more
enjoyable for the smaller people to swim in. Here are all
the kids that were with us.



During low-tide, there is a sand bar
that stretches from Bar Harbor
across to an island. Left, you see
Denver showing off some finds
from her searching and we even
found a starfish too! But keep an
eye on that tide, as we found out,
it comes in fast.


Above is Denver and Willa with Aunt Tia, who now has rock start status with them.

My brother, Kurt, with daughter Mikayla on Cadillac Mountain for sunset.

Maine

For our summer vacation we went to Bar Harbor, Maine. My brother and Fiance Christina, along with Kurt's kids, Michael, Mikayla, Tyler and Trevor and good friends Barb and Eric Suebert and their son Nathen and our family all rented a house on Branch Lake. The house was perfect being right on the water so the kids went swimming all the time. Bar Harbor was beautiful as was Acadia National Park and if you ever have an opportunity to visit this area of the country, the lobster alone makes it worth the trip. In fact, when we crossed the state line into Maine, the first thing Willa said was, "Where's all the lobsters?"

The kids stayed up late every night. Willa usually was the first to conk out. There was much preparation by Willa who was convinced she would need to stomp loudly in Maine to keep the crabs and lobsters away. And when we did go to the Ocean, she cried when the 50 degree waves touched her feet. So in the end, there was very little need for loud stomping, but it never hurts to be prepared. Denver had such a blast trying to keep up with all the older kids.You could really see her come out of her shell and enjoy everyone so much more than in the past. By the end, I'm sure Christinas' ears were worn out because the last 4 days of vacation were filled with, "Aunt Tia, Aunt Tia!!!"

We went to the Oceanarium and learned a lot about lobsters(very interesting). And took a boat out to Baker Island, where one of the earliest lighthouses was built. There, we spent too little time on Storm Beach watching the larger waves come in. So many fun fun times. I can't wait to go back! These are some pictures but I'll post more later.