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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Countdown and our bobcat

I am enjoying reading the amazing posts written by so many generous people for my K. I'm still reading... and I think that I will be reading for a while! You've written so many beautiful thoughts that will sustain us through thick and thin.

I feel like we're in a familiar countdown now. K's next round of chemotherapy is on Friday so we are making the most of these days. It's a bit silly because she's handled the previous two rounds so easily... but I still try to have as much fun with her as possible during the countdown days.

Yesterday, we had a true bluebird winter day. The skies were cobalt blue and the air temperature never broke freezing. I adore those classic winter days. The snow is becoming easier for animal travel, including our dogs. In the photo below, K had been walking atop the snow crust and had just started falling through.
We took advantage of the great conditions to track a bobcat. The bobcat had walked atop the snow, and, in the photo below, he walked straight into a cavity under the rocks. I wonder if he curled up in the mini-cave for a while, perhaps sleeping during the day.
K and I have a long history of tracking animals together. She loves doing it, and she has even learned that she needs to stay behind me until I tell her that it's okay for her to go ahead and sniff the tracks. With this simple rule, I can look over the untrampled tracks before K tromps on them (but she gets to have the fun of sniffing them too). In the next photo, I'd given her permission to sniff the tracks.
She paused to listen to the sound of a woodpecker drumming during her sniffing.
Soon, we returned to the packed trails and she walked ahead of me. She often stops and glances back at me, wondering why I'm so slow!
As we walked toward home, she explored off trail and then romped back to me. I grin ear-to-ear when she looks so happy in the woods. Every day that K is gleefully romping in the forest is a gift.
After leaving the deep snow, she always shakes the snow off her fur... She looks like she's dancing in this photo.
On that day, we were following the tracks of the bobcat that my motion-activated wildlife camera photographed recently. It's rare to get daytime photos of a bobcat so I was thrilled to see these ones!

He arrived in front of my camera, staring down toward a trail used by humans.
After a long pause to check for people (I'm guessing), he walked out into the open, in full view of the distant trail.
K and I followed his tracks, and he explored around some fallen trees where rabbits like to live on an open slope. Then, a minute later, he circled back to the forest's edge to stand in front of my camera again. He stood there for a moment, and then he "marked" a tree with his urine. My camera caught him in the act.
It appeared that he wanted to go back out into the open. Again, he stood for a long time scanning the trail below before he descended toward it. This time, he boldly walked down the slope and directly across the trail, disappearing into an aspen forest below. I know what he did based on his tracks in the snow.
I'm generically calling this bobcat a "he". However, we followed a bobcat mother and kitten all summer via my wildlife camera photos, and it's possible that this bobcat is the mother who has, by now, sent her kitten off on his own. She's probably preparing to breed again. Maybe we'll have another kitten or two to follow this summer!

Now, I'm going to continue reading the wonderful posts in honor of K. What an amazing gift! We all thank you!

47 comments:

  1. Oh wow, you look like you're having so much fun!!

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  2. Your trail cameras do an amazing job and then to have you walk us through what the cat did before and after, well its like being a part of the adventure.

    K looks so good. Love the last picture with the stick

    A beautiful day...

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  3. What incredible pictures! How great that you and K can track these animals. Those bobcat pictures are amazing! I love the picture of K "dancing". Ha! Ha!

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  4. beautiful bobcat! K looks so happy and joyous....hope her chemo treatments continue to go well.
    xoxo

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  5. What wonderful photos. While the Bobcat photos are incredible, you know my favorite is K with a stick.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  6. K is almost the color of those beautiful rocks. I still can't get over those bobcat pictures - truly amazing!

    Your pal, Pip

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  7. What a fun time with K on the trail. And neat photos of the bobcat.

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  8. Thanks for another wonderful journey through your world :-)

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  9. I am so envious of all your sunshine -- you have no idea! I love taking pictures outside, but haven't been able to in a long time. Seeing K enjoying herself in all that beautiful scenery warms my heart! She looks like she's lit from inside in several of those pictures.

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  10. This is EXACTLY what we're talking about! May you share bliss today.

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  11. I really love the shot of K shaking off the snow.

    Cindy

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  12. K looks amazingly beautiful in your pics today -- I hope that she continues to feel that way after chemo on fri. what a gift these dogs are to us mere humans!

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  13. Hello! I am so happy that Sage told about you and I found my way to your beautiful blog! I want to send you love, strenght and all the best with that diffucult therapy you are going through!
    You are so talented photographer! Just so beautiful and lovely colours! You dog it the most beautiful and the bobcat so amazing!
    Hugs from Teje & Nero

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  14. MAngel Maggie and Mitch told Gus and I to come over and send you positive pawful prayers.and that's just what we are doing.Love, Becky, Gus and their peeps

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  15. I'm so happy to have found your blog
    and thank you for taking time out to visit mine with your thoughtful comment.
    Your photos are magnificent.
    K is very much in my thoughts, she is beautiful.

