Easter on Parade, Richmond, VA

It is our family tradition to run the Pet Easter Bonnet Contest at Easter on Parade in Richmond, VA for James River Greyhounds. It started out a little bit bumpy this morning as a gust of wind broke off one of the legs on our brand new tent. Luckily, James River Greyhounds had an extra tent we could use for the day!

Eric and Jade are always so helpful at the table. They sit there all day and take all the information from the contestants.

We didn't have bonnets for our dogs--but they did have Easter bunny ears to wear. Sammy had blue.

PG had pink.

And I had to make Eric and Jade take a turn wearing the ears!

While the kids were manning the tent, Sammy, PG and I went for a walk down Monument Avenue.

We had to get our photo taken with the local celebrities! We talked about the rainy day from last year!

We got lots of questions about greyhound adoption. That's why we do these events--to get more hounds into their forever homes!

Of course, we have to tell everyone that 99% of greyhounds do NOT bark like Sammy!

The third place winners in our pet bonnet contest were this couple and their lab. The man made sure to tell us that his wife didn't make the costumes--he did! They won a gift certificate from Dogma.

Second place was this woman and her little dog. Her bonnet was made with dozens of purple peeps and her dog's bonnet only had one! She won a gift certificate from Pet Ridge.

And these were the first place winners! This little girl spray painted her dog! Jessie and Melissa from the radio station 103.7 emceed our event! They won a gift basket from PJ Petts and a $100 Petco Gift Card from Summit Media.  All the winners also got a book, 1000 Dog Portraits, from James River Greyhounds.

This pig in a pram didn't even place in the contest! What were those judges thinking? Thanks for this photo, Holly!

This magnificent statue of Robert E. Lee is the backdrop for the Easter on Parade event. A beautiful day!

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Sandy Bottom Nature Park, Hampton, VA

Today was a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree, spring day so we went to Sandy Bottom Nature Park for a walk around the lakes.

From Interstate 64, get off at Exit 261 onto Hampton Roads Center Parkway. Sandy Bottom Nature Park is on the right hand side about a mile from the exit.

We walked around Sandy Bottom Lake and Crystal Lake. It's a flat trail and very easy to walk on.

The cormorants and the turtles were having a party on Sandy Bottom Lake. When a turtle would slide into the water, the cormorants would jump up into the air like they were dancing!

Spring is ready to bust out all over this park! Sammy notices this one tulip blooming!

And there were Easter decorations in the little garden. Next week they'll have a huge Easter egg hunt here for the kids.

One of Sammy's favorite things to do at this park is to go into the water! There are a few places where it's easy to wade into the water. This spot is at Crystal Lake and this bench is almost always submerged. Sammy barks when he gets close to these spots. Ready to go in for a swim, he says!

Sammy gets out and shakes it off on the path!

"Come on, Sammy! Quit messing around in the water!" PG is ready to go!

Wish you were here!
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Daffodil Festival Parade, Gloucester, VA

This weekend was the Daffodil Festival in Gloucester. It's a wonderful small town festival that is very dog friendly. We were part of the Daffodil Festival Parade.

Sammy and PG liked it once we got moving. They didn't like standing around waiting for our turn. But one of the ROTC girls gave Sammy some water to drink!

The parade kicked off and went down Main Street.

Sammy and PG wore their daffodil collars and daffodil leis.

We had a good time participating in the parade.

Wish you were here!
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Forest Hill Park, Richmond, VA

This morning we joined the Around Town Hounds for a walk at the urban Forest Hill Park in Richmond.  There are two entrances to the park--one at West Kent Avenue and 42nd Street and one at Forest Hill Avenue and 41st Street.

When the Friends of Forest Hill Park began researching the park’s history many years ago, they found a photograph from around 1910 that showed a man standing by the trolley tracks at the Forest Hill Amusement Park entrance on Forest Hill Avenue.
According to neighborhood legend, some time in the 1940s, during World War II, the iron letters were taken down as scrap iron “for the war effort” and the stucco columns were changed to brick. In 2006, the sign was replaced.

During the Works Progress Administration, unemployed craftsmen and stone masons were hired to pave the paths in the park with cobblestones and bricks. The hounds took advantage of the great stone path.

The walk through the 105 acre park is hilly--it is called Forest Hills after all!

There is a lake at the bottom of the hill that evidently used to hold quite an elaborate swimming area according to this old post card!

We had a large group of hounds crossing the bridge. This bridge enabled people to walk all the way around the lake.

There was a waterfall right under this bridge. It sounded pretty and could have looked pretty--but there was lots of trash in it so we didn't take a picture. What is wrong with people littering this beautiful park?

PG enjoyed strolling through the rocky park and listening to the water going over the stones!

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Windsor Castle Park, Smithfield, VA

After some nasty wintery, cold days, we finally got a beautiful spring day and decided to go to Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield.

We parked right across the street from Smithfield Station and walked across the Station Bridge to get into the park.

The Station Bridge provides a link to the outer loop trails from South Church Street and the Smithfield Station Parking lot. The bridge crosses Little Creek. You can have a piece of the park named for you, your family or in honor of or in memory of a loved one--like the Station Bridge named after Smithfield Station.

We were surprised when we got into the park and saw that they are planting grapevines now--5 plus acres! The Smithfield Winery and Vineyard will be a boutique winery.  The retail shop and tasting room for Smithfield Winery will be located in downtown Smithfield. The winery will be open to the public, and will also be available for private events.

We walked the long loop around the park. One of my favorite parts is this stretch next to a cotton field. It reminds me of the Yellow Brick Road.

Loved the shadow dog in this photo!

After the long walk around almost 4 miles, Sammy was yawning so it was time to head for home!

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

World of Pets Expo, Hampton, VA

Another cold, rainy day in Hampton so we decided to go to the World of Pets Expo at the Hampton Convention Center in Hampton. It will still be going on tomorrow if you want to go. It costs $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids.

The first place the dogs headed to was a booth with homemade dog treats! Sammy had his eye on the mini-pizzas.  We bought a sampler bag because we couldn't decide on one type of treat--they all looked so good.

Dock diving was a big crowd pleaser. The Chesapeake Dock Dogs were doing demonstrations. They are sponsored by Detour Winery!

The bird show also had a big audience. Dogs were not supposed to go in the bird area, though. At this session The Bird Whisperer was showing how to train a parrot--we had to watch from afar.

There were lots of families at the expo. Sammy wanted to go on the pony rides with the kids. Sorry, Sammy--no dogs on the ponies either.

The Pig Placement Network was there with a pig adorned with a boa and a tiara! They promote pot-bellied pigs as pets. And I have to say this pig was very well behaved--she stayed close by the booth on a leash. Pigs were not the only animal represented--there were hamsters, gerbils, rats, cats and birds.

Sammy and PG tried out all the free samples and water bowls. It was a good distraction to keep them away from the cats!

And there were free hugs and pets all around--everywhere we turned.

Since it's a rare occasion for animals to be in the Hampton Convention Center; and I don't go to many places without the dogs, I didn't realize that there was an art show in the lobby.

So we finished our day meandering through the art show of local artists! Something for the dogs, something for me. A win-win!

Wish you were here!
Joyce
Sammy & PG