Outdoor Girl

As if to prove my prior point about Annie...

Murphy's Day.

Annie Lives Well

Annie really knows how to live well.  She finds a way to make every day important and special.  While she still is adjusting to having someone younger rough-house with her, she really seems to enjoy the company and mischief they continue to get into!

I can learn a lot from Annie.  She always seems to be in a good mood, knowing when to cling to me, when she can wander off in her own independent way.  She is suspiciously like Murphy... coming in for love and yet still trying to have her independence.  I would say that is a dog who knows how to train her mother!

Murphy's Day.

Playing Tourist

Our friend Carol came out from New York, so we played tourist in eastern Washington.  Since Carol is a golf fanatic, one afternoon was spent bird watching, oh, I mean, trying to hit the golf ball.  Another afternoon was a trip to a fantastic winery, which gets tons of points in many of it's vintages, from Wine Spectator, Bourdreaux.  The owner is a forester/rock climber/d.j. for a small FM station/fun man from Louisiana and his wines are fantastic.

The winery is all off-grid, and the actual building is made from hand, stone hauled from my river, Icicle Creek.

It was a lovely day after a hard week...we also learned another friend lost Lucy, a sweet Yellow lab we would see many weekends while we ran in eastern Washington.  A long week last week.

Murphy's Day.

Memorial Weekend

Flowers at Grandparent's grave.

Thoughts about others who have died.

We're off for the weekend with a friend from New York.  Cherish the moments.  Life...well, it flows like a river.

Murphy's Day.

Free Range Annie

Over the past weekend we were able to get out of town.  And the girls played, romped, and enjoyed the lack of "cityness."

Most of all, Annie enjoyed being out.  Free range.

It's not just a lab thing, it's a dog thing.

Murphy's Day.

"New Life"

Willa really is here, with Sage and Annie, because of Kol.  I mean, she was born several months before I met Kol, but she is "here here" because of Kol.

Willa is not at all like Kol.  She is a puppy.  Full of herself.  Not at all well behaved.   But she loves people and firmly believes she is part of whatever her pack is doing.

And so we hurt.  There is a black lab here who wakes up, as we said, every morning thinking life is all new.  She also knows there are tears.

Murphy's Day.

Kol

My very good friends, Les and Ann, have a Black lab.  Kol.  I met Kol last September.  In fact, even though Les and Ann are great friends and I have known them for a long time, I also just "met" them in person last September.  Kol was the greeting committee as I pulled into their driveway along a gorgeous creek in the Oregon coastal range.  How we became friends is a testament to building community, friendship, trust in an era when those things have long been forgotten...

But back to Kol.  I spent some time with this wonderful dog.  Our time together was a celebration of friendship: Les, Ann, Richard, and myself.  Kol was part of that whole time, wagging his tail as we sat down for a marvelous dinner, going for a run in the morning with Les and me, more "tail wagging" as we ate an amazing breakfast.  He watched, listened, and indeed was part of this group of friends getting to know each other in person.  Kol, indeed, was part of the group.  Labs are like that.

Several weeks ago Les told his friends that Kol had lung cancer.  We all waited, hoping the news would get better....

And yesterday, Kol left us.  Part of his spirit, I think, is in Willa.  One of the reasons I got her was the time I spent with Kol, watching this absolutely gorgeous dog, I decided Willa needed to be part of this family.  Our hearts ache for our friends.  All of us, all of us, know this loss.  Yet, because we know, it makes it even harder, I think.  These dogs who give us their all, who trust us, who rely on us...and when they are gone, when they have given us everything they had, we rumble around in the silence wondering how we can wake up to the next day.

The one thing I learned from Murphy is her love of life.  She woke up every day, every day, expecting life to be as good as yesterday.  I don't know if it is a lab thing, or a dog thing, but Sage, Annie Oakley, and Willa are the same way.  Every morning they are in the saddle ready to enjoy every moment.  And, that is what they expect of us.  Even if they are not here, they leave us the legacy of life.

Our hearts ache.  We have lost another great one.  Kol.  His light shines on.

Murphy's Day.

Speaking of Adventures

While my girls are not always at the door when I am leaving, like some dogs, they do love to travel with me.

So, maybe this weekend we'll get to go east of the mountains for an adventure.  Rivers are still not open, yet, so we have to wait to fish...but there are hikes, walks, swims, and bird watching.  Or maybe just sitting, strategically placed below the barbecue, waiting for that steak...that's the girls, not me, right?

Murphy's Day.

Ready for Travel

Ok, so this will be the first summer of trying to travel with three dogs.  It's hard enough with two, but three?  One who is still young....

But we have thoughts about Montana...and if there isn't a better time to learn.

Hotel manners, Willa, hotel manners!

Murphy's Day.

