Seattle Visit

Luckey and I have been wanting to visit the great northwest all year. We see all the pups and handlers in Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle are working together and building a strong region. So we talked to Ruin Awaits for contact information and timing advise and approached SEA-PAH about visiting for a weekend. They were very gracious and we discussed the classes we could offer. The schedule was set for August 22-26 and tickets booked. Let the fun begin!

Luckey and I have never visited the region, so they offered to show us around the city. We arrived on Thursday and Josh picked us up from the airport and away we went! It was a beautiful sunny day in Seattle, and we made the most of it. He took us to a local bar for lunch, and the food was fantastic! Then we headed downtown to see the Space Needle and the parks and museums around it. Fun fun fun! Then he drove us up to a vantage point to see some skylines and harbor views - it's such a beautiful city. And the streets - wow. I thought San Francisco had some steep streets!

On Friday, Matthew took us to the Market and out touring again. I was blown away again by the beauty of the city. The people watching was great and the food (yes, eating again) very tasty. We found some phenomenal hot sauce in the Market based on the Scorpion Pepper - hotter than a Ghost Chili - it's the next generation of POW! I was impressed by the flavor plus the heat. One tiny taste made my tastebuds sing with joy and the heat lingered at the back of my mouth for 20 minutes. We bought some. Matthew invited friends over for dinner so we did some shopping for that, walked past the Original Starbucks, toured the Underground City, and ran all over the place. Dinner that night was great fun with new friends, and the food was amazing. These guys know how to put together a night of good food and Cards Against Humanity! Thanks to Baus Yukon, Pup Gadget, Pup Squeak, and Pup Amp for a great night of fun and to Matthew and Josh for hosting the evening!

Saturday arrived and we set out early to The Cuff, where we were presenting Trainer/Handler 101 and Obedience Training 101 classes. It was a pleasure to meet Daddy Jeff as we got things set up and ready for the class. He's a great guy! Before we started, we visited Doghouse Leathers just around the corner. My jaw dropped. It's got EVERYTHING! All the brands, all the names, all the sizes, all the styles, and it's all high quality merchandise. I Love This Place! While we were there, the fine folks from Raven's Hollow stopped in to visit and drop off a couple of gifts - chain maille collars for Puppies In The Mountains door prizes and the International Puppy and Trainer Contest auction basket. They drove up from Tacoma to deliver them. Thank you guys - they are beautiful! After a bit of shopping, it was time to head over to The Cuff. It's got a great space for teaching right on the dance floor, so we all got down to business. The day was well-attended and everyone was friendly and contributed to the classes. One pup even drove down from VAN-PAH to join us. Afterwards, it was time to catch a short nap/rest, and get dressed to go out for the night. We went out in our leathers and visited a great Tapas bar for dinner, and then off to The Cuff and CC Attle's. ooo, you gotta watch that Killer Kool Aid - it's potent stuff. The night was fun and social and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

Sunday rolled around and we were back at The Cuff for Puppy 101 and a Mosh Pit! The class was fun, as always, and the mosh was a lively one. Those pups are lively! Then we stopped by Ruin Awaits' party, because her step-aside was the following weekend in Dallas. We met some nice folks there and were grateful to be included in such an intimate gathering. Dinner was next (of course) and the options were pizza or burritos. Matthew decided to exercise his vocabulary and change out the conjunction. Why not pizza AND burritos? I love these guys. After dinner settled, we had some rope time with Matthew, Pup Squeak, and Josh. Look out, guys - that puppy has got a knack for rope!

The last two days were both sunny and cloudy, but Monday rolled in with rain - the stereotypical Seattle weather. It was really beautiful. We were set to fly out that night, and we had offers of early coffee, lunch, and social time - and we had to decline them. We were pooped! Those guys ran us ragged with fun. Even with the plentiful oxygen there at sea level, we just needed to sleep and relax and pack our bags and be lumpy. The day passed with a beautiful easy pace, and we were rested and ready for the trip home. Fortunately, the flight home was easy - no problems at all. Then, once again, it was time to unpack the bags, do laundry, repack, and head to Dallas the next weekend for International Leather Sir/boy and International Community Bootblack weekend!

Many thanks to the good people of Seattle for their hospitality, friendship, and kindness. We are always amazed and blessed to find such wonderful people in the puppy community. Their hearts are big and full of fun and laughter, and we are better men for knowing them. Thank you all!