Snow

About ten minutes after we got back from blue skies and beach, the snow began. 

Flash to a snow day from work (which, okay... that USED to be fun but now consists of smooshing every mandatory task from your day into a teeny tiny window at about 5:30 a.m.)

Jess took us on a forced march to Starbucks. She walked the puppy so I wouldn't turn into the hulk and go back home. 

Then we played in the back yard. Myka's first snow: 

Myka is six months old as of tomorrow. Say it ain't so!!

Jack is mid-bark here... his face says, SNOW DAY? REALLY? 

My prince. With a snow beard.  

Watching the girls playing... thanking his lucky stars they are leaving him alone.  

Beaches

Myka's first trip to the beach! Jack could smell the beach from, let's just say TOO far away, and barked his big dodo head off for the last three or so miles to the actual beach. 

It was so crowded (you know, for a Washington beach in February...) so we had to hike for a section of not-so-populated beach to play on. Two wet shoes and eight sandy paws later: 

There is nothing like the vast, open beach at Pacific and Roosevelt Beach on the WA coast... So much room to run and play for these two and so many good photo opportunities for mom. I was sorry I only brought my cell phone this time. The light in the surf was so pretty. 

I tell ya, this is really spinning up thoughts of a family vacation at the end of summer... do you hear that family? Do you?!

By the end of the trip we had two official beach dogs! Myka was hooked. And sandy. And cold. And... sandy. 

Now to clean out the car... 

Here Comes the Sun...

Here are the starts!

 

We have 75 tomato starts, three different types of peppers, sunflower, celosia, amaranth, coleus, and a thousand billion jillion begonias. Where, you ask? Our living room. Totally normal behavior.

 

You ready, The Quilting Doberman? Plants coming at you soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then the creatures. Gemma likes the dirt bucket.

 

 

And sunbathing.

 

 

Nora in the grass.

 

 

 

And the boy.

 

 

Anemone.

 

 

Poppy.

 

 

 

Tulip!

 

 

Anemone.

 

 

Another Tulip.

 

 

Last year's green onion... (Oops. It's not really supposed to bloom...)

 

 

More Tulips and Hyacinth.

 



Airscent Training

Okay - no post in forever, but today was so much fun, I can't resist.

 

We got to train in a secret fairyland place today. The wooded areas are wonderful and open and the ground is covered in moss... Fairy. Land.

 

Normally each dog works a 20-60 acre area and searches for a couple of human subjects. Today another handler and I tried something a little different. Jack and his friend Benny worked together!

 

After they sorted out the wiggles... and barking...

 

They got to work!

 

 

And worked...

 

 

And worked...

 

 

Once they got into the subject's general area, both dogs worked out the scent picture a little bit differently, but they ended up at the subject at the same time, raced back to the respective handler, indicated, and performed the refind at the same time too.

 

Then it was play time!

 

 

 

 Jack and Benny compared toys.

 

 

It was such a cool problem to work through - a touch of confusion, a little bit of distraction, and a really cool ending. Wonderful, wonderful day out in the woods!!!!!!!

Heights? Who's Afraid of Heights?

The day before I left for a brief 4th of July escape from work, a friend and I met at 0600 for a hike. Little did we know a beat-the-dawn start time would not beat the bugs. Boy, are they out in force this summer! We were overcome with an urgency, not only to beat the heat, but to keep moving to keep the bugs off.

 

 

Jack and his friend Nim had a great time and it was really nice to get out start the day with a long walk. Great to catch up with my friend too.

 

 

Jack is a special boy. It was a long way down to the water.

 

Later that day, Jess and I went up to the family cabin for a day and a night. It was so hot - holy moly. We actually went swimming in the Puget Sound, which... no. It has to be burning-rays-of-a-thousand-suns hot to be able to go into the Sound higher than your knees. Did that stop Jack from wanting to play? But of course not.

 

 

 

His eyes are shut. Although he may just be blinking, I choose to believe he is basking in the glory that is his most favorite place in the entire world.

 

 

Daisy has the right idea.

 

 

 The cats were displeased upon our return. The new little one is officially "Gemma," by the way. Name tag makes it official.

 

 

And then everyone reunited for the night. Happy (except Gemma with the cone of shame. Darn cut behind her ear won't heal) campers.

 



Jess's Perspective

Jess took some beautiful pictures of the garden today and I thought I'd post them. Sometimes another person's perspective seem better for photos. Just don't say so if you agree ;)

 

 

I must say, as I sat in the courtroom listening to the rain on the roof, I imagined Jess out in the garden huddled over a flower of some sort. Turns out I was right.

 

Dragonfly in the sun.

 

 

Tomato Row in the background. The Quilting Doberman should send her elk babies over to eat the apples off these trees! You can see the cucumber, beans, and squash vines growing up the greenhouse frame. Yay. Orange nasturtiums in the bottom right-hand corner.

 

Dahlias, dahlias, and more dahlias. This one is strange because the first bloom was a blend - almost like two bulbs had fused together. One large chunk was a solid red, the rest this confetti color. Very interesting.