Avalon Ranch

We went to the Avalon Ranch just outside of Renfrew on Saturday morning to check out the Dock Dogs competition they were hosting.  I was just curious if this would be something I could get Homer and Cosmo into.  I have to come clean and admit we left Homer and Cosmo home because of the +30°C temperatures (Homer doesn't do well in the heat), not to mention their mother is a bit embarrassed at their public conduct around other dogs.  But I digress.

The ranch was very clean, spacious and dog friendly.  The event was professionally run and very organized.  We got there just as they were getting ready for the start of the competition. Although there were many dogs around I noticed it was rather quiet.......until the first dog jumped and made a splash.  Then many dogs waiting for their turn got excited and started barking knowing they would soon be in the water (my boys do the same thing).

Here is a video compilation of some of the dogs.  The last dog is Taz, the current world record holder for the longest jump (+30 feet).  The final shots are of him wearing a really neat Canada-flag jersey.  The ranch's web site also has some great videos. 

Would this be a fun thing for Homer and Cosmo?  Absolutely.  Dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages and breeds took part.  From a very small mixed breeds to dogs of all ages, this sport can be competitive or just a way to let your dog have a great (and safe) time.  I almost forgot about Mollie.  Molly just loves to jump in after her toy and does so without hesitation.....but getting her out of the pool took some coaxing.....you see, if you stay in the pool you can swim around with your toy and no one can take it away.  Very funny.

Cantelope

The cantelope just love the heat!  This year I've trained them up tomato spirals which they seem to like as well.  I must have about a dozen cantelope that are the size of softballs and much larger already.  For the ones that are hangind, I've had to make little baskets (or bras, heh) to help take the load off of the vines.

Here is a quick video from a week ago.  The cantelopes are much larger now even though the video was shot on July 20.  Liz and Dorathy stopped by yesterday and can testify to their awesomeness!

Tomato Hornworm Infestation

Two evenings ago I noticed the tell-tale signs of tomato hornworms on my tomato plants.  The most obvious sign was that some of the branches were stripped of their leaves which stood out because I visit my garden everyday.  Closer examination also revealed a few small tomatoes that were munched on.  Hornworms are a serious predator that cannot be ignored as they will do a lot of damage to the plants in a short period of time.  We haven't had an infestation like this for three years.

The hornworms are huge and thick (up to 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick).  They can be tough to see because they have the same green colour as the tomato plants.  Friday evening I picked off about sixteen and a further half dozen on Saturday morning.  I use gloves when picking them off because they often excrete a green fluid as well .... just gross.

The most effective way to get rid of them is to pick them off.  You can find them by closely searching the damaged areas of the plant.  They like to hang upside-down on branches and leave small clumps of feces on leaves.  I also noticed that they sometimes make a clicking sound (not sure why)....which led me to more than a couple of them.  I will also check my pepper plants tomorrow.

Tomato branch eaten by a hornworm.  In the lower right corner of the photo you can see the guilty insect.

Gross.

Feces from a tomato hornworm.

Friday night's harvest.



Daisy Came Over

Home and Cosmo's cousin, Daisy, came for a visit for a few days again.  While she was getting some shade in the shadow of the pea plants, Homer was hogging the soccer ball.  Usually it's Cosmo who hogs the toys so he wasn't quite sure what to do.

Victory is sweet!

Grapevine Update

Hello Everyone.

Here is a link to a video I made showing the concord vine next to the garage....Homer makes an appearance (of course) at the end.  Here are is a photo of the grapes.

My little vineyard is fairing nicely even in this very hot, dry weather.  I did mulch around each vine with wood chips which I think are saving the day.  Nonetheless, I have watered them a couple of times.  I also put in some extra stakes so I could put a little fence around each to ward off a couple of hunger little deer that have been hanging around.  The vines that they did snack on are coming back just fine.

The vineyard showing signs of the very dry conditions.

Newly sprouted leaves after the deer snacked on the original leaves.

A New Watering Hole

After a suggestion from my wife's hairdresser, we decided to take the Homer and Cosmo to a sand quarry relatively close to home (less than a 5 minute drive).  The quarry is filled with clean, aqua-coloured, spring-fed water.  As you can see the boys think it is just awesome.  I even took a dip last weekend.

Here is a link to a video as well.

Homer has a much easier time swimming from shore than off the boat.  Climbing the doggie ladder on the boat is kinda tough when you're 12.  He is also calmer when swimming from shore...when jumping off the boat he becomes hyper-excited with a 'high-on-crack' look in his eyes.

Munch, Munch, Munch

It was probably inevitable but a couple of my grapevines in my mini-vineyard have been stripped bare by some deer.

The two that got stripped are concords and had a good root base.  Small leaves are starting to sprout so I don't think they will be right offs. 

I will have to put up some simple fencing in order to protect them from any more munching.