The Nephews are here! The Nephews are here! And while it is true they are in NorCal "just visiting", they are now officially California residents, and for the first time in 13 years, I now have in-state family! Bully for me, no?

Sister Gwen is down in SoCal looking for an apartment, so the boys and their dog Taylor (Chewie) are hanging with The Unk with tha Funk until she gets things together. Much like what happened when I first got here, there has been an amazing stretch of weather for the first week. It helps develop much optimism about California living. It also makes one feel dumbfounded later when one realizes June is usually parka weather!

I myself refuse to let genuinely warm Bay Area weather pass without beach time, and we made a nice circuit this weekend, first hitting Santa Cruz on Saturday, and then hitting Crissy Field on Sunday. Excellent!

We did much chillin' on the doggie beach in Santa Cruz, but no visit with young nephews would be complete without a visit to the Boardwalk and a few rides, taffy, and gut bombs for dinner. I myself don't ride, but the youngin's did. Good times.

We took both doggies out to Crissy Field today and each, in their own way, took to the party atmosphere which was in full swing, as it always is when freak hot weather hits San Fran. Genuine heat along the Bay! Not to be missed!

Taylor does more "normal" dog-type stuff than Master Boom Boom. Booms runs a little here and there in the sand, but even on a perfect day in canine heaven, he'd rather be carried around or sleep back at the house than frolic in the sun with other dogs who DARE to approach him, even socially!

As it turns out, I may soon have a cure for this problem. This week, we are going to meet our first potential candidate for a foster dog. We have picked a little Chi mix who is a little older than Booms to have a "Chemistry Check" with later this coming week. There are many reasons for and against getting another perro; and fear not, I will get to all of them in due time. For now, the chi still prefers the life of a king who rules alone. I believe the right mate will change that, and I intend to get him to that point as soon as we find the right match. Sadly, no such matches were made out at Crissy Field today. Most of the fun was had by the humans in our pack.

Much like I did when I was there age, the youngins took to flopping around in the water for as long as possible. We caught a shallow little slough near the pond that was very warm, and so while Q went all the way in, V and I mostly did some wading and playing with Taylor and some of the other dogs who came to play.

Not sure if he was nervous or jealous or what, but everytime I went into the water, Boomie was put into a dramatic state of cognitive dissonance - he wanted to make sure he was right there with me, but he did not want to get in the water, or even wet for that matter! Even on a hot day, the kid is just too cool to cool off in the agua. I am not sure where the mental block comes from with the lad, but no matter what incentive I try, he shows almost no interest in being in the water. Every other dog there was literally in ecstasy with running, playing, digging, fetching, chasing, and soaking up the waves as much as the sun - but not the chi. I am not sure what it will take to bring out his inner merman. I intend to have a wild wing-ding all summer long with the boys and the perros where and whenever we can, and so I will keep trying with Boom Boom. Hopefully, much fun and merriment will follow soon and you will see us having us a time this summer. Booms is comfortable with the boys at this point, and even seems to enjoy us being busy together. He continually surprises me with his general improvements, and so far, he has actually been a tremendous host to his visiting cousin dog. I know he knows how to be a good boy and to play and to have fun, it is just a matter of making him WANT to do those things. Hopefully, with some practice, he will live in that zone, ideally in the company of a new pack number. As you can see in this little bit of video, no matter how much he plays at hating to do these things, he has the instincts for it! Now it is simply time to get him to take the plunge: