Shake it off

So after being ceremoniously (or was that ritually ;-) drenched with water, what's a doggie to do?

Well, of course, shake it all off!


There, now I look all better, don't I?

And cool now, too! I guess there is a method to Alpha's madness ;-)

Baptized?

Yo! - Alpha - what's with all the water on the head?

Are you trying to baptize me? I didn't think you were into rituals ;-)

And is it really necessary to get *all* of me wet?

Yes, on a hot day, I suppose it is. Thanks Alpha.

Posing with Alpha

We decided to take a different route for our walk yesterday.

This one took us by some wildflowers and sunflowers. While the flash of the camera washed out the color of the sunflower, you have to admit that I came out looking rather stunning.

And Alpha, well, at least I can say he is holding me up. ;-)

Frito and his chew-bone ... the movie ;-)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a movie is, well, something completely different ;-)

Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show (hee, hee)

Our town is a little weird

See those pots way up there?

Don't ask me what they are for -- I think it is just art.

Böblingen -- sometimes you are a little strange. Or at least quirky ;-)

And then there's moi

So now I guess it is my turn.

Isn't it always my turn? I do seem to adorn these photos, don't I?

Well, that would explain the name of the blog, I guess (hee, hee)

Alpha's turn

OK, to be fair, we need a shot with Alpha in it now.

Of course, I'm in it as well, to make sure it is a "good" shot (hee, hee).

And that shirt? Well, that's what Alpha got from his last marathon adventure.

Um, Alpha -- you might want to save that for running ;-)

We're glowing

Check this out. We were taking an evening stroll as the sun was setting.

Alpha saw the warm glow of the sun on us, and decided it would make a nice picture.


Oh yeah baby. We're on fire!

That's what I call some natural light.


You can see that the sky was pretty as well.

A little fill flash made it possible to catch this shot as well.

We have a nice place to take some evening jaunts, don't we?

Comfy cave

Alpha gets up early, ya see.

OK, well, maybe it is a tad more accurate to say that I wake Alpha up early, and then he stays awake.

But not me.


Nope. I go right back to bed and snooze with Mom.

This time, I managed to find a comfy cave under the decorative pillow.

Doesn't that just look scrumptiously comfy? I mean, come on!

Uh-Oh!

Uh-Oh! Guess what. Alpha's new portable camera has now arrived.

I am quite sure this will mean more close-ups, since he finally has a decent macro.

Uh-Oh! That means a camera in my face 24x7. Alli! Help!!!!

Ginormous!!

Will you take a look at my chew bone! It's simply Ginormous!

OK, so maybe that's not a real word, but it is absolutely appropriate for this beast (and that's the bone I'm talking about ;-)


And, like, I'm not even kidding. Can you believe the size of that thing?

Boy, my parents are taking really good care of me (woo-hoo).


And check this out -- when they dine outside on the patio, they even let me take my chew bone outside.

I'm a good boy, and bring it in when they're finished with dinner.

Heck, it's gonna take me a week (at least) to wolf down this baby.

Yep -- Very Refreshing!

Ahhh, I feel so much cooler now.

That quick dip in the kiddie pool was really quite refreshing!


Of course, first I had to do some rolling to get most of the water off me.

It's always a good show for the 'rents. They enjoy it (as do I).


See? I'm pretty much dry now.

And rather adorable, if I do say so myself.


Don't you agree?

Cool-down time

So after a run (or walk in hot/humid weather), I'm lucky to have access to my very own swimming pool.

OK, well maybe I can't really swim in this, but I can get cooled down.

But even though it is really refreshing, I usually need some "encouragement" to get wet. And that usually means some help from either Mom or Alpha.


After getting the rest of my body wet, Alpha goes for the head.

Gotta get the head wet too, or I'll still feel hot.


And while he's getting me all wet, Alpha decides to try to clean up my chops a bit.

You see, they can get very "crunchy" after eating those big rawhide bones.

But even though I squirm a bit, I really do appreciate being made beautiful (and cool) again.

Running Buddies

In case you couldn't tell, my Alpha loves me ;-)

We're running buddies, and just got done taking a nice run!

That means I was a little hot (though I did a really great job -- I'm such an athlete), so Alpha cooled me down. That why I'm looking a little disheveled. I'll show you more on that tomorrow.

Backlit

And after the bath, and rollin', and some kibblin' ...

It's time to finish drying off in the sun, and rest my chin on my boney.

And of course, for Alpha to take yet another photo (hee, hee).

Didn't I call it? It's bath time!

Well, at least it's warm water and nice shampoo (and not one of those hollowed out logs with freezing water ;-)


And this shows you that I am at least suitably pampered. Just like I deserve!


Awwww, and now they're holding me just like a baby. I really like this after a warm bath.



Woo hoo!
And now, of course, does every know what time it is? It's time for some rollin', rollin', rollin'

Welcome home everybody!

Hi there. How ya doing?

Me? I'm glad to be home. I loved my long walks with Mom and Alpha, but ya know, it's always great to get back to your own yard (and bed ;-)


But Mommy thinks I'm dirty. Looks like I'll be needing a bath. Oh, that's OK.

Lookee -- what's way down there?

Hey wow. That's something you don't see every day.


It's a dam and a glacial reservoir. Wow. That's some green water!


And that folks, is the end. We made it down and caught the bus before the deluge! Woo-hoo!

We had a great time, and you are all to be commended for your patience in following along with the entire trip.

Are we gonna beat the rain?

Hey guys ... It's not looking too good. We still have quite a long way to get home.


But at least we are finally headed downhill, so that might speed things up.

Hurry up Mom, let's boogie!

Lookin' up the valley

Wow -- that's quite a view. We're looking back up the valley, toward both our hotel and the glacier.


Hey, try not to fall off the edge of the trail, OK Alpha?

Woowie, that's steep.

Happy Anniversary guys!

We found this little garden tucked away on the shady side of this rock face.

Well, it's not a rose garden, but hey ... I never promised you that ;-)


But it sure is beautiful ... Just like you guys.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Alpha.

That would be numero 31, I do believe.

They must have been just babies when they got married ;-)

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!

Getting a little rocky

So as we continue to walk along the trail, it starts to become a little bit rocky.

Now mind you, we've only seen a few people in a couple of hours of walking. Then all of a sudden, look who shows up?


You go girl! That is maybe a 14-year old girl, out mountain biking over this remote, and need we say, quite steep and rocky trail. OMG!

I suspect she is practicing, because if you can believe it, we saw signs for a mountain bike race that will be held just after we finish our vacation.

Right here, on these trails. These people are crazy ;-)

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.