Three Months Young!

Hard to believe but little baby Madeleine is now three months old. Every day she brings so much joy with her uncanny ability to be cute.

What a happy family!

Make a wish Madeleine (I hope that the wish was that a hungry basset gets a slice of cake.)

The next day was road trip time. My parents promised something exciting and I was pretty keen to find out where we were going, but to be completely honest, I was really into the air conditioning in the Mazda. I mean seriously, have you ever worn a heavy fur coat when it's over 30 degrees out. Ridiculous!

What, more baseball?!? It was the dog day of summer at the old Nat Bailey Stadium. I frankly don't understand my folks' obsession with this sport all of a sudden.

Or do I? Food, glorious food. It's not bacon, but I'm quite happy to accept gigantic French fries.
Yum. Now what's for dessert?

What, more posing? Shouldn't the baby be in a few of these pictures? I think that she's just as skilled as me at hamming it up for the camera.

See what I mean?

Dad with Madeleine and the Canadians' mascot. Check back soon for what is sure to be a super-duper Canada Day entry to the blog.

If you want proof, you got it.

So anyways, we were all hanging out enjoying a perfectly beautiful summer day, basking in the sun, when Baby M mentioned: "Mr Burns, did you know that there are some people out there wondering why you weren't featured in ANY of the four blog entires from our trip across Canada. I've heard that some have even gone so far as to question whether you went at all!" My reply: "Well Madeleine, you can't please everyone. As you know I'm no camera hog. But I guess I should do something to please those haters out there who question the authenticity of what I write." So here it is folks. Unedited and indisputable evidence as to my participation in the great baby trek.

This is me at the Toronto Zoo. As you can see, this was the hedgehog exhibit. This is me at the Blue Jays game. In Newfoundland with some of that famous Screech. The local band Great Big Sea said it best.

So I drank all of my money
And I slept out in the rain
Everyday is different but the nights they're all the same
You never see the sun on the old black rum
But I know I'm gonna do it again!
Today is actually baby Madeleine's 3 month birthday, so I've got to get back to the celebration. Check back soon for pictures of all the festivities. Here's a little something to whet your appetite.

Goonies Never Say Die

Mom and Dad share a common favourite movie: The Goonies. Apparently, it's a timeless tale of adventure and friendship. I really don't see what the big deal is, the movie features a totally shocking absence of basset hounds. But anyway if you trust my parents' opinion and you haven't seen it, you should check it out.


Baby M as it turns out has jumped on the bandwagon, and as you can see, she truly is a Goonie.

Here's some historical footage of my parents' trip to Astoria where the movie was filmed. This is Dad in front of the Walsh house. And yes the answer to the question is that he did in fact have to do the truffle shuffle to get in.

Here's Mom pulling a Fratelli jailbreak! ORV get-away car not pictured.

HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. Dog blog reader: if you're into movies, why not check out Uncle Aaron's website before heading out to the theatre tonight? He's got full and honest reviews of all the summer blockbusters so you can avoid seeing a stinker.
Click here for the link: www.slothsandmovies.com/movie-stuff.html

Back Home

The trip was totally amazing but it was nice to get back home. We didn't have to wait too long for our next visitors to drop in for a visit. You see, Madeleine has true international appeal! Diana and Ricardo came all the way from Paris, France for a fun visit.
After a wonderful evening with friends, Madeleine quickly got back to her old tricks -hogging the camera and posing for photos. She puts me to shame.
I hope you like the artistic license that I took with this one. Isn't she dramatic?

Newfoundland

The last stop in Madeleine's journey was Newfoundland, home to Mom's side of the family and the world's greatest French fries, more on that later.

Here are baby M with Anna's father's parents; that would be great Nan and Pop Leggo. Nan thinks I'm pompous. Imagine that!


Wake up Madeleine, there are two more great-grandparents who are super excited to meet you!

Nan and Pop Verge; Anna's mother's parents.



During a quiet moment, Pop was kind enough to share some wisdom with Madeleine.
A very special thanks to great uncle Doug and great aunt Lynn for all of their hospitality during our sejour in Corner Brook.




Whew, that was a lot of people to meet. Madeleine just needed a few second alone to catch her breath.

Next stop, the Captain Cook National Historic Site, with its amazing vista views.


There are a few things which everybody must accomplish in their life if it can be said that they have really lived. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, attending a U2 live show, becoming a parent, giving a basset a rub behind the ears, and having the fries and onion rings at the C&E in Mount Moriah (just ask anyone in Corner Brook for directions). Accomplishing this last thing on the list can be particularly challenging as, according to their marquee, the hours of operation are 11 am to 12 pm daily. But well worth it! Cousin Nancy joined along for one of the trips there.


Well Baby, is there anything else left to do before we head back to BC?


Of course, a visit to the famous Lynch's Lane.


Wow. What a trip. Thanks to everyone who made it so enjoyable and so incredibly easy.

The Great Adventure, Episode III

I never thought in a millions years that there would be something in this world that has bigger ears than a basset hound, but baby Madeleine managed to find just such a thing. Imagine that!

It can see why they say that these creatures are long lost relatives of Dad's. Look how lazy they are, just like Dad!

Look out baby Madeleine, that rhinoceros is going to charge. 

This was baby Madeleine's favourite part of her visit to the Toronto Zoo; she got to see what was on her shirt for real! I usually am game for chasing cats and running after them like a mad dog...

But on closer inspection, this one seems to be sleeping, so I'll cut it a break. Just this once. 

After a long day at the zoo, there was still some time to hang out with grandma.

The visit to Toronto was tons of fun and went by way too quickly. The next and last stop on the epic trek was to Newfoundland. Here's Madeleine super keen on meeting another four great-grandparents.

Cross-Canada Trek, part deux

Dad, channeling the spirit of Bud the Spud, ripped the tar off the 401 and made it into Ottawa in record time (with the obligatory stop at Tim Horton's). Aunt Siobhan (and Malarkey my canine cousin) were kind enough to host a family get together. Here are Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma, Great-Grandad with Madeleine, and Dad.


Next up is the Reithmeier clan, Grandad, Uroma with Madeleine, Dad and Mom.
Four generations of Devlins.


Shaun Casey, Mom and Baby M.

The whole family gathers for a quick group shot.

Following that special event in Ottawa, we all packed into the Mazda 5 and headed back west. We made it as far as a place called Kingston; home of Sir John A., Don Cherry and the Tragically Hip. 800 plus kilometres in one day and just about everyone was pooped, as one might expect. Like father, like daughter.

After a little nap and a wee bit of room service, there was some quiet family time.

The following morning, we had about 60 seconds to do some sightseeing before the skies opened up for one of those famous Ontario deluges.

Kingston City Hall, mere moments before Dad was soaked.
So concludes this part of our adventure. What happens next you ask? Well of course you'll simply have to tune in to find out, but I can tell you there will be orangutans!