Sunday Dog Days - Gull Lake Weekend Retreat
The video of Caden's track last Sunday IS coming, but I have been too busy this weekend to post it!
Going to the lake will be a pleasant surprise to Caden and River, who started Sunday like usual, watching Dog Whisperer and Dogtown. As you can see, Caden has his favourite slipper and is watching intently to see if the blind puppy will find a home (it does!)
This weekend a bunch of us are visiting a friend from Calgary who has a beautiful cottage on Gull Lake. I met Annette when I first moved here. She was renting her little cabin next door and even though I didn't rent it, we simply hit it off. Gull Lake is 45 minutes north of Red Deer, so I am coming home for the evening, but others are sleeping there overnight.
Annette attended the Hayhouse weekend with me last spring. She is such a go-getter and is used to advising people as she is a financial advisor. She wanted to have a small women's weekend following the Hayhouse ideas, and lined up a weekend of seminars on Yoga, Meditation, Energy, Astrology and so on. It has been so fun, and very positive - AND - I got some great ideas of course, to carry into dog training.
Annette has friends everywhere it seems, so some are from Red Deer, some from Edmonton and some from Calgary! It is so fun, there are about twelve of us. And she has a big, beautiful cottage on the lake, perfect for sharing with friends. I brought Jet and Ted yesterday and they enjoyed a great walk around the lake.
They are the little dots running for water. Here is a funny story, one of the women is originally from Cork, Ireland. I told her that my mother's family and around 20 other Estonians spent nearly a year there at a Red Cross Camp, after escaping from Estonia during WWII. They thought they were learning English, which would prepare them for Canada, which was their destination. However, they learned Gaelic instead! They didn't realize it until arriving in Canada. When I told her this story, her jaw dropped. Her mother-in-law's sister married an Estonian who was a refuge in Cork during the war, and we figure it had to be one from the group traveling with my mom's family (the Kaharas). What a small world we live in.
Jet bemoans that swimming season is over. For me, it just feels good to see big water!
Ted schmoozes with everyone. The lady from Ireland told me a story of her family's Border Collie Shep. Her mother put a bantam chicken "chick" in a warm woodstove to revive it when it was found nearly dead from cold. When they opened the stove, the chick hopped out onto Shep and bonded with him. The chick would not even look at chickens, and followed Shep everywhere, even herding the cows. Can't you just picture a chicken running around cows with the dog? It would sit on Shep's back if it was tired. What a wonderful story. The chicken's name was Charlie. He met a sad end when the neighbour's dog killed him. But lived a glorious life for a farm chicken!
Annette attended the Hayhouse weekend with me last spring. She is such a go-getter and is used to advising people as she is a financial advisor. She wanted to have a small women's weekend following the Hayhouse ideas, and lined up a weekend of seminars on Yoga, Meditation, Energy, Astrology and so on. It has been so fun, and very positive - AND - I got some great ideas of course, to carry into dog training.
Annette has friends everywhere it seems, so some are from Red Deer, some from Edmonton and some from Calgary! It is so fun, there are about twelve of us. And she has a big, beautiful cottage on the lake, perfect for sharing with friends. I brought Jet and Ted yesterday and they enjoyed a great walk around the lake.They are the little dots running for water. Here is a funny story, one of the women is originally from Cork, Ireland. I told her that my mother's family and around 20 other Estonians spent nearly a year there at a Red Cross Camp, after escaping from Estonia during WWII. They thought they were learning English, which would prepare them for Canada, which was their destination. However, they learned Gaelic instead! They didn't realize it until arriving in Canada. When I told her this story, her jaw dropped. Her mother-in-law's sister married an Estonian who was a refuge in Cork during the war, and we figure it had to be one from the group traveling with my mom's family (the Kaharas). What a small world we live in. Jet bemoans that swimming season is over. For me, it just feels good to see big water! Ted schmoozes with everyone. The lady from Ireland told me a story of her family's Border Collie Shep. Her mother put a bantam chicken "chick" in a warm woodstove to revive it when it was found nearly dead from cold. When they opened the stove, the chick hopped out onto Shep and bonded with him. The chick would not even look at chickens, and followed Shep everywhere, even herding the cows. Can't you just picture a chicken running around cows with the dog? It would sit on Shep's back if it was tired. What a wonderful story. The chicken's name was Charlie. He met a sad end when the neighbour's dog killed him. But lived a glorious life for a farm chicken!I invited Barbara my realtor who has become a good friend - as it is a 'non-doggy' weekend. She is in the brown jacket. She is a runner, and is so tall and elegant. What an inspiring lady (hence, my treadmill, LOL). It is so amazing to me how these wonderful people have come into my life since I moved here. I knew there would be great dog people here, but to find these other positive, happy women to guide and help me, and be my friends, has been a blessing.
I am heading back today with River and Caden! I can turn any NON-dog weekend into a DOG weekend! In fact, I found out what kind of dogs everyone has - two mini-Dachsies, a Golden-Doodle, a rescue Rottie and one old mixed breed - and a there is Maine Coon cat at the cottage named Guido, who is huge - practically Jet-sized!
Going to the lake will be a pleasant surprise to Caden and River, who started Sunday like usual, watching Dog Whisperer and Dogtown. As you can see, Caden has his favourite slipper and is watching intently to see if the blind puppy will find a home (it does!)
Category Article Border collie, Commentary, Sunday Dog Days
