New Hood, New Parks, New...

It's been a whirlwind my friends. A literal whirlwind. I live in a new place with steps galore! It has nice wood floors and though I slip and slide on them, they feel good on your belly when you get hot. There are three floors here, and I can go anywhere I want! My favorite pastime is to sit at the top of the stairs with a ball in my mouth, and drop it. It bounces and bounces until I just can't take it anymore, and so I race down the steps after it! Rinse. Repeat. This is how fun should be described in the dictionary.

When you're a dog and you move, there is much to get used to and explore. Inside is just part of it, and really, I'm fine anywhere my dad is... I mean, I pretend like he's nothing special, but if he wasn't there, I'd probably freak out.

Outside is where I find myself most excited about the new place. I get new smells, new dogs to meet, new places to pee and poop, and new parks to explore. On my morning walk, there are three parks I go to sometimes:

1. Play structure park. It has a human name, but in dog words, it's play structure park. It has a play structure and when my dad walks me and no one is around, he lets me off-leash and if I climb the steps to the top of the play structure and look out, he hands me a treat from below. This never gets tiring. I'm always up for it when he says, "Go to the top!"  Sure thing, pops, just give me a treat! This is the park we go to most everyday.

2. When we first moved in to this place, we often went to "Muddy River" park down the hill in the low part of the valley.  There was a great place to run off-leash here as well, but I kept finding dirty Kleenex to eat and presto! – Dad stopped taking me there.

3. On special mornings, I get to go an extra hill up and take a lap through "Strange Statue" park. This place has a weird little vibe, and at first it sort of skeeved me out. Now, I am used to it. We have a routine when I come here. I sit right by one of the strange statues, and dad takes the leash off. I stay, under repeated stay commands (I really only need to hear it once). And he walks all the way around this curve in a strange wall and then holds up a treat! I tense, and wait...wait...wait for it... "Come!"  And I'm off to meet him and get my treat and then we run crazy circles and figure eights in the grass until he calls me back with another treat. This usually only lasts a few minutes, but it's fun. And I like walking up the extra block because on the way home, I trot along the busy street and people in cars stop and stare. I pretend not to notice, but it's kinda funny how people smile when they see me.

Here's a pic of me with one of those strange statues. See what I mean?

New smells, new morning parks, new great afternoon parks (another entry to come), new baristas at new coffee shops (another entry to come), and new places to play ball. Moving is a lot to figure out, but once you get it down, you feel pretty good. You feel like you accomplished something, and that right there, is a good reason to take a nap. So, my people, I nap! This is Trip and I'm out!

Holiday Lights

My first round of holidays were nice, but somewhat anti-climatic. I was moving and there was a bit too much to do to really get in the holiday spirit. Still, it was my first Christmas and dad said I needed to learn to love holiday lights.

So, I watched him put up holiday lights, and I watched while we drove through neighborhoods spotting other holiday lights. Blue ones are my favorite because I am a dog and dogs can see blue. I also like white ones because my dad says they're nice and they sparkle pretty. He uses more white ones than blue ones. He also has these things he calls "Fabulous Spheres of Light." I think it's a ball. It's round, looks yummy enough to eat, but instead he hangs out of reach and 'oohs' and 'ahhs' at it.

The real joy of holidays though is the smells. Food is around constantly. Good food in ridiculous quantities. No comments on the excesses of human nature from me, nope, not gonna complain. I mean, the smells are simply intoxicating. I don't beg, though, as it's just not cool. I do have a way of making my eyes look tired and sad, and I combine this expression with a sincere, if somewhat over-dramatic exhale – known as a sigh. This combination often works to get attention, but for the most part, doesn't yield results other than my normal treats.

The good shit came on XMAS. I didn't even know what XMAS was, but now I do and I'll save the comments about what a ridiculous notion Christmas is, and also I won't even comment about Christ's birthday being celebrated in December or any of that. The important thing is, I got hella treats and toys. They even wrapped some up in paper which I was able to destroy and they laughed! I mean, I'm a golden retriever – I love destroying paper! Honestly, it was as good as what was inside. If I had to pick the one thing I got that I loved the most, I'd have to say Christmas Dragon. It's a flying dragon toy with a Santa hat. How cool is that?

