Squeeky Bone

Sylvia has disemboweled almost all of her squeeky toys. The big red bone is hanging by a thread.

Happy Halloween

So much has happened. For Halloween, we dressed up as chefs. Actually, Sylvia was the chef and I was the cook. We barked up a good old time, with Meghan as the "Corporate Zombie" taking photos.

sweet spring

Spring has sprung, to reheat a somewhat tired phrase, but Sylvia is anything but tired. She seemed to love an excursion to a nearby trail maintained by the wonderful Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association in Alna, called the Bass Falls Preserve.

 Sylvia was delighted to see the arrival of her friend and ally, Meghan. They traveled the woods together, as you can see here.

 Sylvia really enjoyed her taste of strawberry ice cream from the famous Round Top Farm. Meghan said she was happy to share.

 I, on the other hand, dared not share my chocolate ice cream with my pal, Sylvia. She really wanted just a taste. Maybe next time I will have to get a flavor she could enjoy.

Exploring off-road

 Sylvia and I have taken to the fields and woods in the warming weather. It's still not very warm yet, but the snow is pretty much gone.
She likes to roam around and sniff the twigs, bits of fresh, green grass over just trudging along the roadside. We are looking forward to warm weather, long runs on the beaches, and adventures far and wide.

Spring smells, well...like spring

 Sylvia and I have emerged from our winter slumber to explore the land laid bare by the melted snow. Tiny sprouts of green grass have poked their way up through sodden brown tufts toward the sunlight and flowers have stretched their leaves, one or two unfurling from tight buds against a still cool breeze.
Sylvia is taking stock of all that is happening around her, stopping for long sniffs along the road. 

The other day, we trecked out to Pemaquid beach in search of some dry seaweed for the garden. Letting out noses lead the way, we met some friendly dogs. Fortunately for us, we were in good company. We were all disobeying the "no pets" rule, but at this early date in the season, no one seemed to mind. Sylvia and I picked up after ourselves before leaving. It was a worthwhile trip, full of great sniffs and sights.

Sylvia explored the not-quite bustling Main Street at this cool, quiet time before the real warm weather hits. Soon this street will be crowded with pedestrians and bumper to bumper traffic. Down the road, wherever we end up, Sylvia and I will throw ourselves right in the center, our noses at the ready.

final snow run for the year

Here's Sylvia slogging through some very heavy April snow, which is rapidly melting under a bright sky. Soon enough we will be running though green grass and stopping every few feet to sniff.

Taking a snooze

Winter is over and yet we had one final snow storm on April 1, no joke! Sylvia is here taking a snooze after so much running around in the excitement of spring. She has been busy sniffing around a lot more as the snowbanks recede and as bugs, birds and other crawling creatures emerge from winter's slumber.

Bark!

...or "wood", depending on what part of the tree we're talking about here. Sylvia was just upset to see her friend, Frank, leave. Frank is cutting up wood before the ground gets too soft and Sylvia has had fun trotting around the muddy crevices filled with icy water left by Frank's tractor. It's that time of year for Maple syrup and the sap is running strong. Sylvia and I hope to get out to Maple Syrup Sunday, which is a breakfast festival of sorts celebrating the natural sugar.

Missing the mark, but it's the idea that counts

Those of you who know Sylvia might remember her habit of pawing the ground after leaving her...eh...ah ... after fertilizing the roadside. She often misses the mark in what looks to be an attempt to bury her treasure, by several feet. I sort of thought she might have been stretching, but this quirky habit, as a friend pointed out, might be some ingrained behavior left over from her ancestral wolf bretheren. It could also be some kind of Italian doggie thing.

Spring is here and the snow is melting fast. Sylvia and I are breaking out into the great pastures of life, to explore, sniff around and see what ol' man winter left behind.

Breaking out of winter

Here we are, running on the edge of the road. Finally, spring is here!

Well, we made it to the remote icy island named after Col. James Swan (I think he was a colonel, anyway). Here we are at the site of the island's new library, to be completed soon. The original library, which I visited often whenever on the island in the summer, burnt to the ground after being struck by lightening, taking with it a vast collection of historical records. The wonderfully creative Meghan has worked to bring some history back to life with her radio documentaries of island residents. Historians she has been working with are doing their best to preserve the past! Sylvia and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit this site and get a few sniffs while there.

 "Well, come on in," she said.

 Meghan and Sylvia ran on the beach together. Sylvia barked and ran and wagged her tail the whole way.

 She was so excited to be running on the beach.

 But wait! We can't leave John behind. She came back to get me and we ran together, uniting with Meghan.

