Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Fog Won't Ruin My Vacation

I was so exhausted after all the fun I had at the beach on Wednesday that I didn't want to get out of bed Thursday morning. Mom convinced me that I needed to go outside to do my business but as soon as I did, I climbed right back into bed. I even tried to get her to order me some room service because I had such a taste for a three egg omelet with ham and bacon. Despite my begging and pleading, all I got was my usual dry breakfast.

I knew Thursday was going to be a quiet day for me because Mom and Dad were going to the customer summit. I needed a day to catch up on my sleep so I welcomed the nice big bed and the quiet of the cottage. The fog was really heavy and cast a nice blanket over my sleepy day. Ahhhh.

This is the CEO of Spigit delivering the opening remarks of the summit. I'm so glad I couldn't attend because it surely would have put me asleep. I like this guy, don't get me wrong, but all that business talk goes right over my head.

Mom and Dad spent all day in the ballroom listening to this speaker and that speaker while I slept the day away. When they finally returned to the cottage to feed me I was still really sleepy but of course not too sleepy to eat. That would never happen!

The fog just wouldn't go away. And it was starting to get really cold. I heard Mom mention more than once that she usually doesn't vacation in a cold climate. Duh! She's a beach baby! As Mom and Dad dressed for the dinnner party I knew they were going to freeze their butts off because they weren't dressed for the weather.

This view of the ocean was taken from the top of the walkway at the back of the hotel. Pretty but gloomy, huh? I've never seen fog this heavy before but people tell me it's like this all the time. I bet the residents of Half Moon Bay sleep more than the residents of Mundelein because if it was foggy like this back home I would never get out of bed. It reminded me a lot of winter days where we snuggle on the sofa for days on end.

There are fire pits outside all the first floor rooms and huge firepits at the back of the hotel. They were roaring with warmth as the guests of the summit tried their best to stay warm. The nights festivities included a cocktail hour, a sit down dinner, and then dancing to a live band. I would have enjoyed the dinner but since I wasn't invited I enjoyed more sleep time instead.

The party looked like a wedding. All the lights, flower centerpieces, and white tablecloths. Lots of weddings take place at the Ritz but Mom is convinced that only brides without curly, kinky, fros can get married there. Her hair was a wreck when she got to the party and was a complete disaster when she got back to the cottage.

After freezing her butt off in the 50 degree temperatures, Mom headed back to the cottage to go to sleep. She was shivering when she walked in and immediately shut the windows. After I went out to pee, we climbed into bed and slept the night away until Dad got in at 2:30am. Sheesh!

It seemed like the we had just fallen asleep when the alarm went off Friday morning. Was it really time to get up and get going? Dad had to rush back to the 2nd day of the summit but Mom and I had other plans for the day. We were heading to San Francisco for a photo shoot with Puglet's human Amanda. How exciting!

Mom had a hard time parking in the Castro where Puglet lives. She's used to driving Cheeto or the Turtler, both of which are much smaller than Dad's car so when it came time to park she was freaking out. Thankfully, Amanda was very patient and soon we were knocking on the dog of the most famous pug in the Bay Area.

Puglet's house is very cool. There's lots of room for him and Dutch to run around and play which is what we did as Mom ate a sandwich she had brought with her. Or should I say begged for the sandwich in lieu of playing. Or both. Puglet thought Mom's sandwich was for him but he didn't know that Mom rarely shares. Today was a rare day because she gave all of us some melon that accompanied her sandwich.

Since it was so icky we didn't think we'd be able to do the photo shoot but as we ate the sun came out. Hooray! My photo shoot was really going to happen. We left Dutch behind and headed out to look for some cool locales where Amanda could bring out my good side.

Do these stairs look familiar? This is where the picture that Puglet submitted for the Hansen's soda contest was taken. He won that contest thanks to all of you who voted for him. Since the stairs were good luck for him, Amanda thought they would be a great spot to photograph me. I was a little scared of the steps and stayed close to Mom which is why I don't have any photos of the photo shoot. Amanda did take a few of me but I wasn't really cooperating. Sorry Amanda.