I decided, in the future, I will pay a lot more attention to the holidays. They seem like a good time, and I'm sure I'll get even more good shit next year. For now, this is Trip, and I'm out!

Fall & Football Season!

Fall is another season, and it brings yet another season hidden within it. I had no idea what was coming my way, but it's football season! And this means, I'm sleeping and suddenly everyone yells and scares the shit out of me! Hooting and hollering and I jump up in the middle of a dream thinking we are being attacked by a night monster and then everyone is jumping around me and I'm confused as all hell and people kiss my face and slap my butt as they slap each others hands and I have to wait until halftime or the game is over until I can pee and poop and play ball on my own. Football season is fun, but a bit disorienting if you fall asleep.

Go DAWGS! They yell this at me a lot. Go DAWGS! Ok, go Dawgs, I get it. I'm a dog and the team you like is called the Dawgs. Hilarious. Really.

Go HAWKS! They yell this, too, but not as much. And I'm not a hawk.

They also sometimes grab my stumpy and shake it at the TV and say, "Give 'em the stumpy magic!" I think it must be a good luck symbol for them, but I don't like people touching my stumpy. It's my stumpy. Back off. Football season or not. Back the f**k off my stumpy. Well, my dad can touch it, but he kisses it, too! And that's sort of gross. It feels funny, too.

Fall also means towels. I get wet, and so I have to get toweled off. It's a bit irritating.

Fall also means leaves, which are fun to chase all over. My dad says leave it. I say a leaf blowing in the wind is fair game. I just can't resist.

Below is a picture of me chasing leaves. But then the unexpected happened. I found something. It's a circle toy and it flies through the air really pretty. Too pretty not to chase. So I found it in the park, and then my dad took it and threw it. It was so amazing how it flew, I went and got it. The only problem, I just can't seem to pick it up without this happening!

I'm totally blind, but totally happy. Do you see the circle? That's my new toy. Do you see the leaves? That means it's Fall. Do you watch Football? I have to go take a nap now. A game is coming on, and I have to sleep until everyone yells at the TV and scares me wide awake! I think this is how the game is played. So, this is Trip and I'm out!

Summer

Summer is a whole 'nother ballgame, as they say. I don't know who says it, but I've heard it. It makes sense. Summer is lots of walks and beaches and coffee shops and parks and people, oh my!

But, it's really hard to find time to write in the summer when the weather is so nice! My dad is always taking me somewhere fun. Summer is also hot. I have discovered a few things about myself this summer, since it's my first summer. Here is a list of things I learned about summer:
1. I like shade. This is the most important lesson and informs everything else about summer. Since summer is hot, I have found shade to be a priceless commodity. And, I am good at finding shade. I will walk close to a building, or near a rail, just to get a little relief. If there is a large, blank sunny space in front of me, I will hurry as fast as I can to the next shade spot. My dad laughs and sometimes drops my leash. "He'll stop at the next shade spot."  And he's right. I will!
2. Since I have to hop on my one, big front leg, I work extra hard, which makes summer extra hot! Shade becomes even more necessary. I like it cool.
3. Since summer is hot, my dad gets iced lattes, and I get the ice! I love ice! Who knew? Ice from my dad's iced latte is so yummy. I once got a plain ice cube from someone, but it didn't have that soaked in milk and espresso yumminess I crave. I'll be out there wandering off, or deciding not to bring the ball back to my dad because it's fun to watch him get mad as I run circles around him (even with 3.5 legs I can run circles around my old man) – and then, he shakes his ice in the latte and it's like I've been hit by a tractor beam! I come running straight there. I'm addicted to iced latte ice.
4. It takes longer for it to cool down at night, and so I've been given a fan when it's oppressively hot. I think it's oppressively hot more often than those who give me the fan, though. I'd appreciate being able to decide when I need it. A fan is nice. It feels good. It is like my own private breeze, and I can roll over and expose my privates to it if I want. That also feels good.

