THE FATHER BLOG

I’m off again soon to Florida for another trip. This one is definitely leisure and I’ll be hanging out with a good friend for a few days. There will beer/liquor involved so it will definitely give me a solid Booze Tuesday post in the week that follows.

I’m looking forward to a break from the snow, ice, and single digit temps we are getting here for the foreseeable future. I am also fortunate enough to have multiple inexpensive flights to Florida from Philadelphia daily. If you are traveling light, Frontier Airlines is the cheap, no frills way to go. I think my round trip flight was under $100.

Here is my suggestion if you like to travel like I do and sometimes on short notice. Start with a simple Google search of “where can I fly direct” or give it the ChatGPT search based on your local airport. If you are flexible, you can find some amazing deals and get away if you need a break. I will say that PHL airport has a fantastic site: https://www.phl.org/WWF. Maybe your local airport does too?

So I’m off soon enough for some sun, fun, and Floridays! Are you going to plan your next trip? Where are you headed?

Today’s Family topic….teeth brushing. Not yours….your dog’s teeth.

Deke had his “well visit” at the vet office yesterday. He’s very healthy and doing great! One of the things the vet commented on was how good his teeth look. Now Deke is 5 years old and I admit I didn’t start brushing his teeth from day 1 at home like I have with Delaney. But you can catch up quick with daily brushings and I’ve pretty much been doing both of their teeth regularly now for years. They both have very white teeth and healthy gums. Ignoring this daily routine can lead to your dog having to have teeth removed for health reasons (and this can also get expensive as even most pet insurance plans don’t cover dental as a base policy).

So almost every day I get out their hairbrush and brush them. Then get their toothbrushes and brush their teeth. And then I may be a little overzealous with putting paw balm Shea butter on their pads….but I enjoy spoiling/taking care of them so much.

So if you have a short haired dog, they probably don’t need brushing daily. They will probably survive without paw balm. But don’t neglect your dog’s teeth! Start the brushing routine today! Here’s the stuff I use from Amazon. I’ve done the beef flavor but they also really seem to like the banana mint flavor one I’m using now.

While on the trip out west to New Mexico and Texas, I always like to find local breweries and try local beers. One of the ones I bought in a store and tried in the hotel after hikes was Get Elevated from La Cumbre Brewing Co. It was rated as a world class (96) on Beer Advocate. In my opinion, this beer was solid for sure but not really worthy of the World Class rating…though I would drink it again. Some of the beers I had from El Paso Brewing were better. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24659/66245/

While in Carlsbad, NM one night, we decided to head to Guadalupe Mountains Brewing Co. We heard they made some good pizza there and I was interested in trying some beers. The beers were serviceable but nothing that blew me away. The pizza however was fantastic…and that’s coming from a New Jersey boy who can always get his hands on a great slice. I had the Green Chile Chicken pizza..it was amazing!

If you ever find yourself in Carlsbad, NM….it’s definitely worth a stop in. The Pale Ale and IPA were decent…but I thought they did an exceptional job with the Coconut Porter.