Hike with Dooley

I used to take our dog Dooley on walks/hikes everyday, but unfortunately his health hasn't been great the last few months. After taking him to the vet every other week for a few months (luckily we are friends with our vet) we finally figured out what was causing him all his problems (terrible sores on his feet, rashes on his belly) - he is allergic to poultry. 

Wouldn't be such a big deal except we fed him ground turkey for dinner every night. Now that we have taken him off that (and put him on the world's most expensive dog food) he's doing much better. 

To celebrate I thought I would take him out for a hike. We hadn't been out in forever and the weather was perfect! We went out to Lynx Lake which isn't too far from where we live. Dooley made it halfway around the lake before showing signs of giving up (it had been a while), but he was a trooper and kept up with me the whole time. He even ignored most of the dogs we met along the way! 

Although he did make frequent pit stops along the way! 

He doesn't love his picture being taken...but he grumbled and let me do my thing! 

It was such a beautiful day! Somehow we managed to stay in the shade the majority of the time, so luckily we didn't get too hot. 

 

Happy New Year

Dooley wants to wish you all a happy New Year! We hope you have your party hats on to ring in 2014! 

We Went On a Hike

Anne-Marie found an awesome hiking spot through one of her field courses and suggested we go check it out. It ended up being Spruce Mountain which is the second highest peak in the area, so I was excited about the good views.

We rounded up the dogs, packed them in Anne-Marie's new car and off we went!

Riley looks so little compared to Dooley!

The road to get to Spruce Mountain was a bit treacherous! It was a crazy dirt road that went on seemingly forever. I'm really glad we took Anne-Marie's car because I don't think my little 4 cylinder engine could have gotten us up there! 

When we finally got to the entrance the gate was closed. It wasn't a problem though. We just parked the car and hike up the remainder of the road. The hike was fairly easy, although we raised about 2,000 miles in elevation from town so we were pretty winded by the time we made it to the top!

The hike was totally worth it though! Look at those views!

Dooley was being a bit silly and loved exploring everything he could. 

I don't think he sat for a minute the entire hike!

We walked around a bit but decided to head back to the car before we completely lost the sun. I can't wait to go back and check out some of the other trails out there. It was so beautiful it definitely deserves another hike!

Independence Day

Happy (almost) July 4th everyone!  Every holiday is a favorite of mine (who doesn't like to take time off work/school?!), but July 4th has always held a special place in my heart.  The summer sun, BBQs, good friends, and loving family are all sure fire ways to make a day special.  All those things are well and good, but the absolute best part about July 4th?  The fireworks!!  There is nothing greater than seeing a clear night sky lit up with a show of great proportions!  Americans love their fireworks, and it seems every year tries to be better than the last.

Photos from my Instagram

This year I will be spending July 4th with my soon-to-be in-laws at there cabin by the lake.  We have Dooley booked into a kennel and will be leaving after Andrew gets off work on Wednesday!  It's going to be a long drive, but soooo worth it!  Good food, great friends, and long days spent on the boat - it's exactly what I've been waiting for all summer!