Summer 2010 Camp Doings :o)

Well, we've had alot of Spring rain and a new resident Beaver has made a itself a Lodge and is active nightly "banking" the spillway/dam/walkway with sticks & mud to raise the pond water level (and every morning, I restack the long sticks and reopen a small water runoff area) ...  the kayaks are now out and with the higher water level, we can still kayak out into the Marsh and enjoy the sounds of song birds & the chorus of the bullfrogs and catch a glimps of mother ducks with their various numbers of ducklings ... even startled a mother deer with her fawn grazing the marsh grass  ;o)

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  My niece Pam and one of her Rotty pups came for an afternoon and my Goddaughter Jess visited for 2 overnights :o)
  
  
• Sutter & I had a day away together at a seminar called "The Nose Knows" and we had a blast ... Sutter always loves/needs a job to do, so she worked to master some new interactive/educational toys ... paired an old trick with a new scent (vanilla or raspberry) smell command ... she worked very excitedly at the "Box Search" game where 8 boxes are scattered about the room and she was to find the one with food in it ... Ohhh, Sutter being Sutter though, did jump the fence once to go on one of her "zoomie" excersions ... at 8 yrs she still is a "Wild Child" ... Atta girl Sutter!!!

• Jess & I kayaked with Sutter & Willow, visited Willow's breeder Kara at SunKissed Goldens and had a nice swim in the Wetherby's beautiful pool at Landscape Goldens with Willow's mom "Sophie", sister "Dazzle" and Lyric's mom "Shimmer"
• Willow's sister "Dazzle" came back with us for 2 overnights at "Camp Cedar" ... after an afternoon of swimming in and kayaking on "Cedar Pond", chasing & roughhousing, a scrumptous supper and a good DVD movie, everyone just collapsed into their beds (2 and 4 footed) for the night!
• we took Sutter to her Thursday morning Agility class and I think she was showing off for Jess and the pups 'cuz she was great! So those are the updates on doings at Golden Embers, Camp Cedar & Cedar Pond ... Jess has gone home and Dazzle goes home this evening before work ...
  so until the next time...

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE FUN IN THE SUN ;o)

Kayaking Easy as 1...2...3... Go ;o)

Hey wait, I can do it, really ... wait!!!

First practice on the land ...  Second try it on the water ...

Ahhhh ... this is the life ... look at all this beauty ... birds, ducks, frogs, fish, neuts ... I told you I could do it!
Hey, there's Sutter ... paddle faster Mom!

LIFE'S RELAXING MOMENTS
                     ;O)

Retrieving, Jumping & Pretty Poses ;o)

Tomorrow and every Monday for 7 weeks Willow starts her next class "Basic Pet", where she'll learn what comes after the play of  "Puppy Kindergarden" ... as the photos show, we've been doing a little bit of everything ... some repetitive, some new:

• socializing at an occasional Breed show, Agility trial, pet store and Sutter's class has been fun ... puppies attract much attention from young and old alike (2 and 4 footed) ;o)
• she's "weaning" from and rapidly outgrowing her car crate, but car potty training isn't 100% yet and there have been a few extra laundry loads ... she's also begun barking at traffic behind us  :-0
• she's loosing more baby teeth ... keeping different types of "hard" teething bones that are safe for a 4 month and an 8 year old is an on going challange (marrow bones, bully stix, antlers, elk & bison bones)
• Willow had her 2 lessons to our Canine Invisable Fence (IF) ... learning to run back from the "beep", then the "white flags" and finally the necessary "shock" ... she now leaves the house proudly wearing her red "Big Girl" "IF" collar with bell, like big sister Sutter!
• the girls sleep in the "dog van" at mom's work and enjoy 2 walks during the night ... so excited when co-workers come out to visit!
• "play" breaks from yard work are an enjoyable and welcomed must ... ball/frisbee fetching, a slow paddle around our pond in the rowboat, some brief agility work or just spreading a blanket on the grass for a brief nap or rub down in the sun ... ahhhhh!
• When Sutter asks to climb the gated stairs to the loft "toy room", Willow is right there ... she's anxious to climb without hesitation (with mom's constant guarding) ... coming down is a real challange and she has to be fully held with the prompt "every step"  :-O
• During our relaxing "walk-about" the yard times, the camera opportunities are many ... the girls at play, flowers in bloom and the beautiful nature of our property ;o)

FOCUS on the BLESSINGS

What's Happening ;o)

Just a good ole fashion chase ... "one day I'll catch ya!"

Sutter enjoys a "fetch & swim" ... don't expect the ball returned soon!

Swimming, fetching, chasing, learning is all sooo exhausting ... Whewww!

Willow is growing sooo fast ... she's the light one ... WOW!

Willow enjoying the dock as Mom repairs it ... "and I helped" ;o)

Willow meets a Painted turtle up from the pond to lay her eggs!

"EVERY DAY IS A NEW FUN EXPERIENCE ... ENJOY THE RIDE"

HURRAY! Willow's a Natural Swimmer ;o)

She looked, she thought, she tested, she stepped in and ...

       AGAIN PICTURES ARE WORTH 1000 WORDS ...
                        A MILESTONE  ;o)

Willow's 4 Month Birthday :o)

FUN ... JOY ... ADVENTURE :o)

It's an amazing  journey that Sutter & I are on with this wonderfully loving sweet pup, who crossed the 16 week milestone the other day ... add calm, obedient, humerous, adventurous, studious and just a thrill in my life that brings lots of smiles ;o)

HAPPENINGS:

• Successful in-house potty training ... day & night!
• Tuggies with a swap for a 2nd toy!
• Learning "Box Trick" for her Puppy K class
• Water work in the pond's shallow overflow with an orange puppy bumper!
• Ground retrieving ... again with a toy swap !
• Good manners paddling in the rowboat!
• Sharing bones & toys ... that's a biggie!
• Loves to get in the "doggie" Van (still traveling in a crate ... not successfully potty trained in the car)
• Climbing the "gated" stairs to the toy room with mom's help
• First puppy clip & bath for her first lil' Puppy Match where she took 2nd place to her sister "Dazzle" who was "Best Puppy in the whole Match" 
• Loosing 1st tiny front puppy teeth!
• Met her Grandma Starr & played with Mom Sophie ;-)
• Had a playdate with Uncle Eclipse, "Big Sis" Sutter, and sister Dazzle
• Runs thru some tunnels, walks the baby teeter, jumps 8" bars and climbs low A-frame, after Sutter's Agility class :o) 

                                  

DAYS OF HAPPINESS and CONTENTMENT ;o)

Willow's Puppy K "Box Trick" ;o)

"You want me to do what?"

 

 

 

 

"How's this?" ... CLICK - TREAT!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

"With a sit?" ... CLICK-TREAT!

 

 

 

 

 

Oooops, missed it .... NO CLICK!

                                                     

"Something's not quite right!" ... CLICK-TREAT!

"How's this, huhhhh?"

PERFECT ... CLICK-TREAT ... GOOD GIRL :o))