Then one evening, Richie's sister showed up with her mini-humans and our other cousins Lupin and Humphrey! It was pure doggie chaos, as there must have been 400+ lbs. of dogs running around the house, skidding around on the hardwood floors. Humphrey has gotten bigger since we saw him last, but he still hasn't caught up to Paisley, the reigning heavy-weight champion. Despite his largess, he's pretty low-key, and he seems to have taken a liking to me... but who hasn't?
Mischa
They took us for walks every day, even in the pouring rain! I thought I would test them, and not only did I get them to give me treats so that I would get in the Rover, but I had them giving me treats to get out of the Rover!
So this is apparently supposed to be "fall" - the nights are cooler, and I think we're normally supposed to have a lot more rain by now, but it was pretty sunny this weekend. We went for some long walks (a little longer than Richie probably likes), and did some hanging around in the backyard.
Here's a funny picture of Paisley - she'd crawled up on Christine's lap (again)! I think she thinks that she is a little doggie, not a 100 lb. Berner!
I immediately went in and got my paws wet, but Paisley would only come in up to her ankles. So I went back up to the shore to get her, and the both of us walked into the water together. It was pretty cute, or at least it looked that way to the humans standing on shore.
Here's a shot showing how beautiful it is with the views of the city in the background... not that I was noticing, as I was busy digging in the sand in front of Christine. This is the only place I'm still allowed to dig without getting in trouble - except for that one spot in the garden behind the big bush where Christine won't notice!
We went down to Point Roberts again this past weekend, but this time, we were by ourselves, and we stayed down there for two sleeps! We were pretty restless that first night in the cabin, as Paisley didn't really know where to sleep, and so when we got down to the sand bars at the beach the next day, it was fun and frolic!
But despite the few days of cool weather we've had recently, it was still really hot down there; I resumed my typical spot sleeping in the shade of the Rover, and Richie came over and joined me.
This is the cabin - Christine is up there on the deck reading her book, and when Richie got up to take this picture, we followed him. Paisley of course, thought we were leaving, and went and stood at the back door to the Rover. Silly girl.
We went for lots of walks, and almost always went to the beach to go swimming... or at least wading. It was really nice, as there was almost no waves, and it made it easy for us to walk around on the rocky bottom.
Even Paisley was getting into it, as she would occasionally go into the ocean and fetch one of the many sticks that Christine would throw out there. She's still not too crazy about swimming, and if the stick drifted too far out, she would quickly turn around and come back.
Here's another great reason for us to be at the beach... there's all sorts of smelly, stinky stuff that washes up on the sand. Here, it looks like Paisley and I have found an especially smelly thing, and I'm rolling around on my back in it! Woo hoo!
The next day, Richie disappeared for a long time, apparently to play golf, and we went to the beach again. Note the impressive form as I leap out of the water as I try to get away from Paisley.
I just love running around at the beach - I still have a few "frantic puppy" moments now and then!
Here we are with our new camp setup - it was a great place with lots of beach and forest to run around on/in, but for some reason we were kept on our leashes almost the entire time. We did get a chance to run around on the beach one day however, but the water at this place has bigger waves than Paisley and I had ever seen.
I wasn't so sure about fetching a piece of wood that Richie threw into the water, as the waves seemed kinda scary. Sure enough, I turn around, and a wave picks up Paisley and flips her all the way over until she gets back on her feet, and then the water goes right over her head! After that, we didn't go in the water anymore.
Here's Christine enjoying the sun with us on the beach - it might seem like a bad idea for those of us with black fur to be lying in the sun, but with the cool ocean breeze, and the temperature of the water down here in the US of A (as Richie calls it), we did ok.
This is what Richie was doing while we were at the beach - I went and slept with him for a while too, but Christine wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a picture!
After a while, it got a little bit warm as my fur dried out, so I went for a little snooze in this neat hut that someone had made out of driftwood on the beach. It was perfect for getting out of the mid-day sun.
When we got back to camp, Christine would get really excited if the sun came out - it was a bit cool down there, as there was a low fog almost every day that would hang around and make things damp. I like the sun too.
But for the whole time we were there, they had these big loud birds that would fly overhead - so loud that it scared us sometimes. They would fly low over us, then circle, and sometimes race off into the sky. I know it irritated Christine and Richie - I don't think we are coming back here again.
Anyhow, after a short ride in the Rover (we slept the whole trip, so who really knows how long it took?), we are back home again, and dog, are we tired! I was so tired when this picture was taken - look how far I've buried my nose into my bed!
Richie has been doing most of the same, as you can see above. We went down to Point Roberts the other day to run in the ocean, and hang out with Christine's parents and her nieces. When we got back, it was too hot to sit on the deck, so Richie came over in the shadow of the Rover with us. It has been so hot, that all we do is go for our morning walk (Richie complains that even at that time of the morning, it is 25º C), sleep all day, then go for a play once the sun goes down. Both Richie AND Christine have been staying with us in the basement, which is really fun.
Even Christine, who normally likes the heat, has been staying in the shade too. Here we are getting some love from her while she tries to stay cool in the hangy thing. Paisley tries to climb up on her lap when she's up there, but it's too wobbly for her. You might also notice the big thing filled with water sitting on the deck - it's something called a "pool", and Richie has been lying in it to try and keep cool. Christine has been trying to get us to go in, but it looks like a ruse to try and give us a bath. No way Jose.
The heatwave is slowly losing it's punch however - it is still hot during the day, but at least it cools down a bit at night now. I heard some mention of going swimming at the waterfall again today, so that should keep us cool for a bit.
Bliss.
