A Lion, Sunrises, and R

I love when I sneak a peek at the photos on a trail camera, and a mountain lion is looking back at me.

I especially love it when the mountain lion isn't wearing a radio collar or ear tags. There's been a never-ending study in our area that has been radio-collaring all the lions. This summer, it seems that a few "rogue" lions have been wandering our neck of the woods. This one looks like he just ate a good meal - notice how his stomach is distended.

They are incredibly curious creatures. This lion walked a little past my camera and then sneaked up for a closer look and sniff from the side. You can barely make out his ear (bright white) in the far left of the photo.

This summer, one camera in particular has captured a lot of lion photos. The reason may be that the deer hang out in this same spot. A small herd triggered my camera to take more than 200 photos after the lion came through. This doe was munching on something, as you can tell from her funny expression.

On other subjects, life has become much busier since Shyla's arrival. I need to fit training and puppy-socializing into my schedule - which involves extra trips to town and other places. Consequently, we are suddenly seeing lots of sunrises, so we can get in a hike before the busy days are underway. Shyla looks gorgeous in the rising sunlight among the golden aspen leaves.

A bull elk has been bugling each dawn - a beautiful sound associated with the elk rut. Shyla is fascinated by the sound. She's looking toward it in the next photo.

When the sun is fully up, she can run. Oh my, she can run like the wind!

She's so fast that I often find my shutter speed to be too slow for her! I'm learning about the zip of a puppy!

R will be having another blood test soon to find out if his blood cells have recovered and whether we can fully relax about his hemangiosarcoma scare. My "scientific test" has always been to look into the eyes of my dogs - and I can often see nuances that tell the story of what is going on inside them. R's eyes have recently regained their sparkle and gleam. I hope that my "scientific test" is supported by his blood test.

He's been going on some short mountain bike rides with me, and I'm seeing our speedy Labrador returning! And, I love seeing him among the golden aspens.

The one thing that I've noticed is that he suddenly gained a few gray hairs on his muzzle during this episode. No big deal, as long as he's getting healthy again. He definitely believes that the only good part of this whole episode is that he is now too skinny so he's getting extra portions and extra meals - a Labrador's dream.

Have a great weekend!