But before the Internet’s “favorite dogblogger” tells y’all about How I Spent My Summer Vacation, I have some sad news to report. Those of us in the Canine-American Community mourn the loss of three of our finest. Let’s raise a toast to Bailey in McLean VA, Madison in Deer Canyon Preserve NM, and Indy in Colonial Beach VA. Three of our finest critters, devoted to bringing joy to their families. They shared their insights on living fully in the present, loyalty to their pack, and non-judgment, and in doing so they brought a bit more humanity to their Peeps. They will be missed; may their memory be a blessing.
But now back to Me! You might think I have a pretty full life here, what with all the walks, bunny chasing, napping, snacking, barking, and snuggling. I know I sure thought so. But my Peeps thought I deserved even more, so they sent me to Doggie Camp. Twice! They told me all about Camp Barkaway, and how it’s a place where me and the other dogs could spend all day barking our brains out, and never get shushed even once! How cool is that? Here’s a picture of Mom at the entrance to Camp Barkaway:
“But Daisy,” you might ask. “Don’t you feel just a little guilty having so much fun at Camp Barkaway while your Peeps sit around moping at home?” Good question! I didn’t want my Peeps to feel cooped up and resentful while I had all the fun, so I encouraged them to get out and about, and do something a little different. So they did! And they sent me postcards and pictures, and told me about their adventures traveling around the West.
During my first session at Camp Barkaway, they spent the weekend with friends in a place south of Mountainair, NM, nearly smack in the middle of this beautiful state that's now home. The area is called Deer Canyon Preserve, over 12,000 acres of high desert hills and mesas, and views of mountain ranges in every direction. It's mostly shared by a couple of hundred owners, and it’s got deer and coyotes and longhorn cattle and horses, and zillions of hummingbirds. With only 40-50 homes there so far, there’s lots of space for hiking, riding, and just hanging out. Or, people can borrow from an old Spanish proverb “How sweet it is to do nothing all day long. And after having done so, to rest.” True dat! And they sent back these pictures:
My second session at Camp Barkaway was even longer, a whole week! My Peeps must really like me a lot to let me go again. And this time while I was at camp, they went on a jaunt with their friends Capt. Jack and Karen C., first to the Grand Tetons and then to Glacier National Park. Here's what they told me. First they flew up to Jackson Hole ...
Where they stayed with friends in Jackson Hole until the next day ...
Glacier is a huge park with lakes and mountains and glaciers and animals and forests and horses and hiking trails and more, way more than folks and their dogs can do in a few days. But they did go to Lake McDonald ...
And hiked in some old-growth forests ...
And rode some horses ...
And drove the incredible Going-to-the-Sun Road, over the mountains and across the Continental Divide ...
And they spent a day at Flathead Lake, south of Glacier Park. Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. The lake is so big that there's a 2100 acre island in it called Wild Horse Island, a state park designated as a primitive park, with lots of wildlife like eagles and ospreys and wild horses and mule deer and even bighorn sheep ...
So anyway, my Summer Camp adventures are over for a while, Camp Barkaway's just a pleasant memory, and we’re all getting back to our regular routines. Actually, though, as much fun as Camp Barkaway was, I kinda enjoy having us all back in our Forever Home, where it’s especially good to be Daisy. Hope it’s good to be you, too.
Daisy Jones-Klein
Santa Fe, NM
August 2013
