Resevoir Hike

Yesterday we tried a new hiking spot at a very nearby location.  We had high hopes that it would be a good trail walk spot, but I’d probably rate it average at best.  The resevoir that the trail circles is very nice, but the trail itself was super narrow, quite overgrown, and all the trees and growth made it hard to see much of the water.  The bonus was that it was shady, and considering the heat wave we’ve had, shade was a good thing.

 

We let Cayenne swim at several spots where we could take a little path down to the water, and while waiting for her to finish her swim, we saw this interesting guy...

The most fun we had was when we arrived back at the lot where we parked.  There is a little area to put in your kayak or paddle board, and as we were taking a few minutes to hang out there before getting back in the car, a friend arrived for Cayenne.  They quickly got acquainted then started having a ball chasing and swimming together.

 

While the pups played, the girls took advantage of the opportunity to cool off at first by just asking to take off their shoes and put their feet in the water...

…then it didn’t take long before they were fully IN the water and having a ball as well!

 

Meanwhile, Cayenne and her friend kept wearing each other out - swimming, chasing, and trying to be the fastest to fetch sticks.

I always feel good about our day when it involves being outside (even in the heat), and I’m glad the girls are game for getting dirty, hiking the trails, and even having fun just being out in nature.  So, while the trail itself was a little disappointing, everyone ended up having a great time with all the fun at the end.  

 

In way of balancing things out, yesterday was nature, and today was crowds and all man-made structures at the Water Mine water park. Both have the same effect - tired girls at the end of the day and memories made.  It’s what summer is for!

 

Catching Up

It’s hard to believe the summer is nearly halfway over.  The girls are enjoying their time of not much scheduling, lots of pool time, staying up a bit later, and doing some fun things with friends.

They had the chance to spend the night at a neighbor’s house on a weekday (definitely a bonus of not having school), so Mark and I took the opportunity to head out for a little date night which we really enjoyed!

Cayenne has enjoyed having the basement couches to nap on when things get hot.  We’ve been in a heat wave, to say the least, so even for an athletic dog with short hair, it’s exhausting for her to be out exercising much in the heat.  We try to get in long walks and short runs really early in the day while it’s still in the 80’s.  By 9/10:00, it’ been hitting 90 degrees, so she enjoying having a cool basement to nap in.

Nina has been keeping up her tumble practice over the summer.  Her team starts in September, but she’s been wanting to get practice time in her tumble gym to work on her skills.  We’ve been happy to see her enjoying her sport and learning new skills.

In Lyla news, she has soccer starting already.  She has a week of practice this week, a break for a week, then another week of practice before things really start rolling.  She also had some exciting news on Saturday night.  It took 8 years and 4 months, but she finally lost her first tooth!  She was definitely a little bit excited about that!  :)

 

Living With a Vizsla

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like living with a Vizsla, here’s a little snapshot.  They are more human than they are dog, and they communicate A LOT!  Cayenne had found an almost finished bag of chips in one of the small trashcans in an upstairs bathroom.  She clearly had a message she was trying to get across.  This post is for Emme - my oldest niece and faithful blog follower.  She loves Cayenne (and would be a great Vizsla owner - hint hint!!!!) and would appreciate this video. 

Beating the Heat

Actually, beating the heat we did NOT do.  We kind of figured, if you can’t beat it, why not join it?  I decided to take us a kind of spur of the moment trip into DC.  We took Cayenne, their scooters, plenty of water, and a packed lunch and headed first to East Potomac Park and Hains Point.  I talked up the big sculptures of the hand and arm coming out of the ground, only to realize the statues were moved like nine years ago!  Clearly, I’ve been paying attention.

Even without the sculptures, the girls enjoyed scootering around the point.

When it came time for lunch, we found a nice picnic table in the shade on the side of the point that faced Reagan National Airport and watched the planes land and take off.  Even though the temps were reaching 100 degrees, there was such a nice breeze coming off the water, and we were actually very comfortable.

 

After Hains Point, we made our way to the Tidal Basin.  We went to the Jefferson Monument, and the girls played along the basin edge.

