Dogs and grandson Trevor and I set out for the hills yesterday, a quick trip to check out my little summer hideaway. It was a bright sunny day, with the sweet woodsy smells following a spring rain. This was Friday. It snowed on last Monday. How quickly it changed. I hired my good friends Cat and her grandson Zach to do opening up the cabin chores this year. Wow! I like that! The pine needles were raked and piled by the road for pick up, the windows were sparking the deck was cleaned off, and everything inside sparkled. Cat always goes way beyond what anyone expects of her, so the cupboards were also cleaned out. Any cereal or cracker boxes that were left that had been open - went to garbage. She even washed my towels. Not that they needed it. The were clean when I left them, but she is an over achiever, and I got the benefit of it.
We didn't spend much time there, as the hamburger place was calling to Trevor, so we drove up to Arnold for his lunch. I had mine packed with us. Soy yogurt. His double deluxe cheeseburger really looked good. But I know what I can eat. Dogs got tidbits of his lunch. We took our lunch to White Pines Lake and found a nice picnic table where we could watch the few people in their inflatable boats drifting on the water. This is usually one of the quietest spots on earth - but this time we could hear the roar of the water going over the spillway. With all the snow and rain this year, the lakes and rivers are full. Good news for the delta, where the fresh water meets the ocean water. On good years when the snow and rain provide lots of fresh water, it pushes the salt water back. On very dry years the salt water creeps further inland.
The dogs had some good walks. Poor old Buddy needed to be pushed in his stroller. He loved the trip but his energy level was very low, until we were almost home and his tummy told him it was about time to eat. Then he perked right up, and when we came home, he dashed up the stairs for his dinner. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but Lulu is trained to pick up each dog dish and bring it to me with her feet on my knee, so I don't have to bend all the way over to pick them up. Not that I can't do that, because I"m good at bending over with all the gardening and weeding I do. But, it seemed like a good idea and she cooperates. It's very cute too, she looks and acts like a little clown dog.
It won't be long before I'll have many warm days and nights in the mountains. I do not have ready access to internet from there, so there will be long lapses in posts. But, hopefully I"l have good pictures to share when I get back to civilization.
