Missin' my Dad...

Bryan is on call this weekend...

And someone's missing her Dad...

All about Kitty

I'll be the first person to admit... Kitty is NOT easy to live with on a day to day basis. She's very needy, first of all. She meows incessantly. She also has an uncanny ability to detect those with a cat allergy or dislike for cats and smother them with unsolicited affection. Take Bryan, for instance. Allergic to cats. Wants to lay down on the couch for a much needed nap. Literally within SECONDS, Kitty joins him.

Though she has her catty faults, we around here tend to enjoy her sweet, outgoing personality, Susie included. She is quickly becoming an astute killer of the extra-long legged spiders who like to join me for coffee in the mornings. She also provides comic relief with her antics. Take this, for example... Thanks, Kitty. You're definitely one of a kind! Jenny

A stray picture from the Georgia Aquarium...

Just had to share a stray picture I forgot to add to the aquarium post! Get it? Hairy Otter? Jenny

Cockroach Capers

Disclaimer: The following post is admittedly utterly disgusting. Please use discretion when reading and viewing the following text/pictures. Now, remember, this blog is intended to share our adventures and experiences here in Georgia. And let me tell you, Georgia is LOADED with cockroaches. The locals have many names for them: waterbugs, palmetto bugs, wood roaches, etc. To we Hoosiers, they are just plain cockroaches, and as such, should be eliminated. Last week after one of Susie's middle of the night bathroom breaks, I walked into the kitchen to find Kitty eyeing a giant cockroach. It was on its back with all six legs and two antennae writhing around. Yes. In. The. Kitchen. Needless to say, the next days activities resulted in the purchase of eight cockroach motels. Since that night, I've seen no cockroaches inside, but the usual nighttime crowd was still congregating out on our balcony, making the enjoyment of a glass of wine difficult. I have perhaps breached some unwritten cockroach law in doing so, but I decided to relocate one of my eight cockroach motels to the balcony. I decorated it to look inviting...

And as you can see below... there were no vacancies.

In my excitement to photograph the multitude of visitors to my inviting motel, I forgot that Bryan had said, "I set the alarm, so don't open the back door." I gleefully swung open the balcony door, which resulted in ear-piercing sirens and the alarm company calling to see if I needed emergency assistance. Oh, and also a very tired-looking fiance and basset hound stumbling down the hall to find out the reason for the racket. Oops.

-Jenny

Crape Myrtle trees and stuff...

Since, to date, the only pictures I have of where we live includes cockroaches, I thought I'd take some pictures of the "neighborhood" to share with you.

The picture above is our apartment building. The two trees with the beautiful fuschia flowers are Crape Myrtles. There is a third Crape Myrtle with cotton-candy pink blooms on the end that's harder to see. There are loads of Crape Myrtles in Georgia. In fact, Lawrenceville (just Northeast of Atlanta), is called "the Crape Myrtle City."

Another fabulous part of living in the building we do is the "Poop Station." (Outlined in red in the picture below.) Susie does not share in our joy of having the Station so close to our home, and simply refuses to walk willingly to it to allow the person walking her to deposit poop. The apartment complex in Indiana did not have such amenities for dogs, so any "number twos" had to be taken to the trash dumpster.

Just another view to the right as you walk out the door of our building. The small hill is completely covered in ivy. Our building is kind of nestled back into a small wooded area, which offers some privacy for the balcony.

This is where we get the mail. See the three small trees to the left of the white post? Those three trees require that you budget an extra five minutes into a walk to the mailbox. (To allow a certain dog to sniff and pee at each of the trees, of course.) And last for today... Check out the terrific Holly bush! There are Holly bushes planted as shrubbery around the parking lot of Starbucks/Kroger. I'm sure they are very ordinary to the native Georgians, but I found them quite pretty. That's all for now!

-Jenny

CityDog Market!

