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!