Walking softly and carrying a big stick

You never know who you'll run into on the trail. Here's one of our favorite Labs showing off a new found stick. Casey can't quite see the infatuation. He's going to fetch that thing?

Extrasensory perception

Huh, what.  OK, maybe not ESP, but Casey has a sixth sense for a camera being sighted and focused his way, REM sleep or not.

Solstice tree

Daylight seemed to be sliding away with every bend of the interurban when Casey and I reached our objective, what we like to call our Winter Solstice tree. Seems every year a mystery hiker or hikers keep this tradition going, and while it might not meet department store standards, it's a Yuletide standout for us.




On this shortest day of the year our glitzy spruce will soon succumb to the solstice gloaming, but we'll be back. It's especially impressive after a snowfall and we'll even have a few more seconds of sunshine with each visit to take it all in.

Last of the first snow

A week of snow off and on, Frisbee tosses in the white stuff, snowploughs and Snoopy rolls, ended way too soon for the kid as the temperatures rose from the teens to the balmy 30s.

Last night, when a melting blanket of snow on the backyard deck became a forgone conclusion, the very least we could do is give Casey a little extra time before we turned in. 

Looks here like he had a clue that this was going to be it until the next cold snap.

Birthday burger boy

Well, it's that time of year and Casey can't believe it. A Boomer's burger served up for his ninth birthday in a new Jawz Frisbee - a veritable feast for the eyes...and nose. Don't worry. The waffle fries are there just for visual effect. We finished those off.

The look on Birthday Boy's face when he realizes that this dinner setting is for real is priceless. And to his credit he didn't move a muscle until his Mom said it was OK, then served it up to him piece by piece. 

Good boy. And many happy returns.

First Christmas flick

Victoria and Casey seem to be comfy, even engrossed, while taking in their first Christmas film of the season. 

Geared up for Thanksgiving

Very first photo op

July 2008

We came across this photo of a bewildered seven-month-old Casey as scoped out his back yard on his first day in Bellingham more than eight years ago, the start of a long road to recovery as an abused sibling and intimidated herding trainee.

You might have noticed that our guy has been doing quite nicely since he's adopted our family.

Did you hear that!

No truer words

And believe me, Casey has a nose, a sense, for who's to be trusted and who isn't.

Mesmerized

You know, Stella just doesn't get enough press on blogspot. But it's usually because she keeps such a low profile during normal waking hours.

She's up and around most of the night though. And first thing in the morning, when the fireplace clicks on, her all night "crazies" come to a standstill.

Off trail smile of the week

Green Bordie

After a full day at the Green Party table at the farmers market Casey's trying to decipher the mail-in ballot. It didn't take him long though to figure out that the only logical choice this cycle is Jill 2016. 

Trailblazer

Forget Indian summer

After two weeks of bluster, with power outages, tree fall damage, and farmers market closures becoming commonplace, weather forecasts show no let up for a week or more. Tough times for Border Collies, like our guy, who would much rather hunker down indoors...at least until the 50 to 60 mph gusts diminish. You know what, who can argue with that?

Bookstore manners

Patience is mostly the ability to keep a good attitude while your waiting. Notice here that it might not necessarily be Casey's attitude. More like Victoria's firm grip on the leash in a Village Books lounge while I was busy checking out the used books shelf.

   

Corner lot

Weather conditions like this are going to be few and far between until, let's say, next June. So who can blame Casey and I for savoring the hell out of them for now, especially when exploring our corner lot. 

Thankfully our pristine lea has escaped most city intrusions or development for decades, still teaming with any and all forms of earthlings, from field mice to coyotes, even deer.

Lake breaks

A couple of side-trips to check out Lake Padden's fall finery, on the edge of sunset, really paid off with photo ops today. Here's just a couple.

Notice how the kid perked up in this last shot when I suggested we head back.

Meadow diversion

Just a quick off-trail photo-op while taking advantage of a break in today's showers. A week ago, this meadow was golden brown. Now, a September tease of green is the theme.