I went to the coolest place today called CityDog Market. One of the only places nearby that sell Wellness brand pet foods, they also have a do it yourself dog-wash that has marble steps leading to the porcelain human-waist high tub! Oh, and did I mention the high-quality shampoos, conditioners, and fluffy towels that are yours to use? (Just don't tell Susie, who endured a bath in the very ordinary bathtub at home with the old towels to dry off...) Lest you think this is a fancy-schmancy place, the "store dog" is named "Big Daddy," and is... ahem... not fancy-schmancy. Fresh bowls of water are inside and outside of the store, and for the humans, plenty of smiles and friendly faces. -Jenny

Atlanta's Welcome Crew

An unexpected guest for morning coffee.... and a friendly face to welcome you home! -Jenny

Exploring Atlanta

What a great weekend... we went to the world's largest indoor aquarium Saturday, the Georgia Aquarium, in downtown Atlanta. We had some time before our ticket time of 1pm, so we walked across the street to Olympic Park. My power-guzzling camera had finished its binge on its current set of batteries, so I only got a couple of pictures of the park. Here's Bryan in front of the Olympic Tribute scultures.

Here's a pretty little waterfall in the parkAnd a view of downtown... And finally... it was 1pm and time to go to the aquarium!! We walked in and in unison said, "Wowwwwww......" It was incredibly large, with various sections, highlighting different aquatic species and areas of the world. We dug right in, starting with the Ocean Explorer, highlighting deeper ocean creatures who call the 6.3 million gallon habitat home.

One of my personal favorites was the very photogenic Potato Grouper.Four Whale Sharks (the largest living fish species)...

Along with the amazing Whale Sharks, we got to see Nandi, a Manta Ray. Nandi is the only Manta Ray ever to be in a US aquarium! She was rescued from shark nets off the coast of Durban, South Africa. Here she is doing a somersault... She was somewhat elusive... most of these pictures were taken right before we left the aquarium. Next we visited the Cold Water Quest. Three Beluga whales, Nico, Natasha, and Maris live there. Nico and Natasha are both in their mid-20's, and were rescued from amusement parks. Natasha's daughter, Maris, is almost 14. The aquarium is excited that Nico is showing interest in Maris, and hope that this someday results in pregnancy.

There were many other (slightly less popular) residents in the Cold Water Quest.The Japanese Giant Octopus (who dislikes flash from cameras, hence the dark pictures)was one of them. This one is just of his suction cups:

Here is an attempt to get a picture of his body. A popular (stinky) favorite was the Southern Sea Otter. It seemed to enjoy snacking on the ice cubes. The claw-less Japanese Spider Crab: And the Weedy and Leafy Sea Dragons also live in the Cold Water Quest. "Tropical Diver" housed creatures that lived in or near tropical coral reefs. In the entryway were colorful anemones, which you could touch. They were on a "five minute break" from touching, so we just took pictures. The sea nettles (which looked like giant jellyfish) were striking: The Moon Jellyfish is translucent, so there are different shades of light cast to make it easier to see. What tropical exhibit would be complete without a Clownfish? The cute little creatures sitcking out of the sand below are Spotted Garden Eels. They keep their tails anchored deep in the sand and pull their head down if a fish comes near. And here is what they do when potential predators swim near... Before I move on, here's one more of some pretty fish. The final phase of our aquarium tour was River Scout, which featured freshwater river species. The Small Clawed Asian Otters were entertaining with their constant chirping and playful antics. The whole clan was female; all sisters. They were much smaller than the Sea Otter, but just as smelly, and much more vocal!Here's a Piranha. Looks harmless to me... I don't even see teeth!

How about an American Alligator?There was a Loggerhead Turtle, who wouldn't hold still for a good shot.

There were several "touch pools" throughout the aquarium where you could touch different fish and animals. Bryan and I both enjoyed touching some stingrays, most of whom seemed to enjoy being touched.There were other things we didn't touch, including shrimp, sea urchins, sea crabs, and these Horshoe crabs. I wonder what these two are up to?? There were other pictures I didn't post here, but hopefully you are able to get a taste of how vast and remarkable the Georgia Aquarium is!

-Jenny

-Jenny