Coming Into Autumn

The last shot attempting to shoot a long exposure....Hard for red dog to be perfectly still!!

Be OK

The End Of The Rainbow

Summer Water Fun

Zephyr loves summer for the swimming, I love the water shots!!

Oxtongue River and Algonquin Park

Drifting

Around Oxtongue Lake with red dog!

Canada Day Demo!

The annual Scholars in Collars Canada Day Demo at Spencer Smith Park. Zephyr and big sister Shiner!!

Finding Peace

I will never grow tired of these moments. I need them. 

Master Snooker

I took my dogs to a trial this past Sunday. So much fun to spend a morning with friends, and run my dogs. I only entered Zephyr in one run, Master Snooker. I was late and got behind for a bit but as usual red dog saves it! I just love playing agility with him!

Master Standard Trial

Ahhhh, I just love my red dog! I know I have said it so often, but I feel so blessed to be on this journey with him. Agility just makes it more fun, an added bonus.
I went to a small evening trial last night and had a great time. Great conversation, some nice courses and a couple good runs. I got three runs on tape, here are two of them, the other I messed up then Zephyr had another contact issue (high, happy and lacking self control!!) so I trained in the ring. It's too bad that the second run on the video did not show up well enough, because it was such a nice run. However you can still get the idea from the video.
I am shocked at how fast he is moving still at his age, able to cut the SCT in half!!! Run red dog run!! It feels good to click with him....I could never grow tired of these moments running him.

The Pool is Open!!

Happy days when the sun is shining and there is water to play in...even if we're just visiting!

Dueling Border Collies

I was having a little fun training yesterday....and I was curious to see which dog really was faster. I guess I should have rerun to have clean drills...rather than post my errors. And in all fairness to Zephyr, those first two drills, his tail brought the standard down...not knocking bars with his feet. I am still shocked at how fast Zephyr can move at 10 1/2!!!
And the credits....well it's in the movie!

Zephyr in Paint!

I was going to post about this last month when I received this beautiful painting from a friend but I had hoped to get it framed first. That has not happened yet, so I thought I would go ahead. Zephyr painted by my friend Shannon Darch from Animates. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Back light, water and high shutter speeds...FUN!!

Hooray for Sunshine and Free Time!

I should just blog daily photos....what is there to say? The sun is shining, the trails are gorgeous, the equipment is out and I am fortunate enough to have time to spend with my friend and the dogs...good day today!

Magpie?

There is a part of me that likes shiny things. Perhaps I'm a bit like a Magpie or a Crow. I don't usually take Zephyr's ribbons from sanctioned trials anymore, but starting a new dog, well how can I refuse.

I went to the first Dog Agility Ontario trial this past weekend. I think this new club did a great job putting the trial on and I did have a lot of fun. Was I ready to be there, well no, but myself and the dogs had fun and left with smiles on our faces.

Zephyr has been off of agility all winter, the last couple weeks we have just been doing small jump drills for fitness, but have not run a full course yet....it shows! Zen has not run any full courses either and has just had her jumps put up to full height....so yes jumping the gun!!

Things have changed since I started agility years ago. Trials used to cost almost half of what they do now, the dogs won rosettes and the clubs hired teenagers to run leashes and be ring crew. Oh well at the end of the day we all had fun, we love our dogs and those shiny things....do they even matter? No.

Blue Sky

"An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day"-Thoreau

I couldn't agree more. Here is a happy Zephyr near the end of yesterdays hike. The sky, the clouds just perfect for photos. Zephyr, perfect for photos. And loving that fish-eye lens.

I have an agility trial tomorrow....sort of wishing now I hadn't jumped the gun and entered this one. We are so out of practise, we have not run full courses yet (just got most of my equipment outside) so I know I will not run well. Poor dogs. Well, we will just go and have fun and give Zen some ring time and Zephyr will be his accommodating self. I'm sure as I arrive there in the morning with the sun, and look at the course maps, I will be thinking that I should have gone hiking!!



Testing Testing!!

First test run of the GoPro camera. Lots of fun will be had! I am happy with the results considering I was shooting blind and trying to run the dogs at the same time...you can tell by the way they have their striding off and such!

Youtube kills the quality a bit so at least watch in the high quality.

Hmmmm, maybe I should have washed my dogs first too! We had been for a VERY muddy hike before this. Oh well more true to life, my dogs dirty from the trails. I'm also not sure why the dogs look so heavy...maybe the wide lens.



Sunshine and warm breezes! Fun times this time of year!

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. ~Celia Thaxter
A life without love is like a year without summer. ~Swedish Proverb



Well it feels like summer to me, I have so much to be grateful for and there is always lots of love. Life is good!

Speak Softly...

...and carry a big stick.

We have had such great warm, dry weather so far this spring, perhaps not great for the trees and such but I've been enjoying the wonderful hiking weather before the bugs come out. I've also been working on getting my yard ready for agility this year with fresh soil to level any divots in the lawn.

I am not going to take Zephyr to Regionals this May. He has been good and sound but I think asking him to do 3 days when he has done so little agility this winter would still be asking too much of him at 10 years of age. Nationals is in BC which we would not be going to, so I decided to stay home this year. I plan on running some local sanctioned trials with him, just a few runs each day so that should keep him happy!

When I see the photo above all I think is Happy Happy Joy Joy!! Zephyr is such a fun dog, loving life at his now 10 years of age! (His birthday was one month ago).We really haven't had much winter weather to speak of this year, at least not like we can get here in Ontario, which makes me happy.

I'm starting to get the itch for outdoor agility. I can't wait to haul the equipment out of storage, and with any luck I'll have some new stuff to add to the yard this year. I don't do as much agility with Zephyr as I once did, but he's not ready to retire quite yet!

And I had to share that last shot. We looked after a few baby chicks over the long weekend from my son's classroom, and as you can see Zephyr was his sweet self with them. Such a love!

New Year!

Well 2012 is here, let's hope it's a good one! I started the year off right with a New Year's Day agility trial. I did not run that well, out of practise, but Zephyr was high as can be and he had a blast! It was also so nice to spend the morning there with some friends. I am hoping to get back to regular trialing starting March or April...must get to regular training with Zephyr, not just the young girlie.
What else to say, same old here, hiking every day, looking into maybe indoor swimming for Zephyr for the rest of the winter, otherwise he is quite happy to lounge around on the sofa during down time!