Swimming!!!

On Sunday, we had torrential rains here - about 4" in just a few hours and lots of flooding.The best part for me was this big lake that formed on one of the fields where I run.Up against the bank on the right it was about three feet deep, and you can see the tops of the bleachers down the side.

Della had on her fishing waders and she went out into the water. I was a bit skittish about going in when there was dry land on which to run around the edge. So I stayed where I could see the bottom and just did a lot of splashing.


Bit by bit I got braver and deeper but kept scooting back to the edge.


Then Della produced a tennis ball and I retrieved it a couple of times in the shallow water. It was getting pretty hot so I lay down to cool off. You can see the soccer field lines underwater.


Now I'm starting to feel much more confident and go farther into the deeper water.


I'm getting a grip on this water retrieving but I'm still not quite swimming, though I can feel that lift-off is imminent!

Then Della threw my ball just little bit deeper and suddenly I'm SWIMMING! It's great!

I make a perfect retrieve, get myself turned around....


..... and start swimming back. Look how fast I'm going!! I'm making a wave in front of myself.


Then I start trying to feel where the bottom is. Look at the wake I left!


Phew....made it!


OK....let's do that again!

Pleeeeeease?


Yay!


This is so much FUN!


I could swim around ALL DAY.... I love it!


But I'd better bring the ball back so she can throw it again.


Come ON.... throw it!


Since Della was so slow to throw it, maybe I won't bring it back this time.


Maybe I'll just cruise around all day...just me and my ball....


I'm a Golden Carrier!


Wheeeeee!


This isn't going over too well....better revert back to being a Golden Retriever.


There's your silly ball!


And now back home for a towel-down and a nap.

My favorite spot - The Lap!

Hello Ma Doux,

I know you had the chemo again this week, so to cheer you up I thought you'd like to see one of my favorite spots to hang out -- Adele's lap! l've heard about lap dogs and they seem to have a pretty cushy life so I've been trying to add that dimension to being a golden retriever.



Here's my first lap picture. This was on March 7, the day I came home. I'm looking a bit out of it as I had just spent four hours in the car coming from Clifton to Plymouth Meeting, and I'm looking out on my yard for the first time.








Here I am a week later on March 13. I didn't know how to jump up onto anything at that point, but I learned that if I put a back paw onto one of their feet, they would lift up the paw (and me, attached!) and then I could clamber onto whatever I was aiming for.









Here I am on March 21. This isn't exactly a lap picture, but I was still small enough to be carried around which I really liked because I could do face licks so easily! Look how huge my front legs are!












Now it's April 4 and you can see that I've discovered that the sofa is a fine spot for play. I had just come back from a walk but I'm still full of energy. This is my version of Climb All Over Body Parts - an excellent game.











Still April 4, and I'm still climbing all over Adele!














Now we jump forward to May 3. I think I just had a growth spurt!
This is my favorite chair because it stretches out (it's a recliner) and I get more room. It was starting to be a tight fit for me and Adele in the same spot.







Another growth spurt and it's June 23. I'm huge! Even though I can easily leap up onto chairs and beds, I always climb into Adele's lap very carefully, using the foot elevator. Adele says there's a big difference between a 15 lb puppy to lift and a 38 lb one, but I like to think it's great weight training for her! The best time to do the lap climb is in the morning with the coffee and newspaper.






I always think a couple of face licks improve the situation!














Back to the sofa where Adele and I are watching the Fourth of July festivities. Della was a bit of a drag on the Fourth. She didn't seem to want to get on board with any of the celebrations, muttering something about it not being a big holiday in her country. I helpfully suggested she think about being a good sport rather than a sore loser, but that didn't go over at all well....






I had a fun time on the Fourth, with everyone patting me and telling how good I was with all the fireworks going off. I can tell you for sure that if you like fireworks, Philadelphia's the place to be on the Fourth. They started around 5 PM and never stopped all night long as far as I could tell. I'm not afraid of fireworks at all - or thunderstorms. I like all that noise and stuff because I get lots of attention and pats and play.














Now it's July 12, and you can see the fit is getting ever tighter in the chair!









I have to keep reminding Adele to push out the leg rest so there's more room for me and my toys. I just wriggle around till I get comfortable and can find a spot for each leg.














And this was yesterday, July 14. I made my lap move right in the middle of Adele's coffee and newspaper when I thought she might not notice me climbing aboard. I think I was quite successful!










And now I'm moving in for the face lick which I know will give me full absolution, and maybe help Adele wake up a bit!

Emlyn's Walk

Hello Ma Doux,

I thought you'd like to come along on my morning walk. I'm pretty lucky because right by my house are lots of athletic fields, and because school's out, no-one uses them in the mornings. It takes about an hour to do this walk, but if it's hot or I'm chasing tennis balls, we take some timeouts for a drink.

So I start off on my leash from the house till we reach the soccer field......

......then the walk becomes a run as I get released!






Racing away as fast as I can go....




....but I come right back when called!




At the end of the soccer field, we turn onto one of my favorite raceways!





When I get hot, I go find some shade.





My tongue is getting longer!



I love climbing up this hill.





I'm such a good climber, I make it look as if it's flat!




Now I'll pose for a picture.




Look at me way up here!

Just on the other side of this hill is a kids' playground with all kinds of fun stuff for me to play on!






I LOVE climbing right to the top.



One day I'll go down the slide....



....but for now I'll just sit.






It's pretty high up here.



I found some more stairs to climb....




....and now a bridge.




Time out to look at the view.

After I've finished playing on the jungle gym, we head around the school to this HUGE area of open sports fields which no-one uses in the morning except me!





Now I can run and run and run....all the way to those trees if I want!





But it's too hot today to go that far.....another time out in the shade with the tennis ball I just found.





I always jump up on this rock




Here's the water fountain where Della gets me a drink and a water splash




Della has a folding water bowl that she fills for my drink, then she throws water over me to cool off. I love my puddle and shade!




Wish the puddle were bigger.





Here's another rock I like to jump on. (Have you noticed how good I am at posing in all these pictures? I've definitely got "Sit...Stay" down!)




Ooops...dropped my ball over the edge.




And now I'm headed to another favorite spot.




I zip around in this undergrowth....the smells are soooo good in here.




But I run back as soon as I realize I've gone too far away. I'm still a bit unsure of myself when I can't see Della or Adele.




I think there's something in there....





........better check it out.



Nah....just a silly bird that I scared off.






Then we head over towards the bike path. The first few times I did this walk I used to be REALLY scared of this big old tree stump!





Back on my leash to go along the bike path.




This is my favorite mud spot...I always sit down here! You can see my paw prints from previous walks.



This dog ALWAYS barks at me...




.....but I just ignore him.




What's up here?





This bike path goes on forever.




I love it when we get here because....




.....I get off my leash and can run again!




Lots of stuff to check out.





Wheee.....more running!




Isn't this pretty?



We've had lots of rain so there are good puddles everywhere.




I LOVE water!




I might as well cool off all over.




I'll do another pretty pose.



Homeward bound on the soccer fields again.





Are we there yet? I'm getting a bit tired.




Almost home...through the gap in the bushes.




Last few yards.....




.....and we're home!!
And now I go inside, get a drink and take a long nap in front of my fan. I hope you enjoyed my walk!