Happy Fall Y'all

We're enjoying a beautiful Fall.  The second weekend in October and temps are in the 80's.   Love it!   A last taste of summer.   The only down side of the warm weather is bugs;  boxelder bugs, flies, yellow jackets and Japanese lady beetles ... the kind that bite!  Ouch.    But as long as I can keep them out of the house, they're tolerable.

Last weekend we went to Park Rapids and Itasca State Park.   It was a lovely day and there were some nice splashes of color here and there, but the trees were nowhere near their peak color yet.    This weekend we stayed closer to home.    After delivering a meal to some friends who recently lost a child, we drove along the Sheyenne River, walked a couple of trails and ended up at Rendezvous Park in West Fargo.   I had been there once before, in the winter, and it was nice even then, but today it was gorgeous.    There is a little lake, a lovely little stream and waterfall and beautiful foliage.   I was needing to get some Fall photos for our 2016 calendar ... and I got them!   I let Scarlett and Zak swim, chase after a ball and then they were quite willing to pose for me.   A successful photo shoot.

Au Train in August

Zak goes for a kayak ride

Last August, when Daniel arrived from China for a year of 'home assignment', my brothers and I gathered at the cabin in Au Train for a week.    This year we returned there for ten days, just before he goes back to China for a five year term.    Last August, we were looking forward to the coming year.   Now we are looking back on it.   It's been great to have him in the US, and we're already looking forward to (and planning for) his next home assignment!

Beach time, kayaking, berry picking, day trips to Tahquamenon Falls, Whitefish Point, and Grand Island, and many games of Rummikub filled our time together.

Tahquamenon Falls

Scarlett and Zak had not been swimming yet this summer, and I wondered if Zak would remember how.     He has no fear of the water, but losing touch with the ground was, once again, a hurdle he had to overcome.    We took him to a small inland lake, and from there, progressed to Au Train Beach on Lake Superior, enticing him into the deeper water with a stick.    At first he was quite willing to let Scarlett do the fetching and he'd wait by the shore to grab it and take the credit!   After a while, I held Scarlett back and that was all the push he needed.   He was off - swimming like a champ; going out into deeper and deeper water, undaunted by the waves.   Zak would retrieve the stick and hand it off to Scarlett in perfect  relay form - over and over again.   It was so cute!!

Sharing - corgi style

Au Train Beach

Back at the cabin, they thrived on all the attention.     Zak was always able to find someone to throw the ball or scratch his years.
  

Some lovin' from Dan

Hanging out with Tim

When bedtime came, he wanted to sleep with me, but first thing in the morning he'd push Tim's door open and crawl in with him for some snuggling. Scarlett and Dan had a great chemistry.   With three humans around, she didn't have to compete with Zak for attention.  
  There were plenty of tummy rubs and ear scratches for her too.

Back yard campfire

Plenty of sand to dig in

Stopping to say Hi to Paul Bunyan

We made a few stops on our trip to and from the Upper Peninsula.    I have a picture of Princess and Dee with Paul Bunyan from some years back so of course I needed the same photo with Scarlett and Zak.   And the day we went home was a hot one - so we cooled off with a stop in Duluth and a walk around Canal Park.    We've had a busy but fun summer.   There has been a nip of Fall in the air the past few days. The forecast of El Nino means we could have a mild winter here in the Upper Midwest.    At least that's what we're hoping for!

    

Canal Park, Duluth

 

Final Goodbye

We spent ten days at our cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this month and one of the things I did was to spread the ashes of Princess and Dee Dee at Au Train Beach.  This was the place where they swam and had so much fun over the years.    Wonderful memories.  How I miss them.  Forever in my heart, sweet girls.   Rest in peace.

Terrific Two!!

Happy Birthday to Zacchaeus Robert!   It's hard to believe that it was two years ago that I brought that little 3 lb bundle of puppy sweetness home with me.   I remember sleeping the first night with my finger in his kennel ... the only thing that would make him stop crying.   Puppies are SO cute, but they're also a ton of work and I can honestly say I'm enjoying him more today.     I did have a little talk with him a couple of weeks ago, and explained that "2" markes the official end of puppy-hood so I expect to see some positive changes in his behavior!    Seriously, he's a pretty good boy.   He barks a lot and LOVES to play, but he has never been much of a chewer and rarely has an accident, so he is no longer kenneled during the day. That makes HIS day a lot more enjoyable, and mine too - as I know the pups are home, playing and hanging out together and not confined to a crate.

