Jen, Grace, and Luke's Blog: Off To The Races!

So if you haven't noticed people, it's been really, really nice outside. These are my favorites days and the main reason (besides family) why I could never move to an area that does not have fall. If you have not spent much time outside lately, get outside and soak it in. Shuffle your feet in the leaves, ponder the vibrant colors, and feel that warm sun before it goes away. As I write this, I can look outside my deck and see fall in all its vibrancy. When we lived on Bucknell Street, about all I saw of fall when I looked out the window was our Charlie Brown tree. After the first good wind of the season came by, all its leaves were gone. So this is quite a change.

Sunday was one of those days from the fall gods so we decided to do something close to both of our hearts--running for my husband and greyhounds for me. What, you may ask, could possibly join these two interests? No, the answer is not my husband racing a greyhound but a good guess. We headed up to Tyler State Park for a 5K and 2 mile fun walk to benefit Citizens Against Greyhound Racing. Did you know that in 2004 over 17,000 greyhounds were destroyed? Many were shot, electrocuted, or starved to death. Have you ever met a greyhound? They are the sweetest, mellow, big-hearted dogs that want nothing more than to obsessively lick your hand, lean against you, and curl up in their beds and sleep. That so many are killed for the "pleasure" of racing is a disgrace so I was happy to see that we could do a little bit to help the cause. Pennsylvania, by the way, is one of 8 states to ban greyhound racing. Go PA!

So dad took off on his 5K and Grace and I did the fun walk. Oh what a joyous experience! Dogs, dogs, everywhere. We met many greyhounds, greyhounds, and more greyhounds. Grace squealed with total delight for the whole 2 miles! (I did too!) But, by far, the biggest hit was Duke the 3-month-old black lab who wiggled like only a lab can wiggle. He showered Grace with full face kisses and she reciprocated with some goldfish. A match made in heaven! We got back from our walk in time to cheer dad on as he kicked some serious a-s-s (to stop me from cursing, I only spell the bad words now;). We stuck around for a raucous greyhound party while dad cooled down. Grace puttered from greyhound to greyhound offering them goldfish which they happily gobbled up. Hey, they need the calories! She also had lots of fun playing in the leaves and with a giant stick she found (no. she didn't poke her out). But her favorite thing was her dad's medal (for third place in his division--you go daddy!). She carried that thing around all day and even tried to make Digby wear it. It was an awesome day to be outside doing something that we both love. While I'm not rushing out to get a greyhound, I think there's one in our future many moons from now. Their eyes just melt you and it was wonderful to see how many found very happy homes. In the meantime, we returned to Captain Stupidhead who is much more capable of withstanding the physical onslaughts of Grace. I fear if Grace straddled a greyhound she might crush its rib cage! We're content with our big, dumb retriever and know he was the right decision for us. But if you have it in your heart to take in a greyhound, drop me a line and we can talk more!

Here are some pics from the event:

Grace and her dad