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Posted on May 7, 2015

Houndin’ Around

We’ve been treated to some gorgeous spring weather lately here in Corvallis and last Saturday was no exception. We decided to make the day all about the dogs and first on the agenda was Pet Day, put on by the OSU Vet School. We took Sasha and Annie over to check out the event and let them meet other doggies and then watch various dog obedience demonstrations. One of the demonstrations was a scent test, searching out the correct box that a scent had been placed in – I’m pretty sure the girls were thinking ‘this is child’s play – let us show them how it’s really done!’

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Seeing Annie out at public events like this always makes me stop and consider how remarkable her progress is. When we first brought her into our house, she was scared of ceiling fans, vacuums, strangers and blankets – yes, blankets. She was the definition of skittish. And now she literally preens when she meets people – she loves the attention and you can just see her attitude has completely shifted from fear to ‘Yes, of course you will fawn all over me – I’m truly magnificent, don’t you agree?’ She still doesn’t care very much about other dogs but I guess with four playmates at home, she doesn’t feel the need to find any new ones.

Afterwards, we headed home for lunch and then ventured out again, this time with the beagles, Wally & Ella. We checked out a new-to-us park, Mary’s River Park, just down the road in Philomath. It turned out to be a very pleasant, peaceful place to walk and let the dogs check out Mary’s River.

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After our walk, we felt like exploring a bit more so we headed over to McDonald Forest and hiked a short trail that we ended up having practically all to ourselves – always nice when you have very vocal beagles for sidekicks.

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Along the way, we spotted wildflowers starting to peek out – the wild iris was especially lovely to see.

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After our hike, it was early evening so we headed home and debated calling it a day. But with the sun still in full force, we decided what the heck, let’s drive to the coast to watch the sunset and let Sawyer run around. So, we hopped in the car with Sawyer and made our way over the Coastal Range to Agate Beach.

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Apparently, someone had a lot of time on their hands and built this amazing fort (see above). It made me think of reading Island of the Blue Dolphins long, long ago when I was a kid – anyone else remember that book?

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The thing about being spontaneous and just hopping in the car is that you’re not always prepared for what comes next. Here I am in my might-as-well-be barefoot Tom’s and lo and behold, we have to cross over a lot of water to actually get to the beach. Luckily, we found a little plank that took us far enough that we could jump the rest of the way over the water.  This was fine going over but when we were coming back, I wan’t sure how I could possibly jump back onto it. Luckily, my husband had the foresight to wear actual hiking boots (at least one of us is level-headed and prepared) and he gallantly carried me across – such a gentleman 🙂

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There is something magical about watching the sunset by water- it feels like you’re on the edge of the world, watching this fiery globe slip into another land – the one where all the subject matter of fairy tales and bedtime stories actually happens. Where great adventures beckon and all you have to do is find the proper boat to carry you there.

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As we walked along the beach, the colors playing out over the water kept changing as the sun came more and more into view. There was quite a golden glow just at the horizon – so pretty to witness and my photos hardly do it justice.

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Sawyer enjoyed himself to the fullest extent, running his heart out up and down the beach but always returning to our side, as if to say “I’m so happy I get to be here with you.’ You can’t help but grin as you watch him transform into a puppy, romping around and rolling in the sand.

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When the sun made its last blaze of glory before slipping below the horizon, we got quite a show of pink and gold dancing over the waves as they rolled in.

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After the sunset, we made our way back up the beach and boy, was the wind blowing! The sand was moving swiftly and it made for kind of an eerie effect!

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In fact, it totally confused Sawyer into thinking that he was actually supposed to go home with a group of girls walking by. Such a ladies man dog.

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