View my profile on Mazatlan
Please help the animals of Mazatlan
Our family keeps growing. In April 2001 Nadine had yet another baby. This time the sister of Belle. Her name is Venus. Our family now consists of two cats, two pretty much full sized dogs, and a doglet.

Our new Italian Greyhound, Belle, in one of the few moments where she is standing still. (7K)
<--Belle
Venus--> Our new Italian Greyhound, Venus, in one of the few moments where she is standing still. (7K)
Belle is an Italian Greyhound which we got in October 2000 from Freda Byard, a wonderful breeder who really loves her doggies. She was named after Catherine Bell, who owns two Italian greyhounds herself, and is featured on one of our favorite TV programs, JAG. She is simply the sweetest and happiest creature we have ever met. In fact Nadine and I both have a lot to learn from this dog, for no matter what is going on, she is just sooooo happy, and she shows it. She is also poetry in motion. When she is walking slowly, she does a high stepping prance, and when she runs, she's awesome.

The only problem with Belle was that she was very active, and Gatita has a more laid back attitude. In fact, Gatita did her best to pretend that Belle didn't exist. When Freda decided that she couldn't breed Venus, Nadine hopped on the next plane to Amarillo and picked up her new daughter. They have been living happily ever after since. Of course, we are proud of our babies, and each of them, Belle, Venus, and Gatita have their own pages.

A few days after the passing of our Gatita dog, we came across this little bundle of love at a dog show in Mazatlan. She was still too young to come home with us, so we let her stay with her mother for another couple of weeks. Once we got her, the pain of losing Gatita gradually subsided. She has turned out to be a combination between a cute, sweet, happy little doggie, and a Tasmanian she-devil. Her coloring was so similar to Venus's coloring that we decided to name her Aphrodite.
At the left she is all sweetness and nice. At the right she is at the beginning stages of Tasmo mode. When she gets into Tasmo mode, all you can do is take her outside and let her run around in circles. Eventually she runs out of steam. She has only been with us since early 2004, but she already bosses the greyhounds around. If they are playing with a toy or a chew, she justs walks over to them and takes it away.

A little bundle of joy and purring, our Miss Parker kitten at about 6 weeks of age (9K) This is Miss Parker, who we named after the delightfully wicked character on the Pretender. We got her in November of 1998, and now it is hard to believe that she once fit in the palm of Nadine's hand. Today she is a little terror, but very smart. (Of course one's children are always very smart.)
Miss Parker at about 6 months, boy has she grown (4K) Nadine has taught her to fetch, catch, shake, sit, lie down, and up. She also goes for walks with us on the beach, with or without a leash. If you see someone walking a chihuahua or an Italian greyhoud, or a Siamese cat on the beach, chances are it is us.
In spring of 2003, we went to an Amigos de los Animales meeting, when Mitchel and Cheryl Ledis related the sad story of a kitten that they were in the process of rescuing. At the time, we had two cats, a very old and increasingly feeble Tippy, and a relatively young and increasingly inactive Miss Parker. So we decided that we should adopt this kitten as a companion for Miss Parker. Naturally we had to name him Jarod, after Miss Parkers love and nemesis on the Pretender.
Here is little Jarod, all grown up. His favorite activity is rescuing used toilet paper from the toilet. If you ever visit our house, make sure you always keep the toilet lid down, or we'll make you clean up the mess. I think Jarod must be part rabbit, because he has the softest fur I have ever felt on a cat. He and I stick together, for we are the only males in a sea of females.

The happy couple, Nadine Laxen and Henry Laxen, in 1991. (7K) <-- 1991
2000 --> The happy couple, Nadine Laxen and Henry Laxen, in 2000. (10K)

Just to prove that time marches on, I thought after ten years we should update our photos and get a little closer to reality. So here we are, all dressed up and celebrating the start of the new Millineum at the El Cid Casa Club on December 31, 2000. The food was good, and the band was even better. Maybe you should join us next year!

My beautiful wife, Nadine, and I met in 1990 in Mexico of all places. We were both on vacation at Club Med in Sonora Bay. We are both fifty something, love animals, and have adopted Mazatlan as our new home. We divide our time between maintaining this web site, playing tennis and bridge, walking the beach, computing, and watching our favorite TV shows. We usually spend 6 to 7 months in Mazatlan, and 5 to 6 months in Reno, Nevada. Nadine's interests are her family, decorating, shopping, entertaining, and siestas. Henry's are math and physics, tennis, Nadine, and siestas (not necessarily in that order.) Should you wish to send us a message, you are welcome to do so.

In case you are curious, you can check out where we live. We have two houses, one is in the El Cid Marina section of Mazatlan, where us usually live from November until June, and the other is in Reno, Nevada where we stay during the summers, from June till October.

