Cooper Has Surgery

In October of this year, Cooper suddenly, and for no apparent reason, was not feeling well.  After a couple days of rest, he seemed back to his normal self, and we put it out of our minds.  But then one Saturday morning in November, after doing one of his favorite things - running a 5K - he began acting strangely again.  After a few more weeks of rest, vet visits, and declining health, it became apparent that Cooper's back was hurting him quite badly.  When he got to the point that walking was difficult and even laying down hurt, we were referred to a veterinary specialist.

After an MRI confirmed our suspicions of a spinal disc herniation, he went in for surgery to repair the areas that had degenerated.  We were very anxious, but hopeful, and the vets said his prognosis was very good.  Plus, all of Cooper's friends were pulling for him, which definitely helped.  A couple hours later, the vet called to say the surgery had been very successful.  The very next day, the vet called again to say that Cooper was already up and walking around again!  He stayed a week at the hospital, receiving the best care.  Halfway through his stay, we were able to visit him and let him know we still loved him.  We were thrilled to see that he was eagerly walking again, and no longer in pain!  We teased him a little that he looked like Frankenwiener, with his fur shaved and a big scar stapled shut running down his back!
MRI:

Frankenwiener:

We were so happy to finally bring him home, where he's back to his old self - cute, cuddly, and happy.  He's getting plenty of therapeutic walks, massages, and treats, and all in all feeling pampered I'm sure!  The whole thing was quite an ordeal, and we are so relieved to have him back, healthy and in our arms again!
Up, and full of energy:

Cooper's ready for Christmas:

~Lindsay

Derbyshire

Last month, my Dad came to visit us while he was in England for the annual H:O Le Mans race in Derby.  H:O is a scale of models, cars in this case, and Le Mans is a type of car racing and a track in France.  Derby (pronounced dar-bee) is a city in Derbyshire just west of Nottingham.  Dad comes out, most years, to race with friends on a gymnasium-size slot car track, for 24 hours straight.  There are eight teams, sometimes international, that compete for the trophy.  This year, Dad was racing for the host team DHORC, since Team USA was sitting this year out. 
The DHORC Team Car:

We drove up to Derby to prepare for the race.  When we got there, the track had been assembled, and we had a nice meet and greet with some of the other drivers.  That night, after dinner at The Harvester, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and the next morning, we were off to the race!
The Track:

Lindsay and I stayed for the start of the race, and the first hour or so of Dad’s driving stint.  We then left to go site seeing.  We also drove east for an hour to see Nottingham, where we toured the town square and local Westfield Mall.  We even got a chance to see a movie, before returning to the race.  We kidnapped Dad for dinner at Pizza Hut, and then returned him to the action.  Lindsay and I opted to stay at the Holiday Inn rather than set up camp on the gym floor, as most of the drivers did.
Dad Driving:

The next morning, we drove to the Peak District National Park where we got to go hiking across the beautiful landscape.  Lindsay also got to see her favorite British animal, sheep.  We then returned to the race to watch the finale.  Dad’s team didn’t win, but he said it was the most fun he’d ever had. 
The Team Results Line-up:

Hiking Trail in the Peak District:

Back home, we got to spend more time with Dad, including a nice hike in Hinchingbrooke Park with Cooper.  The fall colors were everywhere and Dad got to see English woods, a major climate change from LA. 
Hiking in Hinchingbrooke Park:

We always enjoy Dad’s visits and look forward to his next one early in 2012.  Derby was a wonderful treat, Lindsay and I really liked it.

~Blake

Adriatic Cruise – Corfu, Greece

For our last day on the Adriatic coast, we decided to take another excursion tour.  This was the last day of the last cruise for the season, and as we approached, our tour guide was saying goodbye to all the Thomson crew members that she knew.  This lady was awesome, a classic Greek mom.  She had a bossy attitude with a genuine kindness that she showed everywhere we went.  She was older than us, probably in her 60’s, and kept referring to the group as her children, even though the average age of the tourists were probably higher than hers.  “Come my children, follow me,” she would often say.  She was agitated by a competing French tour group and went off on their guide in French, so that the other tourists would know what she was saying about him.  Classic! 

She could talk about Greece and Corfu for hours and she knew incredible amounts of detail about various parts of the island.  She first took us to a monastery and showed us around the beautiful grounds.
Girls in traditional costumes greeted us at the monestary:

Inside the church, where plenty of incense was burning:

One of the many monastery cats strolling the patio:

Tile and vines at the monestary:

A monastery cat enjoying the veranda:


After the monestary, we went to one of the beaches nearby and she gave us some time to stroll leisurely along the beach coves and we even skipped some stones off the calm, clear water.
Paleokastritsa Beach:

Us on the beach:

Back on the bus had us driving through small towns and villages along the mountainous terrain Corfu.  One of the towns had its road blocked for a parade and monument dedication.  Turns out, we were there on a national holiday, “No Day,” commemorating the day that Greece said no to Italian dictator Mussolini, who wanted occupy them in order to gain a military advantage during the Second World War.  We got out of the bus and saw a band perform, dedications read, and wreaths laid at the monument in the town center.
Wreathes laid at the local war memorial in celebration of "No Day":

After we got back on the bus, we went to the highest point of Corfu and stopped at a café for some baklava -  delicious.  The view from the café was breathtaking.  On our return journey to Corfu Town, we stopped at a lookout and got a nice view of the some islands and the local airport where we would be taking off from later that night.  When we returned to the ship, we bummed around for a few more hours before boarding the bus to the airport for our flight back to England. 
View of Corfu island from Bella Vista:

Local islands:

They cruise was a success!  The service of Thomson employees was superb; they made our vacation amazing.  After arriving back at Luton Airport, we made the drive home and got to see our Cooper once again.  I think we’ll go on another cruise sometime before we leave England, maybe to the Fjords of Norway… we’ll see!

