Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung... but it's still cold! The temperatures last week were warm and mild, encouraging trees to sprout buds and daffodils to blossom.  Unfortunately, this week has been unseasonably cooler. Just ask Brian - he's been freezing since returning from Guam. Of course, he's also been wearing shorts 24/7!

Ashley poses with the daffodils

Tahoe and Ashley don't seem to mind the crazy temperatures.  Those two love to be outside, period. On Monday and Tuesday we walked to the park and played "fetch" with tennis balls.  Tahoe really loves to play in the field by the park.  He gets extra excited when we walk by there - pulling me with all of his might until I take him off leash.

Tahoe poised to catch a ball

Lately, I've noticed a strange phenomenon on the walking paths that are near the local lake. Yucky fish parts. Dried fish parts seem to be scattered all around the paths and grassy areas near the lake.  I can't tell if they've been left there by some animal or if fishermen have just gotten into the habit of discarding the fish parts on the ground.  It's strange - it's also very gross because both Tahoe and Ashley seem to have a knack for finding the fish parts and eating them before I can correct them.  At least half a dozen times, I've had to grab Tahoe's or Ashley's muzzle and try to pry open their mouths to pull out the fish. Eew!

Hiking & Springtime Snow

Babu has been training to take on the Appalachian Trail (AT) this summer.  For the past couple of weekends, I have left Tahoe and Ashley at home to accompany Babu on some training hikes.  This past Saturday, we headed out for a 12 mile hike. 

The weather was cool, sunny, and slightly windy. Our hike took us along a river, over hills, past a shooting range, through soccer fields, along rocky river banks, and over stream crossings. At one point, we stopped so Babu could test his five-toed walking shoes - he's considering using them for stream crossings on the AT. His verdict: "They helped my toes grip to the rocks." We also stopped so he could demonstrate his shelter building skills... quite impressive! 

Testing out the five-toed shoes

Resting on the trail

Babu, resting in his shelter

This morning we all woke up to find a few snow flurries. Snow prediction in the DC area always seems to be hit or miss.  Even the television meteorologists seem surprised when their forecasts are accurate. No major accumulation - just a pretty white dusting to enjoy for a few hours.

A light dusting of snow

Ashley, sniffing the cool morning air

Homecoming

Today, Tahoe and Ashley got a special surprise...
A few weeks back, I mentioned that something BIG was coming. Well, this evening (after five long months), Tahoe and Ashley's daddy arrived back home!

Tahoe kissing his daddy!

 Welcome home Brian!

Alive... and Kicking!

Apologies for the extended silence, my friends. I've been distracted by March madness, warmer weather, and home decor escapades.  So, here's a quick run-down of what Tahoe and Ashley have been up to during the past couple of days.

1. Walking
2. Eating
3. Sleeping
4. Playing
5. Going to the dog park
6. Eating rawhide bones
7. Running
8. Finding fish near the lake
9. Fetching balls and sticks
10. Eating goose poop 

Tahoe enjoying a rawhide

Super-Powered Magnetic Nose

Ashley has a funny nose. Basically, it's a super-powered food finding detector.  Lately, it's been detecting chewed up pieces of gum that have been spit out on the ground that she finds during our walks.  (Gross! I know.) Her nose is also a magnet for rawhide residue. Very strange.

Ashley's crazy nose, covered in rawhide goop

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So, did you wear your green today?  In honor of St. Patty's Day, here's a little Irish Blessing:

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow 

And may trouble avoid you, 

Wherever you go

Fun with the Flying Pig

One of the gifts that Tahoe and Ashley received for their birthday was a pink flying pig bungee toy.  The maker of the toy (Hyper products) claims that the bungee toy can be launched up to 100 feet.  So, we took it out to the park to test it out... sadly, the furthest that we could get the pig to fly was about 25 feet.  That said, Tahoe and Ashley still had fun with it. Tahoe especially enjoys fetching and retrieving the pig.

We've played with the flying pig in the park two days in a row.  By the end of day two, I'm sad to report that the pig is about half it's original size due to a split seam and de-stuffing by two crazy weimaraners.

Tahoe and the flying pig

Ashley and the flying pig

Dogs @ Islands of Adventures

On Thursday evening, I left Tahoe and Ashley and headed to Orlando, Florida. My mission... to visit my aunt and uncle and to visit Harry Potter's castle at the Islands of Adventure amusement park at Universal.  I'm proud to report - Mission Accomplished.

Since Tahoe and Ashley weren't able to join me in Florida, I decided to take a little time while walking around the amusement park to find characters that they would appreciate - cartoon dogs! I saw Andy (Mark Trail's dog), some cute cartoon dogs playing in a fire hydrant fountain, and... Scooby-Doo! Scooby-Doo gave me a big kiss and posed for a picture with me - and, I didn't even need to give him scooby snacks!

Hogwarts - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Andy - Mark Trail's dog

Cartoon dogs playing with a fire hydrant

Cute cartoon dog - looks like Ashley

Scooby-Doo!

