Puppy, Puppy....Puppy!

Flying Ears

Look who came flying into our life?  It's Sparky the Wonder Dog!  What a little guy, with a big personality.  Driving to Princton, B.C. in late August we are aware that bringing a puppy into our family would change things....but you know, you just really can never remember exactly how big a change that is!

Hello Skipper!  Sparky here!

Skipper, who has been an only dog since Bosun left us in June, is not exactly sure WHAT this new addition is.  It's now been five weeks, and he is usually up for puppy sitting...or running and tumbling.

Pick me, pick ME....ME, ME!

This is Willow, Sparky's mom.

Going home day!

A five hour car trip and ferry ride....and many stops.

Our job now is to expose Sparky to as many new situations as possible....especially those activities that are important to us and that we want him to be a part of...like traveling and boating.  First stop West Marine store for a lifejacket.

Not exactly love at first sight.

Then on with a boating trip to Jones Island for two nights.  One night on a bouy and we dinghy into the dock and the next tied to the dock meeting lots of new people.

Jones Island dock and headed ashore.

Beach Boy Sparky

Then the next weekend it is off to Lopez Island and our Fisher Group get together.  I gasp as Steve points out he is learning the "balance beam" of the boat rails!~  Yipes!

Hum...what's that moving down below?  Water?  What is water???

From Lopez it's off to Victoria for Steve's birthday celebration!  It's Skipper and Sparky at the helm.

Wonder what all these dials do?

A good traveler

But ready to roll whenever the engine stops!

Or nap when the engine cranks up.

Victoria is the big city experience and while strolling the Parliment grounds both dogs are invited by the security guard to chase the geese off the lawns!  Ohhhh, Skipper was ready...but we decline.

Oct. 3rd is birthday #67!  Totem Park by the Museum.

Ready for a walk: Victoria waterfront

 All good things come to an end...and it's almost the end of boating season for us in the Pacific Northwest.   Time to head back to Friday Harbor!

Arrival and packing it all home.

So much for just throwing a few things aboard and off we go or home we come.  Now it's the clothes, the food, the ukeleles, the music, the cameras, the dogs...oh, and the puppy kennel, puppy toys, puppy chews, puppy food,  puppy leash, ....and of course the puppy, puppy...PUPPY!