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  16. K has such amazingly wonderful eyes !

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  17. Thanks for the amazing shots of the Bobcat!
    K looks like she is having a wonderful time with you on the trail hike. Stunning shots oh er as always!
    Big Nose Pokes
    The Thugletsx

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  18. What gorgeous pictures! My favorite is K in front of the rocks. Her fur blends beautifully!

    Love ya lots,
    Mitch

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  19. What a wonderful post. The photos of K and of the Bobcat are wonderful. We're loving the beauty of your blog and your thoughtful text. We are continuing to purrr for K and for you. Sending our best thoughts that all will go well tomorrow.

    Max

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  20. oops... HH forgot to change over to my account... That comment above was from me...

    Max

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  21. Wow amazing photos of the bobcat. Mother nature is amazing. Sniffs, The HoundDogs

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  22. Is this the last session for while ?

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  23. Wow, I feel as if I am alongside on a big and fun adventure with K.

    Your photo's continue to amaze and a joy to see K enjoying herself in the snow.

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  24. We can really see how much K enjoys being out in the snow and following all those smells. The pictures of the bobcat are amazing. Glad you have a camera out there to really get the photos you wouldn't normally be able to get.

    We'll be thinking about you and K tomorrow.

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  25. I am so thankful that I was introduced to your blog (thanks Khyra!). I always love reading about other lab adventures. But, even more so when they are set in such beautiful country. Thank you for sharing your world with us!

    Jen and the mostly black dog crew

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  26. You need not thank us. It is us who THANK YOU for sharing yourself, your gorgeous photographs and your dogs. You have given to us much more than you could imagine!

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  27. New reader here, thanks to a post about K. I have been going back a bit and enjoying it tremendously; I live elsewhere in the Rockies in an area which has a lot of blissfully happy dogs who go on all sorts of adventure. And I know a lot of them! Don't ask me to remember their owners' names, but I somehow remember the dogs.

    She is a lovely creature and is obviously having such a GOOD TIME -- I know her health situation is precarious, but whatever happens, is she ever HAPPY!

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  28. I love that first photo - K's pose is perfectly echoing the shape of the rock behind her!

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  29. Both K and the bobcat look wonderful. We are crossing all paws that tomorrow's session goes as smoothly as the previous ones.

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  30. We are enjoying your adventures through the beautiful photos! So glad to read that you are feeling good and enjoying life!

    Nina, Myshka, Sasha, Betsy, Lucy, Phoebe and Lily

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  31. Great pictures as usual!! K looks very happy sniffing around. The bobcat pictures are great. Very good camera. Good luck tomorrow at the vets with the treatment. Hugs from us!!

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  32. We have a gorgeous sun-filled day here today, clear blue skies, but somehow I can't make my photos look as good as yours:) Awesome as always. K is looking great! We will hold both of you very close in our hearts for tomorrow to go well.

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  33. Sending all kinds of good vibes, K. Our friend had chemo a few times he had the poops. 100% pure canned pumpkin mixed in his food helped his belly
    Benny & Lily

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  34. i wish you all the best on Friday! sending light and love.
    lovely to see the adventures you have been out on, enjoying the beauty of our world and sharing it with us.

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  35. What wonderful photos and the bobcat is amazing. The blue sky and K in your first photo is just beautiful. Have a relaxing weekend. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory

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  36. Wonderful pictures. I love following animal tracks in the snow - when I travel to the snow, that is, because we don't tend to get any down here in Florida.

    I pray your K beats the disease. She certainly appears to have the spirit to do so!

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  37. I think you and K should start a guide service and allow dawgs - such as my ownself - to come explore and track critters along side of you. The critter trackin' I have experience. It's just a thought but puhleeze call if'n you wanna give it a shot.

    Woofs and trackable slobbers,
    Chester ;0=)

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  38. You got some really nice bobcat shots. Such a beautiful creature!

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  39. 1st picture is my favorite! I want to go play with them! They may not appreciate that though, bummer!

    Glad to see you sporting the "Natural" look with your foodable chomper beard! My person has been looking at mine A LOT lately.

    I say "hydration" is the tongue flicking deal...OK, not really, but it sounds good! (My person only knows what it means when she is working with the guide dog puppies...may not apply to all doggies!!)

    Woofs!

    Baylor

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  40. I wonder if the tongue flicking thing is when she gets close to a coyote scent, close enough to get the scent on her lip and then washes it off? OK, you guys, I am only guessing, thats all!

    I'd ask Stella but she would just say, whas a coyote?

    Cheers,
    Jo, Stella, Zkhat

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  41. You sure live in a beautiful place!

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  42. Awesome bobcat shots. As always I'm jealous ;).

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  43. I'm breathless both from what the blogging world has done for you and K, and your stunning bobcat photos, too!

    I'm sorry I missed out on the K Day, but you may rest assured my good wishes were right in there with the rest of The Pack!

    You have accumulated the most amazing and wonderful collection of blogging friends!

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