Monday, August 31, 2009


View looking northwest to the Litchfield Hills from inside Heublein Tower

At the top of Talcott Mountain
Will takes a break before heading down
Will

Almost a whole month has passed and I have missed writing about Will and Emma! It’s been a pretty busy month, with us back in Canada for a week, then a couple of family visits at our place in Connecticut, and just generally being busy with summer once it actually got here. Summer weather didn’t really arrive until August, when we had several days of heat and humidity. It didn’t reach 90 degrees until August, and truthfully, it has been a pretty nice summer for those of us who don’t really enjoy the heat. You were actually able to spend time outside without withering away in the humidity. Not that I complain, since I really do enjoy the heat, but it’s been nice without it too.
Will and Emma have been enjoying the days outside too, and they are building up their stamina by doing longer walks and active swimming sessions. This past weekend we did the hike up to the top of Talcott Mountain (aka Avon Mountain) to see the Heublein Tower that sits overlooking our town of Simsbury. It is a great landmark, and can be seen from certain spots of many of the towns around us. The pups enjoyed the hike up the hill, which is a good 30 minutes up a rocky path. On the way up we let them off leash since it was early enough to be quiet. We didn’t pass a single person. On the way down, however, there were a number of people hiking up, so the puppies stayed on leash rather than take a chance on mishaps and over excited jumping up on the passers by. Emma still has a habit of jumping up to stay hello. We are still working on this with her.
On the way down the hill, it’s a pretty slick slope, and Emma stayed pretty close to me for a change. She walked slowly alongside, taking as much care with each step as I was. Once she got to the bottom, though, she was raring to go again. They both enjoyed the walk, as did we. It was a really nice day, not too hot and not rainy for a change.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Will and Emma check the water at Stratton Brook

Pond at Town Forest Park

Fun in the water
Emma has finally conquered her fear of the water! She is now as much of a water-loving dog as Will is, chasing sticks and swimming as far out as she must to get the stick and bring it back. It all changed one day a couple of weeks ago when Jim took the two pups for a walk along the trails of Town Forest Park and they came across a wide stream that wasn’t too deep, but had to be crossed either by walking across a wide board or by wading across. Jim made the 20 foot crossing along the board, Will waded across, and Emma stood stranded and yelping on the far side. After a few calls from Jim, Will waded back to try to coax Emma into the water. Well, I guess Will made it look easy enough to Emma. She finally took one step, then two, then came all the way across the water! Success! No longer afraid of the water, and she now keeps up with Will on every water escapade.
So, since it is summer, and we have two decent size ponds within a good walking distance from our house, we have exchanged the frisbee walks for water walks. It’s about 20 minutes walk to either pond, the one at Town Forest or the one at Stratton Brook Park, and they both have sandy beach areas where they romp to their hearts content. We gather several sticks for throwing, and they can hardly wait to get wet and chase the sticks. It’s pretty competitive. Will is usually the faster swimmer, with his long legs, but Emma isn’t far behind. Will gets the stick first, and Emma usually grabs on to help bring it back. If it’s in shallower water, she can get a good stance on the ground and yanks the stick away from Will to bring it on shore. Will, as usual, doesn’t put up much of a fight. He’s ready to go retrieve the next one.

Joined at the hip!

Emma asks "How's the water?"

Jim watches the puppies

Will beats Emma to the stick

Emma and Will bring the stick

Emma gets the stick from Will

We’ve started to throw out two sticks now, in different directions, so they can both go fetch their own stick. Will is such a good swimmer, he’ll go after his own stick, then make a quick turn to chase down Emma’s stick if he sees it go in. What a great way to burn off some of their energy!

Can't we stay?
 

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