The Brindle Lab

K made it to some Columbines with me today during a mountain bike ride! We didn't make it to "the" best grove but we visited a patch that has a dappling of purple columbines among the greenery.

K winked for the photo! A happy day...

Here's one of the beauties who we gazed at.

I mentioned that our R is morphing into a "brindle" lab.

I know that you can't see it in the photo above but you can see it in his face in the next one. His jet black fur is becoming peppered with chocolate and white. It's happening all over his body.

For contrast, here was R about two months ago with a completely jet black face.

As I mentioned the other day, either R has a recessive and rare gene that is causing him to become a brindle color or he has a genetically-based disease that will cause him to become brindle and partially bald ("color dilution alopecia"). We're voting for the simple brindling.

My friend suggested that R wanted to be more like his big sister so he's growing some chocolate fur. I like that explanation most of all!

It was another gorgeous day on the Front Range although hot, even at our elevation.

The lushness of summer

I've been having breakfast with the Flycatcher couple every morning recently. They've just started incubating eggs on a nest tray under our deck, and the male keeps a close eye on me when I'm on the deck.

After breakfast, K and I headed out for a mountain bike ride. I was overjoyed to see a Columbine blooming in an aspen grove. I honestly didn't know if we'd visit this oasis in the aspen grove together again when she had the bone infection in her paw. We made it!

A little later, she stood triumphant among wildflowers on a lookout point.

You can see the clouds building behind K. They grew during my solo ride, and the wind shifted uneasily around me, bringing cooler air from the Divide toward me. It felt like big storms were homing in on us.

The storms grew quickly, and you can see the looming clouds behind the gorgeous flower ("Bistort", Bistorta bistortoides) that I saw near the end of my ride.

When I arrived home, I checked a memory card that I'd picked up from a wildlife camera. It showed that, on the last day that I checked the camera, a bear sauntered past it just 10 minutes after I departed! I wonder if he watched me while I fiddled with the camera!

I don't recognize this bear but I wished that he'd shown his chest so that I could check for a white blaze. The young bears who were in the den that I monitored two winters ago had white blazes on their chests. This bear looks small and young to me.

We finished our day with a hike through the meadow with stunning blue skies over the wildflower-studded meadow.

For those who are curious, the above photo is the real deal. I didn't fiddle with the blue sky in Photoshop. By using a "neutral density graduated filter" that has a dark half and clear half that I just purchased, I've finally been able to capture landscape photos that are exposed correctly for both the bright sky and the world below it. I wish that I'd learned about this filter a long time ago. It lets me show the lushness of summer with the endless sky above it.

These are the good old days

These are the good old days, and I know that they won't last forever. K and I headed out the door into glorious sunshine. I pedaled up to Hug Hill, where K surveyed the beauty.

I cajoled her into looking at me for a photo with the snowy mountains behind her. Our snowmelt is very late this year. I wonder when we'll be able to climb those mountains? Perhaps not until the 4th of July.

I rode my mountain bike, and K ran close by my side. To me, there's nothing more wonderful in the world than the companionship of a wonderful dog while I do something that I love.

I spotted a gorgeous combination of a Paintbrush and a Golden Banner. K took up her post, guarding my back, while I photographed it.

I am so grateful that she can run despite the loss of a weight-bearing toe. I'm trying to be mindful of "moderation" in her running. We alternate shorter and longer days to give her rests. She seems to love it as much as I do! The look in her eyes radiates happiness. Do you see the sparkle and amazing life in her?

My vet keeps warning me that K's running days may be numbered because dogs who have weight-bearing toes amputated usually cannot run very much. I repeated the vet's words to a fellow mountain biker who replied with "Well, your doctors have said that your fused spine shouldn't be able to tolerate mountain biking so you and K are two of a kind!". Good point.

After I dropped K off at home, I started my ride on a familiar trail. Every single day for the past week, this Flicker's head has protruded from his nest hole when I pass. I try very hard not to stop and watch him on most days because I don't want to disturb him. I couldn't resist today.

A little further along, I discovered that the wildflowers have exploded into glorious color in the few days since I last rode this route. Boulder raspberry bushes are adorned with paper-thin white blossoms. Later, these bushes will have bland raspberry-like berries on them that the wildlife appreciate even if we humans don't.

A favorite of mine, the diminutive skullcap is blossoming in the grass all over south-facing hillsides.

On those hillsides, I'm still seeing a few fresh elk tracks but the majority of the herd has migrated higher into the mountains following the snowline. The deer seem positively blissful browsing on the newly green grass and shrubs. They ignore me as I ride by. I love their velvet antler stubs.

On a great note, after 48 hours on his new antibiotic, R seems a quantum leap better. That means that the vet won't have to "redo" the surgery on his toe. Thank goodness and thanks for all of your good wishes!

Bobcat pounce

I've had an iPhoto library meltdown which I'm attempting to fix so this post will be short.

The wildlife activity was most intense in our backyard last night. A bobcat was photographed by my wildlife camera just as he prepared to pounce on something that I couldn't see.

When I rode with K yesterday, I spotted the most precious and rare of wildflowers that grace our forest - a Fairy Slipper. It grows in pine forests, away from the bright alpine sunlight.

We also spotted Blue Flag Irises. Each petal glowed like a work of art.

K was hot during our ride. It's time for me to shift our rides to the very early morning so that she's not out in the glaring sun. In the winter, we get out bright and early to see the sunrise. In the summer, our motivation is different because sunrise is too early for me.

Hopefully, my library of photos will be intact by tomorrow. Our world is changing so fast that I want to be able to upload my photos of it every day!

Hummingbirds and summertime

I savored another breakfast on the deck with the Duo and the Runner. The Broad-tailed hummingbirds zipped and zoomed over our heads. A female...

