Dog News!

Last Wednesday, we took the plunge and adopted a dog.  We have been talking about this for years and naturally had concerns about a dog cramping our freedom, etc., but we both knew that someday the time would feel right and the relationship one can have with "man's best friend" would be worth it.  So we ventured down to the Coastal Humane Society in Florence just to make contact with the staff and check out a possibility named Dori. There was scant information on her and she was a recent arrival.  She was listed as a 3 year old Doberman mix, however we failed to see the Doberman in her.

Our first thought on seeing her was that she was a lot of dog, not just in size, but in athletic build.  Maybe too much dog.  We spent about 45 minutes walking her on nearby trails and began to think she might be the one.  She seemed good natured, started warming up to us with body leans and face licks, and didn't seem hyperactive.  We decided to adopt her.

 Our first meeting at the humane Society.

We have modified Dori's name to Daisy for several reasons. One of our neighbors up the road has a dog named Dori; we wanted to name her; Gail thought that a hound looking dog should have a hillbilly name like Daisy Mae of the Clampet family (Beverly Hillbillies); and a name like Daisy might put people more at ease as opposed to names like Killer, Cornfed, or something macho.  So she is officially Daisy Mae, or just Daisy for short.

While the vet was checking her over, giving her her shots, and clipping her nails, we took off to Fred Meyer to buy some doggy supplies.  Here, Gail is trying out a doggy mattress in the store aisle.  It passed the test, and is Daisy's go to bed.

On day three, we finally got up the courage to let her off leash in our largest fenced yard.  We were concerned that she could jump the fence and bolt, but instead she charged around ecstatically, leaping, bounding, and sprinting back and forth between us. 

This seems to be what she likes to do on grass when she is particularly happy - it cracks us up!

 On her 4th day with us, we went to walk the popular 804 Trail in town to assess her social skills.  Daisy was interested in other dogs, but was never aggressive towards them or other people.

 At the end of the trail we went down on the beach. We let her run a few times back and forth between us for treats -  no problem.

 We've been walking her several miles a day, a lesson learned from watching a lot of the Dog Whisperer.

"Good dog!"

 Today, day 6, we let her off leash for several miles on the beach.  She constantly checked on us, a good sign, and did not run too far. 

 Hi, Daisy!

We had lunch at the Yachats Brewing Company, another socialization test that she aced - her first restaurant. 

We have been fortunate so far with how well mannered Daisy has been in the house. She doesn't bother the cats.  Penelope has even tried to eat out of Daisy's  bowl while Daisy is eating!  Yummy, on the other hand, is staying far away from Daisy, and it may be some time before she chooses to come into the same room with her.

Our remaining concerns are that she does not like to be left alone,  we haven't tested her on how she'll handle that, and she seems to have a dose of hound in her which may lead to wandering or taking off on a scent.  Someone remarked the other day that she looked like a Plott Hound.  When we looked that breed up, the resemblance was very close.  They were bred in North Carolina originally to hunt bears.  So far so good, though, she continues to impress us.  I think we are very lucky!

Return of the Bear

With our apples and pears beginning to ripen, word is out in the animal kingdom,"Free Buffet"! Sunday morning, a bear was caught in one of our cameras crossing the log over the river. Sunday evening, we noticed bear apple barf in our apple/pear tree enclosure, so we set up a camera there, and one by the apple tree next to the greenhouse.

Sunday night, the apple barfing culprit returns to its side of the river.

A return trip Monday night for more apple delight.  Although there is a strong fence around these 3 trees, a bear has no trouble scooting under or going over.

The time here is 6:01 AM.  In the next video at 6:04, Gail comes walking by with Daisy, not realizing that moments earlier the bear was right there.

Meanwhile, the deer were having a party under the apple tree next to the greenhouse. I had left a radio and light on in there hoping to discourage the bears.  No bears, but apparently no affect on the deer!

This afternoon, I picked a supply of apples and pears to make sure we would at least have some this year.

A few days ago, I caught this bobcat crossing the river log.

Colorado Backpack with Dave and Nick

My son-in-law Dave invited Nick and I to join him for a backpacking trip in Colorado. We spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Weminuche Wilderness of southwest Colorado, part of the San Juan National Forest.  It turned out to be a great choice, and on top of that, the weather was mostly good. After all, it was still the monsoon season, and we were taking a bit of a chance.

