Four Legged Views

I really had a lot of fun when Garrett and Katie came to visit last week. As you may have read on the earlier blog, we went to the Fort and went swimming and hiked around the teepees and stuff.

The next day I got to meet up with them at the dog park. Garrett liked all the different dogs but by the time I got there he was getting tired, so after he and Vickie went for a hike through the trees, he was ready to go back to grandmas.

The next day Jamie, Vickie and I went up to "The Ranch" That is what she has decided to call our little plot of land up at Sourdough. It is only a small place, just big enough to put a trailer on but it is all surrounded by beautiful mountains and flowers and moose and deer and elk. This is the first year that Vickie has ever spent the night up there and she has had it for five years.

How can anyone have this cool of a spot in the wilderness and not be up here all the time.

Vickie tells me that she has two sisters. I have met one of them. That is Debbie. She is the one who lives with Bear (the most handsome golden retreiver in the world). They live in Idaho. She has one brother Mike. I have met him too. But there is this one sister named Wendy that Vickie says died 14 years ago.

Wendy would have loved "The Ranch". Vickie and Wendy spent a lot of time traveling together before they both got married. They would go hiking and camping in the Tetons, or Zions National Park. Wendy loved the wilderness. When Wendy died Vickie took a start from Wendy's garden of Iris's and has kept them all these years.

When she got "The Ranch" Vickie planted three of the Iris's up there. It was her way of having Wendy up there too. They were beautiful Orange ones when they were first planted but this year when they bloomed they were white as snow. Pretty cool....

After getting all our stuff set up in the trailer for the overnighter, we went up to the lake. Oh my it was beautiful. There were flowers in bloom everywhere and the lake, oh the lake. it just kept calling my name so finally I just jumped in and swam and swam. Vickie kept telling me I should get out cause it was late in the evening and "Your gonna freeze your butt off" was her warning. Of course I didn't listen and boy did I pay for it. i was cold all night long. Vickie even gave me one of her blankets and let me sleep on the foot of the cot but I was still pretty miserable...

Early the next morning we got up and went back to the lake for a bit. Vickie keeps my tennis balls in the back of the truck and I had to really try hard to get her attention to remind her that that was where they were. Finally she came and got the balls and we played and played in the big beautiful fields of flowers. sometimes I would not be able to find the ball, but I can always trust Jamie to come in and find them if I can't. She may be almost blind and completely deaf but her nose still works... She is a legend.

The next day was the day that Michelle, Blake and their mom Jennifer come and take all the dogs at the kennel for a walk to the park. sometimes if there is enough time, I get to go too. Michelle lets me off lead so I can swim and run.

Ellie and Zeus get so excited when they see Michelle. Usually Ellie and Gracie go first cause they are the best ones to walk. They never pull and they are very lady like.

Next it is usually Zeus and Tristy. Tristy can be off lead too. She really needs the swimming. It is really good for her weight problem. It is much easier on her body than walking cause she floats like a bouy.

Zeus loves to stick his head under the water and blow bubbles. It tried that once but I forgot to blow and I sucked in half the lake. It went up my nose and out my mouth. I coughed and coughed. I think I have the whole blowing thing figured out now though.

Thursday we got to do another demonstration for a couple of families at the Fort again. Murphy couldn't make it so Tucker and I had to "Hold down the fort" so to speak. Vickie left me tied to a tree for most of the demo. She still worries that I will knock someone down.

Tucker did his usual impressive "Aren't I cute" thing. He sits, he speaks, he shakes hands. Mind you I am not jelous. I can do all those things too, its just that I get so excited, I can hardly settle down enough to "Shake" or "Bow" yadayadayada.

But after they were through doing their thing, Vickie gave the kids a quick "Bert Guide" as she calls it. "Don't pick up any sticks while Bert is watching, don't take off your hat, ect ect." Like I am going to grab the stick or hat right out of their hands or something.

Whoops, Oh Yea.....thats exactly what I would do.

Anyway after the "Bert Guide" we all went to the water and i got to show them how high I can jump and how far out I go into the air before I splash into the water. Then I can swim around, then climb out and SHAKE all over everyone. It was a great day.

Once in a while, I get to go up to Vickies moms and KC, me and her mom and Vickie all go for a walk up to this great hillside below Harrison. KC likes to chase the butterflies and I chase the ball until we are both quite exhausted. Today, as usual Vickie made us stop by every wild flower we came across and get pictures. I swear I must be the most photographed dog in the state.

And now, back by popular demand, another "Bert Bounce" video.

Hope you all had a great 4th of July. I am not really sure what all the hooplah is all about, but Happy Fourth to you humans anyway.

Love,

Bert