“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.”
~ George Santayana
Sept 1 marks the beginning of training runs for the 2013-14 race season. Although we leader train small teams in the summer, so we are always working with the kids; fall is when we start to log miles and work toward the winter’s goals.
Things are progressing quite nicely. The days are getting cooler and shorter while the runs are getting longer, all with the backdrop of the Fabulous Fall Colors (more photos). I was pretty sure my words alone would not do this justice, so~
Here are the first photos of the Dew Claw race team in action this year. The Little Rascals are hardly little anymore, and will be training with the main race team this winter. You can really see the family resemblance in the dogs. I love seeing the siblings and family members running together. Today I took 2 teams; totally ignoring the ‘Ladies First’ courtesy I ran the boys first. Next the girls ran. Then I took Hans & Sue out for a little free run. Finished the dog day with a nice big meal and some grooming/shedding. All in all a beautiful day. Hope you enjoy the photos~
Frosty mornings and cooler days make for great running weather.
Headed out with the boys.
Ribdon (left) & MK happy to be in lead, with Gremlin & Chase-um backing them up in swing.
Practicing “stay”, with varying degrees of compliance. *actually they are mostly being great, except for Wizard bouncing around back there.
Stymie and Spanky fit right in with the race dogs now.
Headed Home
falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly
~John Bailey, “Autumn” a haiku year, as posted on oldgreypoet.com
Orchid and Sparrow are jumping with joy to go running today.
Orchid (in lead on the right) is well camouflaged in the fallen birch leaves.
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” ~ Albert Camus
Janet (of the Little Rascals) is running swing with and slobbered on by Thistle. BedBug & Sweet Pea are next in team.
Now its the girls turn work on “stay”.
“Keep true to the dreams of your youth.”
~ Friedrich Schiller
Sue posing for a post run photo on the quad.
Taking a selfie with Hans
And that, my friends, was today’s activity. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for more of the same.
Temperatures and leaves will drop; the dogs will grow stronger and travel farther. Hearing reports of snow in the hills! Although sleds are still a ways off the sight of snow will only add to the excitement in the air. Winter is on the way, and all of here at Dew Claw are totally happy to be getting ready!