 Dave chose the Vallecito Creek Trail.  Here we are at the trailhead.

 We packed in 9 miles on Wednesday, starting at 7,000 feet and making camp at 8,000 feet near Johnson Creek.

 The creek was so clean and clear it seemed we could just drink out of it without filtering (we didn't).

 A flower in the gentian genus, I believe.

 I believe these are Police Car Moths.

 A strange looking fly, Adejeania vexatrix, I believe, after consulting iNaturalist.

 Our first break by the creek and first bridge.

 The third bridge, unfortunately, was taken out by an avalanche a few years ago, so we had to ford the creek.  This is trickier than it looks on slippery rocks in frigid water.  Nick insisted on carrying my backpack across for me - much appreciated!

 Our campsite was under these peaks which loomed larger as we trekked further up the valley.

 The trail alternated between passing through shady forests and open meadows.

 After about 7 hours of hiking, we set up camp. Notice the fine furniture we have here!

 Nick and his home for 3 nights.

 Dave and his home.

 Nick and I shared a bear canister, but our food and toiletries would not all fit.  The solution? Nick put a pinhole in all the food packages so he could squeeze out the air, and voila, everything fit.  Here he sniffs the gourmet aroma of a Mountain House meal.  Mountain House meals and Clif bars were frequent objects of sarcasm.

 The days were warm, but as soon as the sun disappeared over the ridge it became cold in the thin, dry, mountain air.

 Hello, beetle on my tent!

 On day 2, we headed 6 miles further up the valley for a day of exploration.  Our goal was Rock Creek.

 Vallecito Creek passed through a little gorge here.

 The start of the afternoon thunderstorms up around the peaks.

 Nick brought his camera and documented many plants and flowers. I appreciated his frequent  stops to examine new specimens as the altitude impacted my lung power.

 iPhone panorama shot that makes the river look weird.

 Indian Paintbrush.

 We were looking for a moose that a woman backpacker told us she had seen a half mile up the trail.  She also said she saw bear tracks and scat in the same area.

 Sure enough, bear track.

 And bear scat, which has a striking similarity to certain Clif Bars.

 We finally came to Rock Creek, which turned out to be quite red.

 Botanist at work.  I could picture Nick being the botanist on the Darwin expedition, bringing plants and flowers back to the ship for study.

 We saw a lot of Columbine.

 We had a few rain showers on the way back to camp.

 Hello!

We got back to camp rather late and ate in the dark.  We were bushed after the 12 mile hike.

 Day 3 started out sunny and warm as we headed for another hike, this time up the Johnson Creek Trail which leads over Columbine Pass at 12,674 feet elevation.

 We saw several areas of moose scat along the way.

 We had lunch above a steep ravine as it began to thunderstorm.  The thunder echoed off the surrounding cliffs and mountains - very dramatic.  After some hail, rain, and dropping temperature, we decided to head for lower ground.  We had made it to about the 10,000 foot level.

 The view from the bridge over Vallecito Creek, about a quarter mile above our campsite.

 That's Nick's tent in the middle of the picture.

After a good downpour, we emerged from our tents and built a fire to celebrate our last night on the trail.

 Three Amigos.

 What???  Nick is actually drying his butt after sitting awhile on a wet log.

 Our last morning presented us with a double rainbow!

 Fording the creek again as we make our way down the 9 miles to the car.

 A real bonus along the trail was fresh raspberries!  They were tasty and prolific!

 This rock slab had the marks and grooves left by glaciers.

 We passed Chimney Rock coming and going on the drive.  We had wanted to hike around the archaeological ruins on our way to Durango, but no one was allowed up there due to weather concerns.

One of the highlights of my remaining time in Colorado Springs was our annual Spud Fest.  Andria grows all these potatoes in bags, which we dumped out. My spud scrubbing crew here is my granddaughter Susanna on the right, and her neighbor Bristol on the left.  The Spud Fest slogan is, "You'll never want to eat a potato again!"

Susanna has the ability to literally climb the walls!  Climbing is big in Colorado, and starts in the kitchen.