Seattle

Make it Monday! DIY Doggy Ice Block!

Its been a super hot summer so far. Even in Seattle we have been seeing temps of 90 to 100 at least once a week. For this Make it Monday! I thought I would make something that would help cool down the pups on these hot days. I call it, thanks to my sister-in-law, fruit chicken soup!

 What you need

  • A Tupperware container or bucket (I used a 7 quart Tupperware with a lid) 
  • Tap water
  • Chicken broth 
  • Dog friendly fruits & vegetables (I used blueberries, strawberries, and carrots.)
  • Freezer 

 First I filled the Tupperware half with tap water and half with chicken broth. Then I added chopped strawberries, and carrots as well as a cup and a half of fresh blueberries.

 The next step was to freeze over night. It may take longer or shorter depending on the size of container you choose.

This morning when we wake up the sun was shining and the mercury was already rising. I pulled the fruit chicken soup from the freezer and with a little help from the hot water tap I was able to pop out the ice block. I took it outside and Basil, and our housemates dogs, Luna, and Hank went to town.

Dogs love ice blocks!This was a serious success! I am very happy with the result and the dogs really enjoyed it.
I highly recommend doing this for your dog this summer. Feel free to add dog food, dog treats, and toys or whatever your dog prefers.

Let me know how it goes!

How was you weekend? Until next time! Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

Wordless Wednesday! Faux Fire Hydrant!

“I’m not sure if I should pee on this, lick it, or both!” 

I think the answer was BOTH!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

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Make it Monday! DIY paw print art!

Art is what you can get away with. -Andy Warhol
  Happy Monday everyone! It’s so good to be back and even though we are still super busy it feels so great to be posting and sharing our adventures with all of you!

 Today on Make it Monday! we got a little creative, Basil and I did some custom paw print art work. It was super easy and we had a lot of fun. I seriously love the 2 pieces we made and can’t wait to hang them in our new home!

What you need

  • Blank Canvas (Any size. I used square)
  • Non-toxic water based acrylic paint (I used Crayola washable kids paint)
  • A plastic shower curtain liner or painting drop cloth
  • Wet wipes

 I found all these things at Target at a great price. I was surprised to find the canvas but I guess Target is getting pretty artsy. That worked in my favor! I decided to use the shower curtain liner as the floor covering and I couldn’t be happier. I purchased the cheapest one they had, $2.49, and it worked like a charm. The magnets those things have weighted down the sheet so when I throw it out on the lawn it stayed put, even with a bit of a summers breeze.   Next all I did was set out the canvas onto the shower liner, poured out a small amount of my desired color onto the shower liner next to the canvas, and let Basil walk through it. Then I had Basil walk directly onto the blank canvas. He wasn’t super into that part but he put up with it! You can also apply paint to 1 paw and press that paw onto the canvas. We did both.

After its all said and done the clean up was a breeze. I used the wet wipes to clean the paint off Basils paws and to clean the paint off the shower liner. I thought about just throwing the liner away but we really didn’t make that much of a mess. If you have a larger dog with bigger paws I would recommend a large wet wash cloth and maybe just saying good bye to the liner.

Once back in the house (We did this all in the front yard. I’m sure my neighbors and the UPS guy were all very curious as to what was happen!) Basil got a short little puppy bath with our favorite Burt’s Bees Apple & Oatmeal dog shampoo and is now happily napping.

Here is what our final creations look like. Once they’re dry I’ll add Basil’s name to the corner. He did do the majority of the work after all!

 What do you think of our art? Do you love it? I think it’s so post modern.

Let me know if you try this project and how it came out. I would love to see it!

A big thanks goes to Treats a la Bark for the original idea. I saw their take on this fun little art piece on Pinterest and had to give it a try.

Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and I’ll be posting about Leavenworth, Washington. Make sure to check back then to learn about our favorite dog friendly spots in this little Bavarian village. Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

We’re back!!

Our feet (and paws) have hit Pacific Northwest soil. We are back on the west coast!

A Taste of Basil's time on Lake Chelan
A Taste of Basil’s time on Lake Chelan

After a long cross country move and a crazy family vacation, we are finally getting back to the swing of things. I’ll be back to posting about our adventures and just the the silly things that happen in the life of Basil, Willow, and Sebastian on a daily basis.

Our first official post back will be a Make it Monday. I have a few ideas in the works but if you have something you really want me to try let me know in the comments.

Until then make sure your following us on Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/basilstravels) for even more Boston terrier fun!

Thanks everyone for sticking around through this little hiatus. We all really appreciate you!!