Mellow Mornings

One of the things I enjoy about being in eastern Washington, are our morning walks.  I get up (or the black alarm clock known as Willa gets me up) and we walk out the door...no leashes!  It's usually quite mellow (unless there is a deer).  It's simply wonderful this time of year, also.  Cool spring mornings (grateful I applied tick medicine on the dogs), all the migratory birds, and three labs...

Mellow.

Murphy's Day.

My Mom

I used this picture over the Mother's Day Weekend as my Facebook picture.  It's of my mother, taken at a rest stop just outside of Stanley, Idaho.  We'd just spent little less than a week in Sun Valley, Idaho, what became on of her favorite spots on Earth.  My mother was usually quite reserved, but this picture really shows her personality!

Plus, on the trip, she had to share the van's bench seat with Murphy...which she also seemed to love!

Murphy's Day.

We Love Spring

It's always been a special time of year...and this weekend, despite the fact we stayed in the city, was gorgeous.  The girls, unfortunately, had to experience being left home, alone on Saturday night (went to a concert).  I realized at my age, I rarely "go out" at night any more...

Anyway, spring is exploding all around us!  Lilacs, apple blossoms, soon my peonies...

And the girls?  Well they seem to love lolly-gagging in the sun.  What can be better?

Murphy's Day.

Out Standing in Her Field

Sage really is outstanding.  She is a joy for me....as is Annie Oakley and Willa...my girls.

It's Mother's Day on Sunday.  Mom loved my dogs.  And she would always find a Mother's Day card to give me from the girls.

Happy Mother's Day.

Murphy's Day.

Spring

While it's been wet and cool for much of the spring, the Lupine and Balsam still came out.  And post fire, they are coming in stronger....simply gorgeous.

I remember, 8 years ago, Murphy exploring this same hillside.  Every time it blooms, I think of her, standing on the hill, gazing out over the canyon.

Murphy's Day.

Birthday Celebrations

Every birthday now becomes important.  And I could think of no better way to celebrate than to be with "the girls" doing things.

So we hiked to a lake and fished for awhile, which was gorgeous and fun.  We did our favorite run along the Wenatchee River, we ate good food, and marveled at the spring in eastern Washington.  More importantly, we found pigs ears at the Costco in East Wenatchee.  There is peace at home!

Murphy's Day.

Travels with Willa

So we went away for my birthday.  Long weekend in eastern Washington. It's still taking Willa some time to get used to this bifurcated life, of city and country.  Despite covering one window, she has figured out there is another window she can peek out of in the middle of the night and if she hears, smells, or sees anything, she barks the alarm!  It's worse than a malfunctioning fire alarm!  But, it's getting better...and I know the solution, which is to cover all the bedroom windows.

It's funny, because she doesn't do it in the city.  In fact, as I type this, she is sound asleep....which brings me to a second issue in traveling with Willa...her alarm clock.  At "my age," it is nice to sleep in every once in awhile.  But nooooooo, Willa is up at 5:23, kissing, wiggling, up and down off the bed....however, if I get up at my usual hour, she sleeps right through 5:23.  Hmmmm.

She's a great dog...we just have some tinkering to do on the traveling.

Murphy's Day.

Contemplating Life

It's funny how all of a sudden you go from attending weddings to attending funerals...

We're off for a few days, back early next week.  Going to contemplate life and bucket lists.

Murphy's Day.

Sage in the Morning

As I type this I can hear her breathing on the bed just behind my desk.

For some reason it is one of the most reassuring sounds.

Murphy's Day.

Snooze Button

Willa does not have a snooze button.

Most week day mornings I get up at 4:30 or so.  On weekends, I thoroughly enjoy sleeping in.  Until Willa, that was usually until 6:30, rarely later than that.  But those extra two hours are my treat.

Willa begins to wiggle around 5:23, seeks our my face at 5:30, and by 6 is rearing and ready to go.  Once she begins to move, Annie also gets into the act.

What's funny, on the mornings I get up at 4:30, and leave the house for my run around 5:30, they are still not moving....

Hmmm.

Murphy's Day.

Staying in Seattle

We stayed in Seattle this past weekend.  Had a marvelous chance to see my niece, Megan, her husband Peter and their two fantastic children.  We ate lunch together as they made their way to see his family.  Then late Sunday afternoon I attended a memorial for a women who I knew as an undergraduate who was prominent in the U Dub English Department.  In between, we went for a nice run at Tiger Mountain, did some necessity shopping, and lots of yard work.

The girls experienced an unusual event, where we were gone for almost 4 hours in the middle of the day...while everyone was corked  when we left, they were all at the door when we came home, jumping up and quite excited.

Next weekend it's back to the east side.  Maybe some stillwater fishing (hopefully keeping the fly and hook out of my finger) and simply enjoying the weather.  Seattle on the weekends is more than I can handle.  There are people everywhere, all trying to get around on roads that have been "road dieted" and finding parking that has been eliminated because of some cockamamie idea that if there are fewer streets and no parking, people will walk to Costco to buy 4000 rolls of toilet paper!

Ugh.

Murphy's Day.