Summer in Idahome actually starts in April and goes through October...
that's 7 months of FREEDOM!!!
Boy, oh boy, oh boy, is it ever FUN!! And this past summer was even FUNNER because Lucy visited with us for more than a month.
Word-up! She lost over 2 pounds going on adventures with us--that has to be at least 10% of her body weight!! Maybe we can start a puppy health spa resort, we can help keep the treats at bay :-)
Another spa secret, a shaggy doo can add phantom pounds to an otherwise svelte lad, er, Golden Retriever.
 |
| Light and breezy, that's the way I like it |
 |
| It's a long winter looking like this |
Karly just doesn't seem to have the same grooming issues, but this past summer she tore her nail and found herself in a bit of a bind.....literally!
 |
With the addition of something called The Viking in early summer, we were able to go on even more adventures...although it took Karly some getting used to.
We went to some of our favorite swimming holes...
 |
| Smith Creek |
 |
| Boundary Creek |
 |
| Kootenai River |
Although there seems to be a trend here, we like to go on walks too, especially if there are sticks to retrieve.
And bigger IS better...
Not sure why, but sticks in a pile are off-limits...
we can look but not touch...
But just in case, I'm always ready for them.....
Another new treat for us this summer, but also on a look-but-not-touch basis, were turkeys!!! We hear that our neighbors eat turkeys so they don't live very long around our 'hood, but there is hope for the future!!!
 |
| A family of turkeys in our "backyard" |
 |
| Turkey eggs just hatched...hope for the future!! |
It was quite a hot and smoky summer so there were days it took all the cleverness we had to keep cool....
 |
| Perhaps Jake is more clever than Karly??? |
 |
| Nah, Karly found the deer trough...do I look like I'm keeping it a secret from Jake?? |
 |
| Awwww, I love our neighbor's pond!! |
 |
| And the cool breeze through my ears is not bad either!! |
Clever is an understatement when it came to the apples that John and Susan put out for the poor parched deer, what are we, chopped liver???!!! Until we learned about something called a Game Camera-----Caught, red-mouthed!!
 |
| Well, this is going to be easy... |
 |
| For goodness sake, Jake, pretend like you don't care... |
 |
| Where'd you go, Karly, you're missing the snatch |
 |
| It's like they were never there... |
 |
| You snooze, you lose, you lousy deer... |
There's so much fun to be had in our Idahome, sometimes we just get plumb tired out.
But the pièce de résistance of our summer was the visit from Lucy and introducing her to our Idahome.
 |
| Small dogs don't rule, we're just being nice to our guest |
 |
| Well, maybe small dogs rule... |
 |
| Fine, small dogs DO rule!! |
At first there was a bit of getting used to each other....
 |
| What do you mean? This bed fits me just fine.... |
 |
| HELP!!!!! PLEASE!!!! |
 |
| OK, then I'll just make myself comfortable here |
 |
| This bed was made for sharin' and that's just what we'll do |
And hiking....
And even to visit our pals, April and Suka....
 |
| How many humans does it take to get five puppies to pose??? |
 |
| We may never know.... |
We played....
 |
| Ha Ha, I'm over here, Lucy...perhaps I'm more svelte than I thought? |
And sometimes we just took it easy.....
And enjoyed the view.....
Lucy was especially fond of watching our neighborly cows, we think she actually thought she was guarding us.
 |
| A small dog with big intentions..., |
 |
| Stylin' coat though |
She also liked to guard Jerry's beer, which we allowed since it was a "light" beer, we had a reputation to uphold at our puppy health spa resort!
Speaking of beer, there is a cool brew pub in our Idahome that allows dogs but not children, imagine that!!! Something about not serving people-food so children aren't allowed. But they do serve dog treats so dogs are allowed. We are especially tickled by the name and the logo.....
Overall it was an awesome summer and we always look forward to Idahome.
But having Lucy visit us made the ordinary...
...EXTRAORDINARY!!!!!
 |
| Because you're mine, I walk the line |
These are my favorite posts. I just LOVE Karly and Jake. I miss them so.
ReplyDeleteThanks for catching us up on all the doggie tales/tails.
Born in the [Chinese] Year of the Dog, I enjoyed this post very much!
ReplyDeleteWith all of the changes in health care plans, are you Idaho residents now? My Texas plan has drastically changed, pretty much eliminating coverage outside of the state. I'm thinking of buying property somewhere, possibly CO, so that I can get health insurance through a different state.
ReplyDeleteWe've had so many changes in our health coverage in the last four years on the road. Our first year on the road was before Obamacare and we had a nice private plan in South Dakota that covered us around the country for $240/month. When Obamacare was implemented, we were able to buy a different plan with similar coverage for about $600/month in our second year. In our third year we had to change to another plan in South Dakota for about $750/month. In our fourth year, we had to change plans again, but at least the premium didn't go up much. Unfortunately, that plan found out we didn't have a permanent home in South Dakota, so they cancelled our membership and we spent 2015 without coverage. After buying land in Idaho and establishing residence there, we were able to join the Idaho exchange (South Dakota doesn't have an exchange, so you need to use Healthcare.gov). We now have a plan that is better than anything we've had yet. Hopefully we'll be able to stick with this one for a while. So it does make a difference where your residency is and what plans are available. Don't fall in love with anything though, the way the insurance industry is going, Obamacare or no Obamacare, we're just prepared to have everything change every year at this point.
ReplyDelete