Hi everybody! Daisy Jones-Klein here. Can you believe that the summer is practically over? Seems like the time just flew by.
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 ...
Then they flew on up to Glacier National Park, way up in Montana next to Canada. It's one of the crown jewels of the National Park System. But sadly the glaciers have been melting for a long while, and it may not be all that much longer until they have to rename it something like "The National Park Formerly Known as Glacier".
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 ...
But my week at Camp Barkaway was coming to an end! So with Capt. Jack and Karen C., they all flew back to Santa Fe. I was really glad to see my Peeps again!
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
Hi everybody! Daisy Jones-Klein isn’t available tonight for her update. You see, there’s thunder and lightning and rain outside, and Daisy knows that means it’s her duty to curl up around our feet and keep them from harm. She’s quite selfless that way, a real trooper. But since she’s otherwise occupied, she did ask that we tell y’all about summer here in the Southwest.
If you’re from back East, like we were, you probably think of summer as something that starts off nice and comfy in June, and gets progressively more uncomfortable as July and August ooze on in. “In the 90s” can refer to the temperature or the humidity, and all too often both.
But out here in New Mexico, it’s very different. June’s usually the hottest month, having the most daylight for warming up, and not much rain to offer cloud cover or cooling. But as they say, it’s a dry heat, and 90 degrees with low humidity isn’t so bad, especially if you’re in the shade and there’s even a little bit of breeze. And with less humidity to trap the heat, nights cool down quite a bit, offering homes a chance to open up the windows and fill up with fresh cool air to start the next day.
But as June gave way to July, the monsoons began. Yes, they really call them monsoons here, even though Santa Fe only gets maybe 10-14 inches of rain in a good year. (And most years lately have not been nearly that good.) Right on schedule, around the end of June, the weather changed. Clouds form in the afternoon over the mountain ranges, and more often than not it’ll rain, at least somewhere. Often it’s not much, less than a tenth of an inch maybe, but sometimes it’s over an inch, enough to trigger flash flood warnings. With the drought going on as long as it has, and with a fire season that is always a looming concern, we’re grateful for every bit.
We’ll watch the clouds gather during the day, often anchoring around the mountains.
Sometimes it’s broadly overcast, and sometimes it's just isolated clouds with rain showers that are much more scattered. We can see the storms 20-40 miles out.
Sometimes the rains barely tease us before moving on. Other times it's a long slow soaking rain. Sometimes it's a deluge, with an inch or more in short order.
After the rains, the air is cooler and sweeter smelling. Puddles hang around before the water soaks into the ground and the arroyos have done their job in slowing down the runoff.
The low afternoon sun seems ideal for making rainbows, and sometimes even double rainbows.
And the sunsets put on a different show every night, and we love to catch them all.
The plants and trees here are accustomed to the dry climate, up to a point. So when we do get the rains, they're eager to soak it up. The sunflowers are shooting up along the roadsides, and the shrubs burst into bloom.
Santa Fe seems to have its charms at any time of year, but summer is the busy season. One could take in concerts, festivals, art markets, and galleries every day, and still miss most of the activity. In late June the Santa Fe Opera opens its season, with its sublime blend of world-class opera, kick-ass outdoor setting, and catered tailgate parties.
On the Fourth of July, the Plaza is turned into a gigantic neighborhood pancake breakfast, complete with local bands, art vendors, and antique cars.
Mid-July brings the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. This was its 10th year, featuring nearly 200 artists from 60 countries, whose sales are a major part of their villages' income. It's now the largest international folk art market in the world, and
its success led to Santa Fe’s designation as a UNESCO City of Folk Art.
So much to do here! But now the rain and thunder are easing up, and Daisy has concluded that our feet will be safe without her furry wraparound. At least until the next thunderstorm.
The Peeps, for Daisy Jones-Klein
Santa Fe, NM
July 2013
