It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness. ~ Charles Sprugeon
The recent weather trend around here has been so-so weather during the week followed by spectacular weather on the weekend. This weekend was no exception.
It was a perfect day to hit the trail.
It wasn’t too hot so the main activity of the day was running.
By the time we arrived at our destination the dogs were ready to jump in and cool off.
While the dogs splashed and played I kicked back and enjoyed the view.
It was pretty much a perfect day.
Our weekend fun was not confined to Saturday, however. On Sunday the dogs had a play date with my friend’s son. My friend’s son loves dogs, but they don’t have a dog so Sadie and Luka were happy to spend the day at their house. I didn’t think to snap any pictures except for this one. It was too adorable to pass up (apologies for the shoddy quality…I took it with my phone).
My friend’s son is learning about different animals. When we first arrived at their house he spotted Sadie and said “doggy!”. Then he toddled over to Luka, started petting him and said “bear!”. It took some explaining, but he was soon calling Luka “doggy!”, too.
Finally, I am enjoying the day off of work, but realize it came at a horrible cost. Thank you.
My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can. ~ Cary Grant
The weather was shaky again this past week and we missed two of our walks. Saturday made up for it, though.
It was perfect hiking weather.
We missed our Friday night walk so on Saturday morning the dogs were ready to go.
They took off together
and then ran back to get me.
My initial goal of the hike was for the dogs to burn off some energy.
Finally, mission accomplished.
As we made our way through the woods Luka spotted something and took off running. He was out of my sight and didn’t seem to respond to my initial call for him to return. Just when I thought he’d lost his off leash privileges he appeared and was running as fast as he could.
Finally, we reached our ultimate destination.
The reservoir was not the end of the fun. We hiked a lot more after we left there.
Luka gave me his best model pose.
Sadie thinks posing is silly. Why pose when you can run?
Finally, my favorite picture of the day. I titled it “Happiness”.
Forever is composed of nows. ~ Emily Dickinson
The weather cooperated this weekend so we hit our favorite hiking spot again. The weather canceled a couple of our walks during the week so the dogs were in the mood to run.
At one point Sadie wandered off the trail and fell behind. I figured this was the perfect time to get a great shot of her running to catch up. She had a surprise for me, though.
She brought me a dead bird. Yuck!! (She did drop it as soon as I told her to drop it.)
Luka proved that last week’s behavior was not a fluke. He ran ahead on the trail but always waited for me to catch up.
When I stopped walking he came back to get me.
This week I noticed that Sadie waited for me whenever there was a trail junction.
Luka just picked a trail and ran ahead (and was often wrong about which way we were going), but Sadie waited for me to lead the way.
Once I showed the way the dogs went ahead of me.
As always, the highlight of the day was the water.
Despite the wonky weather (fog to sun to clouds back to sun back to clouds) it was another spectacular day (can you spot Luka in this picture?).
Finally, I don’t know when the Sleeping Olympics begin but the training around here is intense.
To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first. ~ William Shakespeare
This weekend marks six months since I fell while hiking and sprained the living hell out of my ankle. I’ve spent the past six months diligently working to first heal and then strengthen my ankle. The first couple of months were rough, but I knew that if I pushed through I would be ready when the 2011 hiking season arrived.
All of the hard work was worth it.
Yesterday the dogs and I hit the trail for our first hike of the year.
A notable difference from last year: Luka is off leash on the trail.
I’ve had him for over a year now. He’s become very obedient and seems to have bonded closely to me. I had a feeling he could handle being off leash and I was right. He always came back when I called and he never got too far away from me.
Best of all: he and Sadie had a fantastic time exploring together. (I love the big smile on her face in this picture.)
They ran around so much that they needed to rest just 30 minutes into the hike.
Then they had to rest again just a short time later.
Finally, we reached our destination (where Luka jumped right in and started swimming).
Sadie swam, too.
They also played together.
Luka explored the rocks.