~Blake

Adriatic Cruise – Dubrovnik, Croatia

There just wasn’t enough time in the day to experience all that Dubrovnik has to offer.  We had to prioritize our list of recommended stops and find the most efficient way to seem them.  That, of course, meant that I had to get us lost within minutes of departing the bus, just outside the old city walls. 
Finding our way, but enjoying the view:

After a slight detour, and a long debate over which way was the “right” way, we climbed the steep, rocky slopes of Fort Lovrijenac.  The fort had a sense of emptiness, a sort of eerie feeling like there had been battles fought there and many lives lost.  Turns out it was just used as a concert venue and the season had probably just ended, so it was indeed very empty.
Blake inside the fort:

Canon guarding the city from potential threats by sea:

View of Dubrovnik from the fort:

Then we found our way back to the city gates and entered the Old Town.  Immediately we were stunned by the immense beauty around us.  Ancient architecture, glossy stone streets, and even battle wounds adorned the city.  We began by strolling through the streets and seeing all the buildings and sites from the outsides and reading all their details in our guidebook.  We walked along the harbor and noted how adorable the stray cats seemed to be.  They enjoy hanging out by the fishermen, hoping to snag some scraps.  From the age and size of the cats, they seem to be doing just fine.
The city's giant fountain has provided water since the Middle Ages:

St. Blaise's Church (patron saint of Dubrovnik):

City harbor:

Blake gets chummy with a local:

We took the “wall tour” which was an hour long hike along the top of the city walls.  This gave Lindsay the opportunity to photograph the whole city from pretty much every angle.  The orange tiles on the roofs of the buildings were mostly new, replacing those damaged in the recent conflict in the country.
Us along the top of the wall:

View of the main street from the wall:

Looking back at Fort Lovrijenac from the wall:

Orange rooftops of the Old Town viewed from the highest point on the wall:

That hike wore us out.  We stopped for gelato on the Stradun (main street) before heading back towards the city bus to take us back the ship.  Truly the "Pearl of the Adriatic", Dubrovnik was everything we’d hoped it would be! Magnificent!

Strolling the main street:

Happy tourists!:

~Blake

Adriatic Cruise – Split, Croatia

Our stop in Split was heavily guided by Rick Steves and his guide to Croatia.  We made our schedule of the day based on his recommendations for places to visit. 
Split coastline from the pier:

First, we walked along the shore-line towards Diocletian's Palace.  This “retirement home” for the Roman Emperor was built at the turn of the 4^th century and was the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia.  Since the time of the Romans, the palace has been used for various reasons, and to this day, many people live and own businesses inside of the Palace walls.  We started in the Catacombs beneath the palaces, and then toured various locations on the ground levels, to include the three palace gates. 
Palace catacombs:

Upper-palace peristyle:

Upper-palace ruins:

Palace 'golden' gate:

After that, we walked the perimeter and saw lots of shops and markets in the area.  We had lunch at a fantastic pizzeria recommended by Rick and ended our day strolling the promenade on the shore.  Diocletian knew that Split was going to be a star shining bright on the Dalmatia coast, with or without the Romans, and it led the way for a good Croatian port call for us.
Huge sculpture near the palace, by famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic:

Harbor-side promenade:

Us on the promenade:

~Blake

Adriatic Cruise – Venice, Italy

Our second visit to Venice started very wet.  Steady rain fell as we disembarked the ship and walked to the shuttle train that took us from the port area to the Piazzale Roma (where we boarded our bus to the airport on our last visit).  We crossed various canals – stopping occasionally to photograph the art, architecture, and scenery – as we followed our map towards Campo San Polo, where we checked to see if our favorite restaurant, Birraria La Corta, would be open for lunch. 
Crossing a quiet canal:

Chiesa di San Moise:

Modern art exhibition:

After checking the opening times for lunch, we walked through the city, took a gondola across the Grand Canal, and made our way to Piazza San Marco.  When we arrived, we were surprised to see the “acqua alta”, the seasonal flooding that affects Venice at this time of year.  After crossing the water on raised wooden walkways, we strolled through the Correr Museum, viewing artifacts that have been preserved and learning more of the history of Venice.
Flooding and raised walkways in Piazza San Marco:

Correr Museum:

Then, with the flood tide receding, we splashed across the square and entered the Doge’s Palace, an immense structure that was connected to St Mark’s Basilica.  We saw beautiful apartments and meeting rooms where the elite of Venice once gathered and held daily business.  Around every corner was magnificent architecture that, thanks to Rick Steves and his guide book, we were able to find the name of and a brief description of its significance.
Entrance of the Doge's Palace:

Doge's Palace courtyard:

Ancient "tetrarchs" statue, which the Venetian Empire looted from Constantinople:

Us in the Doge's Palace:

We made our way back across the Rialto Bridge and towards the restaurant for lunch.  We enjoyed two orders of lasagna, followed by fresh specialty gelato, before we had to go back to the ship for the evening.  Venice was once again a joy to visit.  The rain stopped about halfway through the day, making for a pleasant afternoon.  The temperature was near perfect, a major difference from the August heat that we experienced prior.  No matter the weather, Venice was still a highlight of our time in Italy.
The Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal:

Enjoying our amazing lasagna!:

~Blake