SPRING HAS SPRUNG

The sun is shining and all is well at the Cove. We hibernated more than enough and are thrilled to see our guests coming again. Our wedding season has started and what a way to kick it off. We loved having Bethanie and Aaron saying their "I Do's" at Ponder Cove just last week. Congratulations and come back real soon. Hugs,m

GINGERBREAD HOUSE CONTEST

Don't miss the Gingerbread Houses at Grove Park Inn. This is an amazing display of gingerbread houses from the National Gingerbread House Competition at the famous Grove Park Inn on November 19-January 11. Non guests must visit on Mondays-Thursdays. The tour is free and you can enjoy the elaborate decorations at the grand hotel, enjoy a cocktail at the beautiful and festive bar and soak up the site of these culinary masterpieces. And don't forget to go down the hill to the Grovewood Gallery, voted the Number 1 gallery in the country for a little shopping.

PUMPKIN PIE

OK...I have never made this one but can't wait. I will let you know after next Thursday if you don't beat me to it. m

1 pie crust
2 cups hazelnuts (divided) , toasted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon arrowroot (or cornstarch)
1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree (not sweet stuff)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 extra large eggs PLUS one for glaze, lightly beaten
1 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the middle.

Puree 1 1/2 cups of the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor until they turn into a hazelnut paste, past the 'crumble' stage. Set aside. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts and set aside separately, these will be sprinkled on top after the pie is baked.

To make the pumpkin pie filling, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice blend, salt, and arrowroot. Stir in the pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Now stir in the eggs and coconut milk until just combined. Set aside.

Before filling the pie crust, crumble the hazelnut paste on top of the pie dough into the pie plate, quickly and gently press it into a thin layer across the bottom creating a layer of hazelnuts that will sit between the dough and the filling. Using the last egg gently brush the decorative edges of the pie dough. Use a fork to prick the pie dough a few times to prevent air bubbles. Fill the pie crust with the filling and bake for about 50 minutes - the center of the pie should just barely jiggle when you move the pie - the edges should be set.

Let the pie cool a bit, this makes slicing less messy. Serve straight or with a dollop of bourbon-spiked, sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche, and a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts.

Makes one 9 or 10-inch pie.

DOG OF THE DAY!!!

Welcome the Wigleys....uh oh....Pops got cheated out of his mugshot being on the blog. But let me introduce you to the most important member of the family, Tiny pictured here with his lovable mom. Here goes another amazing rescue story. Tiny first belonged to great grandparents....they passed. Tiny took his tiny broken heart and moved on to the grand parents...they passed...Tiny took his broken heart and moved on to parents...Thank goodness they didn't pass but look where he landed, a perfect ending for a perfect pup! I can attest that there are no remnants of a broken heart and all is well. So many dogs....so little time. Today TINY is the DOG OF THE DAY!!!!!

LAZY DOGS

We used to have the DOG OF THE MONTH...but with all of our fab guests and these amazing photos coming in....it looks like we are going to have to have the DOG OF THE DAY! Check out these two on such a lazy day.

Little Pearls

When first coming to North Carolina Gary and I were fortunate to attend our first fund raiser supporting a wonderful non-profit organization called LITTLE PEARLS. We were so impressed with the quality of these tiny films with so much impact that we sent copies to lots of friends in an effort to support this organization. One of their new "Little Pearls" centers on what precious canines can teach us. Enjoy and read more about Little Pearls and meet Katie and Gracie .http://www.littlepearls.org/katieandmitch.html

SABA and DEER on YOU TUBE

Well, don't say we don't get our share of celebrities. You won't even believe this video. This is the infamous Saba who has caused quite a stir on YOU TUBE....Click here and you will know why.

SAVANNAH TO PONDER COVE

LOOK WHO'S IN TOWN....Ms. Georgia ....all the way from Savannah. She is one of those beautiful blonde babes you only find in the deep south and that drawl of hers is to swoon over. Welcome Georgia.