When it was snack time the dogs kept a close eye on my bag of carrots. (They both love carrots.)
It was a lovely day.
Finally, Milo continues training for the Sleep Olympics.
Life is the art of drawing without an eraser. ~ John W. Gardner
Spring is on its way to this part of the world and that means more time outside.
The dogs and I went to the park this weekend. The main activity of the day was running.
There was running in the woods.
And running in the fields.
Both dogs enjoyed exploring.
I love the look on Sadie’s face in this picture.
And in this one.
Luka continued his love affair with water.
At one point he became a bit obsessed with a tennis ball.
Where was Sadie while Luka was frolicking in the stream? She was catching a quick nap in the sunshine.
All of the park activity led to Sadie’s second favorite pastime….holding down the couch.
Sometimes Luka helps Sadie hold down the couch.
Luka is clearly not as committed as Sadie is, though. He’s been busy making friends with his new brother. (Notice how Milo’s paw is ready to bat Luka if he gets too close.)
Speaking of Milo, I don’t believe I’ve adequately demonstrated just how adorable he can be.
Here’s something random I noticed the other night.
Sadie is not a dainty girl, but her paw is dwarfed by Luka’s paw.
Finally, some knitting…the current pair of socks.
You will never find time for anything. If you want the time, you must make it. ~ Charles Buxton
:: tap tap ::
Is this thing on?
It’s been quite some time since I posted so (of course) I have a ton of pictures.
I lost my knitting mojo for several weeks, but recently found it and started knitting again. I’ve been working on two projects.
Socks:
Scarf (started last winter):
Besides knitting and dogs, one of my passions in life is classic movies. TCM (Turner Classic Movies) recently had a traveling exhibit of movie memorabilia and it stopped in a nearby city.
This Oscar was awarded to Casablanca:
This costume was worn by Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. The detail on this costume was amazing. The colors were still vibrant. It’s hard to believe this costume was used in 1921. It looks brand new.
This costume was worn by Christopher Plummer in The Sound Of Music. My only complaint about the exhibit is that the lighting was awful. It was impossible for me to get a good photograph of this costume. In person the dark colors of this costume ware still rich and the details are striking.
This dress was worn by Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind. In the movie this dress was a vibrant blue/grey. It has definitely faded a bit and has some noticeable damage (stains and repaired rips/holes), but it’s gorgeous. The detail on the dress is stunning. The most surprising thing about the dress is that it’s corduroy! I had no idea.
I was driving home from work one day and spotted this:
It turned out to be a salvage yard fire.
I had never been this close to such a big fire and it was amazing to watch.
No one was injured and no occupied structures were destroyed.
It’s been a ridiculously mild fall here. We usually start getting snowstorms in October. It’s now December 12 and we haven’t had one snowstorm. It hasn’t even really snowed yet and it’s been quite warm. We even had a streak of 80 degree days in November. The dogs and I took advantage of that heatwave to hike our favorite spot.
There are not many picture from that hiking trip. This is because a couple of miles into the hike I fell and twisted the hell out of my ankle. I’ve had a lot of ankle sprains in my life (I am a bit of a klutz) but this is the worst one (by far). I couldn’t walk the dogs at all for two weeks.
It’s now five weeks after The Fall. Recovery has been steady, but slow. I’m able to walk the dogs 4-5 days a week and for 40 minutes each time. (We usually walk 7 days a week for 60-90 minutes.) I’m not able to walk on uneven surfaces (only paved roads) so we haven’t even been able to go to the dog park. I’m hoping to be back at the dog park by the end of this month and back to hiking sometime next spring.
Since my walking is limited I’ve been amusing myself by taking pictures of the dogs. Sadie is absolutely adorable when she sleeps.
Luka hasn’t been left out of the picture taking:
Luka loves sleeping in his crate even when the dog bed isn’t in it (it was being washed):
My boy is very photogenic.
Finally, if you love dogs, go here and enjoy a laugh along with Tank (although I’m not sure she’s laughing). For her sake, I hope this winter is a short one. 
Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness. ~ Allen Ginsberg
My camera is home and the weather this weekend was warm and sunny. The dogs and I headed out for an adventure.
The leaves are changing
and the views were (as always) gorgeous.
We hiked through the trees.
Across the fields.
Up into the foothills.
And then we reached the highest point where we overlooked the plains.
This high point was also our destination.
The reservoir!
I once again tossed some dog treats in the water for the dogs to retrieve.
I also shot a video of Sadie swimming for treats. You can see it here
Sadie knew that the dog treats were in the backpack and took it upon herself to guard that backpack.
I love watching the dogs play in the water.
Once the dogs started getting tired I was able to snap a couple of good portraits of them.
It was a wonderful day.
I’ve talked before about how Luka loves to burrow and sleep behind my furniture. Because of this, I’ve suspected that Luka would like a crate. Since a Luka-sized crate is not in my budget I’ve been looking for one on Craigslist.
A couple of weekends ago I was driving home when I passed a yard sale. There was a huge crate sitting in this person’s driveway so I pulled a quick U-turn, counted the contents of my wallet ($30) and asked them how much they wanted for it. I nearly fell over at the answer: $5. The crate was filthy (it had obviously been used outside) but I stuffed it into my little car and brought it home. An hour outside with the hose and a container of Comet restored it to nearly new condition.
The verdict:
Luka loves it. He spends about half of his time in there now. This is easily the best bargain I’ve ever scored at a yard sale.
The crate is huge and took the last bit of floor space I had left in my tiny living room. The top of the crate is also a wonderful end table.
The other morning I finished my breakfast, put the bowl beside me and told the dogs they couldn’t touch it. Luka sat like this for about 10 minutes before I caved and let him lick the bowl. How could I resist?
Just before sunset.
My camera is on the way home from the repair shop and should arrive tomorrow. I cannot wait!
The dogs and I didn’t go on our usual weekend adventure and I didn’t take any pictures this week so today’s post is featuring one of my all time favorite pictures.
This picture was taken on February 2, 2009. I was walking the dogs at sunset. At one point I walked past a sign and the sign blocked out the bright sun. Something in my head thought “that would be a cool picture”. I walked back and snapped this picture.
Life is too deep for words, so don’t try to describe it, just live it. ~ C.S. Lewis
Summer is hanging on here in Colorado. When the dogs and I set out for our weekend adventure it was around 80 degrees and the sun was shining brightly. It was a perfect day for exploring. The only downside is that my camera is still in the repair shop so I (again) only had my iPhone for pictures (and video!).
We went back to our new favorite place. There are miles of hiking trails there and we just wandered around and enjoyed the day.
Besides views of the mountains some of the trails also overlook the city and the plains beyond.
Even Luka seemed to enjoy the view.
The highlight, of course, was the reservoir. We went there twice during our wandering and the dogs loved every minute of it.
Luka was very happy to be back in the water.
Sadie swam, too.
Sadie’s swimming, though, doesn’t just happen. I have to throw Milk Bones in the water for her to swim. I videotaped it this time. You can see that here.
I’m hoping to have my camera back soon so I can take some quality pictures of our adventures at this place.
I’ve made a lot of progress on the socks.
Sock wearing season is fast approaching and I can’t wait to wear the new pairs that I’ve knit since last winter.
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. ~ George Bernard Shaw
My camera is still in the repair shop so I’ve only had my iPhone for taking pictures. The quality isn’t great, but I have taken some pictures this week.
We had some very hot (in the 90′s) weather last weekend. Luka does not like hot weather. He would stare at me with this face like he was saying ‘please, make it stop’.
Sadie deals with hot weather by letting it all hang out.
We went back to our new favorite spot this weekend. We did more hiking.
But the real fun happened in the water…
…running on the shoreline…
…and playing fetch.
All of that fun means lots of sleeping that night.
And a lot of dog sleeping means knitting time for me.