We actually drove to Richie's parent's place, where we have been before. They spent a lot of time swimming in the pool, but since I couldn't figure out how to wade in, I didn't go swimming myself. Paisley and I just hung out in the shade and pooped in Grampa Chin's orchard.
After a couple of sleeps, we got back in the Rover and went to a campsite where we met up with our friends Greg, Shannon, Bentley and a new doggie named Breton. We immediately went swimming in the lake - you can see me in the picture above returning from an attempt to try and catch a duck and her baby ducklings - dog are they ever fast!
But it was really hot up there - something like 34º C - that is, if I could read a thermometer. So when we got back to our campsite, we had to hang out in the shade on the grass beside our new tent trailer. This was a good time for Richie and Greg to drink beer, prepare dinner, and drink more beer. Followed by wine and then a scotch before bedtime. I can tell when Richie has been drinking all that stuff, as we dogs have very keen noses, and Richie, well he smells like booze in the morning.
Speaking of the tent trailer, here it is, after Richie and Christine unfolded it for us. It is really neat, as there is plenty of space for Paisley and I to sleep on the part of the trailer that is on the ground, while Richie and Christine get to sleep on the elevated section. I kinda miss being able to trample all over them in the middle of the night, but I think they prefer it when Paisley isn't trying to lie on their heads! I was also able to come and go throughout the night - I had my tether attached to the tent trailer, and I decided that I preferred sleeping outside.
Here's Paisley sneaking up on Christine's lap (again) for a photo opportunity. I really enjoy being out here camping, but I think after a couple of days, Paisley really wanted to go home. She didn't tell me that, but you could see it in her behaviour - she was ready to get back in the Rover at the drop of a hat.
After three sleeps, we got what we were waiting for - cooler weather and some rain. Here we are that morning hanging out under the awning so that we don't get wet. I don't really mind the rain, but it sure seemed to get the humans bent out of shape for some reason. Anyhow, it didn't really last long, and by that evening, it was sunny again!
The next day, we packed up our stuff, and hopped back in the Rover for a long drive home - well it might have seemed that way, but Paisley and I slept almost the entire trip, so we didn't really care. We did get a bath (again!) when we got home, but for some reason, I am still really itchy. Oh well, I am getting a lot of attention from Richie and Christine, as well as a dollop of peanut butter every 6 hours).
Richie put a frozen hot dog in the sink to thaw while he went out to the garage to work. When he turned his back, I stood on my hind legs and managed to fish the tasty frozen treat out of the sink! But while I was up there, I saw that there was something else there that was worth investigating. It was a yummy chocolate cake! I peeled back the tin foil and took a few good bites of it. I was a nice dessert, but in truth, I much preferred the hot dog.
Here we are, taking a few pics in the backyard with all of the foliage (the plants) grown in. It has been really hard for to go digging in the garden, as the plants are taking up so much space! Anyhow, I don't think they really like it when I dig anyways.
And here's the finished patio area that Richie made a while ago - now that the grass has grown in, it is a really nice place for us to sit and enjoy some sun... that is, if it's not too hot out. Otherwise, the cool concrete under the deck is where you will find me most of the time.
Here we are hanging out with Christine in the new little patio area at the back of the yard - I really like sitting under the bench, whereas Paisley is a little bit too big to slide under. She prefers to sit on their feet anyways.
While Richie has been busy with a large project in the garage (I haven't quite figured out what it is, but apparently we will find out on the July long weekend), Christine has been able to do some quality lounging on the patio. It must have been hot for her, as she has a towel on her head!
Here he is putting the finishing touches on the tables. At this point, it got kinda hot, and Paisley and I decided to get out of the mid-day sun, and have taken to the little nook in the garden wall that Richie made recently. It's nice 'cause we get to lie on the cool, damp ground, with a little bit of shade from one of Christine's bushes.
As you can also see, the grass is finally starting to grow... well, at least where I haven't been digging. The other day, I got sprayed in the face with the hose - I think it had something to do with the hole I dug in the garden, but I am not really sure. I dug another hole in the yard last night, and now it is already filled up, but it also smells like poo!?! I don't really understand what is going on, but I might just have to give up digging.
Here we are greeting our new 5-month-old cousin... as you can see, he's already pretty big for his age. He's surprisingly calm for a puppy - I was a lot crazier when I was his age. He actually has a whole different disposition than us Berners... apparently as a flock guardian, he is supposed to patrol the perimeter to make sure the sheep are safe from the wolves. So when he was here, he would walk around the fence and check things out, rather than attack us (like I would do). Funny huh?
Anyhow, he's really cute - not as cute as I was when I was a puppy, mind you. But nonetheless, he's still welcome here anytime.
Look how far I can get the peanut butter container onto my snout so that I can get that last bit of scrumptious stuff from the bottom of the container!
Here's the famous "froggy" pose while I wait for Christine to get up on the weekend.
Paisley finally got her whole body up onto Christine's lap the other day - a 100 lb. lap doggie!
This is our typical pose by the front window as we watch Christine drive off every morning. Check out the size of Paisley's butt! BOL
He's a 4-month old Great Pyrenees/Maremma Sheepdog cross apparently... these dogs are actually a little bit bigger than us Berners, but not by much. So Humphrey will likely end up being even bigger than Paisley! No matter, as he's still smaller than me, and I'll show him what's what.The Great Pyrenees, similar to us Berners, are from the Pyrenean Mountain range after which they were named. While they were used for pulling artillery and other stuff during the war (whatever that was), their primary duty was to guard the sheep. Similarly, the Maremma Sheepdog is named after the Maremma section of Tuscany, but actually originated from central Italy. These dogs weren't herders, but rather protectors of the sheep. Crazy, as I would spend my whole day chasing them.
Anyhow, I can't wait to meet my new cousin Humphrey!Mischa
