Sutter & Emma at Agility Practice ;o)

HURRAY ... I'm back to class ;o)

Since the closing of Sutter's favorite Agility Training Center a year ago, she has had no class ... but on her 10th birthday last week, "wild child" Sutter's long-time and most understanding instructor opened a new small facility in Brattleboro Vermont ... SUTTER is BACK EVERYONE ;o))

"Get those poles Sutter!"

See-saw "Bottom"

Sutter at 10yrs jumps "Veteran" 16" bar height

Sutter "walk" A-frame "touch"

"Go Tunnel"

Then there is "a work in progress" ... 9 month old baby Emma ... just starting her Agility training ... she attended/worked a "Puppy Agility Foundation" seminar several weeks ago and will attend/work another in March ;o)

"I run through this..."

"I climb this"

"Go down this to the bottom"

"What ... weave these poles?"

"Walk the tippy-board to my treat"

"Jump thru this ... but make it lower, please!"

Then it's PLAYTIME ;o)

...and day ends with dreams of tomorrow ;o)

...and tomorrow and tomorrow ;o)

Willow gets her turn next week ;o)

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)

As 2012 Approaches ;o)

Looks Like Winter!

The temperatures keep fluctuating from 15-45 degrees, so the pond ice continues to not be safe ...  and there is a dusting of snow that sticks, but then is quickly washed away by a downpour of rain ... it's been ideal though for working out in the woods and clearing downed trees for both the woodstove and the snowshoeing loop ... plus the travel on Christmas was ideal ;o)

Family Gathering ;o)

Girls love all their new toys ;o)

Emma just graduated from her "Clicker Unleashed" class and in January is enrolled in an "Agility Puppy Foundation" workshop at the local Humane Society ... Willow is ongoing with her Rally class at AK9C, dispite my seemingly dislexic interpretation of sign directions ... since November, both Sutter & Willow have been in a monthly winter Vermont Agility League that will now be twice a month in January and February ;o)

Emma Graduates ;o)

The year ends with the publishing of the (single copy) Golden Embers Blog Book 2

Published ;o)

... and as usual at an exhausting day's end, all colapse by the cozy wood stove for a brief winter's nap  ;o)

Pleasant Dreams Willow ;o)

Emma & Sutter ;o)

TILL NEXT YEAR...

December Happenings

Careful girls ... Ice skim on pond!

Temps have flurted with 60-70's leading into this month and then plumeted to 20's with up to 2" snow ... downside of the beauty of thin ice above is that the girls frustratingly aren't allowed outside without their human ... the last 2 stormwindows are on, the 2nd "deicer" cable is on the rear steep roof, the firewood gathering/splitting is ongoing and we're in the midst of the Holiday season:

• Oooh, invites to festive gatherings ...  calories!!! just remember "everything in moderation" ... that's why I can't get caught up in holiday baking anymore ... "willpower" of my 20's, 30's, 40's has matured to love of sweets and is further weakened after working/hiking/boating in the fresh out-of-doors ... so if it's not in the house, I'll pick a healthier choice ... RIGHT!!!!
• Finally got the makings of our 2011 Christmas card done, thanks to friend Kara and her computer talents to decorate our photocard this year ... Oooops, forgot the seasonal scarves ;o)
• Ahhhh ... sitting by the cozy woodstove to snail-mail address, computer email or online Facebook those cards to family/friends, with special messages to those we are only in touch with this time each year ;o)

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from our favorite lil' girl "Margo" ... she still loves to come and just runs/plays from sun-up to sun-down ... open the door and she zooms right in to see if everything is the same and what's new since her last visit ... the girls all wear collars with bells and orange vests ... hunters in your own woods you ask ... well anything is possible, but honestly it helps me in my eye/ear "retirement" stage of life, to locate their roamings ... I wear a whistle and the girls are pretty responsive, as they know a handful of kibble is forthcoming from the pocket ;o)

Our baby is now 7 months old and :-O  she's come into her first heat cycle ... she wasn't phased at all by wearing her "pants" to Doggie School ... no chancing off-leash work this week till we see how her classmates react to her condition "Hey Mom, the boys think I'm cute!!!!"

12 "Desserts" plus "Walter" ;o)

One of my favorite weekly things over the past 8 weeks has been puppy visits and photoshoots of my favorite Golden Retrievers at SunKissed kennels ... and Emma has been able to visit/snif/tug with her mom "Shimmer" ... it's a riot to watch them run over/wade in frigid water on the backyard  poolcover ;o)

Red Boy "Watson" ;o)

Singleton dubbed  "Walter"  ;o)

Power Nap ;-)

Our first "bonies" ;o)

Sleeeeepin' Heavenly Peace ;o)

SURROUND YOURSELF with THAT WHICH BRINGS OUT the BEST in YOU    ;-)

Merry Christmas & Happy 2012 New Year ;o)

FROM ALL of US at GOLDEN EMBERS ... TO ALL of YOU

REMEMBER THE REASON FOR THE SEASON ... the CHRIST in CHRISTMAS

... FORGIVING, SHARING and LOVING ;o))