Waving at Frito

Yesterday it was pretty stormy. But then in the afternoon, some strong winds blew out the clouds. And as the sun was going down, we took Frito out for a walk in the yard. We retreated to the last spot with sun (for warmth). And what a nice spot. Overlooking the conservation field. Frito sitting in the sun. Watching Alpha wave and take pictures at the same time. He's such a nut.

Down by the brook

We're down by the brook
On the path to the falls
Here I stand in the sunlight
And hear someone's calls

'Lookie here', he kept yipping
That's my Alpha I'm sure
He wants me to look up
For yet another picture

Surrounded by water
There's no place to run
And Alpha keeps snapping
Pray tell when he's done

Dan saved me the last time
Won't you do it again?
Can't you grab Alpha's camera
And just toss it in?

Laying in the grass

Ahhhh -- nothing better than a warm fall day in New England. Laying down on the cool grass under a clear blue sky and warm sun. And getting my belly rubbed by Alpha. Life is good!

Swamp Thing

This is Frito -- he's gone undercover. Under our pondweed cover, that is, in search of more frogs. And yes, he is unfortunately sometimes successful in his mission. (That's algae on his back -- yuck!)

Alas, it is a reflection of the fact that our pond -- that lovely, glistening, clear-running, overflowing pond has taken somewhat of a dive. In fact, that is why I'm late with this post -- worked on the pond all day yesterday. So much for vacation.

Oh well, Frito doesn't seem to mind. All the better to sneak up on the frogs, anyways.

New Toy

Frito and the family pulled a fast one on Alpha. When he was on one of his trips, out came a new toy -- Dino the Dinosaur. Frito was just carrying it around the other day. Of course trying to kill it. So Alpha thought -- what the heck -- picture time!

Lip smackers

First day back from our trip to London, and Dan and Steve took Frito for his morning walk. Frito was very happy, and decided to thank Alpha by giving him some "lip smackers". Gross, I know. But he's just so cute, who can deny Frito when he wants show his affection?

You're too cute

The parents have returned home. Frito was well cared for by Dan. But we did miss him, and his cuteness. Here's his mom telling him over and over again, "Frito, you are just too cute!" And he is really soaking it in.

Frito profile

Strong chin. Sturdy nose. Clear, brown eyes. Floppy ears. Bushy eyebrows. Straight back. Strong shoulders. I have a good looking profile, don't you think?

Another close-up

OK, I heard how much Alli liked my other close-up -- she commented how cute my nose was. So I thought -- why not give the people what they want, right? So here it is -- another Frito close-up. And yes, through it all, I remain truly adorable.

Frito on moss

Posed again. What is it with Alpha? He sees a picturesque spot, and then simply has to place me into it. Oh, I know why. It is so he can have another picture for the Frito-a-Day blog, which is for my girl. OK -- I forgive him.

Whachu lookin' at?

Hi there. Don't worry, I'm not hassling you. I just noticed that my picture is a little distorted, because Alpha got the camera too close to my perfect snout. My nose DOES NOT look this big in real life. But in any case, I am adorable, n'est pas?

Dan, wake up!

Here's Frito, trying to roust Dan out of his mid-day nap. At the cottage. On the dock. In the sun. In a zero-gravity lounger. With a beer, cheese, and crackers. Dan has a tough life.

Actually, we took a drive up north and hiked up Mt. Kearsarge after stopping at the cottage. We had a great day. Dan is in training to be a Frito-sitter. Frito thinks he's coming along nicely.

How cute is this?

So tell me, can you get any more cute? Yes, I know you already saw a photo in the long grass -- but not with my tongue hanging out just a little -- so cute. Don't worry -- I personally give my paw-print of approval for every photo Alpha shows. I'm not going to let down my fans with duplicate postings.

Coming out of the light

I look like some alien pooch -- check out my eyes -- the seem to glow. Well, you never know ... Just remember, I may be the superior race. So you have better be nice to me -- and keep feeding me that expensive dog food, got it?