Remembrance of pet's past

A 4 pound chihuahua standing next to her stuffed reindeer toy. Too cute for words (9K) Just before Christmas of 2003, we lost our dear little chihuahua dog, Gatita, our constant companion since 1995. She was a great little dog, and spent countless hours on my lap as I sat in front of the computer.
Here is our chihuahua dog, Gatita, which means little cat in Spanish. Actually gatita is the diminutive of gata, which means cat. This allows us to tell people that we have 3 gatas, but one is a dog. It definitely confuses the locals. Most people only recognize us when she is with us. Anyway Gatita is our eternal baby, and one of the sweetest doggies we've ever seen. She loves people, and unlike most chihuahuas is not a yipper. Whenever we take her for a walk on the beach, she is always sure to attract a crowd. The little kids just squeal with delight as the "chihuahueno" (a Mazatlan slang) walks by. We got her as a two year old back in 1995, and she has been our constant companion. She likes nothing better than to sit on my lap while I'm on the computer, hence her nickname, computer dog.

All of the images below are "thumbnails."
To see the full size pictures, just click on them.

Hi there. Gatita here.
It's not often that I'm as big as a tree, so I had my humans take a picture just to prove it.
Whatever I did wrong, I'm sorry.
Whenever I see my sisters, Belle, or Venus, getting ready to run around, I just sit down until all the commotion passes.

Half siamese and half other, Tippy is a beautiful black and white cat who is sometimes mistaken for furry hippo. (18K) In March of 2004, we lost out 20 year old cat, Tippy. This had been Nadine's cat since before we were married, and helped her get through some rough times in her life.
Tippy was Nadine's cat when we got married. I have nicknamed her Sumo Cat. She has a high squeaky voice, which is constantly saying "feed me." Weighing in at 16 pounds, she is a great cat bargain, if consider a per pound cost. After a big meal, she is so tired that she needs a long nap to conserve energy. When she looks at me, I am always wondering if she considers me a light snack. She loves to roll on her back and give a look that says "adore me." If you plan on petting her, be sure to set aside an afternoon, so you can provide adequate area coverage.
There's just no nap like a cat nap!
This was my first cat, Sophie. She was with me for almost 20 years, and was the most incredible cat I have ever met. She showed up one night on the doorstep of my girlfriend at the time, Joan Richardson ... cold, hungry, crying, and generally miserable. Joan lived in an apartment that didn't allow pets, but had managed to smuggle her cat, Tess, into the apartment. But she knew that the manager would never allow her to keep another cat. Thus Sophie became my cat, and my relationship with her lasted much longer than with her previous (almost) owner.
Let me tell you just a few of the incredible things this cat could do. For one, she learned a foreign language. In addition to a regular catlike meow, she had a low, gutteral tone that sounded exactly like the quack of a duck. Many times I was on the phone and she would quack, making the person on the other end ask me what the hell I was doing with a duck in the house. Next, I taught her to use the toilet, instead of the kitty litter box. On more than one occasion, when I had a guest over at the house, she would take herself to the bathroom for a piddle. My guest, knowing that I lived alone, would asked me in a rather alarmed voice, "Who else is in the house?" They would almost never believe me when I said not to worry, that is just my cat Sophie!
Sophie used to love to fall asleep on my chest at night, always facing my feet. It was as if she was watching out for me. The amazing part of this was that she could hear me opening my eyes. I swear I would not move a muscle other than opening my eyelids, and the instant I did so, she would be facing the other was an let out a brief quack. The only explanation that I could come up with, that didn't involve supernatural effects, was that she could hear me open my eyes.
This was my second cat, Emma, whom I got as a companion for Sophie. I was working very long hours at Paradise Systems, when one day one of my fellow workers showed up with a box full of kittens. I hated leaving Sophie all alone at home, and decided that I should get another cat to keep her company. They were instant best friends, and spent many happy years together.
Emma was named after the main character in one of my favorite books, namely Emma by Jane Austin. Jane Austins novels are absolutely delightful, because basically nothing really happens. Emma was also the first name of my grandmother, and one of my favorite TV characters was, of course, Emma Peel.

Anyway, Emma was a very nice cat, though not nearly as smart as Sophie. She did achieve what I wanted though, namely to make Sophie a happier kitty.

Anyone who hasn't shared their life with an animal probably won't understand, but having a pet is one of the best things you can do for yourself. You will experience unconditional love and affection from your pet more than you are likely to experience from any human. They are completely fullfilled just by receiving your attention. They want nothing more than to be close to you. They ask for nothing, but give everything. They do not judge you, criticize you, but simply accept you, for however you are at the moment. I miss all of our beloved animal friends, but my life is all the richer for having been able to share it with them.