Since I was having a hard time standing and couldn't sit right, we headed back to Puglet's house for some more play time. Puglet admits to being a camera hog but he was cool with letting me in on the action.

Did I mention that Puglet loves Mom? It's true. At first he wasn't sure about her but when we were at his house he couldn't get enough of her. I knew he'd love her but I didn't know how much. It made Mom so happy to be loved by another pug.

Puglet always talk about how Dutch is afraid of the camera but just look at him. He's practically posing for the camera! He secretly loves the camera and just pretends to be afraid of it because he knows how much Puglet loves the spotlight. I encouraged Dutch to work it and he sure did!

Amanda was so sweet to get down on the floor and hang out with me. I love this girl! She is the coolest ever and she held me in her arms almost all day.

Puglet and Dutch got in on the floor action and soon it looked like an Amanda dog pile. She played along like a good sport. She's up for anything and that made me so happy.

It was hard to say goodbye for the day but I knew we were going to see each other again at my World Tour Meetup at Crissy Field on Saturday. Off we went, back to Half Moon Bay to rest up after our great day in the Castro. I fell asleep as soon as I walked in the cottage and didn't even hear Mom and Dad leave for dinner. I never even heard them when they arrived back at midnight because I was reliving my trip in my dreams. The trip seems like a dream, but I know it's just a dream come true.

9 comments:

Two French Bulldogs said...

you sure took some good pictures of your adventure. Love those stairs. we don't blame you for taking a snoozer since was fog at the beach. Have fun
Benny & Lily

THE PUGLET said...

Hey Stubby + Stubby's Mom,

This is Dutch. Thank you for coming to visit us and for sharing the tasty melon instead of eating it yourself.

Sorry Puglet got sooooo excited to see you. I am embarrassed for him.

THE PUGLET said...

Hey Stubbs!

So glad you came! I miss you already dude.

I can hide you in the closet if you don't want to go back home. We might not have sun here, but we don't have humidity. You can use that as a selling point with your mom. Y'know, the whole 'fro thing.

Wish I was world touring with you, man. Have fun and say hi to everyone for me!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Dearest Stubby
Sometimes dreams come true, and this one really did. I know you relive it in your head, because it is all so awsome.
Oh Stubby, I know you thought the fog looked cold and gloomy, but sometimes magic is in the fog too.
Sometimes we have lots of fog, and I like to watch it move mysteriously.
That nice bed in your cottage room looked so comfy,,,, what a nice place to relive all the dreams that are happening.
Safe travels my friend
love
tweedles

Simply Pug said...

Wowee! Lucky you. Is it really cool over where you are right now? It really needs to get cool here - its too hot for us puggies. This place called Florida. Oh wells. Enjoy the rest of the trip.

Puglette said...

hi stubby! i am so glad you are having a great visit in california! and fog at the beach in the summer is a west coast thing. it happens all of the time. i can remember heading out to half moon bay one day, and seeing a sea of fog in the valley just before heading up the hill. it was so awesome! it truly looked like water, with waves and everything. i hope your family can drive you south a bit and visit santa cruz. it's usually sunnier there. and it's a ton of fun!! if the folks like artichokes, they should also visit watsonville, near santa cruz. watsonville is the artichoke capitol of the world!
have fun!!
hugs,
puglette
:o)

dw said...

Stubby, you know that place your mom and dad went, the place with the firepit - that looks just like the place I went to in the Bay Area last year when I was there for a wedding. I'm sure glad you got some great dreaming in reliving your fantastic vacation! You really are getting to meet so many peeps and pups! Don't know if the fog there comes in on little cat feet, but I'm glad it didn't interfere with your nap!

Minnie Moo said...

My human is almost convinced now to give me chicken nuggets because of you! I think that makes me love you! hehe

Archie and Melissa said...

hi stubby!

oh what a fabulous time yo are all having in CA!

Emmitt and I love all of the photos of you amanda, puglet and dutch!

we cannot wait to see more!

xoxoxo
m & e