First Ride Smiles Win

Anna here: Today I rode my bike to Hood River where I met Melissa and her tiny son Kai who was ready for Kung Fu class. Her tiniest son Tate was with the lovely nanny and Melissa had a few free minutes for a new adventure. The bike she's been riding with commitment on a trainer in her living room came out to see pavement for the first time since 2011 when Corbin, her husband, would ride it around the hills of Mosier. The last rides this bike had seen outside were between Celilo Cancer Center and Melissa's house during Corbin's radiation treatment. And now Corbin lives in our memories and our hearts but can't ride with us. It was moving to see his bike back out on the pavement. What was even more special was the smile on Melissa's face and the joy she exuded with every post office box we passed and every pedal stroke she took. The gal is a natural and she pedaled hard into the climbs. Maybe it's because Corbin taught that bike how to hammer but I think it's also because Melissa felt the awesome feeling that you can't get from anything other than propelling yourself along on a bike. And I think she's hooked.

Beaches

I was a sandy salty dog last weekend. It was amazing. The mixture of swimming, running, and high concentration of dead things makes the beach one of my favorite spots. My peeps ditched me at the house a couple times so they could go surfing (the tall one seems pretty good but the short one spends a lot of time under water) which I don't really appreciate. They both know I'm perfectly capable of swimming out past waves up to 10' and surfing back in. I guess it might be my method of rescue that they don't like? I'm a dog! All I've got for grabbing potentially drowning people are my teeth. You'd think they could see past their dislike of dog bites and realize I'm saving their lives but no, they just leave me at home now. Oh well, I'm getting a little old to be saving them all the time anyway.

You called it Grandogma

You're right, I've been a bit of a tease with the blogging but assure you it was not intentional. I generally blog when bored and the past few days have lacked boredom. To start with, the short one drug me down to Cali for a super whirl wind trip which included one slightly too long ride (for an old dog lady). We also got to have some quality time with my grandogrents. Then we rallied home to pick up the tall one whom we hadn't seen in a few weeks at the airport (brief layover in Oakridge). We surprised him which was rad. Reunited, the peeps decided to attack the back yard (3 acres of forest that was largely destroyed last winter) meaning they spent much of the day chain sawing, hauling wood/branches, tending a burn pile etc. (such a romantic way to reconnect right?). During their property maintenance I chewed on sticks and slept in the sun. Following their brief laps into home-owner responsibility they got their priorities straight and drug me out on big mountain bike rides. Today, I made the mistake of finding something super foul to roll in and now, after some equally foul language and the short one lifting me in and out of the claw foot tub, I smell like a beautiful flower took a huge dump on my head. There you have it. Here are some photos of the last week or so.

South, then beer, then north.

First we went south where the short one left me with my grandogrents and my buddy Moon Dawg, then she returned in a very anxious state requiring immediate mountain biking up hills followed by beer (the former being uncommon). Now she seems to be recovered from the trauma and we are working our way back home. Rumor has it the tall one is coming back soon too! I sure miss his 6am wake up and feed me time. Also, I think he'll do a decent job of keeping shorty in
her currently calm state in the case that things get California crazy again anytime soon.

It goes to 11. And then it keeps going!

Yesterday marked 11 years of my people's togetherness. Also, luckily there's some sort of taxi situation that happens on that date (4/15) so they always remember. My understanding of taxis is quite minimal as I thought they were cars but this time of year they seem to be piles of paper. Anyway, taxis aside, my peeps are old and have been together since the beginning of time in a dog's mind. Hoping they keep up with the adventures for many more elevens.

Giant Flying Cats

Yesterday there were two giant flying cats in our yard. They were rather strange looking with the wings and the funny noses but I suppose cats are funny looking anyway right? My short person called them bald eagles which seems like a strange thing to name a cat but she also used to have a fish named Bear so that's what we're working with.

The ladies have been taking good care of me.

Two mountain bike rides and lots of fun parties this weekend. It's fun when the outdoor BBQs start and the mountain biking picks back up because it means I get lots of scraps and lots of runs. Here are some photos from our latest trail shenanigans and a few more from Jason's last day on the job in Panama before heading north for a week of surf!

Panama!

The tall one is making magical mountain biking dreams come true in Panama and here are a few photos he sent us today. First we've got Micael and Jason being happy (they are just always like that). Then some pictures of stuff they are building (note the sweat... This is not a vacation). And finally, a sloth. What else would you want to see? Sloths are amazing!!

So. Much. Fun?

The short one was a slacker today, so rather than working this afternoon, she chose to take me out for some dirt time and work tonight. I thought that we were just out for a boring drive to the store or the gym or a meeting which is better than a sharp stick in they eye but nothing to wiggle about. But, as soon as I sniffed the Washington wild flowers and freshly budding poison oak I knew we were headed to Syncline. We had a great time riding with our friend Kate. Complete with mud, ticks, swimming and speed. Followed it up with a trip to Yappy Hour which is a large dog party at which they serve alcohol and have payed staff hanging around to keep us dogs in check. Not a bad evening. Not at all!

It's whiny time.

And not wine time which would be more enjoyable. Instead it's the time when the people start getting all whiny because they start to get a taste of sunshine and bikes and warmth, and then before they know it the rain is back. And, I have to do tons of extra wiggling to make them smile because they get so mopey and so grumpy and they need their cry towels.

JW is not whining right now though because he's building a bike park in Panama where he will soon be enjoying a week of warm surf and beach life! The bike park build has been going really well and amongst other things he's been hanging out with Sloths, good people, and lots of iguana eggs (the dirt there is full of them!). He also got to take a day to see the panama canal which, is pretty incredible. especially if you're a digger (check out the excavator they used in the pictures!!). I'm really hoping he brings me a sloth. I'm pretty sure we'd make great friends.

The short one keeps trying to ride her bike and returning home sooner than usual and unable to get her shoes off because of the shivering. It's cold outside but clearly that mid winter trip to the islands reset her seasonomiter and she thinks its summer. As long as she gets the crazy out somehow I guess we are good.

When the tall one is out of town we go to the coffee/bike shop once or twice a week where, if the weather is nice I get to lay on the patio in the sun while Anna works. She seems to think its good for socializing me but you and I really know she's the one who needs to be socialized. Aside from our adventures into the big city of Hood River I've just been doing the usual chilling, eating, wiggling, chasing people on trails and swimming. Life is currently supreme aside from the current challenges of getting things from the top shelf. Meaning, we miss Jason... A lot.

Hangin with my homies

It wasn't too long ago that I decided I had no patience for those really tiny people that fall somewhere between puppies and people. Despite the fact that occasionally they smelled like something I'd like to roll in, I didn't appreciate their unpredictability and seeming lack of regard for personal space or the incredibly strong attachment that my fur has to my skin. That was before I met the Shays kids and realized I was way off on my initial assessment of super tiny people. First off, once my peeps made it clear that my bed was off limits, at least I had a hiding place. And once I discovered how terrible those little people were at getting food into their mouths and how much of that food ended up on their faces, clothes and the floor I quicky realized that they where WAY better to stick with than big people and now I'm their biggest fan. As long as they stay off my bed. Really, we've got the same basic priorities. Food, snuggles, playing, dirt, food, attention, food and food. I'm not sure how good they are at swimming yet but I have confidence that we've probably got that in common too. So I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks... If said tricks are cognizant of old dogs physical boundaries and are usually covered in the remnants of their last meal.