Visit with Jamie

Our friend, Jamie from Saskatchewan came out for a visit & pick up her dog, Roy. He has been here at McLeods' for about a month to get some vet work. So we've been spending the weekend at McLeods' visiting and working dogs.
Here is Jamie's young 5mos. old pup, Glen working sheep for almost the first time.
He was awesome!
Keen but very cool headed. Super nice feel and balance.
Went both ways easily. And squeezed between sheep & fence.
He didn't want to quit.
Glen is from Joni Swanke; her Hope(I think) and by Alasdair's Don.
Lynda working Lark.
Lark driving.
Rose is getting around better with this brace while waiting for surgery on her blown knee.
Lynda & Maureen having coffee in between working dogs.
Rose keeping us up to date with FB.
Jamie working one of her young dogs.
Max who now has a great new home with Jan Alexander in Vancouver.
Blair is ready for his turn.

Plum Pickin

Some of you may remember these pix from the fall of 2006.
Wyatt is picking apples off the tree.
Dusty is hoping he will drop one. Wyatt was 5 years old then, he turned 10 in August this year.
He was successful. The apple tree has not produced much since that first year, so not a lot of jumping going on. Last year they ate a lot of pears & plums that fell on the ground.
This year the harvest has been very very late probably because our spring was so cold & wet. There isn't much fruit on the apple tree again. There is some on the pear tree but pretty small and not within reach. But the plum tree is pretty full and they are just starting to fall on the ground. However, not soon enough for Wyatt:
I am sitting on my deck & look out to see this. He has tried to jump and has reached a couple pears but the plums are too high. And perhaps at age 10, he can't jump quite as high.
No more in reach so trying to climb higher.
There is a strange orange growth on the plum tree that just appeared. It had one something like this a couple years ago too.
He jumped up into the tree probably a dozen times. Sometimes he missed and fell out.
He is getting tired. And discouraged; doesn't seem to be any more within reach. He ate 3 or 4 I think.
Cattle Dogs are far too smart for their own good.
Wyatt you never cease to surprise me.

Feeding my Dogs

No nice pix but just an update. I spent several hours today preparing dog food. Blair is experiencing some issues & may need more fibre in his diet to help with anal glands. But I figure they can all benefit.
I bought a super cheap chunk of pink salmon not long ago & froze it. So today I cooked it up. I also defrosted & cooked a baggie of lamb guts; liver, gizzard, etc....and the last of the $5 turkey from last fall. I cooked up some chicken soup stock and used that to cook a cup or so of brown rice. I also cooked a lovely big spaghetti squash for my dinner last night, so used the left overs of that to add to the mix. Plus cooked up a few yams and added the pumpkin from a tin that I have been adding to Blair's dinner.
So: I have 5 yogurt containers in the freezer to add to their kibble dinners over the next week or two. Salmon/chicken/lamb liver+/brown rice/spaghetti squash/yam/pumpkin/garlic/dill/cilantro/rosemary/corn oil/chicken stock.
It was a nice way to spend a cloudy cool afternoon and to know that I have some good clean ingredients to top off my dogs' kibble dinners with.

Lacamas pix

We arrived mid-afternoon Wed. and drove up to the P/N field to let the dogs have a good run.
Looking up to the Open field with Mt.Hood in the background.

A few others have also arrived early in the handler's camping field. Sheep grazing on the Open trial field.
If you look really closely, you can just make out a little white dot above the cab of RV and near the powerline tower. That would be Lynda and Enzo walking the field. They went all the way up to the set out and back.


Parked on the knoll in the shade. Saving a nice camping spot for Jeff & Dee. Too hot and too busy to take any more pix.

July 2011

Lynda setting. We got out on Pam's big field for the first time in about 6 weeks. The grass was pretty high and all in seed. It was the first really hot(29c) day all summer. Our dogs all felt the heat. These 4 pix taken by Jim Kling who came up from Bellingham to work his dog, Rodeo.
Little Jayne driving in the tall grass. This was only her second time on sheep in 4 weeks since my accident. My dogs were all a little rusty & out of shape needless to say.
Me in my sling setting for Lynda. I have 6 more weeks to go before it is completely healed....we hope. No lifting until then but don't have to use the sling anymore. Although I may wear it for working my dogs to be safe.
the peanut gallery of Pam's dogs.
Count the 'peanuts' - they are all in the truck to go home.
Half a dozen more are in the back seat! LOL
See that apple beside the Pom? Wyatt would have it long gone in my truck. ;-)
This is where Enzo & I sleep(and live) this summer. It reclines & is quite comfy.

Whidbey Island

The view from my 'camp' looking up to Susan's adobe house.
My toy; I go to the trial early to help out by doing some mowing around where handlers will camp.
This year I got to stay in Susan's big 5th wheel trailer.

Sadly I did not take any pictures during the trial, just ones beforehand. Lynda came down on Sat. and we stayed through til the following Thurs. It was here that I fell & broke my arm. Thank goodness Lynda was there to pack up my truck and follow me home to Canada....and then take me to EM.

Owen and Jayne last Thurs.

Margaret took some nice shots of Owen and Jayne working at McLeods' last Thurs. I finally got them uploaded.
Owen is super biddable and has nice feel.

My freckle face boy.

Jayne
Jayne had a very short session as she dove in & gripped when I was trying to set up a shed. She hasn't done that in a long time. Not sure what I am doing wrong that is creating this tension in her.