Room To Run At Camp Barkeley

If you’re a dog owner, you and your four-legged friend are in for a treat at Camp Barkeley! Abilene’s first dog park opened over the weekend and to rave reviews! Shelby and I got a sneak peak on Friday and we both loved it!

Dog parks are aplenty in Denver, where we lived before moving to Abilene and we made frequent visits so Shelby could run, frolic and meet up with friends. She didn’t get to do a lot of that in our townhome with no yard!

What’s great about Camp Barkeley is it’s size. Two whole acres are fenced off for large breed dogs. Another acre is next door for smaller pooches. Shelby’s about 30 pounds, so she could probably visit both. We’ll have to see which one fits us best.

There are benches for humans to lounge while the dogs run free, a water fountain for people and the canines and plastic bags and trash cans for easy cleanup.

Another great thing about dog parks is getting to meet other animal lovers. It’s fun to get to know the owners and their dogs and the pooches really seem to enjoy making friends.

Shelby and I are already set to meet up with friends at Camp Barkeley. I think we’ll visit a lot. Hope to see you and your pooch there!

Fall Fun In the Big Country

I love the fall. It's one of my favorite times of year. I love feeling a chill in the air, the scent of a fireplace wafting through the neighborhood. I love the rich colors that come with fall. Shades of brown, red, orange and dark yellows.

I've had a ball so far this fall in the big country. It started with a visit to Disability Resources Inc.'s Pumpkin Patch. I've never seen so many pumpkins! And they come in so many shades! Not just orange. I saw green, yellow, red, white, even pink pumpkins! I filled up a cart with about 10. I just couldn't help myself. I put a few of them on the porch with some mums, some smaller ones on the mantle and then a friend and I carved four of them. We used one of those pumpkin carving kits and made some really cool designs! It was a fun night!

Boo at the Zoo is another fun Big Country tradition that I experienced for the first time this year. I was a little worried it would be canceled because of weather, but it cleared up just in time. And what a turn out! The place was packed with all kinds of ghosts and goblins. My favorite costume was a young man who used purple balloons to dress as a slice of blueberry pie. I also met a couple of toddlers who came as Pebbles and Bam Bam.

Fall to me also means football. I'm a huge football fan and the Crosstown Showdown lived up to all the hype! We did our 5pm and 6pm shows from Shotwell Stadium. It felt more like a small college game than a high school game - folks tailgating in the parking lot, students painted up in their school colors. Such a fun atmosphere!

I love fall. Definitely one of my favorite times of year. But my absolute favorite is just around the corner - Christmas! I can't wait to see what the Big Country has in store for the holidays!