Friday, October 31, 2008

Sunny Days in Sunny Isles


Acqualina was well located in Sunny Isles, between Palm Beach and Miami. It was a little longer to Palm Beach, but only 20 minutes to South Beach. Felicia went down this time with her friend Julie, whom she's known forever. Julie used to babysit Felicia's kids and now has two of her own. They like me also, but to tell you the truth, I'm not crazy about anyone but Felicia, India, or Zara. I'm not too big on taking walks with anyone else.


I'm kind of shy, and I get tired of people asking to pet me, or worse, petting me without asking. Well, early on in the trip, Felicia had lost her camera (she's always losing cameras or cell phones), so we took a cab down to South Beach and got a camera to take pictures with.


The store owner took this picture of me in the camera store (right) with Felicia and Julie. Then we walked to the Ritz Carlton on the board walk, right behind the camera store on Collins Ave, and ate outside at the restaurant overlooking the water, where we enjoyed some middle eastern food. After that, we took a walk up Collins, and wound up at the Raleigh (that's Julie sitting on the bench, top photo), where we had a cappuccino at the nice little bar there, and did some shopping in the store inside the hotel. Everyone thought I was cute. I liked South Beach. It works for me: warm, water, shopping, good restaurants. Tomorrow I'll show you the purse I was in when we went out to eat.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Maia at Acqualina


Felicia lasted a couple weeks in the frozen tundra of the north and called Julie to go to a black tie charity at the Breakers. Of course, Maia, moi, was invited!


I stayed with Andres in the car while the girls partied. This time, we stayed at the lovely Acqualina hotel in Sunny Isles. Felicia had never stayed there before but heard it had great service. See photo, above, of the lovely room we stayed in, as well as the beautiful grounds, right!


Andres drove us up to the charity event in Palm Beach (see Felicia and Julie outside the Breakers, right), then drove us back down to Sunny Isles, where we had a wonderful time, again sitting in the sun. The pictures are making me feel warmer. Can't wait to go there again.....

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jig


But like all good things, our time in Florida came to an end. I took one last look at the lovely Atlantic Ocean outside our lovely Ritz Carlton Hotel, and once again we boarded the plane on the trip home. It was time to get back to Sacha, Peaches and Max.



Andres drove us to the airport and posed with us by the plane. It was a quick ride home. Suzie held me in her arms, and as you can see, I was exhausted (see photo, below).



After we got home, Felicia picked up my brothers and sister from the PetSmart pet hotel and soon I stuck around home for a bit and got to know the routine.



I think the other dogs missed Paco, but they were nice enough to me. When Paco came home for the first time, Max bit him in the ear. No one ever bit me. For that I was grateful.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The West Point Jewish Chapel Choir


The week after we returned from Palm Beach, we went back down again, with Chris and Suzie. We went because Felicia's son Michael was in the Jewish Chapel Choir at the West Point Military Academy. His choir group gave three different concerts in the Boynton Beach/Palm Beach area and Felicia and Chris and Suzie had a great time going to his concerts. (Felicia of course went to all three; the others went to the first one.)


There was a huge turnout at all the concerts; several hundred people showed up to hear the group. Not only did the Chapel Choir sing beautifully, but each choir member stepped forward and told a little bit about themselves, and they were not only interesting cadets from interesting places, but they were funny, too.




And Felicia got a big surprise when she found out that Michael was in a trio and had a solo! She never even knew he liked to sing. His voice was actually quite amazingly good. I am just repeating heresay, here, as I was in the car with Andres. So when the concert was finished and the cadets were ready to get on the bus to go to the homes of the members of the communities who were hosting them, Michael and a couple of his choir mates came outside to meet me.


Michael said, "So where's my new little sister?" and held me while wearing his handsome uniform. Felicia took some pictures and later made gouaches of some of the pictures she took. She's writing a children's book. The female cadets who were with Michael loved me and held me also. It is great to be a dog.

