Surviving Canadian Winter

With A Little Help From Our Friends!

Gabby - showing the youngsters how it's done!

I don't know why this picture looks so over-exposed. Straight from iPhoto it looks perfect, uploaded to the blog it's completely changed - weird.

We got these pictures 3 weeks ago when Sarah & I took the dogs for a walk behind Tamsu one day and the DH (dear husband) could come along with his camera. Sarah's dad was already out back with his training buddies doing some field training with their dogs, with the usual stack of dead birds at the line and other birds laying out in the field for the dogs to find & retrieve. We were heading east, where we'd let the dogs have a good run in the open fields as we make our way across into the bush (Canadian woods) for trails not nearly as nice as Finland!

Gabby, unable to resist the bird-doggin' fun off to the north of us, veered off on a fast line disappearing out into the field, only to come running back, clearly happy as a dog can be, holding this big duck, and looking stunning in her purple coat too (!! :-) ...much to the chagrin of the "field people" I'm sure - who had been muttering just loud enough so we could hear them about ALL our dogs in coats, Hah! Clearly this grand Golden lady was showing their youngsters how it's done right!

Vince had come along to take pictures for us, but did so only as far as his long lens would allow him to follow us... :-)) But he managed to get this one of Gabby - what a perfect shot! You can double click on it to enlarge.

Below, Bungee, Guinness & I heading for the trails, with Bungee pretty interested in the "bird work" (field training) going on off to the side. I can guarantee her she doesn't want any part of what they're doing over there.



Below: Sarah, Gabby (purple coat) and her gang


Off in the distance, Gabby's gorgeous son, Cutter, doing what all good bird dogs will do, finds a spot a bird was laying (during earlier training that day) and rolls in it with exuberance!


Here's the whole gang, heading for the trails. See ya' in a few hours.



Surviving Winter - A Mental Reflection
Thank goodness for good friends, warm fires & home theatre! It's turning out to feel like a long season already. It's been 3 years since we have stayed home with no solid plans to get away and enjoy southern latitudes. We both want to but so far things just haven't been right. Clearly, I'm out of practice at this winter bit. Lately I've had a small case of the "winter doldrums", just a combination of things I suppose not the least of which was the news about Gabby, (diagnosed with lymphoma 2 weeks ago), the lack of outdoor warmth, sunshine, or the fact that some of my most favorite training camps & fun trials were going on down in the Florida sunshine without us. Though in my heart I really shouldn't feel that way as I know there are bigger and more important reasons we were meant to stay home. On that note we are both very happy that we are here for those reasons. Still, the last week especially, I've been pretty blue about this grey, blah, winter condition.

Then we had a near-blizzard and death-defying experience to drive 90 km. home in from our running clinic last night, complete with raging winds, walls of snow & white-outs. My goodness we were glad to see our house! Waking up (alive!) to this morning's peaceful landscape, even with a new layer of snow, suddenly seems pretty good!

Meanwhile, as we make our way through this winter, (at times one long day at a time) I'm LOVING the training we're doing, and Bungee's progress! Her contacts are coming along brilliantly and I'm just loving what we're producing now. Thank goodness for families, great coaches, great dogs & good friends!

Today we send out a very special prayer ~ God Bless Gabby!
We love her dearly and send her kisses & kisses & kisses & more meatballs!

Happy Training...It's About Love!