And a male...

Our hummingbirds arrived about two weeks late this spring, probably because our flowering plants have also lagged behind their normal schedule. However, as the hummingbirds are becoming numerous with the humming sound of their wings as a constant song in the background, one of their favorite flowers is blossoming - the red currant (Ribes cereum). Hummingbirds love to drink nectar from these flowers.

Despite K's health travails, we still took a short mountain bike ride this morning. In the warm summer sun, she galloped over the top of Hug Hill, full of joy. I love mountain biking with K. For some reason, sharing my rides with her is one of my favorite things on Earth.

I talked with my vet about agility and whether K should do it despite her toe amputation. The vet's answer was that it would be risky - because agility requires jumping and sudden direction changes that stress the paw. Her advice was not to do agility if I wanted to keep K capable of running with me when I mountain bike. I'm okay with that. We'll figure out new games to play together.

After my short ride with K, I almost always head out for a ride solo, rejoicing in springtime. Today, a pair of velvet-antlered bucks watched me pedal by them. Velvet antlers are such a sign of spring-summer!

I love riding hard, pushing myself to my limits, and I reserve that kind of mountain biking for when K isn't with me. However, I still stop sometimes to look at flowers or other wonders of nature. I found the flowers in the next photo below a cliff in a basin of shade and moisture. I've never seen them before now, and I can't figure what these subtle beauties are! Does anyone know?

I finished the day with a mellow sunset hike with the Duo yesterday evening. R is allowed to hike on easy trails but has to stay on leash due to his toenail surgery, much to his displeasure. Just as the sun dropped below the Continental Divide, it bathed the forest in a warm light.

The Duo sat with me, enjoying the magic moment as the forest was transformed.

Then, we watched the sunset show. It's much better than any movie that I've ever seen.

No more news on Socks... To answer one question, both male and female bears mark trees so tree-marking doesn't give us a hint as to Socks' gender. I agree with all of you - it's tough watching any young adult try to find their way in the world. I've read that many yearling cubs go up in trees after their mothers leave them and don't come down for days. At least Socks is moving around a bit. I predict that this yearling cub will find his/her way in this big goofy world. The hard part is that we'll see only glimpses of Socks' life, when this bear happens to walk in front of one of my cameras. I wish that we could know more.

Summer! And, bears...

We've rocketed directly from snow and freezing temperatures to summer. There is no springtime in the mountains. Glorious blue skies, sunshine, and temperatures in the 70's. Days to savor...

My friend the bobcat who appeared in my post two days ago showed up again directly in front of my wildlife camera. You can see from the look in his eyes that he had a plan for this visit. His plan was to reclaim his territory from me.

In the next photo, Bob the cat was peeing in exactly the spot where I kneel to check my camera. When I arrived the morning after his visit, the ground was still wet and the branches of small shrubs were still soaked in urine. I didn't notice the wet area until I'd knelt in it. I must have reeked of bobcat urine for the rest of my bike ride, an occupational hazard for a wildlife camera nut. Bob wins this round!

K and I have been enjoying summertime bike rides together. Although I didn't mention it, I was really worried about her a few days ago. We tried a tiny bit of agility practice for the first time since her initial paw surgery last September. The next day, K was limping and acting sad.

However, after I gave her a day off from any vigorous exercise, she's been zooming around like a young puppy during bike rides. Her paws seem to be working beautifully!

K, also known as "Goody Four-Paws", has even been mischievous, sprinting away with her nose following hot wildlife scents. Each time, I call her back, and she sprints to me.

So, perhaps I worry about her too much. I can't help it - she's my one and only K.

We'll try agility again sometime soon... but, if it hurts her even the slightest bit, her agility days are over. I can pack up the equipment until the next puppy joins our pack sometime in the future (R doesn't do agility due to elbow dysplasia).

R's paw seems to be healing on schedule too (R's "bad" paw is a hind one so its bandage isn't in the photo below). I must say that we seem to have bad luck when it comes to paw health in our pack!

The mountain biking has been sweet recently! I'm wearing shorts and sleeveless jerseys after wearing full winter regalia and riding my snow bike last week. The feeling of the sun kissing my shoulders is glorious!

Our world has turned green, and the birds are nesting. Flickers nest next to a favorite trail of mine every year. They seem to be sitting on eggs now.

Hermit Thrushes have arrived from far south of here. Their sweet melodies waft from the treetops of pine forests in the mornings and evenings. Their songs are one of my favorite parts of summer. Below, I included the first photo that I've ever managed to capture of a Hermit Thrush. They are called "hermits" for a good reason!

Predators are watching for newborns to snatch away.

Flowers are bursting and reaching for the sun. Bluebells...

Wallflower...

I am on cloud nine, enjoying the sudden burst of summer!

There is also a flurry of bear action as mating season is in full swing. The heart-tugging part of mating season is that sows must separate from their yearling cubs. Sows nurture their cubs, protecting them and playing with them, for the first 17 months of the cubs' lives. Then, they send the cubs away so that they can mate again. I've captured a whole series of photos of a family of bears (a sow and two cubs) in the process of breaking up. One yearling is alone and wandering around looking confused. A second yearling is still with his/her mother. The worrisome part is that the mom and remaining yearling have a male bear with them, waiting to mate with mom. That yearling needs to cut the apron-strings soon! I can't wait to show you the photos and footage but my internet connection is too slow today.

I was able to upload one photo of the yearling cub who has already left his/her mom. This cub tried to mark the same bear whammy tree as the big male bears have marked recently. However, he/she looked clumsy and unsure of how to do it.

I've dubbed this yearling "Socks" because this mostly cinnamon bear appears to be wearing knee-high black socks! More tomorrow...