HOW DAWGS DO TRAVEL

Meet Mulligan, Tyler and Sage....all packed up and ready to go. But heh you guys...get out of the car. You're not due to Ponder Cove until October. See you then. In the meantime enjoy a nice Fall in NYC.

MASTIFFS RULE

Speaking of big dawgs....Check out these little dudes. The baby is a mere 6 months old. SUPER DUDE weighs about 160 lb. I love the rules in hotels about only small dogs. These guys blow that theory out the door. They were the BEST guests ever in the Bungalow. You boys are welcome back anytime you want. We love you. m

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Hunter, Boxer
Neena Gulley, Owner

My name is Hunter but this past December, my parents decided to name me Rudolph the Big Nosed Boxer. I was very unhappy with the new moniker. You see, my parents decided to bring a screaming, ear-pulling baby into our lives this past November. Not that anybody asked me what I thought about that. We were all just humming along happily, and suddenly this horrible red screaming thing arrives and ruins everything. Except, around Christmas I decided to finally give her a chance, very reluctantly, mind you. Turns out, she's not so bad, although please don't think that I like her or anything. Because I don't. I really don't. Except for sometimes, when no one is looking, I like to sneak over to her and give her a few kisses. Definitely not because I like her or anything, but us red-nosed boxers like to stick together. Happy year, everyone! The holidays are long over, but the celebratin' is just beginning.

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Ginger, doing the Downward Dog, Australian Shepherd
John Martin, Owner

She is a smart, devoted, energetic, and talented dog. She knows the
tricks of a circus dog, and will perform on command. Her tricks
include "beg", "shake hands", "crawl,"weave between legs", "jump
through arms", "jump onto lap","roll over", "crawl", "fetch your
ball", "bark", and sneeze on command". As you can see, she also
practices yoga.

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Nick, Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix

Scott and KellyAnn Madsen

Hi! My name is Nick and I'm a Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix.I was wandering through the woods on Christmas Eve morning in 2005 and I stumbled across a yard that had another Lab in it! I was really sick, very hungry, and weighed very little. Since we don't know when my birthday is, the vet says that I'm about 3 1/2 years old. After my now parents tried desperately to find my home, they decided that the best home for me was with them! I'm so happy to have a brother, a Black Lab, who always wants to play and we keep each company. Some of my best friends are from Labrador Friends of the South. I'm very laid back and love to watch the clouds go often picturing them of yummy dog treats. I love doggie ice cream, swimming, camping, chasing flies, and sleeping (that's actually what I do best). My parents always say how lucky I am that I found them, but I think the joke's on them, they are so lucky to have me.

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Ginger, Lab/ Pit Bull Mix
Mark, Krista, Brittany and Taylor, owners

Ginger has been a wonderful addition to our family. We were so lucky to adopt Ginger
from Labrador Friends of the South on December 31,2006. It was a wonderful way
to ring in the new year. Our entire family is crazy about her. She absolutely loves to
be with her family. She has a weak spot for squeaky toys. Ginger loves to wake our
girls. Every morning she serves as the alarm clock. She loves to shower people with
kisses. I can't imagine our life without her. We feel very lucky to have her as a member
of our family!

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Sam-Sam. Lab Tina Peters, Owner

Sam-Sam was adopted from Labrador Friends of the South (LFS) and is the brother to Sierra. Sam goes everywhere with his mom and sister. He loves to swim, play fetch, go for rides. He is very loving and loves to snuggle. Where ever you are he will be at your feet. He thinks that he is still a small puppy and loves to be in your lap. At bed time you can bet after his tummy rub and kisses he will keep your feet warm. Thanks to the assistance of LFS our family is complete and I would recommend anyone wanting a loving lab to contact them.

