Canola!

I remember my first trip to the Prairies as an adult.  I was completely in awe of the Canola fields.  How could you not help but smile at the sight of miles and miles of bright, sunshine yellow.  I never knew a crop could be so pretty.

I've been dying to take pictures of a dog in a Canola field for a few years.  But I never got around to it.  I didn't want to trespass, I didn't want to damage the crop and I had to time it right to boot!

On our way home yesterday, I finally worked up the nerve.  We only spent about 2 minutes in the field and just stayed on the very edge.  I don't think we did any real damage, they seem to be pretty hardy plants, but I don't know. I'd love to go back and get more, but I don't think I can handle the guilt.

Coulee was hilarious in the field.  She felt the urge to bound like a deer the whole time.  It was fun to watch.

My Personal Sherpa

Coulee and I hiked up from Cameron Lake to Summit Lake and then another 4 km to the ridge.  I think Summit Lake is one of my favourite hikes.  It is only 4 km through forest and flower filled meadows to this super pretty little lake.

I think the best thing about this trip was that I had my own personal sherpa!  Coulee wore her new backpack and I got her to carry the water, the food and even the car keys.  All I carried was my camera.  It was wonderful! I don't think I would have made it to the top otherwise.

So Cameron Lake (where I started) is the big lake on the left.  The snow on the far side of the lake is actually in the USA.  You can see a small lake just to the right of Cameron (I don't know what lake that is) and then the next lake over (and a little farther in front) is Summit where the picture above was taken.

In the picture below, Summit is on the left side and you can see a bit of the path off to the right.

This is the view on the other side of the ridge.  In the far back, you can see the prairies.  It was a pretty hazy day, but on a clear day you can even make out a windmill down there. The lakes in this picture are Carthew Lakes.

Coulee also took a moment to enjoy the view after all her hard work up the mountain.

Thanks Coulee for carrying all the supplies yesterday.  I knew there was a reason I didn't bring Lacey instead.  :)

Teddy's Bear Picnic

Coulee and I went to Waterton yesterday and saw 2 young bears!  Marlin is convinced they are both young grizzlies, but I'm not too sure about the second one.  I went 30 something years never seeing a grizz, and now suddenly this year I've seen 2 or 3!  Crazy.

The bears were relatively close and I had lots of time to take pictures, yet they all turned out kind of blurry.  Not sure what is up with that!  Sigh.

Goodbye Gourdo

Today's walk was a bust on many levels... not the least of which was we lost Gourdo.  :(

Searching

I am still searching for the perfect collar for Lacey.  

I need a collar that is comfortable, stylish and most importantly, stays clean.  That last need is proving to be challenging.  

I should probably be washing Lacey's collars once a day as not a day goes by when she isn't rolling in things she shouldn't, getting it soaking wet or having Coulee haul her around by it.  OK so that last one isn't her fault, but it still doesn't help the aroma.

I recently heard about these fun collars on Scruffy Dog Photography's blog.  They are fun, affordable (cost me $16 including shipping) and rubber!

AND they come with a name plate.  That has been a major pet peeve of mine - everytime I put a clean collar on Lacey, I needed to move the name tag over.  (I tried a special clip made just for this purpose and it didn't survived a day on Lacey.)

I still want to try the Headwaters collar from Ruffwear and I hope that they sort out the issues they were having with it, but until then, I think I may need to order a few more collars, in a few more colours.  A girl has to have options you know!

Gourdo Fun

We just got some new toys at work from Ruffwear.  I think I was as excited as the dogs were.  I stole a Gourdo last night for a photo session. Turns out, I used it with my girls instead. Oops.  :)

Coulee was hooked.  But then again, Coulee likes every toy that floats.

But if Lacey likes it, you know it is a winner.

Move over Kong, I think this is going to become a quick favourite in our house.

Summer Holidays

Marlin and I spent last week at Idabel Lake Resort with my family.  We had a great week.  It was fun, relaxing and filled with lots of naps as well as lots of laughter.  It was the perfect combination.

This was the first photo I took.... We had all just arrived and were relaxing with a beverage.  Mom seemed to have no problem, settling in to vacation mode.  But you can tell she isn't quite there yet, as she still has her purse.  :)

We jumped right in that evening playing games with the kids.  I'm not sure who had more fun playing Operation.

The two men were not left out of the games.  They had staring roles in the game of dress-up.

The resort had boats that you could use.  Mom and I took a few canoe trips around the lake...

Deb and her family conquered an island from a row boat...

And Mom almost managed to sink a canoe when she decided to go for a trip by herself one morning.  Water starting coming on board as she was still getting in and ended up falling into the lake.  She used the dock to help get her to shore and we ended up playing the "helpless" females routine to get a nice guest to use his electric motor to go rescue the canoe from the middle of the lake.  Mom had a few nasty bruises from her adventure but other than that, was unharmed.  I doubt she'll be trying that again soon though!

We went on lots of little hikes.  We made a trip to the Kettle Valley Railway route.  They've since turned the rail line into a hiking and biking trail and there was a section near where we were staying that had lots of trestle bridges to see.

Many of these trestle bridges burned up in the 2003 Kelowna Fire, but thanks to some provincial funding and a huge group of volunteers they have since been rebuilt.

The boys went fishing every chance they got.  The fish weren't biting as much as usual though... probably due to the incredible amount of bugs around this year.

And just some more random family pictures from the week...

Sarah, taking a break.

Marlin, smiling for the camera.  

The early morning mist on the lake.

Deb, Steve, Sarah and Alison.

The girls having fun on the swings.

Mom and Stephanie, laughing it up.

Sarah and Alison running across one of the damns at a nearby lake.

Three generations of girls.

Mom, being mom.  This picture is just so her....

Proof that I was there, awkward stance and all.  :)

Tater

We've been looking after Tate for a few days and I figured it was time I headed out with my camera and the dogs.  I strapped my camera to my back, grabbed the three leashes and went out to the green strip near our house for some fun and some pictures.

Tate off leash, is kind of the same as Tate on leash.  He moves at his own pace, he sniffs EVERYTHING and pretty much ignores everything around him.

He is always immaculately groomed and I'm sure Jo will be horrified that I took pictures when it has been a few days since a good brushing, but I think he still looks gorgeous.

You can see how crazy high the grass is at the moment.  Most of my photos are when they are walking down the path, otherwise there is grass blocking their faces.

I hope the pictures brighten your day a little bit Jo!  We are all thinking of you.  Lacey would give you a big kiss if you were here but since you aren't, she has been giving them to Tate instead.