Wordless Wednesday - Stormy Skies

The sky is the limit

Shyla's incredible growth in trust shined during our recent trip.

When we're not in territory that we know well, we never know when we might run into a new person, a new dog, or even a speeding dirtbike with a helmeted rider. On our last trip, we ran into all sorts of unpredictable situations, and Shyla handled them with ease. She's still sensitive and stops to evaluate situations before deciding how to behave. I actually like that "thinking approach" a great deal because it prevents Shyla from running into bad situations like a Looney Lab.

On one trail, we met several bikers who had been riding quite fast toward us. I quickly ushered Shyla into a sit-stay next to my bike, and she calmly watched them approach. On one occasion, the bikers asked to meet her. I bit my tongue because my instinct still is to warn people that she is fearful and may not want to interact. I managed to stop myself from saying that -- and Shyla walked over to their outstretched hands without a hitch. She even ended up leaning into the leg of one of them, enjoying being petted as I chatted with them.

There was only one situation where she hesitated to meet someone. It was a very large man with a motorcycle helmet on standing next to an ATV. He was dog lover and wanted to meet our cute puppy, Shyla was leery of him at the start. I wasn't present but the Runner advised the man to chat with him for a little while and let Shyla see that he wasn't scary. Sure enough - it worked. The Runner says that Shyla went over to nuzzle the man's hand while the two of them talked.

When I met Shyla almost three years ago, I honestly didn't believe that she'd ever trust people to the extent that she does now. I was devastated to see how fearful she was back then. Everything in the world seemed to scare her - even us and our house!

Now, she's an outgoing and very happy girl. Just this morning, we met a hiker and standard poodle who were approaching us head-on on the trail. I stopped and watched the body language of the poodle and Shyla. As soon as the poodle lowered her tail and started wagging, Shyla started approaching in a very non-threatening way. The two met very amicably. Then, Shyla moved on toward the hiker and greeted her happily and politely.

People who meet Shyla now for the first time don't have an inkling of how amazing it is that she wants to meet them. And, I've stopped telling them about her past. I just let Shyla speak for herself with her actions, and I quietly smile at my absolutely amazing dog.

Way back in September of 2012 when we were just starting this journey, my wonderful trainer said that she believed that a day would come when Shyla would seem like a completely normal dog. She said that she believed that the sky was the limit for Shyla.

She was right.

Mountain Lion Monday - Kitten Glimpses

I discovered that a trail camera captured a few more peeks at the tiny mountain lion kittens as they passed under a bear marking tree with their mother. Their mother was probably taking them from one den to another. When they're so small, they stay in a den almost all the time.

The first glimpse was the collared mother with one kitten in front of her.

Mom was all business, herding her kittens toward their next den.

The second kitten was following close behind mom's tail. Look at the kitten's camouflage!

Like the playful kitten that he is, he decided to climb up a small rock. It gave us a better view of him!

With his stern mother keeping him moving, he didn't linger on the rock. He hurried back to his place in line.

I hope that we get more glimpses of these two kittens in the coming months!

Black Dog Sunday

Ready, set, ....

... GO!

We love our black dog!

Mountain Fun!

Our first campsite on our trip was next to a cluster of lakes perched atop a mountain pass.

As Labs, our dogs adore playing in water. Every day that it was warm enough, we had lake play time.

R's enthusiasm is endless. He'll keep playing even after he's shivering from the cold lake water. We always stop the game when his shivering starts!

Shyla loves swimming as much as R does but she has the good sense to let us know when she's getting cold.

Near the lakes, many flowers flourish that need lots of moisture, like this Monkey Flower.

And a King's Crown flower...

After playing in the water, the Duo would dry out in the warm alpine sun.

We are hoping to spend some more time up in the rarified air of the high Rocky Mountains before the short alpine summer ends.

Alpine Flower Friday

We are joining Dory for Flower Friday. 

During our recent trip, we spent most nights about 3,000' higher than our home. There's a rule of thumb that says that summer lags by 10 days for every 1,000' gained in elevation. Thus, it makes sense that the flowers blooming at our campsites were the same ones that bloomed at home about a month ago!

I love this one of R galloping through the Golden Banner. He's so full of enthusiasm, drive, and happiness. That's despite all he went through just before our trip. Look at his front right limb - you can see the patch where his IV had been inserted. He's so healthy that the patch has almost disappeared already.

For flower Friday, Shyla wants to remind everyone to stop and smell the flowers!

Of course, I needed to include my favorite flower, the Columbine. Up above Crested Butte, entire rocky slopes were covered in blooming Columbines. It was like a dream - so beautiful!

For my last flower, I need help identifying it. It's not a wildflower. I photographed the blossoms next to a sidewalk in Crested Butte. I'm sure the homeowners were laughing at the tourist photographing their flowers but they were SO beautiful. Do you know what these are called? I'd love to try to grow them.

Happy Flower Friday!

Summertime in the Mountains

We love our trips to the high mountains for the gorgeous flowers, pristine mountain tops, relaxation, and spending time together.

Our first stop was near Crested Butte, at a quiet campsite close to mountain lakes and hiking/running trails. It wasn't right next to mountain bike trails so I rode on forest roads to get to and from some glorious singletrack trails.

We've visited this area many times so I know the trails pretty well. Amazingly, my new bike has made me a better mountain bike rider despite my "advancing age". My bike has a great suspension system, 29" wheels, and a dropper seatpost - I'm not certain which change has made the biggest difference but I am more confident on my mountain bike than ever before.

