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Tag Archives: snow

Dogs Just Want to Have Fun

Early snowfall in the North Cascades makes everyone happy around here. After two low snow years, we are hoping (against predictions) for lots and lots of snow for fun and to replenish the depleted aquifers and streams and maybe to give us a reprieve from wildfires next year.

MA and I loaded the dogs and various layers of winter clothes and drove to Rainy Pass where we found ten inches of snow on the ground and hardly any tracks. We were the first to walk to Rainy Lake. It looked like some folks had gone to Maple Pass – nothing we wanted to try in winter conditions. The dogs and especially Luna were delighted to see snow again! It seems like so much more fun for them to run and romp hard with a soft white blanket to cushion the crashes.

At the lake I attempted to re-create a portrait of Sky that I made two years ago when she was a three month old puppy. You can see the original here. It’s similar but she is looking the wrong direction. My fault!

Like a Christmas card.
Quincy and Luna
Frida
Everyone in one image
But mom, she took my stick
So quiet in the snow-covered forest
Rainy Lake looks cold
Please throw the stick
We’re not so sure about that idea
Throw the stick
Like two years ago
I’ll get it!
The older dogs slowed down on the way back
What’s over there?
An attempt at a four dog portrait

A New Puppy in the Neighborhood

My friend Mary Ann got a new puppy recently! We traveled down to the Quincy Animal Shelter to find him. He was taken to the shelter as a stray and seems to be in very good health. He looks to be at least half border collie and the other half – well that’s a good guess. Maybe heeler, maybe English setter. Who knows? MA named him Quincy in honor of the place where she got him. He looks to be about four months old and is just as cute as cute can be. Yesterday the girls and I got to puppy sit while MA had other things to do. Frida came along for good measure. Fun was had by all in the soft snow!

Who could resist that face?
Frida keeps an eye on things
He loves the snow
Sky teaches Quincy a thing or two about getting sticks.
He is fearless
They play rough and Quincy goes back for more each time.
Wait up!
I can keep up.
What?
Here I come!
Oops.
Luna, wait for me.
This is a lot of work.
Watching over us.
Challenging Sky
He doesn’t hold still for long
Frida is patient
Finally got all four in one image.

Winter Light

More of my nearly monochrome world. Grays days give definition to shapes on the plain backgrounds of snow and sky. There is still much beauty to absorb.

Black Dogs and Snow

The dogs and I go for a walk every morning, regardless of the weather. Once this winter it was too cold to get very far and another day it was too icy for me to walk safely but those are the exceptions. We walk on the road on our hill and a trail through our property. They are familiar with the scents of others that walk these routes and when they come across a new one much time is spent examining it and I imagine the two of them talk about it too. Sky often looks for new sticks but not as much as she did last year when she was more of a puppy. Luna is often content to walk near me. Most days a bout of dog play erupts and if we have other people or dogs with us, it is even more vigorous. Usually Sky starts it with a ‘puppy sneak’. Luna knows what’s coming.

Early Winter in the North Cascades

Last week the dogs and I managed one last trip to the mountains before the deep freeze settled in. I’d intended to just walk in the hills as usual but after many days of wet dreary weather I awoke to a glorious bluebird day with snow-capped mountains on the horizon and I could not resist one last chance to be up there before winter really arrives.

I knew it would be cold and we’d be walking on snow and ice-covered surfaces and in the shade much of the time so picking out clothes after the long warm (for November) spell was challenging. It was 29 degrees Fahrenheit at the Blue Lake trailhead – the coldest temperature I’ve seen in months. Brrrr. I must have picked out the right combination of layers because I kept comfortably warm moving briskly on the trail and only stopping in sunny spots.

The log footbridge at the lake’s outlet was snow-covered and I didn’t have the nerve to try crossing it. Heck, that thing scares me in summer. The dogs happily ran back and forth while I dithered about it. The sun had barely crept across the mountain ridge behind the lake leaving the lake mostly in the shade. We enjoyed the sunshine and met two other hikers with a pretty dog before heading down the trail and saying goodbye to the mountains for now.

It’s always worth stopping for this view of Liberty Bell.
Ice-covered ponds everywhere.
Frozen mushrooms
Snow on wild strawberries
At the outlet to Blue Lake
Sky’s new friend is half golden retriever and half Aussie. Very pretty young fellow.
I wasn’t going to throw sticks for Sky due to all the logs and the ice on the lake but the other folks were doing it so she joined their fun.
He didn’t balance on the logs as easily as Sky
Brrrr!
And then she was cold when she sat down.
What’s on her mind?
A rivulet through the ice on the trail
Reflection in a puddle full of fir needles
Reflection in a puddle full of fir needles
ice