 Sylvia trotted right along in her very large, red coat. She sure wasn't cold in the numbing breeze on our walk near Irish Point.

 Sylvia still enjoys one of her favorite stuffed squeeker-animals, the blue dog.

Sylvia runs on the snowy greenway

Well, Sylvia is back to her old self again, for the most part. We have been through a traumatic experience, but thanks to her strength, courage and joyful spirit, Sylvia and I are back on track. What was expected to be a simple operation to remove a fatty lump from her neck turned into a nightmare. Poor Sylvia looked like she had taken part in a slasher film; her neck was all swollen and bruised when we left the vet's office and that night she sat stunned, unable to sleep. We returned to the vet's office three or four more times and staff members called often to check on Sylvia's status. We were not happy. After applying cold packs, taking medicine and resting easy for over a week, Sylvia slowly returned to her joyous, tail-wagging self. Her perly whites really do shine and she smiles more often now. Here we are on the mighty Kennebec, in a town called Farmingdale. From there, we traveled to the mysterious and well-trodden Greenway. I say "mysterious", because both Sylvia and I pondered whether it truly stretches from Maine to Florida. We are curious, but have decided to wait for warmer weather to explore further. 

Touring the icy coast and state capital

Here we are once again facing a new day, a new walk and more fascinating sniffs on a familiar path. Actually, at this moment Sylvia was a little too distracted to sniff. She was anxious to get to know some passers-by that moved on down the road  ahead of us, a woman and her three (?) dogs.

Sylvia and I eventually moved along, too. We had some exploring to do! We visited the Damariscotta River, where the famous Pemaquid Oyster is harvested (not this time of year, though).

As you can see, we enjoyed a fantastic sunset. It was cold, but beautiful.

 We also had some very important sniffing around to do in the state capital. Here we are down on the mighty Kennebec River.

Sea Voyage

 Sylvia and I recently took a voyage off of the mainland to visit Meghan on the mysterious and wonderful island.

Here Sylvia is, a little nervous at first, but she has grown a little more used to the ferry ride. This time the water was smooth as glass when we pulled into port.

 Once on shore we ran around quite a bit. At one point, Sylvia joined Meghan and I on a hike out to the lighthouse. The road was unplowed after a certain point, but wasn't too deep for Sylvia's little legs. She bounded ahead of us and then would turn excitedly back, her tail wagging and it really looked like she was grinning, too!
Here in the old kitchen of this famous house on the island, Sylvia did her best to help with the cooking. As you can see, she is prepared to pick up any food that might accidentally fall on the floor.

A tribute to Merlin

A poem for Merlin:

Creation

When God had made the earth and sky,
the flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals
the fish, the birds and bees
And when at last He'd finished
not one was quite the same.
He said I'll walk this world of mine
and give each one a name.
And so He travelled far and wide
and everywhere He went,
a little creature followed Him
until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth
and in the Sky and Sea,
the little creature said "Dear Lord,
there's no name left for me."
Kindly the Father said to him
"I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front
And called you DOG, my friend".

Author Unknown

All bark, but no bite

We have been getting to know the neighbors. Several golden retrievers bound up from the woods to bark and greet Sylvia as we pass by. Today we had a little fright, though. A large dog from the other end of the road came right up to Sylvia. I thought everything would be okay at first. The female human who demanded her dog friend's attention stood nearby, hands on hips, while the dogs sniffed one another. Then the big dog growled, bared her teeth and attacked Sylvia. Luckily, I stood right in the way of the bigger dog and shielded Sylvia from big, gnashing teeth. Sylvia was not at all bothered. In fact, she stood her ground and barked right back. After a few seconds of this the big dog bounded back to the other side of the road and to her house. 

Sylvia and I chatted about the exchange as we ambled down the hill into the shallow valley by Roger's Pond and up the other side toward home again. We came to the conclusion the other dog was merely protecting her turf, even though she didn't legally have rights to the other side of the road. Sylvia left her mark and will likely return. The next time the exchange might be a little more cordial. Even as she balefully gazes up at me with those colorful saucers, tail wagging away, I am not completely certain. But I think she likes the little flat-faced critter next door, the one with huge eyes, chocolate colored fur, little sticks for legs and a stubby torso.

Soon we will have a chance to make more friends and reunite with others.

 Just me and my shadow here...

 Sylvia and I have been taking many long walks, despite the cold weather. The past two days were a little too cold, though. Sylvia would raise her paw, as if she injured it, and trot along after a few minutes. On these especially cold days we stayed close to home. I tried to convince Sylvia to wear the booties that came with her survival gear, but she told me she wasn't thrilled about them. I kept my promise of better, more scenic and longer walks on warmer days.