We next stopped by Idaho to see some family.  This is Zoe 3, and Dominic 8 they are my niece's kids.

My brother showed me his weed whacker got taken over by a robin.

Complete with eggs...

We just got back from our annual trip to Montana. I will blog it over the next few days.
We started our tip at the Wild Horses Monument arriving just after sunset.
This was the day before the super moon.


In the morning Suzi and the puppies Gator and Bailey hiked up to the top for a closer look at the metal sculptures.



Bailey thought this was a wierd angle of the horses.

Gator and Bailey are looking down the hill that they came up. the small white box on the right hand side of the screen is our camper.

 

How rednicks water plants:

We often see Great Blue Herons at Marymoor doggie park.



This year however they have chosen to nest in the park near the water. It is evidently the first time in 20 years they have nested in the park.


Look closely below and you can see the branch being brought to the nest the grand birds are building.

Gator does not care about the herons, there is far too much fun to be had here...

Ginger the Brave: Warrior Princess
July 1996 - March 2012

A whirlwind of puppy energy bounded into our lives as a golden dog with floppy ears and a heart of gold.


At night, exhausted from play, she would always sleep touching her mentor, the incomparable eight year old who was very patient with this new whipper-snapper: the one, the only: Shetara Dog.


Under Ginger's new guiding, unerring influence, we saw the egregious error of our ways and moved expediently from a small condo to a proper house with a large grassy and acceptable back yard.


Then as our Ginger let us know that one boy, one dog and two cats were not enough to keep her appropriately exhausted, we got her a puppy named Samantha and there was much rejoicing, chasing, and jumping through swimming pools.





Well travelled, she enjoyed the states from Pennsylvania to New Mexico to Florida, making friends and receiving multiple treats from said friends wherever she went.








Camping was a joy, and at the warm night fires, she enjoyed having her own chair properly placed between her two moms.



Log jumping with her boy was brought to a new art form at the beaches.





She accompanied her mom on an expedition to find a new home. Together they founded our current home with far more appropriate acreage and adequate romping room for her ever growing family.



She also got two new Black Kitties



and two new white puppies,



who are beyond redemption, and have yet to learn the proper doggy roles. I'm sure she is watching them from above and giving them pointers on how to deal with the high maintenance people of this family.

Although we never caught on to feeding the correct amounts and times (human's are frustratingly dense), she knows wherever she is, there is still hope for us.




Ginger your heart was pure gold, and when you smiled, you lit up our world. Thanks for being with us, for your herculean attempts to guide us in the right directions. Most of all thanks for your unconditional love, which I know goes beyond the confines of this brief life.

May all the grassy fields open up before you, the wind to your tail. I know you and Sam are together now and I know you are both running free.

We took Bailey and Gator up to Snoqualmie pass. It was their first experience with snow this deep.

The snow seemed like more than What I remember from back when I used to ski here. For those that know the area, that is the gas station entrance...

Took the puppies to Edmonds off leash park during the wind storm.



Today is their birthday... hard to believe they are already 3 years old!

Just a cute shot of Natasha and Louis.

Got a winter blast. Gator really likes her new ramp/ deck. made a path with plywood over to the ramp temp.


We decided to get studded tires for the Prius this year. We got a set of wheels to mount them on. Here is a shot of the stock wheels.


Here is a shot of the new wheels with the new studded tires. The tire store will change them back and forth each spring/ fall for free.


One advantage we have found with the studded tires is that pedestrians actually hear us coming and don't step out in front of us now. They really do help on the slick stuff.

Still snowing...

We took Gator and Bailey to the off leash park in Edmonds WA today.
Someone put in an agility course. Gator and Bailey had great fun running over the wood obstacle.



Of course there were the moments where Gator thought it was fun to play king of the mountain!

Samantha August 1997 to January 2012



We walked side by side
spirit with spirit
exploring our world
from the tiniest blade of grass
To awe inspiring sunsets.



We romped through the snow.
Caught snowballs
and ran glorious circle 8’s .



We ate a million blackberries and blueberries together.



I remember those hugs I gave you and you would look at me with those deep brown eyes and I knew you understood everything.

I see your sprit running right now in a large grassy field, enjoying the sun.



I miss you so much, but I also feel so fortunate you were such a big part of our lives.

Had a bit of exciement. Ginger was chewing on a bone we had given the dogs for christmas, and all of a sudden we realized she was stressing. She somehow managed to get the bone stuck on her lower jaw:



At first we could not just slip it back off since it was over her lower fangs, but with both of us holding her we were able to twist back and forth, and pull it back off... What a talented dog!

I don't know what the plan would have been had it not come off. eek

We got aproximately 8in of snow in the past 24 hours, still snowing.
Here is a video of the snow falling.

The pets all seemed to be having fun...

except Bailey, she was scared of the branches in the woods falling under the weight of the snow...



Since Bailey was scared, Gator took over the fetching duties... hard work!



Seems the cats are staying especially close to the house... This is Natasha:


Ginger was getting high centered, but was insistant on plowing thru a bit of snow:


Sammie was in her bliss: