One of the tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. ~ Dale Carnegie
It’s been an odd summer in my neck of the woods. The combination of an epic wildfire (which closed many of my favorite hiking spots) and unbearable heat has meant the dogs and I have been a bit lacking in our outdoor adventures.
Not last weekend.
We hit the road and headed for the hills. The destination: somewhere I’ve wanted to hike for years.
Luka eagerly led the way while Sadie waited for me to snap the picture.
The woods eventually opened up.
Luka enjoyed exploring.
He especially liked climbing on the huge rocks.
Sadie was fond of the cool stream water.
As for me….I enjoyed the scenery.
As we neared the summit Luka (finally) started to look tired.
And Sadie appeared to take in the view.
Finally we reached the summit.
The dogs rested
and I took in the view.
When we returned to the car the dogs immediately settled in for the ride home.
By the time I stopped for a snack
the sounds of snoring were coming from the back of the car.
Too much of a good thing is wonderful. ~ Mae West
The calendar tells me that summer is just around the corner. I think summer is already here.
The dogs and I returned to the ‘ole swimming hole today. To say it was a smashing success is an understatement.
Even before we arrived at the water the dogs seemed downright gleeful.
There was exploring.
Like always, Luka ran ahead but always waited at a trail junction for me to point the way.
It was a gorgeous day.
Shortly after we arrived home the thunderstorms arrived. Luka settled in the chair in the front of the window and watched the rain fall.
Perhaps he was dreaming of the swimming hole?
There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning. ~ Louis L’Amour
There has been hiking happening around here.
It’s the picture taking that’s been lacking. I finally remembered to snap some pictures yesterday.
There was running.
And sniffing.
Here they come!
Luka was kind enough to strike a pose at an overlook.
Sadie managed to smile while running.
I smiled while taking in views like this. Oh, how I love my adopted state.
When we arrived home I promptly fell asleep on the couch. Upon waking, I found that I was not alone.
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? ~ Vincent Van Gogh
There’s been gorgeous weather around here lately. It’s been perfect for hiking.
And for running.
I haven’t taken a lot of pictures on our weekend adventures lately. I’ve been too busy enjoying the scenery.
On today’s hike the sky was a beautiful blue and the sun was shining brightly. It was the perfect day to take portraits of the dogs.
But they refused to look at the camera.
Sadie finally cooperated.
Luka stayed stubborn and looked where he wanted to look.
Finally I followed his gaze.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love Colorado?
Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you. ~ Aaron Douglas Trimble
After a chilly week the weekend dawned sunny, clear (and most importantly): warm (in the 50′s!). The dogs and I took advantage of the break in the weather to check out some new hiking trails.
There was running.
Snow eating.
More running.
Did I mention all of the running?
From all of the running it would appear that the dogs have spent the last week locked up in cages 24 hours a day. That, however, is not the case. The dogs and I have been walking three miles a day. I’m not sure where all of this energy came from but it was a lot of fun to watch.
The great thing about hiking in the winter is that I don’t have to carry water for the dogs. They just eat snow when they’re thirsty.
The views on our hike were incredible.
Sadie even struck a pose for me.
I did mention all of the running, didn’t I?
At one point Luka took a break from running and flopped down on the trail.
Soon it became clear.
Luka had found something yummy smelling to roll in.
Sadie noticed and moved closer to check it out.
She agreed with me: the boy is nuts.
I have two criteria to determine the success of a hike.
The first is how much mud is involved.
SUCCESS!!
The seconds is how tired the dogs are.
Sadie dozed off while I was snapping that picture of my muddy leg.
SUCCESS!
When we arrived home Luka climbed onto his favorite dog bed.
Soon he was comatose.
MASSIVE SUCCESS!!! (It is very, very difficult to wear out Luka.)
I don’t think any of us will have trouble sleeping tonight.
In summer, the song sings itself. ~ William Carlos Williams
It’s been a summer of adventure around here.
Every weekend has been spent hitting the trails.
I enjoy hiking on the trails while the dogs prefer to run around like wild animals.
A few weeks ago our weekend adventure became a little too exciting. We were enjoying a walk through the forest when the dogs took off through the underbrush. This isn’t unusual. They often take off and chase rodents or birds.
I stopped to wait for them. The dogs had run down into a ravine so I was up on hill looking down at them. All of a sudden, movement in a tree (about 50 yards in front of me) caught my attention. Sitting in that tree (and looking right at me) were three black bear cubs. The dogs were at the base of the tree, jumping up and trying to get at the bear cubs.
Yes, my dogs treed three bear cubs. Clearly, they have a death wish.
I was remarkably calm as terror swept through every cell of my body. Where there are bear cubs, there is a mama bear. Mama bears are big. Mama bears are not very happy when their cubs are threatened. Mama bears can run 30mph. I am not a petite person (I’m nearly 6′ tall), but I’m no match for an adult bear. I quickly looked behind me (fully expecting to see mama bear) but saw nothing.
I called the dogs to me. Sadie came immediately. Luka ignored me and kept trying to climb the tree to get at the cubs. I called him twice more and the third time he ran back to me. I pointed down the trail and shouted “Go! Run!”. I have no idea why they obeyed a command they’d never heard before (perhaps they could hear the fear in my voice and/or were shocked that I was yelling at them) but the dogs took off running and did not leave the trail. They just ran.