Monday, October 27, 2008

More Fun Times in Palm Beach


Here are a few more pictures of my first trip to Palm Beach. "That nice young man," Andres, is from Colombia, and is a photographer when he is not driving. He also has a dog, a big one, a rescue dog, as I recall. He said it was sick and he and Felicia were complaining about the cost of veterinary care.


Right, my favorite times, in the hotel room, wrapped in the sheets. Snug as a bug in a rug.













Here is a picture of me climbing on Felicia's luggage, trying to look at that cute dog I saw in the mirror. Trouble was, I couldn't keep my footing and I kept stumbling backward. Felicia and her friends were quite amused by my predicament.









The only thing I liked better on that trip was being on the beach, in the sunshine, wrapped in a towel! Felicia thinks I looked adorable and can't believe I used to be so tiny!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Fun Times in Palm Beach


Here are Chris and Suzie and Felicia and I in the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in Palm Beach.



Then there's me sitting outside in a cabana with Chris. I'm beginning to get used to this lifestyle.




It was lovely weather and as I sit here in the plane, on my way to rain and snow (yes it's snowing here now in the Midwest) I can only hope that Felicia will take me down to sunny South Florida sooner than later.



Like all good things, our time in Florida at the lovely Four Seasons had to come to an end, so we hopped a plane and headed back up north, all too soon for me.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Introducing Sacha the Italian Greyhound


Despite the weather being cold and rainy today in the Midwest, I thought I'd revert to the present and introduce my big sister, Sacha. Felicia says I have a crush on Sacha.



Sacha is the Italian Greyhound of the family, and Felicia calls Sacha her "problem child." Felicia saw her first Italian Greyhound puppy in Palm Beach four years ago
at the Ritz Carlton there. It was running in a circle outside the ground level hotel rooms. It ran for twenty minutes straight, around and around and around.


You might have thought that after having see this, Felicia would have thought twice about adding a dog like that to her doggie family. But you would be wrong. As they say, decide in haste, repent at leisure.


Felicia saw an adorable, tiny Italian Greyhound puppy on vacation, and without reading up on the breed, or even remem-bering the racing part of that cute puppy back in Palm Beach, she impulsively bought Sacha. Sacha turned from an adorable, loving little baby to a behemoth with gigantic legs that carried her like a whirlwind all over Felicia's house, yard, neighborhood.


All of a sudden, doors could not be left open. If anyone left the house, they had to watch that Sacha did not slip out and go chase a squirrel. Once, Sacha took off to chase a squirrel and actually caught the squirrel. Sacha did not really know what to do with the squirrel that lay on its back under her paws, but the squirrel was not so indecisive. The squirrel quickly bit Sacha in the nose. And Felicia had to get Sacha off the squirrel without getting bit herself.


Despite this, when Sacha is not racing around the yard, or getting loose from her collar and running across the street to catch vermin, she is occasionally quite lovely to look at. Unfortunately, this is all too seldom. When we think of Sacha, we think of a dog that leaps up the stairs and onto a bed in a split second. And as she hates the cold weather, it's not so easy to get her outside to do her business either. But her are pictures of Sacha, and as you see, she is a lovely sculpture. And I love to follow her around. She's my big stister, as India used to say.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Dinner at Cafe Boulud


Later that night, Felicia and her friends Chris and Suzie went to Cafe Boulud in the Brazillian Court in Palm Beach. Cafe Boulud is one of Felicia's favorite restaurants anywhere, and when she is in New York she goes there too, as well as Daniel's (but only once as it's pretty pricey). The food is reasonable and delicious and great service and ambience. She likes to sit in the courtyard and watch the people... and their dogs. It was kind of a treat to go to such a nice restaurant. Everyone kind of looked at me and smiled.



The next day, Chris put me in her beach tote and carried me around (right). And then...the beach. Sitting on a chaise lounge, wrapped up in a towel...Ah, this is working for me, right here!





Thursday, October 23, 2008

Life is a Beach


After sitting on the beach for a bit, Felicia posed in front of the hotel lobby. Then she finally took me back to our room at the Four Seasons.



It was a beautiful room and I was surprised to see a gentleman who brought some food for me on a silver tray! What a lovely way to begin my stay in Palm Beach.








