We've been hiking!!!

Mom is really starting to slack again. But I have decided that I can’t really fire her without having a replacement lined up, and frankly, it’s pretty hard to find someone who will work for dog cookies and kisses who isn’t already working for someone else. So… I’m stuck with Mom’s slacking. It’s just so hard to get good help these days.

*ahem*

We’ve been on two more hikes since the last post. See, Abby suffers from CPS (Crazy Puppy Syndrome), and as such if she is inside the House With Wheels for too long, she starts to bounce off the walls and chew on my tail. I’m not too worried about the walls, but I prefer the plumage of my tail to stay where it is. So, I have implored Mom and Dad to take us hiking Every Day so that the symptoms of CPS don’t become overwhelming and I have to go in hiding behind the chairs.

And in all fairness, Mom and Dad have been really good about upholding their end of the bargain. That said, I have to warn you, because of Mom’s slacking this post is pretty picture intensive, as I’ve got pictures from both hikes…

Yesterday we hiked the ‘Guacamole Trail’ up Dalton Wash. Don’t ask me why it is called ‘Guacamole – I saw no signs of chips or salsa anywhere, and I was looking everywhere! I hiked part of this last fall with Mom and Dad; it is ‘slickrock’ (i.e. sandstone) for a good part of the trail, so it is kind of rough on my feet, and so Mom and Dad didn’t want to go the full 7 miles of the trail. The felt the same way yesterday when we hiked it. For all of her boisterous obnoxiousness energy and enthusiasm, Abby is still a young pup – not quite 18 weeks old, and while she can go 5+ miles with no problems, Mom and Dad wanted to make sure that her tender puppy feet didn’t get too roughed up on the trail.

But first we had to get up there; the trail is on top of a mesa, and the road up gets pretty steep at points (unfortunately the camera doesn’t really give you a sense of how steep it is, and Mom was too busy holding on to the door handle with white knuckles while Dad was driving over some washed out sections that had been ‘shored up’ to get pictures…). Here’s a view from the top of the mesa down, and if you look carefully, you can see the road winding its way down; it goes all the way down to the valley floor, BTW.

Anyhoo, Dad’s driving skills and the fact that we have a Jeep ensured that we got up there with no problems. And then it was time to go.

Which way, Dad?
Oh. You think the arrow is pointing the way? How clever! Heehee!

The air was cool for, oh, like, the first 15 minutes so Mom started off in a long-sleeve shirt. And you have to admit, the scenery is pretty stunning! (Even if Abby looks like a doofus!) Typically, Dad walks me, and Mom walks Abby, but for some ‘photo ops’ Mom or Dad will take both of us so we can pose. Or not….


See, we can pose!
Enough with the photo ops, let’s GO!

Oooh. Cool. You can look all the way over the edge!
The part of the trail that goes along the edge of the mesa
More photo ops!
Back to the slickrock!

Heehee! Hi Dad!

Enough scenery, Mom, let’s GO!!!

Abby was learning how to follow the trail…

Hey, um, Dad. I think the trail markers point for us to go this way…
Heehee. Double scratchy break!

And 5 miles later we were back at the car! Mom thinks this picture should be part of a Jeep ad…

So that was yesterday. Today we were back up and at ‘em. Mom and Dad were considering taking a day off, but by 10:30am Abby was starting to show signs of CPS, so Mom got us all ready to go out the door. We went back to the JEM trail, but we parked at trailhead a little further in than we usually do, so that we could make it to the Virgin River Dam; Mom and Dad had seen the signs for it, but had never made it all the way there before, so the plan was to go find the dam.

The trail is kind of dry and dusty, because we are quite a ways above the river (on yet another mesa…) but Abby took time to stop and smell the flowers!
And Dad is very generous with the water! (Mom carries extra so none of us go thirsty…)

After a couple of miles we saw the river, again!

And then we saw the dam.

Dad had to climb out on a ledge to get these pictures. Kidding! Although he did go off the trail so he could get the pictures – we couldn’t actually see the dam from the trail.

Today was a pretty hot day, so after looking around a bit,
we headed back.

(I don’t know why Mom says we are doofuses…)

And then it was back to the car, and another one of Mom’s “Jeep Ad” shots.
And then nap time!!!

Alas, these hikes only temporarily wear Abby out. By 7pm or so, she’s wreaking havoc again. I think Mom should take her on two 5 mile hikes a day. I’m just sayin’….

*kissey face*
-Fiona

PeeEss: I know that this really should have been two separate posts, but I've got to get Mom when she is in a posting mood; if I waited too long, I'd have, like, pictures from 5 hikes backed up...

Mom's a Slacker, but I'm Trying to Catch Up Anyway

Mom has been too busy to update for me, so blame her, not me! However, I'm not too upset with her, because when it comes to priorities, she has decided that playing ball with me (even if she throws like a girl - which means that Dad feels guilty and comes out and plays with me, too) is more important than updating the bloggy. And I wholeheartedly agree with her.

So, I have been getting in lots of chasing after things, and hiking,

and napping, and well, general hanging out.

Mom and Dad have been taking advantage of the nice weather (in the 50s) and have been bye-sickle-ing a bunch.

They are trying to squeeze in as much of this bye-sickle-ing as possible, because we are going to be going back to the House Without Wheels in about a week, and then they won't be able to bye-sickle until all the snow melts. Which sort of doesn't make sense; get in lots of bye-sickle-ing in preparation for not bye-sickle-ing. Okay. Whatever makes them happy!

Since we are going to store the House With Wheels down south here, Mom has started the process of cleaning out the fridge, doing laundry, stowing stuff, figuring what goes to the House Without Wheels, and how it is going to get there, as we will be traveling home in the Box On Wheels, and with me sitting in a back seat, and TaiChi and Bufus both in separate crates, there isn't going to be a ton of extra space. Especially since I'd like to be able to stretch out on the drive home. Luckily it's only 4 hours or so.

So, Mom has been busy with that, cutting down on her bloggy-following time. She has also been frantically trying to finish the annual calendar, in the hopes that it will arrive to all the interested parties somewhere before the New Year. She has been all anxious about boiling down all of last year's pictures into 49 pictures. I can see how this would be tough, as there are So Many fantabulous pictures of me, and Mom has to include pictures of TaiChi and Bufus, as well.

I mean, really, when you've got hundreds, if not thousands of pictures of ME, I can see how it would be stressful to pick a representative few. Especially since Mom feels obligated to include a few pictures of the car racing stuff each year. But, I'll have you all know that this year the calendar is very heavily loaded toward us, and not so much on Mom and Dad! (As it should be, I might add.)

Mom also had to hurry up and finish a special present for Grannie, so she could mail it in the hopes that it would get the North Carolina in time for Santy Claws to put it under the tree.

So she has been busy, and apologizes for not being able to help me keep up on bloggies. But she's doing her best.

In the meantime, Happy Solstice! May your fire burn bright!
*kissey face*
-Fiona, the doggie with the slacker Mom

PeeEss: OOOOHHH!!!! I forgot the Most Important News!!!! #$%@#$^ Secretary. She should keep notes, so I remember everything! My little sister was born about 2 weeks ago. When we get back to the House Without Wheels, Mom and Dad are going to go see her (well, technically go pick her out, but whatever). And in less than two months, I'm going to be a Big Sister. This actually makes me sort of nervous. But I'm still excited to be a Role Model. And it sounds like Abby (that's her name) is going to have her work cut out for her. Mom is already investigating puppy classes and obedience training, and all those things that I managed to skip. Heehee! Of course, Mom keeps saying that Abby is going to be a "Good Dog", but since I have no idea what that phrase means, I'm just ignoring her!