Valentine Playhouse for the Granddaughters

I had wanted to get a playhouse for the granddaughters for Christmas but the one I found wouldn't fit through our gate and would require a crane to get it into our backyard so Brad decided he would make a playhouse and we were hoping to do so in time for Easter. Well, as I walked through Costco last week I saw the most darling of all playhouses and it was in a box and reasonably priced. Brad said "buy it" because it would be a lot cheaper to have a kit and a lot quicker. So, after 10 hours of carefully putting it together we have the cutest playhouse sitting on our patio. We may put it out in the yard in the spring but for now it is just perfect. The girls were all excited and dolls and blankets were quickly put in as well as a stove and cooking utensils. The playhouse has a pretend sink, a bbq, and a doorbell. Imaginations can now run wild!


Proud Grandpa Brad

Elancer's Enchantress of the Night "TESS"

I traveled up to Washington on January 15 with my car fully loaded with my mom, Tess and little Ivy. It was a long drive but I enjoyed having my mom along to have someone to talk to and keep me awake. I arrived in Olympia on Sunday afternoon and my mom took the Amtrak on up to Everett to visit with my sister in Lake Stevens. I then had two days to visit with my good friend Julie Clemen and have her check out Ivy ( to evaluate her structure and size to breed) , get her OFA x-rays done and get ready for the show. On Tuesday afternoon Annette Sullivan,( my other dog show mentor ) and I took off to Portland, Oregon for the Belgian Specialty Show and the Rose City Classic, 5 days of showing of which I had entered 4 days.

January 19, 2011 and I was excited and nervous about going into the ring with Tess for the first time since my neck surgery and it had been over 8 months for both of us (Tess is 20 months). She was washed, brushed, groomed and in SEASON!!! Yikes, I had to keep my distance from all the other dogs so it was kind of lonely being isolated. In any case, we entered Open Bitch class and when the judge pointed to us and said Winners I staggered in surprise and then the tears began flowing. I was so happy and so excited to realize Tess had earned a 5 point major at a Specialty Show!! Well, if you are familiar with dog shows , Winners Bitch goes right back in for Best of Breed competition so I had to get back in control of myself and take some deep breaths and head right back into the ring .

Entering the Best of Breed ring is always a little intimidating as you see the Champions enter and then Winners Dog followed by Winners Bitch. Being a Specialty there were lots of entries so it is a beautiful site to see all the Black Belgians in the ring. After examining the entries and announcing Best of Breed I once again was so shocked to see the judge point at me and state "Best of Winners" and "Award of Merit". He told me she was a beautiful dog and loved her movement and structure. This is a day that I will always remember - another dream come to reality in the world of dog shows.