The nicest change, however, was the general attitude of the mountain bikers on these trails. Many of them seem to be there to soak up the beauty of the flowers and the mountains. I used to feel like I was the only biker who was stopping to take photos and smell the flowers. Now, it seems as if many mountain bikers are slowing down and enjoying the beauty rather than racing to go as fast as possible.

Many of the flowers were taller than I am. It was like riding through a floral tunnel.

Then, we'd play in the afternoons near our campsite. R, for the first time in his 7 year life, managed to carry two tennis balls in his mouth!

I didn't take Shyla mountain biking with me in the mornings because the distances were too far so I had to get my entire dog fix in the afternoons and evenings. I love seeing Shyla during the Golden Hour just before sunset.

During our trip, Shyla continued to forget about more and more of her fears. I'll write about that in the future but we stopped calling her a "fearful dog" and used the term "sensitive dog" when she met strangers. That is a huge step forward!

Rainbow Wednesday

We had only one rainy day on our high trip, and it was the first day. It rained almost all day, and mice somehow found their way into our LabMobile to escape the cold deluge. I have an utterly irrational terror of mice in closed spaces, like our LabMobile. 

However, a mouse prompted me to see a double rainbow. He suddenly scurried out from under a cabinet door toward me. I screamed and ran out of the LabMobile in my socks (on the wet ground). I was met by this sight!

I was more than happy to stay outside to watch the rainbows evolve.

It was sunset, and the sky quickly got darker but the rainbows persisted. As I contemplated the double rainbow, I remembered that we'd visited this campsite less than a month after K died in 2012. On that visit, I spent time every day gazing at this peak and crying for my lost girl. It seemed fitting to see this incredible double rainbow over that same peak.

It's also stunning how so many parts of my world are still defined by their relation to Angel K.

As an aside, we eventually caught the mice using a live trap, and we took them for a long walk away from our LabMobile before releasing them.

Labrador Dives

While we were up high in the mountains, our Duo had chances to leap into mountain lakes. I absolutely love their utter joy when they get to retrieve things from the water.

R is still the master when it comes to leaping, landing in the water, and getting to the ball very fast.

The leap...

And the landing...

We always have at least two balls with us so that Shyla doesn't get discouraged by not winning many races with R.

Shyla has mastered the leap...

The flight phase...

And the landing...

In fact, I think she can swim as fast as R. However, she tends to defer to R when it's a close race... so her older brother wins more often than she does. That's when the second ball is handy so she can "win" the race to the other ball and keep her confidence high.

As you may remember, before our trip, R had almost died from a toxin. By the third day of our trip, he seemed almost completely normal (for R!). You can see from these photos that he was playing with complete joy and abandon. I'm not sure whether he understands how close he came to losing his life. However, the Runner and I fully understand it, and we smiled endlessly as we watched him have so much fun.

Every day is a gift.

The Bad and The Good - Mountain Lion Kittens!

I am trying hard to remember that most of the people in the world are good and to focus on the good and beautiful parts of the world. This tiny wintergreen flower that is now blooming is a minute detail in our forest that awes me.

We returned from a trip to the high Rockies today, and I discovered that a low-life jerk had stolen one of my trail cameras. I had my usual burst of anger and despair. The individual who stole it has shown up on my trail cameras for years. He seems to like to walk where no one else goes. I figured that he was a nature-lover like me and that I didn't need to worry about him stealing anything.

I was wrong. He noticed a trail camera for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Then, he returned with tools for a quick theft. In the midst of my fury, there is good news. He'll never be able to use the camera due to technological innovations that make it only possible for me to use it. Moreover, I have photos of his face which the police plan to use to try to ID him. So, there's a chance that I'll see the camera again.

On the good news front, finding the one camera stolen caused me to ride my bike all over creation checking on my other trail cameras. No others were stolen.

And, one of them had photos on it that made my heart sing!!!! You might remember a recent post about a mountain lion who I thought had kittens stashed in a den near us. She does have little tiny kittens!!!

Here, mom and one tiny kitten appeared in front of my trail camera. That kitten is smaller than a bobcat!!!!

Then, the first kitten continued forward and the second kitten walked into the frame almost below mom.

They didn't linger long. The trio departed quickly.

When mountain lion kittens are this small, they stay in dens almost all the time. The mother periodically moves them from one den to another. I suspect that the mom leading them to a new den in these photos. I wish the photos were in color but I'm not complaining!

Finding these photos on a trail camera on the same day that I discovered that one had been stolen reminded me why I love these trail cameras despite the constant worry about bad people stealing them.

Because I love our wildlife so much, that one series of mountain lion kitten photos was enough to pay for this trail camera. I'd never get to see such a wonderful sight without using trail cameras. Wow!

I'm also reminded that, in some ways, I love animals far more than most people. Animals are pure in spirit. If Shyla looks at me with a playful face like the next one, I know that's how she feels. She doesn't lie.

Life is such a mixture of bad and good. I do my best to focus on the good, like mountain lion kittens and my wonderful pack!

Successful Sunday!

In case you were feeling sorry for Shyla in yesterday's photos - don't worry - she often catches the treat after I balance it on her nose!

But, there are always some funny outtakes, every time we play this game!

Happy Sunday!

Silly Saturday

I took these photos during our treat balancing games where Shyla balances them on her nose and then is released to launch them into the air, hopefully snarfing them. I love seeing her expressions during these games!

These photos make me laugh every time!