The next day
I sat on the beach some more, listening to the lovely sound of the waves, and then Felicia packed me in her beach tote and we took a walk on the sand. It was perfect weather.










Then we went back again to sit on the beach chairs, and Felicia worked on the computer, with me at her feet in my carrier. It was a fun day, my first day in Florida! As it gets colder in the Midwest, I wish I were still there!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Shopping on Worth Avenue....

Felicia was eager to get back to the Four Seasons in Palm Beach to show me off to her friends, but for some reason, Andres drove down Worth Avenue on his way back from Petsmart....so of course, even though the last thing Felicia needed was anything, including dogs, she had to show me off.

First, we went into the Ferragamo store, where Felicia, being rather old, has fond memories of the shoes with thick crepe soles she wore to walk all over Europe when she was in her twenties, eons ago. She has never seen them since, and they were so comfortable that she often complains about her shoes, but refuses to wear tennis shoes even though her feet kill her half the time.



So she's always looking at Ferragamo shoes with nostaligia, hoping that they will reissue shoes that were the dernier cri thirty-some years ago....But that's another story. So we went into Ferragamo and the ladies working there of course loved me. Felicia put me in a purse and then she may have bought it, I can't remember.


Then she went into the Louis Vuitton store and bought me a carrier that's pretty gaudy. But Felicia said that she wanted to spoil me now that her youngest daughter is in college and she's an empty nester. I really don't care as long as there's a comfy pad in the bottom and she brings me along. But finally we got back to the hotel and I got all wrapped up in India's winter scarf and I sat on a beach chair overlooking the ocean, and it was delightful, and everyone paid attention to me and Felicia and her friends took lots of pictures. I'll share more of them with you tomorrow....

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My Dinner with Andres




Here's Andres (Felicia calls him "That nice young man"), in front of PetSmart. (Well, he could have conceivably fed me dinner there.)











And here's Felicia cradling me in the car on the way back from the airport in Fort Lauderdale. But although Felicia's friends Suzie and Chris flew down to Palm Beach with her, Felicia's daughter India and her boyfriend Rocky flew down later.







But they were the first ones to meet me! Were they excited? As one of our vice-presidential candidates would say, "You betcha!" Well, maybe not Rocky so much. His family has a Yorkie at home as well.



But India was ecstatic. She carried me around like a baby, sat on the grass with me, and posed at twilight with Rocky, holding me tight. All in all, everyone was pretty pleased with the latest addition to the household.





Judging by all the attention I received in the Sunshine State, I pretty much thought I had it made. Of course, at that point, I had no idea that three sibs waited for me back in the frigid Midwest....

Monday, October 20, 2008

Back to the Beginning: The Palm Beach Lifestyle


But enough about my brothers, and we'll talk about Sacha and Dolce later. It's cold and rainy in the midwest and I want to relive January 2007, when a limo picked me up at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, fresh from my breeder in Kansas. When Andres carried me outside to the warm Florida air, I was thrilled.





Felicia held me and was as excited as she'd ever been. Andres played with me in the grass. The grass was almost as tall as I was. I leapt around like a bunny; I had a blast. Then we all got into the big black car and headed back up I95 to the Four Seasons in Palm Beach. Whatta way to begin.


Felicia was staying there with her friends. But before we went to the Four Seasons, we had to stop at PetSmart and pick up a few things, like a leash! Everyone turned around and asked what kind of dog was I and I must have heard twelve people tell Felicia how cute I was. She was still on Cloud Nine and more than happy to show me off.



After PetsMart, we were supposed to go to the grocery to get my baby food, but Felicia decided to wait until later, and in fact, when a different driver named Vladimir dropped everyone off at Echo on Sunset for dinner that night (one of Suzanne's favorite restaurants), she asked him to run to the Farmer Jack behind the restaurant and pick up some chicken or turkey Gerber Junior Baby food while he waited.


He got it all wrong, leaving Felicia to realize that a limo driver in his twenties just might not be the best person to buy baby food...especially one from Khazakhstan who barely spoke English....but that's another story. More tomorrow....