Fall trim

Time again for Casey's seasonal "makeover" at the barber shop. (OK, it's a pooch grooming salon, but what's in a name.) Here, the kid's favorite groomer, actually the only groomer he's ever had, Melissa, is applying the finishing touches. He was getting downright untidy and with rainy autumn just around the corner, he was becoming a debris magnet.

Just look at this guy, will you. He's obviously thrilled with the results, and loving the attention from his Mom and Melissa. 

Basking in the attention and ready for the trip home.

Catching a Farmers Market set

In spite of temps hovering around 80° a swing through Wednesday's farmers market is always a given. After one circuit though, that collie rough coat was taking its toll on the kid. Just a couple of numbers from the Village Green band was all our panter could take today. 

At least a shade cool-off was close by.

Still got it

With light and variable winds to make it interesting, late afternoon conditions were ideal for putting some air under Casey's Frisbee and turning him loose. The kid seemed pretty pleased with himself, as you'll see, but had no problem "taking five" after about 15 minutes.

Dappled leisure

Lounging around in the dappled sunshine of late afternoon.  Casey is a magnet for the good life.

Hey! What's up?

One of the great things about Bellingham in the summer is that scorchers are rare. But temperatures in the 70s usually require an occasional dousing of the plants by hand. Casey happened to notice that his Ma was next door doing just that and thought he'd take a peek.

'Course if he had just walked 10 feet to his right he could have come over and joined her.

Way too easy. 

  

Working off breakfast

Huh?  I was just resting my eyes.

Golden spring redux

Spring eruption of poppies in Port Townsend

California poppies blanket hillsides and meadows of the Pacific Northwest come May and June. This display is one of the more impressive we've run across. It was our view out of our third floor window behind the Palace Hotel in Port Townsend two weeks ago. Had to share.

At the end of the day each poppy closes up shop and turns in for the night.

On the mend

What a rough weekend for Casey. On Saturday he caught a dew claw on something, somewhere, and by the time we noticed the digit was bleeding and the claw was hanging loose. It looked cockeyed, nasty and painful. Enough so that we had to clean it and wrap it and keep him comfortable until this morning.  After a trip to the Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital he's back home and on the mend. His favorite doc Kris Johnson numbed it with Lidocaine and...Are you ready for this?...pulled it out the   rest   of   the   way. What a brave little guy. Notice that he's perfectly OK with his pink bandage. (Kinda matches the pink highlights of his nose.)

Indifferent Scot

Surprisingly our four-legged Scot couldn't have cared less about bagpipes on Water Street during the Rhododendron Festival in Port Townsend, Washington last week.

Persistent

Even after a couple of weeks, our seasonal invasion of buttercups doesn't seem to be showing the first signs of letting up. Casey can actually disappear from sight with each new bend in a hiking trail.  

Buttercup eruption

The Whatcom County eruptions of wildflowers wait for no one, and our Connelly Creek trail is no exception. The onslaught of Pacific Northwest varietals - buttercups, dandelions, and Columbia coreopsis - flourish from late spring into early summer, then give way to wild grass that make meadows inaccessible by routine trails. 

She's back

Just as impressive today as the aerobics on a brisk walk around Lake Padden was Casey and I struggling to keep up with Vic for a change. After knee-replacement surgeries on both knees, as well as two years of rehab, Victoria is once again setting the pace. No stopping her now.
     

Bursting, almost overnight

Cherry blossoms bursting out all over, and right on schedule. But definite proof that a spring storm is on the way. Those "pink clouds on sticks," as my granddaughter calls them, will be all over the neighborhood very soon.

They're back

Before venturing too far down the trail Casey became mesmerized by something or someone up ahead. Since coyote sightings are common in this area, with a pack known to call the undergrowth just northeast of us home, I was paying particular attention to the kid's slower pace. As I got closer it was apparent what caught his attention. And it was far from hostile, more romantic than anything else in fact. The mating calls of the tree frogs were in full swing. 

Back seat boy

All settled in on his new backseat quilt for a trip to Seattle for the day.