Birthday Pooches!

Happy Birthday Tahoe & Ashley!

Today is an extra special day -- today, Tahoe turns 11 and Ashley turns 7.  (We don't actually know when Ashley's exact birthday is but we know her approximate age and we're delighted to celebrate her special day along with Tahoe's).  So... to celebrate, I've baked a special batch of pup-cakes and I have a few fun surprises that I'll give my favorite pooches when I arrive home from work.  Plus, their special day would not be complete without plenty of kisses and belly rubs.  

Update: A good time was had by all... even flat-Brian participated in the festivities! Sadly, I had to leave my lovelies to head out of town.  I owe them one big long walk when I return.

Pup-cakes!

Yummy!

Can I blow it out now?

Even flat-Brian got in on the fun!

Yum yum yum yum yum!

Presents!

Birthday tug-o-war!

Dazed & Confused

O.k. -- So Tahoe and Ashley are not really dazed and confused. Actually, they are probably annoyed with me and my camera but, I couldn't resist. They look so funny in these pictures that I took as they dozed in and out of sleep.  Good thing that they're sleepy... They need all of the rest that they can get tonight. Tomorrow is a big day for them!

Ashley

Tahoe

Wandering in the Dark

We went out for a walk after dark this evening. (Every now and then I have to mix things up to keep Tahoe and Ashley on their toes.) Just a short walk around the neighborhood... that's all they needed. It was a pleasant night - the sky was dark and clear and the stars were bright.  All in all, a nice night for a walk.

Tahoe

Ashley, preparing for a post-walk nap

Wanted: One Wily Weimaraner

Well, I was right...  Tahoe and Ashley really were "holding it in" yesterday to avoid going out in the rain.  Without getting into too many details, we had to stop at least SIX different times on our walk today while one or the other "attended to business." Better out than in, I guess.

Ashley was also successful in bringing Babu to his feet (again) today.  She became a bit anxious and crazy as we approached another dog on the walk and Babu lost his footing. Luckily, he landed on a soft muddy hill. He suffered no injuries, except maybe a little bruising to his pride and one muddy pair of jeans.

The crime: Dirty jeans

The culprit: One wily weim

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I want to take a moment to say "thank you" for checking in and allowing me to share my Ashley and Tahoe stories - and day-to-day life - with you.  Over the weekend, the blog reached a milestone: it broke over 1,000 in visitors to the site! I'm truly amazed and honored.
 
Also, stay tuned: Something BIG is coming later this month...

Hiking, Chocolate, & Rain

Hiking:
On Saturday, we went back to Great Falls for a hike.  (I had enjoyed the trails and scenery so much last weekend that I really wanted to go back and hit the trails again.) We encountered more people than we did last week plus, we saw more kayakers and rock climbers. It seems everyone is starting to emerge from the indoors now that it's warmer.

One of the more interesting aspects of the hike was a frog-filled pond that we happened upon.  Sounds strange, I know... But, did you ever see that bizarre 1970's horror movie about frogs? Well, this pond reminded me of something straight out of that movie.  There were hundreds of frogs in this little pond and the noise from their croaking and ribbits was quite loud and impressive... almost like a little frog orchestra.

Although Tahoe and Ashley did not come along for this adventure, we did run into a couple accompanied by a handsome blue weimaraner. Unfortunately, it was towards the end of our hike and after four + hours of hiking, I was not quick enough to snap a picture.

Helicopter flying near Great Falls

Looking down at rock climbers

A couple of frogs from the frog pond

Chocolate:
This weekend was the annual Chocolate Lovers Festival. Chocolate + Festival = Yummy! There were several chocolate vendors, demonstrations, and a cake competition.  I got to sample a couple of chocolate covered strawberries.

Paisley cake from the festival's cake competition

Chocolate Monster cake - our favorite cake in the competition

Rain:
Rain has kept Tahoe and Ashley in for most of today.  In fact, those two dislike the rain so much that they won't even step outside to go to the bathroom when it's raining. Hopefully the weather will dry out by tomorrow - I'm not sure that Tahoe and Ashley can "hold it" much longer.

Busy as a Beaver

Today was a great day for a walk. Tahoe and Ashley were super-excited to get to go out for a walk after I came home from work. It was windy but the temperature was mild - in the 60's. As we walked by the lake, Tahoe and Ashley's ears flapped in the wind.  We walked past the lake, around the playground, and past an area where a sign denoted "Beaver at work." Tahoe's nose went crazy around a tree where there's evidence that a beaver has been busy. We are all enjoying the longer days and evening sunshine.

The pictures that I took from today's walk make it look much darker than it actually was...  it's hard to believe but I swear, it was sunny and pleasant - just ask my companions.

Babu, Ashley, and Tahoe

Tahoe inspects the work of a beaver

 "Th-th-th-that's all folks!"
PS: Happy 76th Birthday to one very special pig!

Porky Pig