Obstacle Course Addition… By Gimli

GrandPaw Robert made a new addition to our Obstacle Course. He added a 10 foot balance beam to one end of it.

Mama Dott and I really like it, and Pip uses it too!

Mercy isn’t quite so sure about it.

Her GrandPaw, Robert, is working with her, but it looks like it will take some time!

Maybe she did get a bit of a scare while she was away,

and lost some of her confidence.

She’s still a grumpy “teenager” around me and Pip, and it doesn’t help that I like to show off on the new beam,

and try to “help” her see that there is nothing to it!

Ladder Training Vids… By Mercy

In my last post, I told you that we would get the videos of GrandPaw Robert teaching us to climb the ladder posted as soon as we could get them uploaded, so here they are. GrandPaw was able to get that done while Grammy (GrandPaw’s Mom) was at the doctor. She is over her tummy sickness mostly, but her foot has been bothering her a lot and she was finally able to get in to see him. He is going to send her to a foot doctor.


This first one shows GrandPaw working just with me…



I started to get the hang of it and He thought that maybe it would help me to not be so nervous if I could see Uncle BG and Mama Dott doing it. I think that he has figured out that if THEY are getting jerky, then I will try harder so that I can get some, too!



The last video shows BG, Gimli, Pippin and Sadie going up and down the new obstacle on our course.

A New Trick… by Mercy

I guess that you all saw the new trick that Gimli and BG learned while they were on their Big Road Trip. It was pretty cool, and when they got home and GrandPaw Robert found out about it, he decided that would be a good thing to add to our Obstacle Course.



First, he used the ladder that they used on the trip because it had broader stair steps. Then he used our regular ladder at a slight slant against the table. He worked with Mama Dott mostly on that one, and just a little with us.



Finally, he decided to fixed up our regular ladder with carpet (to make it easier to grip and not so slippery.)




He attached it to the side of our Obstacle Course so that now we have THREE ways to get to the top: the ramps on each end and the ladder on the side.




Then he started trying to teach ME how to climb it. I was NOT to sure about that! (We will be posting our Ladder Training videos tomorrow after we have a chance to upload them on a faster computer in town while Grammy is at the doctor’s, but I begged Grammy to let me post MY story tonight!



I finally did it, but I wasn’t real thrilled about it! . Mama Dott & Unca BG had to show me that it really wasn’t that bad.

After that, Gimli came out and showed that he could do it, too, but that wasn’t really air because he’d had a lot of practice on their Road Trip. Even he wasn’t real sure about coming back down, though!









Pippin swear’s that he didn’t practice on their trip, but he sure does go up that ladder pretty fast. Looks like he’s flying! Grammy says it’s probably because he is smaller and so the steps are bigger for him in comparison to the rest of us. She says that’s also why Mama Dott makes it look so easy!












Sadie didn’t think it was very fair that we got to do tricks and get jerky and she didn’t, so she talked Grammy into putting OC into the house and letting her try the ladder too! It only took her 2 tries to get it down pat!












After that, we had a photo shoot on the ladder. What do you think? How do we look?

Oceano, Part 2

NOTE From OC’s Mom: Thank you, everyone, for your sweet comments. Yes, I AM a bit stiff across my shoulders and neck because I caught myself on my hands against the back of the couch so my face didn’t hit the wooden part of the back, but, Praise God, I didn’t jerk my lower back where the other problems are. Also, we went out this morning and the “mystery critter” had apparently tried to crawl in using an old wooden pallet that was leaning on the fence. We could see the claw marks and the skid marks it left on the ground when it took off!

Ok, Mom… It’s MY blog! Let’s see, where were we? Oh, Yeah… While we were sitting there relaxing, Dad started played with us, and giving us treats. Mom was watching us and the kites that were flying behind us. Here is BG giving Dad kisses…

Then, after a while, Dott said it was TOO COLD (and I think she was also missing Robert) and she begged to go and lay in the truck cab.

While the rest of us were sitting there relaxing, Dad started played with BG and me again, and had us do tricks for him. Here’s BG doing a “high 5,” only over Dad’s shoulder.

He had a lot of jerky, and we loved having him play with us, since he is often to tired to do very much of that with the hot weather sapping his strength at work every day.

We also did a lot of dog watching… We’re the “dog watchers”, we’re the “dog watchers”…. watching dog’s walk by… my, oh, my… Here comes one now… (Sung to Girl Watchers)

And another one…

And a crazy, nut job one that chased the waves, biting at them. I think he even planned to go out and catch some of those pellet cans!

The sand was really nice to roll around in, too.

The only bad thing was that the water kept chasing us! Dad said that it was the highest tide that he had ever seen when we first got there, (? Isn’t that some kind of soap I’ve seen on a TV commercial? Maybe that’s why there are so many suds in the water!) so he had only parked about 20 feet from the water. He ended up having to move the truck back 3 TIMES!!! LOOK… it almost got my Tailless Tushy wet!

We really hated to leave, but had to get back so that Robert could use the truck to haul more water for the cooler to go most of the night. We left the beach and Mom and Dad went to a place they like in Pismo and got fish and chips. We had to stay in the truck, but Dad brought us some of the fish after they ate… Yummy! Then we drove home in that nice air-conditioned truck. We had a really wonderful, COOL, road trip and day at the beach. Hope your day was as nice!

Little Bear Weekend

This weekend,

one of Mom’s grandsons...

we call him Little Bear...

came down for the weekend.

This is one of our favorite kids.

He doesn’t run or chase us, but plays quietly with Mom,

or listens to Dad read books.

He also sits with us and pets us nicely, and,

best of ALL, has us do tricks and gives us treats!

He loves to have us do our tricks for him,

and WE love to get all the extra treats.

Mom’s a pushover for him

and always gives him a handful of little bits of jerky that she has cut up.

We wish he could come over more often!

Maybe Tricks Will Work?

I'm trying really hard to get Mom to say that she will take me when they go camping. I tried really cute begging and the "Please, Please" trick my Master taught me.



I thought I had the deal cinched so I shook hands with her,



And then I gave her a "High Five..."



But THEN, she talked to my Master and he said he didn't think he could give me up for a whole weekend. OH, NO!!! I'm back to square one... Guess I'll have to start begging HIM "Please" again from a different angle... Wouldn't YOU let me go I've I asked cute enough?