It was quite a bit hotter over at the Tidal Basin, and we had done a lot of walking, and everyone was hot and tired (including the pup), so we headed back to the car for the drive back home. I snapped this picture with my phone while we were at a stop light.  Cayenne was cracking me up.  For the entire ride, she was trying to wedge out Nina to try to sit directly in front of the air conditioning vents. She actually had more room than anyone else in the car because I folded down the 3rd row seat in addition to the single seat in the middle row, but clearly that wasn’t what she was going for.  No matter how hard Nina tried to push her, she refused to move. :) She came home and slept the rest of the day!

Scott's Run Hike

Today we went with some friends to Scott’s Run for a hike.  It was hot and sunny, and even though we didn’t bring bathing suits or towels to dry off with, it was all about the water today.  The kids and the dogs had so much fun!! Things got off to an exciting start when the kids climbed a small waterfall and saw a snake on the rocks.  It slithered to the base of the tree where the kids wanted to watch it.  

 

After the snake excitement was over, we hiked on down to the river where there is a larger waterfall and a swimming area.  We didn’t bring suits, but the kids wanted to get in anyway and cool off, so they just swam and played in the waterfall in their clothes.

 

 

Cayenne and our friends dog, Rebel, also had a great time in the water.  Rebel is only 9 months old, so this was his first time ever swimming.  He was a little cautious at first and tried to hang onto a rock for dear life, but then he got the hang of it and had a blast!

 

It was a popular day to be at Scott’s Run, and the waterfall area was pretty crowded, but the girls still wanted to get in there and have some fun.

 

After getting our fill of the waterfall, we walked around the point to a quieter area where the dogs could run free and the kids could still play.  What a gorgeous day to be out in nature and enjoying the water.

 

By the time we left, everyone was completely filthy (humans and dogs), hot and tired, but we had such a fun afternoon!  I am thankful for these days to enjoy friends, the beauty of nature, and the relaxed schedule of summer!

 

 

Hartfield and Happy Birthday, Cayenne

Last week we left late on a Wednesday to head down to Hartfield for a few days.  We started things off with spending the day at Water Country.  The girls really seemed to enjoy their time going on the rides and cruising the lazy river.  We had great weather for the day, so we stayed until we had our fill (the adults at least), and by the time the day was over, we were all toast!  

  

The next day was pretty cloudy and a bit rainy, so we did some things indoors and played the game, BeanBoozled - a game we will definitely not forget!  Thankfully, the weather was sunny and gorgeous on Saturday, so we got out on the boat, floated in the tubes, the dogs swam and played, the girls paddleboarded, and we finished it all off with an awesome crab feast.

Unfortuately, there were quite a few jellyfish out in the river, and since the girls were worried about getting stung, they stayed in the tubes most of the time.  Ryleigh and Nina ended up getting stung anyway, but contrary to what the cries of pain might have led passersby to believe, they did survive!  

 

 

We spent a long time just hanging in the tubes, floating, enjoying the beautiful day on the river.

 

After awhile of floating, we got to what the girls were really waiting for - getting pulled behind the boat in the tube.

 

 

 

The dogs also really enjoyed the river on Saturday.  They swam, chased sticks, pulled reeds from the water, and got plenty dirty.  

 

 

 

 

This was Cayenne’s first big swim of the summer, and she was completely exhausted afterwards.  She loves to swim, but she swims like she plays - she goes all out for as long as she can then she’s wiped!

After coming in from the boat the girls caught minnows, tried to catch baby crabs, they paddle boarded, and the helped Garland clean a bushel of crabs that he picked up.

The girls were surprisingly good on the paddle boards with two people.  I would have thought it would have been harder for them to balance, but they did a great job with one kneeling and one standing.

 

We finished the evening off with a delicious crab feast!  It was an awesome day on the river, and thankfully the weather was perfect because the next day was cloudy and rainy, so we’re glad we got in a full day before heading back home on Sunday.

We were at home on Monday, the 4th, but instead of doing the parade and neighborhood cookout like we normally do, it was rainy and cold unfortunately.  However, July 4th is Cayenne’s birthday, and she was turning 3, so we started off her day with some chicken jerky pancakes which have become a birthday tradition for her.

 This year she got a new bone for her birthday.  This is stictly what we call a “show off bone.” She doesn’t chew rawhide bones, but they’re her bone of choice when she wants to show off to everyone.  She loves it and loves showing itoff so she gets plenty of compliments on it!  She’s a good girl, a definite baby dog, and definitely adds so much personality to the family.