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Tag Archives: dogs

Trying to Keep Cool

This last week has featured temperatures over 100 degrees, Fahrenheit! Our house is not designed for extremes of heat and it is difficult to keep it anywhere near a comfortable temperature. Outside, it’s been too hot to do things that need to be done. While we ignore them, the weeds grow gleefully upward, blooming and spreading their seeds. What’s a person or dog to do?

Ignore the weeds; that’s for sure.

Sunday the thermometer topped out at 110! In the morning we took the dogs and a PFD and some floaty toys and went to the lake. We got an early start so we could find a coveted place big enough for us and the dogs without bothering other recreaters. There were several rowing sculls on the water and a canoe and some people swimming for exercise or fun. The dogs were ecstatic and we threw and threw their bumpers. When I thought they might be tiring, I put them away. Sky disappeared into the bushes and came out with a brand new tennis ball! That dog has a nose for tennis balls. If you ever lose one, call on Sky and she will find it for you. But then you have to throw it for her. Again and again. We floated around in the water with PFD, just relaxing and enjoying the cooling lake. Back at home, we all felt somewhat rejuvenated and got a little bit of work done.

Late in the afternoon we packed up a picnic and drove to Harts Pass at about 6100 feet elevation. It was much cooler up there – in the sixties and it felt SO good. There was a threat of thunder storms and we had a little bit of light rain but nothing that chased us away. Ken chatted with a fellow who had just started the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), traveling north to south. He plans to arrive at Mexico in November. We wished him good luck. The mosquitoes were annoying when we ate our picnic so we ate fast. Then we headed out for a short walk on the PCT. We were greeted by pikas, hoary marmots, Swainson’s Thrushes and a few wildflowers. There were small patches of snow – nothing like last year. It’s already very dry. Many of the creeks are quite low or even dry and it’s not even July. Compare that with a day on the same part of the trail last year in July here.  The flowers are not as floriferous either.

 

 

This dog accompanied a long distance swimmer back and forth across the lake
Shooting stars in full bloom
Bog orchid
Elephant head
Heather
Silver forest from an old burn
Silky phacelia
Luna was SO happy to see snow
This is the snow field featured near the bottom of the blog post from last summer.
Clearly, I am equipped for whatever the day has to offer.
Jacob’s ladder
columbine
Something like fireweed but not fireweed
Phlox
Slate Peak. It’s pretty obvious from this point of view that the top was removed before the lookout was installed
Silky phacelia
Did you lose a glove?
Native rhododendron
Rosy pussytoes
Native rhododendron
Phlox with raindrops

 

 

On the Edge of the Salish Sea

Last weekend Sky and I went to an agility trial at Mount Vernon, just across the Cascades from here. We stayed in the little camper at the venue and had a terrific time. Sky was impressive with her drive and enthusiasm for the courses and she even managed to get one qualifying run out of thirteen chances! We need to spend more time training but this is a process and it’s great fun for both of us.

In addition to the trial we got to spend time with an old friend and her dogs. Theresa took us to a couple of places for walks in the evening. We liked getting away from the venue and enjoyed some leash-free time. These images are from a low tide walk near the mouth of the Skagit River. While the dogs played I got to enjoy looking at some interesting plants and I watched for birds too. It was a nice break.

Pure happiness
Look! I found a stick!
Uh oh, I lost my stick.
Rex, can you help me find my stick?
Nope.
Here comes Becca!
It’s always good to be around someone else that loves dogs so much.
Camassica quamash. I didn’t know it grew along the coastal areas.
Common camas, Camassia quamash
An interesting lichen
DYC. Darned yellow composite
Serviceberry. Another surprise for me to find growing there.
Wild allium
Madronne tree
Can’t someone throw something?
Oh look! I found another stick!
There were Bald Eagles standing out on those exposed mud flats in the distance
High point
Becca teaches Millie about chasing butterflies
She says, this isn’t my pack
Ahhhh.

At some point, I’ll figure out how to get Sky’s videos uploaded and posted to the blog.

Early Spring at Blackpine Lake

Last year we visited Blackpine Lake on April 23rd and it was still mostly ice-covered and there was enough snow that we parked a ways away from the campground. You can see a blog post from last year here. We went this week on April 8th and drove all the way to the lake and found much less ice. It is such an early spring.

MA managed to catch three fish this time. Sky was completely obsessed with her fishing pole and was no help at all. She could not stand the thought that her good friend was standing on a dock with a stick in her hand and flailing it about and yet not throwing it in the water. I finally had to leash her and DRAG her away from the dock. And then she was cold and wet. We sat down on a bench and Sky scooted right in close to me, shivering. Have you ever hugged a wet dog? She soon quit shivering but still wanted, more than anything to return to MA.

All the dogs enjoyed some time in the water, even young Quincy. He looks like he’ll be a good swimmer too.

Ponderosa pines
Very early for paintbrush (Castilleja sp) to be blooming
And where are those two off to?
Reflections
Ice
An attempt to get all the dogs in one photo. Here’s two.
Threre. Where’s Quincy?
There he is!
I really needed an assistant standing behind me with a toy or treat.
Milling around on the dock
What do you see Quincy?
The fishing pole!
I don’t think he planned to jump off the dock.

 

 

Another Day, Another Beach

Maybe it’s because we live in the mountains that we are drawn to beaches. We looked around for dog-friendly beaches on the trip and were pleased to find lots of places for them to run. This one at McKerricher State Park in California had a long open section in between two closed sections – one because the seals and sea lions hauled out on the rocks and at the other end was a nesting area for an endangered plover. We were there at an exceptionally low tide and saw a fellow out harvesting mussels. Yumm!

Anemones exposed by the low tide
Lots of mussels
Lots of tidepools to explore
Mussels and gooseneck barnacles
Gooseneck barnacles
Sea anemone
Golden beach
Black Oystercatcher
Mussels
Luna went right up to the sign before being called back.

Dogs on the Beach

How much fun did the dogs have on the beach? As long we were out there, the fun never ended for them. Sky could go longer than we could throw sticks. Luna would take it easy from time to time. Sand Dollar Beach provided a great place for dogs to run. We went out early in the day before the majority of the surfers and sun lovers made their way down the stairs. This is just a small sampling of dog fun.