Somewhere on a path, far, far away

Another day, another path. I just luv paths becuase I don't need my leash (no cars, you know; and no other people or dogs for that matter -- we live in the boonies, man). So you can see how happy (and cute) I am.

Walk softly, but chew on a big stick

This should scare away the big dogs. Look at me -- I'm one ferocious beast. They had better let me pass, or I might shake this stick at them. Growl.

Finger lickin' good

Yummy. Alpha's got something on his fingers, and I like it! It tastes a little like strawberry jam. My skills de palette are quite amazing.

Lovin' my Dad

Look, another shared photo. My generousity surprises even moi. And look at my Dad -- isn't he the cutie-pie here? Nope -- just kidding -- still me. But I do love him, even if he makes me pose for photos all the time! I know it is to make Alli happy. And maybe Greg if he ever visits -- do you Greg?

Me and my Mom

Hey look -- finally someone in the shot other than just me. See I'm not the camera hog -- it's all Alpha's fault. But Mom was giving me a hug, and Alpha had his camera at the ready (big surprise there). And look -- no blink! Yeah.

Some froggy leg action

Oh you know how it goes. After I get a bath, and get dried off, I still need to wring out the belly fur. So out come the froggy legs and some petting by Mom. And that makes me very happy. Not to mention cute and adorable.

Did I mention cute?

Sleeping with (on) my Mom

One of my favorite positions in the evening. I join my Mom on the sofa -- then on her footrest -- and then on her legs. This way she can't move at all. I've got her pinned. It means I'm superior (was their any doubt?). Not to mention cute.

Waiting till Alpha says 'break'

After being a good boy and walking on my training leash, Alpha stopped at the apple orchard. He tells me to 'sit' (and I do). Then he takes off my training collar and tells me to 'stay' (and I do). Then he takes his sweet time until he finally says 'break' which means I'm no longer under voice command, and now I can run around like a maniac (and I do).

Squinting at the camera

Yes, once again, Alpha has posed me like some vapid model. Hey, I've got my pride. So I squint when I see the flash go off. But it doesn't work -- I'm just so naturally cute, I can't even spoil the picture. Sigh. I guess I'll have to play along.

Field of dreams

Check out the field behind me. Blue sky atop rolling green grass, dappled with split rail fences (and real horses). This is very picturesque -- I call it my field of dreams. As you saw yesterday, it even has a pond in the lower forty. What more could you want? (Alpha says to own it ;-)

Another pond

Look what Alpha found on our walk -- another pond. (This is really good becuase mine looks really yucky these days.) And this one has a big granite island that Alpha and I jumped on to.

Long wet grass

Alpha took me through a bunch of fields near our house. This one had long grass that still had lots of morning dew. So I'm a little bit disheveled as a result. But I'm still cute -- I'm always cute!

The parents return, sans Alli

Well, the parents returned very late tonight (actually, the following morning). Frito was very excited to see them, but of course is still missing his girl. Alpha took Frito out for a long walk in the morning, through lots of fields, so he could run free. You can see that is always a high-point of his walk.

Snoozin' all the way home

All in all it was a great road trip. I got lots of walks and activity, so I'm pretty tuckered out. Which is good, given the long car ride still ahead of us. I think I'll just take another snooze in the car. Now I'm officially a road-trip pooch.

Post-trip update: Alli liked Dalhousie, and Dalhousie liked Alli -- so she is going to go to school there beginning this fall semester. So my parents and Alli get to make this drive all over again. But this time, I think I'll stay home. That's a lot of driving!

Guess where I am

Well, now were at the border with the good 'ole USA. One last picture to prove I was in Canada.

Tiptoe through the kelp

Alpha wanted to look around the bend; the girls thought he was nuts. I think they were right. Have you ever tried to walk over kelp? Very slippery. Alpha even took a dive (aka fall), but my four-paw drive proved quite stable.

Now that's a lot of rocks

On our final day, we left early in the morning to see some sea caves at low tide. That was a bust, but check out this beach -- now that's a lot of rocks. Imagine this as a jigsaw puzzle.