Now on to seeing what kind of trouble we can get into in the land of fish, trees, rain, and the 12th man! Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

Basil presents Dog Friendly destinations – Seattle, WA

Its another Travel Tuesday and I know I said I was going to do San Antonio, Texas but I changed my mind. I’m so excited to get back to the beautiful city of Seattle I thought I would do part 1 of probably many Seattle, Washington dog friendly destinations! These are only a few of the great spots in Seattle, it really is an amazingly dog friendly place. I’ll be posting more on other Travel Tuesdays so make sure to check back!Dog Friendly Destinations - Seattle, WA Soon we will be back on the West Coast and be going to a lot of West Coast destinations. Where do you want to see us go?

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

 

The hardest rooting 12th dog in the game! Go Hawks!

In this house we are huge Seattle Seahawks fans! You may have realized that if you have been to this blog before, or visited our Instagram or Twitter acounts. Its in our blood; every member of this family bleeds blue & green! So that means we have two (vert fat) 12th cats and the hardest rooting 12th dog in the game!

That being said, all of us are very excited that come this Sunday we get to watch our beloved Hawks in their 2nd Superbowl in 2 years! #rePete So much that we have been getting ready ourselves. Hardest Rooting 12th dog in the game!

Basil has been sporting his 12th dog gear every waking moment in anticipation. I also threw the referee jersey on Sebastian in hopes that maybe that will give us some better luck with the refs this weekend. (You never know! It’s only crazy if it doesn’t work!) 12th cat and 12th dog!

So this Sunday we will be yelling and screaming for our Seattle Seahawks and hoping for them to come home with the W. Lets all hope for a clean, fair football game and let the best team win! 12th cat and 12th dog!

In closing I’ll leave you with the famous words of Bill Nye, Rainn Wilson, Chris Pratt, Macklemore, and Katy Perry… “GO HAWKS!”

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

It was the 3rd day of October and my hipster gave to me…

… A manly Boston terrier in a blue floral scarf!
Basil is secure in his masculinity and loves to add floral into his wardrobe. This blue scarf (made by Juicy Couture. Okay, it may be mine…) is in honor of Blue Friday where ever 12th man, woman, and dog wears blue to support our Seattle Seahawks.

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What is everyone’s plans for the weekend? Is everyone enjoying the fall weather? Let us know in the comments below.

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

Basil’s Favorite Things — Brunch!

Hello all! Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was fun and/or productive. Basil, Nate, the cats, and I spend this last couple days hanging out at home. My husband had a lot of work to do so it was laundry, snuggles, food, sleep, and repeat for Basil and I.

We missed out on, what is an almost every weekend occurrence, brunch. For todays B.F.T I’m going to share a few of our families favorite dog-friendly brunch spots. If you don’t do the occasional brunch in your city, you really should! Grab your dog, check the weather, and hit up Google to find a great restaurant with a comfortable patio.

Here in North Carolina there are a few places that we regularly haunt. Check out the list below and if you are in the area make sure to hit them up. Not only are they dog-friendly but food is amazing! Also, I’ll include a few hot Seattle brunch spots for our friends and followers out that way!

Brunch with Basil

The String Bean
106 N Main Street, Belmont, NC 28012
Saturday Brunch starts at 9am
Great friendly staff!

Nan & Byrons
1714 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Saturday & Sunday Brunch 10am to 3pm
Bottomless cocktails!

Tavern on the Tracks
1411 S Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28203
Saturday & Sunday Brunch starts at 10am
Order the wings! Great drink specials!

Posana
1 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Saturday & Sunday Brunch 10am to 3pm
100% Gluten Free menu!

King’s Hardware
5225 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
Saturday & Sunday Brunch starts at noon
Dogs allowed inside and on the patio!
Best Burger in the World!!

Ocho
2325 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107
Saturday & Sunday Brunch starts at noon
Seat outside… Water views… Order a cocktail!

Mmmm brunch! I can’t wait for the weekend so we can go to brunch!

Also, keep an eye out for the upcoming Basil’s Brews, where we will be visiting a lot of North Carolina breweries. Basil’s such a booze hound!

Travel well, nap well, live well!

-Abbey & Basil

Throwback Thursday – I woke up this way!

Throwback Thursday – Summer 2011

Hello all! Life has been crazy in our neck of the woods this last week and by crazy I mean sickly. First the husband got it and then I got it and now, after thinking we were both done with it, the little bugger is trying to hold on! Its been a week of working from bed, drinking a lot of tea, and snuggling with Basil even more than normal.

For todays throwback thursday enjoy a few photos of sweet old Nolan back from the summer of 2011, when we took our engagement pictures. And even though Nolan didn’t make it to the wedding, I am so happy to have these photos to remember him by. Happy Thursday everyone… Stay well!

Travel well, nap well, live well!

-Abbey & Basil

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