So check out the pic of me here – I'm growing so fast! And, I'm stylish. My leash matches the car!

Anyhoo peeps! I've got places to go, and rest to get before I have to go entertain the masses in the hot August sun again. Sigh, it's hard work being me. This is Trip, and I'm out!

4th of July!

A parade! I went to a parade! You'd never believe it, but there I was, dressed in red, white and blue all ready for my first ever 4th of July Parade! There were firetrucks and kids on bikes and Uncle Sam on stilts and tractors, trailers and all sorts of weirdos dressed up! It was a real parade!

I should probably tell you, this is no ordinary parade. It's the Maxwelton 4th of July Parade, held on Whidbey Island (also known as Grandma's house because that's what they tell me when we get on the ferry boat - do you want to go to Grandma's house? So I sort of think of the whole damn island as belonging to my Grandma). Maxwelton is a small beach community where lots of farmers and summer island folks gather and families have generations of tradition marching in this parade. It's a really cute parade. Cute like me, cute.

Of course, with all the crazy attractions, I wondered if I'd be a star or be lost in the shuffle. It is decidedly so (just like the Magic 8-Ball says) – I am a bona fide star. I rocked that parade route like I was starting the parade. First, we drove almost all the way there. Then, we caught a shuttle bus and my dad carried me on and sat me in his lap. It was hot, but awesome. Then, the bus dropped us off at the start of the parade route and we saw the whole thing waiting to go. We got there just in time, so we headed down to meet some people, hell, I don't know who they were and I don't care, but... I basically led the parade. I hopped on my 3.5 down the middle of the road with people lining both sides of the street in lawn chairs all oohing and awwing at me. I looked side to side, but really, there were just so many I couldn't stop and say hi to them all.

Later, after the parade and after we took a walk on the beach and after another shuttle bus ride, we got back to Grandma's house. I was exhausted. In and out of sleep, I heard my dad worrying about me. Something about fireworks and would I freak out... I didn't really care, or have the energy to let him know not to worry. It was so damn hot and I was so damn tired, I just crashed. I crashed hard. The 4th of July at Maxwelton was pretty cool, but really tiring. I mean I was out like a log. Out hard. Like now – This is Trip and I'm out!

Art: I can dig it!

People are funny. They want to talk about art and all things artistic by dissecting it, pulling it apart, looking for hidden meaning, trying to understand the artist's "intent" and all sorts of nonsense. But for me – and yes, I realize I'm young and might not understand – I just dig it.

I dig it. Whatever it is, I'm going to dig it. I want to enjoy the experience, and just be with the art. I don't want to analyze it beyond enjoyment; I refuse to lose the pleasure of the moment of first experience.

And check it out, can you blame me? Here I am, just a few months old and my art cherry is getting popped on a sunny day at the SAM Sculpture Park. And like always, I rocked that park like an all-star. You see me? There I am, hanging in front of these giant metal curves and someone wants to attribute meaning to them? Go for it, but not me. I just sit, and dig it.

I sit. I stay. I dig it. Like my dad said. And so yeah, that's my experience with art!

This is Trip, and I'm out!

June

June. I'm not sure, but I think this is a good word. People around me are getting increasingly excited about this thing called Summer. It sounds nice, but I have no reference point so I'll just tell you about me and my fabulous little self.

I stayed in a bird house! Yep, no shit. I wouldn't lie to you. I stayed in a bird house. Well, they called it a bird house; it was right up the street from Grandma's house and it was swell. A nice private little space to go to bed in, and wake up in. One can sleep well in a bird house, no wonder birds wake up so early - they're well rested.

Things I've learned recently: Holiday weekend; Stay; Shake my stump; Second round of shots; Long walks, getting longer; Grandma.

Yep, I met Grandma...finally. She was resistant, and I'd heard rumors she was against my impending arrival, but she loves me! Oh how she loves me. And oh how she smells... just like a grandma should. Sigh.

That's me. This is Trip, and I'm out!