I did not run (running around a bear is not smart) but I walked as quickly as I could. (Side note: I had no idea I could move that fast with a 20lbs. backpack.) I constantly checked over my shoulder to see if mama bear had found us. We kept up this pace for a couple of miles until we reached the reservoir. It was only then that I realized how horribly the whole thing could have ended. As the dogs splashed in the water I sat on the sand and trembled.
The weather has cooled off a tiny bit (instead of being 100, it’s only 90) so the dogs have been able to do more running/playing. They especially love to play and run on the beach.
Here’s a series of pictures of the dogs playing. I didn’t expect all of these pictures to come out, but they did and I like the story they tell.
Luka asks Sadie to play.
Sadie responds.
Sadie comes to a sudden stop and nearly gets taken out by Luka.
They start running together.
Sadie veers off to come back to me while Luka keeps running.
Luka realizes his buddy is missing.
And he runs to catch up.
During our adventures I’ve managed to snap some nice portraits of both dogs.
I love how happy Sadie looks in this picture.
Meanwhile, Luka looks like he just wants me to hurry up.
I like these close up shots, too.
Finally…Milo’s training for the sleep Olympics continues at a very strong pace.
Nothing’s better than the wind to your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends beside you. ~ Aaron Douglas Trimble
The dogs days of summer have arrived.
The usual gorgeous summer weather in my part of the world has been replaced by miserable, sweltering heat that shows no sign of letting up. Luka has been monopolizing the AC unit.
To beat the heat we have to take our walks in the very late evening and go hiking in the very early morning. I’m not a morning person and have to force myself to get out of the bed. Luka is always ready to go.
I always start our weekend adventures with a long hike.
I love how the dogs always take off together.
The beginning of each hike always includes a lot of running.
Luka loves to wander and explore. He often wanders down the wrong trail and then when he realizes it he runs to catch up.
The highlight of each hike, especially when it’s so hot, is the water.
To encourage the dogs to swim, I toss treats in the water.
Here’s a video of Sadie swimming for treats.
Luka has started swimming more often (he used to just wade in the water).
This leads to his drowned rat look.
When we arrive home after our weekend adventure the order of the day is always napping.
Milo likes to join them.
Finally, I walked out the door for work the other morning and saw this: the moon setting at sunrise.
Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~ Henry James
Scenes from a long weekend.
Leading the way.
Sharing the load.
Gorgeous view.
Fun in the sun.
Flowering cactus.
Action shot.
Resting.
Stubborn (he would not look at the camera).
Very tired (two hikes in two days will do that to a girl).
Ready for the ride home.
Smart kitty (sleeping in front of AC unit).
Snoring up a storm.
Big yawn.
Pretty girl.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. ~ Oscar Wilde
Summer has definitely arrived in my neck of the woods. The dogs and I headed out very early yesterday morning so we could hike before the heat set in.
We missed a couple of walks last week so running was the main activity.
The heat quickly arrived so we took a couple of breaks along the trail.
Our breaks allowed me to photograph the gorgeous day.
Some of the cactus (cacti?) were blooming.
The reservoir was a welcome relief from the hot weather.
We missed a couple of our walks last week because I was busy purchasing a new (used) car. For the past eight years I’ve driven a Saturn sedan. I loved that car and it was always solid as a rock (nothing other than routine maintenance). However in the past few months it started having major issues. Considering the car had 172,000 miles on it I had to face reality and get something different.
As much as I loved that car, it was not good for hauling dogs. The tiny back seat meant that Sadie and Luka (and every other dog I’ve owned) had to contort themselves whenever we went for a ride. As I started looking for a new vehicle my main consideration (beyond the obvious price, mileage and safety) was to get something that was more comfortable for the dogs. (I think picking out a car based on canine comfort officially qualifies me for the Crazy Dog Lady Club.)
Mission accomplished.
We took the new car hiking this weekend. On the way home I turned around at a stoplight and saw this:
I think they like it.
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin
Remember when this used to be a knitting blog?
Let’s revisit those days.
A couple of months ago a friend gifted me with a sock blank. I broke out the Kool-Aid and created this.
The blank became these socks.
I love them!
Full details are on the socks’ Ravelry page.
Since I am a crazy dog lady, I took portraits of the dogs with the leftover yarn.
Sadie shared a zen moment with the yarn.
Luka was supervising the photo shoot.
After Sadie serenely posed with the yarn she enjoyed one of her favorite past times: rolling around on her back. Sadly, my yard is mostly dirt so she got a bit messy.
Luka is much too dignified to engage in such behavior.
The dogs and I have gone hiking a couple of times since my last post. These hikes are the highlights of the week.
The dogs always spend the first hour or so running off their pent up energy.
We usually take a break or two on our way to the reservoir.
The dogs know when we turn on the trail that leads to the water and they take off running.
By the time I arrive they’ve already jumped in.
Luka isn’t fond of the drowned rat look and always like to shake when he’s standing right next to me.
Every hiking trip ends the same way: with the dogs sound asleep on the way home.
The napping continues once we arrive home.
Milo fears his standing in the Sleeping Olympics may be in jeopardy so he practices harder.
Finally, the smoke from the Arizona wildfire hung over this area for several days last week. It was very annoying during the day (a thick haze and smell of smoke in the air) but the sunsets were spectacular.