Zacchaeus Robert - 2 years old

Yesterday we took some pictures at the Yunker Farm Dog Park of Zak and Scarlett.    They are just as photogenic as my girls were.  

Later, in the afternoon, we enjoyed just chillin' in the back yard while we watched the Blue Angels perform as part of the Fargo Air Show.    So fun!   

Summer Outings

In the Upper Midwest, summers are short.  It's not uncommon to have snow in May, and snow in September isn't unheard of either.    So when the hot weather finally arrives, we grab on with both hands and milk it for all its worth.  Cleaning the house?  Cooking?  Indoor hobbies?   There will be plenty of time for all that, come Fall.   Summer - we spend outside.   As much as possible!

We've been to a couple of fun state-wide corgi meet-ups this summer.  The most recent one, in Blaine, was a picnic for humans at an events center for dogs!    Seriously!   I didn't know such a place existed.     Scarlett and Zak had so much fun, and I enjoyed visiting with other corgi enthusiasts.   The stories of corgi antics never end.

Scarlett the clown

I've been recovering from a couple surgeries, so we've been a bit more home bound than usual.  But tonight we had a little outing to the Sabin General Store. It's an old fashioned soda fountain in a small town about 10 miles away.    The pups and I shared a peppermint bon bon waffle cone while we watched a wedding dance that was taking place across the street.    There was a sign in the middle of the street with arrows pointing to the locations for the ceremony, the reception and the dance.   All three were in the same block!   Only in a small, rural community would you see that!    We capped off our day with a trip to the Moorhead Dog Park. It was a lovely evening with a cool breeze, but the days are noticeably shorter than they were a month ago.   Summer is going fast.

Colorado !!

It is a rare year that I don't take a camping trip somewhere, but last year was one such year.   Princess was very elderly and just not up to a big trip.  So Scarlett and Zak had never been camping - until three weeks ago when we went to Colorado.    As luck would have it, our first night out was a stormy one in Western Nebraska, and Scarlett wasn't so sure she liked sleeping in the tent with all the thunder and lightning going on.   During a lull between storms, I took her to the car and she felt much safer there.   I let her sleep in the car the next two nights and then coaxed her back to the tent.  I spread an old sleeping bag out next to my air mattress and she and Zak were quite comfortable there.

My brother Tim joined us and we spent four days at Moraine Campground near Estes Park,  followed by four days in Coloardo Springs.   Rocky Mountain National Park is home to a large herd of elk.   From the safety of the car, it was fun to see Scarlett's and Zak's reaction to them (wide eyed stares and lots of barking!)   The next morning Scarlett and I were snuggling in my sleeping bag and Tim had taken Zak out for a short walk.   They were just outside the tent when a large bull sauntered over the ridge into our campsite.   He took one look at Zak and charged.     Zak initially jumped back; then mustered up all of his protective courage and charged back!   Thankfully, Tim had hold of his leash, pulled him away and the elk ran off.    But that was more excitement than I needed that early in the morning!

Moraine Park - Rocky Mt National Park

  

Scarlett and Zak are mesmerized
by the chipmunks. 

Colorado, like much of the nation, has had a cold, wet Spring,  and the Trail Ridge Road, which takes you well above tree-line to over 13,000 feet,  had just opened a few days earlier.    We enjoyed a beautiful day, crossing the VERY snowy mountains (over ten feet deep in places!) and down to Grand Lake.  This picture of Scarlett and Zak watching the chipmunks is virtually identical to one I took of Princess and Dee Dee in the very same spot in 2006.  

Playing at Lake Grandby

We flirted with bad weather for much of our trip, but were fortunate to have the sun shining at the most important times, such as when we came upon this meadow just East of Grand Lake. It is one of my favorite spots in the Rockies. The dogs enjoyed playing in the lake and were unphased by the frigid temperature of the water. 

