Normandy, France

I couldn't take the dogs along with me to Normandy, so I took my little puppets in their stead and thought about them every day.

We were a little bit jet lagged and didn't wake up very early the first day--so we stayed kind of close and went to the Bayeaux Museum to see the Bayeaux Tapestry. It is a 70 meter long embroidery that tells the story of William the Conquerer and the Battle of Hastings. What a cool thing--there are greyhounds in the tapestry! There were no photos allowed of the actual tapestry--but they had these posters all around the museum.

On the next day we went to Caen. We went to the Musee de Beaux Arts.

Caen was the sight of the World Equestrian Games this year. They're held every 4 years like the Olympics. The horses compete in events like dressage, jumping, endurance.

In honor of the World Games, the museum had an exhibit of colorful horses all done by different artists surrounding William the Conquerer's castle.

On Tuesday, we went to Mont Saint Michele. The dogs looked on from the sheep pasture below. They also climbed to the top of the mount--but they were inside my purse so it wasn't too hard for them!

On Wednesday, we went to Honfleur to visit the Eugene Boudin Museum. Honfleur is a wonderful, little city around the harbour. Honfleur looked a little bit different when Boudin was painting it.

We did see some real greyhounds walking around the Honfleur harbour!

On Friday, we walked along the beach at Etretat.

Doesn't it look just like Monet's painting? We couldn't believe we were actually there. We climbed up to the top of that cliff, too!

On Saturday, we finished up our trip with a visit to Monet's Giverny. Here the dogs are on the bridge over the lily pond.

Monet's house and gardens was the favorite part of the trip for me. I felt like he had just stepped out of the house right before we got there.

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Monument Avenue, RIchmond, VA

This morning we walked with the Around Town Hounds on Monument Avenue in Richmond. We took a group photo at the large monument to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, sculpted by Edward Valentine.

We started our walk at the Lee Memorial. Monument Avenue was conceived as a place for this memorial statue after Lee's death in 1870. The plan for the statue included building a grand avenue extending west lined with trees along a central grassy median.

Sammy was ready to go...

but the two whippets were having a little bit of a problem!
Dorothy: Now which way do we go?
Scarecrow: Pardon me, this way is a very nice way.
Dorothy: Who said that?
[Toto barks at scarecrow]
Dorothy: Don't be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don't talk.
Scarecrow: [points other way] It's pleasant down that way, too.
Dorothy: That's funny. Wasn't he pointing the other way?
Scarecrow: [points both ways] Of course, some people do go both ways.

The street was originally, and continues to be, a favored living area for Richmond's upper class. Monument Avenue includes a combination of enormous mansions, apartment buildings, churches, and beautiful single family homes. When our big group of greyhounds walk down the avenue, many people stop to make videos of us.

Sammy enjoys walking down this Grand American Avenue.

At the end of PG's stroll along the avenue, she imagines people in the late 1800s strolling past this grand monument.

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Windsor Farms, Richmond, VA

This morning we met up with the Around Town Hounds for a walk around the Windsor Farms neighborhood in Richmond. Windsor Farms is one of Richmond's first planned neighborhoods. It was designed in 1926 to look like an English village, with curvy streets and English names.

We start out meeting up in the parking lot of the Women's Club. Sammy gets very excited when all the greyhounds come together!

Agecroft Hall is a Tudor manor house and estate located on the James River. The manor house was built in the late 15th century and was originally located in England. The hall was bought at auction in 1925, disassembled, crated and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean, and reassembled at its present site.

Right next door to Agecroft Hall is the Virginia House. Similarly, it was constructed from the materials of the 16th century Warwick Priory in England. It was shipped over to Richmond and reassembled. It was completed several months before the stock market crash of 1929.  Virginia House is in theTudor architectural style but incorporates a range of designs from other English houses.

Virginia House is set in carefully planned, landscaped gardens, which contain a diversity of plants, statues and architectural elements. We were able to look through the fences to see some of the elements.

Sammy, PG and the other dogs were more interested in smelling around the brick sidewalks rather than looking at the old houses. It got warmer by the end of our walk.

Even a little iggy joined our walk around the Windsor Farms neighborhood.

After the walk was over, Sammy, PG and I met my son at Panera for lunch! A great end to a great morning!

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Downtown Hampton VA

Downtown Hampton has started a Second Saturdays Art Walk. As part of the Art Walk in July, they hosted Virginia's LOVE sign.

Of course when I tried to take photos of the dogs and the sign--when I could get all of the letters, but the dogs weren't looking...

Or the dogs were looking, but I didn't get in all the letters!

They also had a poster painted by Gerome. Write what Love is to you in 3 to 5 words. Adopt A Greyhound!

After taking photos of the LOVE sign, we walked along the Hampton Harbour to see all the boats.

It was such a hot day, I'm pretty sure that Sammy just wished he could jump in! He does love to splash in the water!

It is a picturesque place to walk.

We walked past Mill Point Park--which has a nice iron fence around it now. It seems to have become an impromptu dog park for the residents of the nearby condos.

But on such a hot day, Sammy was ready to go.

And PG was ready to go and get a big drink of water.

One last look at the LOVE sign and we are on our way!

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG

Historic Ghent, Norfolk, VA

We had to drive Alan to a class in Norfolk and wait for him to finish--so we spent an hour and a half exploring the Ghent business district. To get there from Hampton, cross over the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel on I64, get off at Exit 276A for Granby Street, follow Granby Street to 21st Street, take a right and you will be right in the heart of Ghent.

The iconic NARO Theatre is on Colley Avenue and a favorite destination when the dogs aren't along. They show art films, foreign films and once a month they show the Rocky Horror Picture Show! It would be great if they did allow dogs inside! It was very, very hot and humid; and PG would have liked an air conditioned room because her tongue was dragging on the ground!

We heard from another dog walker on the street that we could get doggie yogurt at Skinny Dip--so we thought we'd try that to cool off.

Of course there is the problem that you can't go inside the yogurt store with your two dogs in tow! Luckily for me, there was a nice gentleman standing outside who offered to go in and buy the yogurt for me. And it was only $1 per cup!

And even though it was decorated with little dog kibble crunchies--Sammy didn't want any!

So we piled into the van, blasted the AC and went to Doumar's--where every day is Ice Cream Day! We didn't have to worry about going inside because a carhop comes to the car, puts a number on it, takes your order and brings out your goodies. I had to have a famous Doumar's cone. And Sammy and PG each had a cup of vanilla. Abe Doumar's famous creation, the Original hand-rolled pure food cone filled with delicious ice cream, was first sold in 1904 at the St. Louis Exposition. The cones are still made by hand today.

Since we were cooled off, we went back to walking on the hot sidewalks while waiting for Al! Somebody's dog was really sinking into concrete! And not walking too straight!

That dog did not follow the advice in this window. "To straighten the crooked things. First you must do the harder thing. Straighten yourself."

Finally when we got to the Kitsch store--Al was ready to go. There are lots of restaurants in Ghent with patios that allow dogs. We'll go back when it's a little cooler so we will have no melted dogs!

Wish you were here,
Joyce
Sammy & PG