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Sierra, Sierra Tina Peters, Owner

Sierra is a 4.5 year old Chocolate Labrador and is the sister to Sam-Sam which we adopted from Labrador Friends of the South.
Sierra is spoiled rotten and goes every where with her mom. She loves to chase a ball, swim and go for rides on her mom's 4-wheeler.
This past April she become very ill to the point we thought we were going to lose her. She was taken to Auburn University where she lost all movement in her body with the exception of her eye movement. After going through extensive testing, great medical attention and A miracle from God she is back 100%. She is just as rotten if not more so than she was before her illness. Sierra loves to play with her brother and you do not see one of them without the other one is close behind. She thinks that she has to be snuggled up to her mom everynight at bedtime.

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Cerys ( pronounced Kerris), Lab Mix
Kiki and Phil Jones, owner

Cerys is the Welsh word for love. We went to a Labradorfriends meeting on 15th Dec 2007. They had a 'Box of puppies done up with Christmas tape' and were hoping to find homes for them. They had named them after Santa's reindeer. Cerys was then called Cupid and was the smallest. She was wrapped up in a little blanket and despite that was shivering all over. She was about 12 pounds in weight and beautiful, but very, very frightened. We had not thought of adopting a dog before that day but our hearts melted when we saw her. She was described as a Lab mix and people are still amazed when they see her for the first time as they expect her to be bigger.

She now weighs about 26 pounds at 11 months and is like a mini-lab (as a friend called her) perfectly proportioned and a wonderful honey colour. As she grew it was obvious that she was quite a nervous dog who still tries to run the other way when we get close to storm drains, but she was probably wild for a time with her family, so who knows what happened to her. She has changed our lives, but for the better..We have had nothing but support from Labfriends in the early teething stages when she was so terrified of everything, the dishwasher, the car, the friendly baby rabbit in the garden. You name it and she was terrified initially. With patience and few cross words she has settled into her new life and made ours richer. We think she has 'Star quality' but that will have to be left to your good judgement

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Levi. Australian Shepherd
Melissa De Jong, owner

Levi just turned one a few weeks ago so in my eyes he is still my puppy. He loves to play frisbee and chase his soccer ball. He also loves to play tug of war and liter the yard with all his toys. Although he doesn't like the waves at the beach he loves water. I love this picture of him 'winking'.

DOG CALENDAR ENTRY

Belle , American English Coonhound
Neal and Joy Anderson

We searched everywhere for the dog that needed us. That's when we met Belle. When we arrived to meet her, a wiggly ball of mud burst forward into Neal's lap. Her lot was only 15 feet square and she shared it with her brother. She informed us she needed a home with places to run and fun things to do. We brought her home and after her first bath we discovered she was not red but white with red spots. The wiggly didn't wash out. As we have lived together we have found we need her much more than she needed us. She takes care of everyone around her, not just her family. Once she found a young rabbit injured in the yard. She brought him to us and we rushed him to the vet where they saved him. The vet said Belle saved him by finding him so soon after the hawk attack. We would never have seen him without her excellent nose and concern for others. She even found Ponder Cove while she was watching TV one day. So for our 6th anniversary we took our 3 year old coonhound to Ponder Cove and she wanted to stay forever. She is such a big part of our family she even visits Joy's classroom from time to time. Everyone seems to know Belle even if they don't remember our names. She was shy but has blossomed into a loving, sweet, and friendly pup. We feel blessed to have her in our lives.

DOG CALENDAR CONTEST

Digby and Gryphon, LAP PUPS
Karen Hodgdon, Owner

They are 3 months old and so much fun!

Digby is bouncy and floppy and very playful. She is living up to her name by digging at everything. She is curious and bold and courageous, which is good because her brother is a bit more timid.

Gryphon is my thinker; he's also a cuddler. He's slightly bowlegged, so he can lay on the floor like puppies do, with his back legs sticking straight out behind him. He likes to sneak up and jump on Digby, which usually starts the wrestling match.

They are both generally appeased by rawhide - as you can see in the photo. It is a great distraction. Right now they love this big bed, but I don't think it'll be long before I'll have to get another one - they are growing up FAST!