More snow and more frisbee

We've donned our snowshoes once again for a walk at Simsbury Farms. Will and Emma get into their usual routine with the frisbee: Will runs away with it, Emma stalks him to get it, and then they both grab onto it to play tug of war or to run it back to us (after a bit of play) to throw it again. It's quite the dance!

Emma stalks Will who is guarding the frisbee

Sharing the frisbee

Cross Country Skiing at Simsbury Farms

With all this snow and ice that we've been having, we are all getting to feel a little housebound. I think you might call it a major case of cabin fever. The snow just keeps coming, and we are trying to figure out a way for all of us to get some fresh air and exercise. These two border collies are just not used to staying inside and being inactive like we've been doing. It's all we can do to get out for a daily walk, let alone a good romp twice a day, like our usual routine. So we thought we would get our skis out again and try the golf course on the bright and sunny afternoon we had a couple of days ago. Just to note, today we are not having such good weather, once again. It is freezing rain outside right now, as it has been all afternoon. What a mess that will make!

So the other day we strapped on our skis and took off over the hills at the golf course, our favorite winter place. It was the day after a two day stint of snow and sleet and freezing rain, so you can only imagine what we encountered. Yes, it was a nice six inch layer of fresh snow, covered by an inch of almost solid ice! Well, we forgot to put new wax on our skis, and as a result, we just skidded around the top of the icy snow. Of course, Jim led the way and broke through as well as he could, and I got to follow in his tracks. Will did his best to follow in the tracks too, but Emma, being the little explorer today, did her best to walk on top of the snow. it was hilarious watching her - she would step as gingerly as she could, but then her back legs would crash through, and she'd almost get stuck in the deep snow. She'd pull herself out, and keep going until she broke through again. It was tough, but she's a real trooper! She got herself trapped behind the safety net on the driving range and really had a tough time getting through the deep snow to get back around the net. It was all we could do to watch and wait for her - even Will just laid there spotting her wondering just what she was up to! She was getting a little worried that she would never make her way around the long netting, and tired of the struggle, too, but she finally made it.

It is somewhere around two and a half or three feet of snow built up on the ground now, so you can only imagine how difficult it would be to walk in. If the snow hadn't been so icy, it would have been quite a nice ski. We did a bit of a circuit around the course, but were all happy to get back to the car. Even Will and Emma were tired out.

This is our mailbox and newspaper box buried in snow

Will watches Emma struggle in the deep snow behind the netting barricade

She made it!

Cross country skiing at Simsbury Farms

My favorite birch tree at Simsbury Farms

A great place for a run

The meet and greet

Snow and sand and Frisbee, what could be better?

Emma poses on the boardwalk

Trip to the Beach

What better place to be in the middle of a snow-filled winter than at the beach. I guess it isn't quite the same in cold Connecticut as it would be at a warm weather beach in the Caribbean or other locale, but it is fun just the same. Last Sunday, we had reason to be down by the shore, so we made an afternoon of it and took a pleasant walk along the strip of sand at Hammonasset State Park, one of our favorite beaches to walk in the off-season. In summer, dogs are not allowed on the beach or the boardwalk, but after the park closes for the season it is fair game for people and their pets. The beach was quite populated with walkers out to enjoy a day with no snow in the air. It's been quite a winter here, as I've said, and how nice it was to be able to get out and enjoy some time by the sea. A little Frisbee in the sand, a chance to meet some new dogs, and a good long shore walk was what the doctor called for on one of the last days of a very frigid January.