It's HOT!

Well, I decided I should update my thoughts but I really don't think there are many readers of this blog ( have only given the address to a very few). The plan for the weekend was to go camping with Justin, Barbie and Aubrey but we fizzled out after we found out they were going to Pismo instead of Carpenteria. Brad and I escaped the 100 degree heat in Bakersfield by going to Santa Barbara. We had a wonderful time walking on the beach, eating lunch at the Brown Pelican and shopping and just talking with each other. The best thing of all was we brought Mick and Gage and let them experience the ocean!

Practicing for Advanced Rally

Lazy Saturday, home alone for the entire day so I kept myself very busy with Mick and Gage. Gage got a bath and a little bit of trimming and then both of them got to practice for Advanced Rally. Yes, they are entered again so on May 6 we are off to Hollywood to compete in Advanced Rally. The pictures are of the boys practicing their jumps.

Spring in Kern County

Last night I went for a motorcycle ride on the back of my husband's BMW 1200GS. The spring evening was beautiful with a slight breeze and we joined 4 other couples for a ride up the Glenville /Woody road to eat dinner at Hassano's. I have to say the ride made me appreciate what I love about living in Kern County in the Spring. The curvy country road brought back so many memories..... As we got through the oilfields we steered up towards Woody and the beautiful green rolling hills that were spotted with granite boulders and magnificent oak trees. There were cows eating on the grass and an occasional horse. There were small fields of yellow fiddle neck with a spattering of purple lupines but since it has been a fairly dry winter the flowers were a lot sparser than in past years. In any case the sights, the sounds and the smells all brought back wonderful memories of Easter picnics when we would drive up this same road with picnic baskets of food and crawl under the barbed wire and then "move in". I remember crawling on giant boulders, hiking, running in the grass, making necklaces from "scissor plants" and just having a wonderful time in the green rolling hills. There was always lots of family and friends, plenty of fellowship and conversation . Now I know there are many beautiful places in this world and some people would laugh to think I find this area beautiful but Kern County hills are special and hold the memories of my childhood, my family and my life. As we rode back after enjoying a dinner with friends the smells of Bakersfield's orange blossoms lighted up your sense of smell (even through a full mask helmet). Ahhhhh...... no better smell in the world, the scent of orange blossoms filling the air on a beautiful spring evening.

Well, Happy Easter to all, HE IS RISEN, I believe this with all my heart and I pray that each of us celebrates this season and realize God's ultimate sacrifice of his son and then celebrate the fact that he died for us but then rose again. HE IS RISEN, he is a part of our lives, he is our LIFE.

Mick and how he feels about OBEDIENCE

Just had to post this picture of Mick, this is how he feels about Obedience

This past weekend was warm and sunny at the Kern County Kennel Club Dog Show where I had entered Gage in Rally Novice and Mick in Novice Obedience. Saturday was very hot and Brad, Justin, Barbie and Aubrey came to cheer me on . The picture shows Barbie and Aubrey, Aubrey is showing off her darling hat that was very useful in the sun.

Gage took a 4th place on Saturday earning his second leg towards his RN title and then on Sunday he placed 2nd with a score of 92 and earned him his new title. Pretty good for a 10 month old pup, he is such a lot of fun to work with and loves all the attention.

Mick, well Mick is Mick and if you know him you know what I mean. In any case, I entered him knowing it was probably premature but I needed the experience and it was our home town so at least I didn't have to travel to get the experience or should I say exercise in humility? Mick did not qualify on Saturday as he chose to sit stay during off lead and then took two calls for a recall. So, on Sunday I knew Mick could do it but would he? LOL, Once again it was a warm day and we entered the ring and Mick did fine on lead, missed a sit but was doing well, did the Figure 8 like a champ and now it was time for off lead. Well, he did fantastic , turning, sitting, changing pace, u-turn and then at the second u-turn we turned in a shady area and instead of following me out of the shade he decided to sit in the shade and watch me. Imagine my shock when I turned back and saw that grinning face looking at me from the shade!!!! Oh well! He finished the course, did his recall, sits and downs and would have had a qualifying round if he hadn't sought out the shade. Maybe next time, we need to work a little more but the judge did call me over and told me "You have a very, very, smart dog" Got to love a smart dog, Mick is definitely my "thinker" .

Picture 1 is Mick doing the Figure 8, Picture 2 is Barbie and Aubrey, Picture 3 is Gage and I after getting his 2nd Leg in Rally.