Time away

We're on a break! Check back soon!

My husband and I are going back East for a friend's wedding as well as family time, and while I wish we could take Captain, he will be well taken care of at the fabulous O'Paws. (Until these airlines get their act together and let Captain fly next to me, we'll be avoiding air travel with him. I'm also not sure Captain's ready to handle my 5 nieces and nephews, or deal with my meetings in Boston.) I'll be staying in Boston a little longer than my husband, for a thesis committee meeting and work, but will be back to blogging mid-August! See you again soon!

Camping and beaches and driving, oh my!

Since we've moved out to California, this was the kind of weekend I'd been craving. Finally, we planned a little getaway that allowed us to just go and explore. Friday afternoon we hopped in the car and headed northward to Lake Mendicino. I have to say I much prefer the "real" camping experience, where you hike to your site and there's nothing but you and the woods- Kyen campgrounds, as one would expect with drive-up campsites, was NOT like that (LOTS of big groups around us!), but it was right on the lake and a beautiful spot.


Captain seemed a little bewildered- "What do you mean, we're sleeping out here??" He marched around the inside of the tent and let out a couple of guard-dog barks during the night when he heard something, but eventually settled down and was happy to cuddle with us.

The next morning we explored the area a little bit and did a short hike near the campsite.

One of my favorite things about camping (despite not sleeping very well!) is waking up the next morning- the fresh air, the sun peeping through the trees- you can't help feeling rejuvenated!

We spotted 3 deer on our little hike! Captain was transfixed...Since it was supposed to climb to 95 degrees in the area, we decided to head coastward and take a leisurely route back home, stopping along the way. Here's Bodega Bay:
Of course, since there was a beach, there was digging involved:Tomales Bay, and its gorgeous views, blew me away.


We also drove along the Point Reyes National Seashore to Kehoe Beach:The fog just kind of consumed the cliffs:Back on the road:
And back into the fog:Check out the bridge!


The drive through the countryside from the campsite to the coast and down to SF was spectacular, filled with fields, country roads and cute little towns, plenty of cliffs and curves, and did I mention curves? We also saw a stag along the way, and I was in awe! I'd never seen one so close, it was a pretty cool experience. I kept thinking I should stop along the country roads to document every gorgeous hill and tree, but I must admit I was enjoying the driving too much. :-)

You can check out the full photo album from our weekend here:

Camping and exploring the North of SF coast-7-25-09

Mt. Tam

We did some hiking around Mill Valley on Mt. Tam this weekend. Very, very warm, but nice views!
Captain was happy when we were back in the shade.

Hiking always leads to good nap time back at home:

Captain's backyard

We take Captain to this park by AT&T Stadium at least once a day and there is always someone fun to play with! He thinks it's his personal playground.

Here he is playing with one of his favorite girls, Ellie the Vizsla:

Lua the German Shepard joined in for some fun too:


It's always fun at puppy 'happy hour'!

Fun at Home II

Sometimes Captain is just too cute for words.

We explored the Presidio a little this weekend, an absolutely beautiful area of San Francisco. There was a nice little off-leash dog park where Captain played with some friends. Sorry, no pics of that!

In other news, if you are in the Bay area, check out a new dog-friendly site my husband is working on with a few other people, called Fido Factor. It's a work in progress, so check back and feel free to give feedback!

Fun at home

I figured it was time for a couple close-up glamor shots of Captain hanging out at home!

Captain showing off his super long legs:


We have a fun kickball game we play against the back of the couch...shh, don't tell mom!Here's Mr. Glamor Man turning his nose up.... he's just too cool for school:
And looking just plain good:Time to play again!

4th of July Fields and Funston!

We had a few excursions this weekend, to the usual doggie-fun spots: Point Isabel on Friday and Fort Funston on Saturday.

On the chase in the water at Point Isabel:

Playing in the waves at Fort Funston:


Looking goofy:


Looking tall:
Looking completely content!

Favorite things

I was just thinking about some of the things that Captain does that make me so happy. But my favorite thing about him? It's hard to pick one...

The way he rubs his eyes with his paws when he's waking up?
The way he half laughs half wimpers in his sleep?
How he runs?
His amazing good looks?
His amazing somersault style of playing?
Just plain cuddling up with him?

But I have to say, the thing he does that I love most, that I'm going to go out on a limb and say is unique to Vizslas (just because I haven't seen other dogs do it, but who knows) is his eruption into a complete wiggle machine when I walk in the door (whether it be I've been gone for 10 minutes or two hours). There is nothing like being greeted with that much pure excitement. And it is just plain ridiculously cute. Other dogs get excited to see their owners too, I know, but I've never seen any other wiggle in this incredible way- it's not so much a tail wagging as a butt wagging, an entire back half of the body wiggle mania- the rear end curls around and shakes back and forth, the head slightly down, and everything in between shaking like a slinky. We call him wiggly butt.

What about Captain's favorite thing? That's tough to say too... when he was younger, it was without a doubt sitting in front of our heating vent- he'd just plop himself down right in front of it, lift his head up, close his eyes, and soak up all that warm air. Now I'm not sure if it's running in the park, playing with other dogs, digging in the sand, eating any kind of freeze-dried meat item, or maybe going to our favorite pet store. So much fun to be had, so little time...

What about you? Your favorite thing about you V, and his/her favorite thing? Share if you please!