Ears back ...

As in, "May I have my ears back now?"

Carol always got a kick out of putting sweaters on Frito.

Frito may not have been amused, but he was a good trooper.

Big Smile

Look who's got the big smile today -- it's Alli!

And that's probably because she's just so darned happy to be taking me on a walk.

Way to go, Hawaii girl. I hope you don't freeze too much ;-)


Well, at least it's not really-really cold right now.

And as you can see -- not a white Christmas for us.

Hey, ya know what? I'm totally OK with that ;-)

Out for a great walk

We're walking around the fields near our home, and this section is way off the beaten path.

And what a beautiful path it is.

Oh, thank you Spring. ;-)

Gone shopping

This weekend, my parents took me shopping and lots of walking. This was a tour of vegetarian stores, and a vegetarian lunch in Vaihingen and Stuttgart. We were walking from about 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Wowsa.

But here's the really cool thing. I met Colleen. She's on extended TDY to EUCOM, and really missing her beagle. So I helped give her a doggy-fix. In fact, she wants to be my dog-sitter. How cool is that!

So my Mom and Colleen talked it over, and I'm going to stay with Colleen and her husband week after next. That will let Mom go with Alpha on a trip to Israel. Sounds like a win-win to me. You should see what a great doggie massage Colleen gives. Woo-hoo!

Here we are going home on the train. Can you tell I'm a tuckered out pooch! But it was a great day!

Early Winter Wonderland

Well, will you look at that! We certainly have our own wintery wonderland. But I'm thinking this is just a wee-bit early ;-) This snowfall actually occurred on the day after Thanksgiving.

There's quite a bit of snow here. But that's no problem for me. I just need to engage my 4-paw drive system, after leaving the trail for some primo sniffing opportunities.

Here's a short movie (I hope ;-) to show you how everything was covered in white. Stay warm!

p.s. If you can see this movie, then go back and check out the movies from November. Alpha musta figured out how to fix those too ;-)

A walk through the fields

So here I am hunting molies. You know, those vicious critters that tunnel through the earth and leave piles of dirt at their entry points. I can often smell them with my super-sensitive sniffer, and I wait, ready to pounce.

But, sad to say, I have yet to get one.

Anyways, you'll get a nice panorama of the fields near our house. It's really a great place to walk when the weather is warm and the sun is shining.

Which means that's a rare event ;-) Ha, ha, just kidding (well, maybe not with winter coming soon).

Charlie and the Rugrats

Hey, welcome back to 2010. That was a fun trip down memory lane. And to ease you back into it, I thought I'd mix up a recent movie with a little nostalgia.

You've heard of "Bennie and the Jets," right?

Well, this is completely different (LOL). This is "Charlie and the Rugrats."

Charlie is a neighbor of mine, and the father of quite a little progeny,and we have bumped into them a couple of times on our walks.

Man, talk about a bunch of yippers! I tell ya, they give us Yorkies a bad name.

And they bring out the yipper in me too. And that's hard to do because I'm, rather perfect, donchaknow!

Oh, and for those of you that are nostalgic, just thank Elton John and Bernie Taupin:

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound

[chorus]
Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Bennie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong
[repeat chorus x2]

Exploring Tucker Pond (2005)

This is the outlet at Tucker Pond. Where the spring-fed water leaves the pond over a small dam. We're doing some exploring by canoe, so we can get in pretty close to the end.


Oh yeah, and we're looking for frogs and turtles. And I'm hoping the girls let me jump in a chase them (but somehow I doubt it).


Hey, would ya lookee who is in the back of the canoe! Alpha, are you sure you have a license to steer this thing? What, none needed? There's a bureaucrat somewhere that needs to reconsider that decision (hee, hee)


OK, just try to tell me I'm not the cutest pup you ever did see!


Ahhh, soaking up the sun on Tucker Pond. Now that is the life. (Especially while I'm stuck indoors in the fast-approaching German winter ;-)

Coolin' off again

Whew, that's been a lot of walking in the sun so far.

I really needed a drink and a dip in the glacial stream.


And then, of course, some rollin' in the grass.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!

Where are we headed?

So this trail just keeps on going.


Sure is beautiful. Not a bad place to be a cow I'd say.

Happy cows make yummy alpine cheese I hear. Though my parents can't let me taste it -- cheese is verboten on my diet.


Man, look at that. This trail is just like the energizer bunny ... it keeps going and going .... cut right into the side of the mountain.

Goat party

So we are walking along the trail, and what do we come across, but a goat party. Mom picked me up to make sure I didn't get too aggressive with the critters.


Ah, Alpha, we could use your help. Maybe you should stop taking pictures now. I'm getting a little scared.


Oh yeah, and the goats are blocking the exit gate that will let us out of here. Help!

So yes, Alpha finally did stop taking pictures and help with the gate. Wowie, that was a little more close-up and personal than I had in mind.


Yeah, up close, like that. Bye-bye, Mr. Goat.

Trail Marker

We took a relatively unused path back down to our hotel. So we had to keep our eyes open for the trail markers.

Can you find the trail marker in this photo? Hint: it's not as cute as moi (hee, hee)


That there is Blatten, Switzerland, where Hotel Eldelweiss is located, and where we are staying.


It turned out to be a pretty steep decent off the Lötschental Höhenweg, with some switchbacks. But we made it ;-)

Happy Mother's Day!

Woah. Stop the presses.

Check it out. Mom is keeping me warm under her sweater. Now isn't that just like a special Mommie? I am one lucky doggie!

Thanks for everything Mom. I hope you have a Happy Mother's Day! Big slobbers for you!

I know you've been deprived ...

... So here are a bunch of photos to start to make up for it ;-) First, you get me looking adorable ;-)


But whatever you do, don't try to take away my frisbee. Because it's mine -- nah, nah, nah, nah, na, nah


However, I will let you pet me, but don't try to take that frisbee ...


... because if you do, a vicious game of tug-o-war will ensue. And you know ...


... who will be victorious, right? OK, now we can go for a walk. ;-)

Very attractive couple

Well, well. Look who's back! And more attractive than ever! Am I talking about moi or Mom? I'll say "yes" ;-)

And we have to encourage Alpha too. Go, Alpha, Go. Keep those posts coming!

Oregon coast is windy!

Wow. We must have hit it at an unusual time, but the coast was windy and cold! Can you tell that Mom is not amused?


Well, it's not bad in the RV. But here we are at a pretty rest area, and check out those ears. Hold on Alpha, or I may take off!

Stretch breaks

I've been an RV riding pooch lately. So I'm happy for a "stretch" break whenever I can get it. I'll take one with Alpha (in this case during a delay for road repair).


Or I'll take one with Mom (taking advantage of some local color).


Or I'll just take one all by myself.