Training Log Archive: Yukon King

did two leisurely km w/ Ling & Keith up Lynn Creek in North Van - Dennis flew Gypsy around after their dog Oscar, who ran up & down doing about 15km... good time. G may be even more alluring than we thought, a bit early at 5.5 months, but the jury is still out - one expert witness says enthusiatically "Yeah! She's in heat! Here! I'll show ya what to do about that!" "Eyiieee! Whoo-ooey!" says Gypsy. However, he may do that to everyone. Luckily he is an ex-boy, & we were pretty frisky & coy...another month of that, though? urk... 85 minutes outside, plus morning boy-minutes.

went for Persian food in North Van afterwards, & then D bought some Montrails, & I bought some Brooks Gypsy-Walking Shoes - amazing store to have those exact shoes in stock like that. But the guy totally knew what I was describing... Then Greek lamb & baklava w/ Alf back in Burnaby, yum.

quiet day today - more tofu (Thai, I think, w/ chili jam & cashews) & brazilian black bean soup for the weekend. Gardening as well since plants need to move back into the jungleroom for the summer.

1.6km/0.6km - first girl loop today unusual up past Hydro building & then thru train stn to mail our parking ticket, lotsa bug harassment (& some mayhem too I think) by the Teensy Predator. Met two boxers & three pitbulls, it was a Tough-Dog outing. 55 minutes. Then out to corner grocery for an onion for the soup. Sunny, misty green in the forest. Gotta make some reservations, esp. for the Canmore thing in Sept. since their Highland games always collide with that long weekend.

Hot Dog walks around the block...after huge gardening explosion rocks apartment. Plumeria baths, transplants galore, dividing, cuttings, watering, fertilizing, dirt everywhere. Yahooo! 40 minutes outside, so total girl minutes 95....

gonna boogie the oregano, the bay tree, & that brave lil gesneriad in the bedroom into new pots today (or tomorrow). Late lunch w/ dad-in-law scheduled. Puppy asleep on loveseat. When did she become a furniture dog ? Dinner? Dunno.

0.2km/0.4km/0.4km/0.4km...total 1.4 km for first walk & assorted movements around neighborhood - just up & down block while waiting for grocery guy, mostly playing w/ Eightball, a pug with a Round Black Head (hence name I am betting) which wiped G-dog out cuz it is warm today - came in & plastered herself on the kitchen tiles to cool down. Off for lunch & bus-tickets up at Highgate, fun! I think some sort of mushroom beef stroganoff (how do I make that, hmmmm) for dinner, apple crumble, broccoli, tabouli? Think on recipe during tea.

two more walks, down to parkway (did some sitting & gazing, good practice for O-meets) & back up; & out at dusk to play w/ a Pack of Attack Schnauzers (one of whom is doing well in his obedience class) on the street to the corner grocery. She dealt with this by rolling seductively around on her back in the middle of the pack like the tiny blonde bombshell she is. It worked good. 110 girl-minutes outside for puppy. (Boy-minutes about 50-70 per day)

first girl-N-dog walk was urban loop around the block with added out-pouching to include a bit of Cortina townhouses; misty rain, dog generally low-energy today after her big adventures. I feel pretty great, back is OK, R hip is OK, energy seems to be back...indonesian vegan curry with tofu & remnant of vegetables, plus a miso-based soup. Gonna work on apple crumble tomorrow.

second walk 5:10pm, down the street to the parkway and then over to stairmaster & thru woods to return up the hill along the Byrne Creek bikepath. Total 85 minutes outside time. Some major discussion about "down". hmmmm... the bacon-flavored snax wil come out and then we shall see who has the strongest will (or best equipment.)
Note: bacony equipment wins over small-dog-head. "Down" accomplished multiple times.
Add on last pee-walk plus trip to corner grocery for 0.2km/0.6km...

walked along this little country road with daffodils & plum trees & pink salmonberries in blossom, & llamas, sheep & alpacas grazing in the fields. G encountered her first sunning garter snake earlier in Bellhouse Park, and was pretty flipped out about anything touching her hind feet, like a little tickly piece of grass or sumthin. "...ahh-YYAAaa-aahh! AH! Aaaahh!" and that's a quote. There were alotta lil snakes I got to admit.
Then we went to the ferry terminal and walked on the docks & had nasi goreng from the truck there before the ferry ride back (to puppy class!)

on Monday (I think, either that or on Sunday) we took it kinda easy & just spent time meandering aorund the village, eating a cafe lunch, & driving up the Island a bit to see what was there. Went to the beach by the ferry terminal...when it comes to rocks, logs, weird docks, etc, we have pretty much wiped out Gypsy's instinct of self-preservation - we say "you can do it!" and she goes for it. Brave little dog, & I have the photos of her & Dennis crossing crevices (OK, little crevices) on fallen logs to prove it.

upon thinking about it, there was some distance covered in the meandering day, so I add it thusly. Plus should mention back got VERY cranky Saturday am as we got outa Dodge, but recovered completely over the vacation. Now at home it is cranky again. I believe application of scientific method would indicate excellent preliminary perhaps causative association of phenomena which must be tested by further repetitions & variation of factors to determine if we need to be on permanent vacation to keep my back happy...

we went to Montague Harbor where there is a shell midden from aboriginal times that has become a white beach - the water shows turquoise, & it SEEMS tropical. Neat sandstone and shaley erosions all around the peninsula. Sunny but cold, so much fun ! Apparently parts of the Mainland got snow...but we were in the sun, and actually came home with slight sunburns!