Doodle Bug park

Video showing Doodle Bug Park

Kurt's Triathlon Sprint

I can't believe it, the end of May is here and the school year is coming to a close. Life has been busy and hectic as I'm considering a job change, training dogs, going to classes , birthdays, graduations and planning vacations.

Yesterday Brad and I gathered all the dogs and drove out to Lake Ming to watch Kurt who had entered the Action Sports Bakersfield Triathlon Sprint. First of all, what a mistake to have brought the dogs, there were fox tails everywhere and I found out that having a fluffy little Pomeranian around fox tails is AWFUL!! They were miserable and hours had to be spent to get rid of all those burrowing fox tails and we are still concerned that Daisy might have one in her ear. But, back to the Triathlon, Kurt did fantastic!! His final time was 1 hour 24 minutes and 37 seconds and he came in 3rd for his age group (20-24) and 18th overall!! Way to go Kurt and I bet this is just the first of many races. He trained a lot taking time to bicycle, run and swim in preparation for this race and loosing about 15 pounds in the process. Alisha, Barbie and Aubrey were also there to cheer him on.

Hollywood Dog Obedience Club

Well, more dog info to post!! Mick, Gage and I traveled South to the Hollywood Dog Obedience Club's Obedience Trial/Rally Trial. Both of them had completed their Rally Novice title so it was time to take the big step to Rally Advanced. In Advanced Rally the dog has several new exercises added to the course such as pivots and side steps and a jump plus the dog must do the whole course off-lead. Well, we arrived at the Gabrieleno Equestrian Center and it was a beautiful and clear day but very windy and when I checked in I found out that Gage would be the first entry to do the Advanced Rally A course and Mick would be the last. As our turn drew close I began to feel a little nervous and hoped my boys wouldn't blow away because it was pretty windy. Gage did just great and it is such a feeling of accomplishment to spend time training a dog and to be successful. Gage scored a 91 and ended up in third place and completed his first leg for Advanced Rally out of a needed 3 legs. Gage did a really tricky pivot by doing a complete flip in the air and landing at my side (such a showboat). Mick went in last and Mick is notorious for not always paying close attention but let me tell you, this boy can strut and everyone said he looked very attentive and quite beautiful. Mick made it through the course and also received a qualifying score of 79 however it took a lot to keep his attention and I thought I was going to be hoarse by the end of the course. YEAH!!! It is so much fun to see your time and efforts at training be rewarded as you work as a team. You can't tell I love these guys can you?

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