Friends Don't Let Friends Use Wall Paper

I have been given a simple task by my people. From a hair that was found embedded in the layers of wall paper at my grandogma's new house I was told to find and bite the person who put the wall paper on the wall. I tried to tell them that I was not a person sniffing dog but they don't seem to care. Anna's parents have bought a new house with the intentions of remodeling the hell out of it and we're helping. The problem is the !@#$@#$ wall paper. We soaked it, we covered it in wall paper eating chemicals, we scraped and scraped and scraped and it would not come off the walls. As Anna was preparing to gas and torch the wall they finally agreed that a steamer might be a better solution so they got one and while it still sucked more than most things, it got the job done after hours of tedious, messy and pain staking scraping.



That said, We're back on the west coast enjoying some much needed family time and looking forward to a few more weeks of kickin it with our friends. We're psyched that we'll get to continue with more good west coast times after our little break from work. It sounds like we'll be on this side of the Rocky Mountains for most of the next year and we're SO HAPPY about that! Oh, and my people are going to leave me in the desert tied to a cactus while they go the the very southern most islands of the Caribbean for two weeks to design some trails and get their surf on. It's Ok, don't worry about me. I'm sure they'll leave water and a bowl of food.

Bless Yer Haart

That's what they say in Tennesse. Bless yer haart. We just left beautiful Big South Fork National Recreation area where we rode/ran some of the most senic trail we've seen since leaving the west side of the rockies. Being a dog in a national park is rough as, technically I am not supposed to be off leash or really even in the park but they bend the rules here and there. A little wiggly charm goes a long way. The problem is that I don't really get the whole 200' cliff thing and I tend to think that I can just hop down and chase the bunnies below so my peeps had to leave me at home for a few of the rides.



I don't see the humor in this one but I've also never learnt how ta spell write.





Those southern boys had a hard time letting the lady do all the work but nobody else had a "silky pocket boy" saw in their camelbac. I'm not kidding, that's what it's called.



Once in a while my people need be shown how it's done so they had to follow me off this one.

My people require airtime

Just a reminder of how cute of a dog I am.

And there it is! The first pump track is pumpalicious. I'll throw some more photos up tonight or tomorrow with some riders on it. There is also another pump track behind the photographer from this shot that you can gap into from the first one. I suppose all the dirt moving efforts have paid off!

Dirt Movers

It's a strange hobby my people have taken up in the past year. This whole thing about moving dirt, digging holes, filling in holes, building strange and unexplainable piles out of dirt, logs and rocks. It's quite odd. It's really beginning to get a little out of hand. The habit has become so consuming that they aquired a dirt dealer who is now hooking them up with dirt by the truck loads. Not only that but because they have so much of the stuff, they had to employee a mechanical excavator to help them build their little piles. I'm worried that this is becoming a problem. It's their week off, we're in beautiful Virginia hanging out with friends yet they are still playing with dirt. Are they going to trade me in for a dog made of dirt? Or perhaps one that is the color of dirt? Or kick me out of the car to make room for this new toy they are seen playing with in these photos? I'll keep you posted over the next couple days. Perhaps these piles of dirt will become something spectacular. If not, I am afraid we will have to have an intervention.



JW dumping the soon to be berm of a pump track



Anna scooping up some squishy red clay to turn into some rolly rolly rollers



It's starting to come together... or so they say. Keep checking for updates. The first pump track of 4 should be done in a few days.

Don't Leave Me

Every week they pack up the car and every week I wonder if they are still planning to pack me up too. I have found that the only safe way to make sure that they don't forget me is to stay in or near the car. Sitting pittifully with my tail between my legs usually elicits some sympathy treats and if that doesn't work I just load up and refuse to move. I wouldn't be so concerned about such things if I weren't at risk of missing out on all this fun stuff in the case of being accidentaly forgoten.



Log ride in Midland MI city forest



Trail in Kanatta Canada




The always beautiful views of the gas station in Water Town NY



Sproing!



A little night buildering is always a good time



Fall trails



Teeters with rails?

Oh Canada

My people just took me to doggy disney land for a week. It was sooo rad. Every morning, they would open the door and there would be this giant river right in front of me. I would spend the day standing in the river, fetching sticks, barking at the rapids, and laying in the sun and then I would lick the grill of the fire pit after dinner for a while before my boyfriend, big fluffy wolf dog would come over for an evening chase around the yard.



In the mean time, Jason and Anna were having a pretty darn good time themselves. The Ottawa river is well known for it's white water so there was that, as I said, right out the front door.

Jason at "Trick or Treat"


Anna at push button in big borrowed gear (photo credits: Collin Moneypenny)

JW being rad (photo credits: Collin Moneypenny)

The Anna antiboof (photo credits: Collin Moneypenny)

The mountain biking in Kanatta just down the road was some of the best we had seen in a while. I even got to meet my first porcupine on the trail which, by the tone of my people's voices when they saw me running towards it I deemed as dangerous and kept my space. Even from 4 feet it didn't look like anything worth playing with.

Je Aime Quebec!

Or something like that. The last five days have been a none stop trail building, mountain biking, pink polkadot trail flagging, crazy Canadian party. My people are sifting through the hundreds of photos so that I can fill you in on all the juicy details so give me a day or so and I'll post again. Until then, here's a photo to remind you what a strange life we lead. My people are thinking about going into the trail building fashion industry.

Big Furry Bullies

All I wanted to do was play but this cute cuddly ball of claws would have none of it. Of course, I was barking at him, and well... bouncing around like a freak. But that's what you do when you're playing! So, instead of the usual response of some fun tackling, rolling around in the grass and good four legged romping, this little guy slapped me in the face, chased me across the yard, and when he finally caught me, he tore into by back side with a big paw full of knives. I've got scars! Now my people make fun of me because apparently I was screaming like a little baby shitzu throughout the whole ordeal.

I suppose I will have to give up on my idealistic ways. Cats will probably never play with me. So now I just bark louder at them! MWAAHAHAHA!

The Big Big City

My people left me at home ALL DAY yesterday so they could go galavant around New York City with our friend Pete. And here's what they did while I kicked it at home with three ferocious cats.



They walked quickly through time square and took pictures of other people taking pictures of things while dodging the gaping mouthed who, instead of watching their path stared up in disbelief at all the gigantic adds.



Pete, who knows some stuff about dinosaurs and rocks gave them a tour of the Museum of Natural History which was pretty darn cool. Little did they know that this fella is not at all unlike the cats that I was simultaneously battling back at the house.



Some time was spent cruising through Central Park so they grabbed some cafine, found a rock in the sun, a made like turtles.



Of course you can't go to the big apple without checking out the Metropolitan Museum of Art so they proceeded to break all the rules, get yelled at by guards and admire some very fine art.



Geatin sassy on the roof of "The Met"



And we thought guys who drive Hummers were trying to prove something...



The day sped up even more with a little Ethiopian in The Village, kickin it with the hipsters and learning how to be rad in the city from the raddest.



No trip to the city is quite complete without a crazy cab ride to Grand Central to throw down a martini before hopping back on the train.



Finally, back on the train in route to save me from the felines.

Happy Dirt

IMG_2589.JPG
Originally uploaded by sixvlt.

St. George, Maine