International Blog!

Well, photos to follow. Wasn't able to upload. It's going to make for a bland blog. Anyway, I'm in Israel, visiting family. It's strange not to be in Charlotte handling everything that needs to be handled, like my email blast that screwed up! I tried to send out an announcement about the release of the holiday issue of Cats & Dogs of Charlotte but I guess my Excel file was corrupted. It's frustrating to be so far away and not able to do much. On the other hand it will force me to relax and enjoy being with the family. I've been in Jerusalem since Sunday, so I've been hanging out with my parents and the Jerusalem side of the family. On Thursday we'll all meet at the Dead Sea for a weekend at a resort.

It's always strange to be back in a place that I left when I was 21. It always brings back a lot of mixed emotions. Israel has changed tremendously since 1977 when I left but there's a hardness that starts to make me hard and I don't like being that person. Of course there's a lot of wonderful things also. The people have become much more pet oriented now that there's a better economy. I saw an announcement for a dog breeders show up North where they said there would be about 1,000 participants. That's a lot of people by any standards. Maybe it's time to do a Cats & Dogs of Jerusalem! Then again, maybe not.

We're off for more adventures. More blog to follow.

Sara

Just a Hello

Photos (if they show up):

Jaye Delai, radio personality; the owner of Jazz Cafe; and a woman whose name I don't remember. This was Wednesday night at Jaye Delai's happy hour mixer at Jazz Cafe.

The Dog Salon owners and patrons read the new edition of Cats & Dogs of Charlotte, holiday issue!

Chelsey gets a doggie kiss at The Dog Salon in Noda on Saturday night.

Tomorrow's a new day. Tomorrow will bring new adventures to share with you. Everyday is a blessing, everyday I will try to visualize peace, not only for myself but for everyone I love, and those living in turmoil.

Sara Abrams
visit: www.CatsAndDogsOfCharlotte.com

I Finally Left Town for an Adventure

(Please note - most of the photos need to be clicked on.,.. I'll try and get this fixed!)
I got in the car this beautiful Saturday morning and drove up to Boone. It took about 2 hours. The temperature was about the same as Charlotte, just under 50 degrees, but there was an incredibly cold wind blowing. I ended up wearing my heavy jacket and was still cold! I hadn't been to Boone yet so didn't know what to expect. It was cute, but I think that next time I'll concentrate on something outdoorsy. The downtown was fine, but nothing to get too excited about. It's a college town, Appalachian State, and there was a football game today. The town was packed with alumni and fans. I had two gentlemen pose for me on their way to the game. I also stumbled upon the marching band practicing before the game.

I found a cool cowboy store called Watsonatta Western World and had two of the store clerks pose for me. The store was JAM PACKED with merchandise. It was incredible. Made me want to get on a horse. Seriously. And then I found the guy with the mohawk right off the main street. I guess he's used to having people take his photo. Didn't even ask what it was for.

The ride up was easy but I freaked out a little as we got up into the mountains and it suddenly turned into a one-lane highway. I was not expecting that. I wouldn't want to be on that road in bad weather. I was on 321 going up and that put me through Blowing Rock. I'd like to go back there and explore too. I loved seeing "Daniel Boone" lodgings up in Boone. I guess I'd better do some background research and find the connection!

Okay, looked it up in Wikipedia: "Boone acquires its name from the famous pioneer and explorer Daniel Boone, who on several occasions camped at a site generally agreed to be within the present city limits. Boone was served by the legendary narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) (also known as "Tweetsie Railroad")."

So, now we all know how Boone, NC got its name! I'm leaving you with one more photo of my kitten and Sam, as the love affair continu

Fall is Here! (And I don't know why these photos won't appear

(Note - I can't get these photos to show up! So click on the box if you want to see them!) The seasons changed like clockwork. My friend Terry and I walked the greenway and it was just astounding to see the leaves on the ground, the very beginnings of leaves changing colors and experiencing the smell of autumn. What a pleasure. There have been a lot of deer on the greenway, but I haven't seen it. I'm vowing to bring my digital camera with me for the next few walks to try and capture that.

Still working on the magazine. The proofs are in and we should go to print on Wednesday. Can't wait. Still very busy with the multitudes of businesses I'm trying to get going. It's very exhausting at times!

The kitten is still a joy (and a pain). He's not a lover (yet) but he plays and runs and jumps and climbs and it's just fun to have all that energy in our quiet little house,

Got to run to Starbucks. One of my few treats.

Tomorrow's a new day. Tomorrow will bring new adventures to share with you. Everyday is a blessing, everyday I will try to visualize peace, not only for myself but for everyone I love, and those living in turmoil.

Sara Abrams
visit: www.CatsAndDogsOfCharlotte.com