Grand Lake Meadow

Estes Park Dog Park

We really enjoyed the town of Estes Park and even took in a jazz festival there one afternoon.   It is definitely a tourist-friendly city, with many store owners allowing dogs into their shops and/or setting bowls of drinking water out for them.   Both Estes Park and Colorado Springs have wonderful dog parks with watering holes for cooling off.

Bear Creek Dog Park
Colorado Springs

The national parks don't allow dogs on the hiking trails, so Tim and I had to stagger our hiking or do it early in the morning or late afternoon, when it was cool enough to leave the dogs in the car.   Colorado Springs, however, has a number of parks with trails that are dog-friendly, including Garden of the Gods.   It was hot the day we were there, so we cooled off with a swim in the afternoon and then came back for a lovely evening stroll.

Garden of the Gods

 I have many wonderful memories of camping with Princess and Dee Dee over the years, and now I can begin making new memories with Scarlett and Zak.   They were great travelers.  Zak is making good progress on overcoming his car anxiety.  They had a great time, but were very happy to get home! 

Pikes Peak

Corgi Minnesota Meet-up

I have a friend out in California who has a corgi, and they have these incredible corgi beach day events several times a year, where up to 700 corgis gather at one time - in one place!    Can you imagine?!   I've always been envious of such a fun event and wished we had something similar here. Yesterday we did.    The Corgi-MN meetup group gathered for an afternoon of fun at the Bloomington Off-leash Dog Park.     Yes, I admit I might be a little crazy; driving 500 miles round trip to take my dogs to a park with 40-60 other corgis, but it was so much fun!   We left in the morning, drove into some rain and I was concerned it might dampen our event - but other than a few sprinkles, the rain held off and our event was a smashing success.

The park is huge!    Thirty acres of fenced in space to run, play .... trails to walk on with your dog ... even a lake to swim in!   The down side is that with an area that large, it is hard to keep your dog in sight, let alone pick up after them.   There is a big water fountain that my dogs were fascinated with (we have to bring our own water in Fargo) and even a spray hose for rinsing your dog off when they roll in the mud, as Scarlett did!    In fact, Scarlett took the unofficial prize for getting the dirtiest!   That girl just loves to roll in the mud!

It was fun to meet so many other corgis and their owners.  A special treat was having a few cardigans there, amongst all the pems.    Before I left home in the morning, I put flag bandanas on my two and that sure helped me keep track of them.   It's amazing how many corgis look alike - especially from a distance, and when running in a pack!    Corgis are natural herders, and this video clip shows them banding together to herd a couple of unfortunate non-corgis that were there!   It was a hoot.

I thought that Zak would surely be the loudest dog there, but he wasn't even close.   He was actually a little overwhelmed by all the dogs there and at one point in the afternoon I lost sight of him.   As I was walking around, calling his name, someone told me that she'd just spotted him sitting by himself under a shade tree.   I walked over there and sure enough - he was taking a little 'rest' by himself - something I have never seen him do before.   It was so sweet and I was proud of him for being able to care for himself in that way.   After a few minutes, he was back with the group, running and chasing and occasionally breaking to have someone scratch his ears.   He had so much fun.

Scarlett wow'd everyone with her speed.   I'm sure she was the fastest corgi there.   She has her basic running speed, but she loves to occasionally kick into 'overdrive' and she is amazing to watch when she goes full throttle.   She can keep up with any large breed dog, will skid around corners and occasionally somersault out of control.

After so much exercise, I thought Scarlett and Zak would sleep all the way home.  But Zak has some car anxiety and, for whatever reason, cannot relax while riding.   He sits quietly but has an anxious look on his face and just cannot go to sleep.   Princess and Dee Dee loved to ride in the car and would be sound asleep as soon as we hit the highway.   Scarlett also enjoys the car, and slept a good bit of the way home.   But Zak never shut his eyes.  I knew he was exhausted and when we got home, he was sound asleep in two minutes.   We have several other trips coming up in the next few weeks so I am going to get him a thundershirt and see if that will help him relax.