Maine Winter Getaway ;o)

Emma attended her first working seminar "Puppy Agility Foundation" over the weekend, then we pack the van and were northbound to Old Orchard Beach and LL Bean in Freeport Maine for a much delayed get-away ... travel day rain gave way to sun and temps in the 50's for Emma's first beach adventure with Willow and Sutter ;o)

Welcome ;o)

We've Arrived ;o)

Emma backstepped at the advancing wave water and was absolutely thrilled with her finds of big opened/vacant Clam shells ... she dug at them, flipped them and played keep-away with Willow!

What's Happening?

Yeehaaaa!

Hummmm?

Hey a Treasure 'o)

MY Treasure!!!

Can I Take this Home??

Hey, it's Getting Away!!!

Willow ... Where are You Going?

      

Willow in the Waves!

Watcha Got There?

Yup, Snow at the Ocean ;o)

Wheeeeeee!!!!

The Trio ;o)

Sutter's wish was freedom to run off the beach, thru the doon grass and snoop amongst the beach houses ... unfortunately Willow and Emma were hot on her heels and ended all too close to the traffic ... sadly Sutter, it's Flexi-lead this trip :-(

Our Own Bed at Freeport Inn

CAN'T WAIT TILL OUR NEXT VISIT ... we'll be back ;o)

Snowless Winter Hiking ;o)

"Happy Birthday to Us, Happy Birthday to Us ... Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to US"  ;o)

Enjoy the photos, as we collectively celebrate Emma's 8 month, Willow's 2 year and Sutter's 10 year birthdays ;o)

The Pack having a great time ;o)

Sutter's Treasure!

Water is NEVER too COLD!!!!

Sutter at 10 yrs still leads the chase!

Emma, wanna try some of this?

Relaxation time with "Bonies"

Sutter, Margo, Emma, Willow (back)
waiting for the release word!

Margo 12 mos & Emma 8 mos ... the race is on!



SNOW IS PREDICTED ;o)

Sadness of Loss :-(

Tom, Mimi, Donna bike "Old Man of Mt"

Kitty a Mentor & Friend ;o)

Sutter & I say Good-bye to Lyric :-(

For me,  in the normal grief phase of loss, blogging helps me grasp it, work thru it and move on, while still holding the memory of the loved one deep in my heart ... that was never so apparent as early on, with the crushing loss of our sweet Golden girl Lyric and the flood of emotions :-(

In August, the dog Agility community, lost a special friend, teacher and fellow dog lover ... Kitty became a dear friend & teacher to the girls & me, and then her fight with Cancer took her way too soon ... it helped that she requested us to be part of her dying process as we all were in her living process :-(

As 2012 begins and I tear on the 5th birthday of my sweet Golden girl Lyric, I learn that another dear friend "Mimi" has lost her battle with Cancer in the wee hours of this morning ... so it's a day filled with double the sadness ... Mimi, Tom and I became great friends back in the 1960's as we raised/showed Dairy Goats thru-out the northeast fair circuit together ... I sooo remember in the beginning Mimi's long hair, Tom's full beard and their "hippy" VW bus ...  in later years we hiked, biked, canoed, XC skiied, snowmobiled and swapped long distance visits ... you'll be sadly missed my friend, but fondly remembered :o)

TREASURE THOSE WHO are SPECIAL ... for LIFE IS Sooo SHORT ... think the girls and I will go on a hike together today ;o)