Wordless Wednesday: A Friendly Reminder

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Monday Mischief: Framed

Happy Monday, Pals!

Well, this weekend has been really warm, so all my white fluffy snow has been melting away :( I'm not too happy about that. 

Since our Christmas tree has been in our basement once again, my kitty sibs Thor and Allie have been up to quite the mischief lately.  

First off, they sleep IN the tree (or at least Allie does).  While she's in it, Thor will scale behind the tree and find his favorite ornaments to nab and take back to his "lair".  The ornaments have now traveled up to 5 feet away from the tree in a little "nest".  Hmmmm. Mom's up to his games.....she framed me at first, but now she finally understand that Thor likes to frame me.  Ugh!

Do your siblings frame you? What rebellion!  What deviance!  What betrayal!

That Allie is up to no good....

Sepia Saturday: A Review Outtake :)

Per the usual, I'm a pretty silly dog.  So, naturally, I like to play the "blinking game" with Boss- she clicks the camera, I shut my eyes.  The gullet ring was just THAT good!  He he he!

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/2014/12/sepia-saturday-50-american-eskimo-ala.html#sthash.BPtmErTs.dpuf

Thoughtless Thursday: Trimming the Tree!

It's official!

Our tree has been put up!

The tree, all trimmed!

This was me next to the tree last year:

Mischief at 11 weeks old.

And this is this year's picture of me next to the tree! :D

However, my little kitty siblings have been up to no good already.  They sleep IN the tree.  More pictures to follow!  Do you behave around the humans' holiday decorations?

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/2014/12/thoughtless-thursday-46-craycray-in.html#sthash.0PVdlbJJ.dpuf

Wordless Wednesday: Bed Pirate

Adventure Dog Tuesday: What do we Look for in a Good Campground?

Bosses have been to many different campgrounds, at least in Minnesota.  So, after all these trips that we've blogged about, what do we do to find a great spot?

Bosses took their first foster dog, Cody, with them camping last fall.  He loved it!

1. Location.  Our personal preference is traveling to places that aren't terribly far away from our house, and have beautiful scenery.  Our favorite place to go in Minnesota is anywhere along the North Shore, but the Mississippi river bluffs on the Southeastern border are pretty cool, too.  It's nice, because these are 2-5 hours away, making it easy to drive there for either a weekend or extended weekend.

Camping is even better when you can find fall colors, too!

2. The campground amenities.  While we're not terribly picky about this, we like to look at what the campground has before we book a spot.  Is it a drive-in campsite, a walk-in, cart-in, kayak-in, backpacking?  Definitely something to consider depending on how light you want to pack.  Most of the Minnesota state parks have showers, bathroom/shower rooms with hot water and everything, running water, the whole kit and kaboodle.

Easy access to trails from the campground makes finding beautiful scenery convenient and fun!

• Drive-in campsites: Ever see that commercial from Staples with the "Easy" button?  You could press it in this instance.  Drive-in campsites are fun, easy, and you can bring anything that will fit in your car!  Mom and Dad "car camp" frequently, since it's easier to do with a young puppy- plus, when you're done cooking, you just throw the cooler/dishes/campsite into your trunk.  That way, you don't have to worry about little critters (and bigger ones, like bears...) getting into your stuff!
• Cart-in campsites: A little more work than a drive-in, since you have to pack all your belongings into a plywood cart to bring to your campsite.  You have to pack a little more efficiently (like...putting your sleeping bags into compression sacks), but we love them.
• Walk-in campsites: Mom and Dad tried this a few months back, and had no problems.  No cart provided, but the campsite is pretty close to the parking lot, and you have to carry all your things in.  Not too hard, but again, the efficiency factor is there- you have to pack everything lightly and in as few bags as possible to prevent yourself from going back to the car multiple times.  But...the car is there, and it's not a huge deal.
• Backpack Sites: Our family hasn't tried this yet!!!  Mom and Dad tried to go on a backpacking trip in the fall, but weddings/family/work/etc got in the way :( So, we're working on a backpacking trip for next summer. We'll report back when we experience it!

All I ask for in a campsite?  Lots of water nearby.  Boy, do I love water.

3. Timing.  The time of year in each place we go to is another thing Bosses like to think about.  For example: planning a trip that isn't scorching hot or freezing cold.  They like to plan trips in early June or July, September, and even October (as long as it isn't on the North Shore).  October gets to be pretty chilly "Up North", and some of us don't have warm insulation like us fluffy friends!  A lot of Northern Minnesota parks also have fresh raspberries on the trails, so they miiiight also plan trips to be able to pick those, too.  But it's not the end of the world. ;-)

4. Who we're going with.  Let's face it- everyone is busy!  If we go with our friends, it's tough to find a weekend when no one is working or doing other things that prevent them from camping (how dare they?!).  Also, their whereabouts affect which park we camp at.  Our friends whom we camp with a lot live about an hour and a half away from us (and in the complete opposite direction of the North Shore), so we try to pick campsites that are within reasonable driving distances of both of us.  Not only does it affect where we camp, it also depends on what kind of campsite we get- a roomy campsite with the capability of multiple tents is also nice.  Minnesota's DNR website is great, because they give you all the specifications of each campsite, and most times will give you an actual picture of the site.  Now that is convenience!

Just getting out of the river...The rocks up by the North Shore are pretty "intents", wouldn't you say? ;-)

What kinds of things do you look for in a campsite?  I'd love to get more input so we can find more amazing places to explore!

Chow!

Monday Mischief: Last Week in Review

I'm baaaaaaack!

And so are the Bosses!  Hip hip, Hooray!  (Don't worry, I really did like Gran"dog"ma's house!)

We're back into the old routine here, and I thought I'd share a little bit of just what kind of mischief our entire family's been up to the past 7-9 days or so, seeing that I've been off the keyboard for a while.

My Bosses, as you might know, took a trip to visit some family and friends on the East Coast.  I wish I could say that I've been the chief mischief-maker, but I think the Bosses took the cake for last week.  Look at all the fun things they did!

First, they stopped for 2 days in Arlington, VA/Washington, D.C. to visit and sight-see.  They like history, so all the places to visit were stunning.

For the remainder of their time on the East Coast, Bosses were in the Philadelphia area.  They went out there 3 years ago for Thanksgiving, too, so they tried to go places that they haven't seen before.  This time, they went to Eastern State Penitentiary (no pictures, sorry), Ridley Creek State Park, and Longwood Gardens for a beautiful light and holiday display.  They said it was breathtaking and wonderful!

Now, I'm sure you're thinking "enough with those crazy Bosses of yours, what have YOU been up to the past week?!"

My stay at Gran"dog"ma's house was great!  I got so much attention, and got to run around in the backyard a lot, and got lots of snuggles, and even now have my new best friend pinned behind the bed.....CHLOE!  

She has officially worn me out.

Still knocked out.

Because....I'm a Golden Retriever magnet!

My new neighborhood Golden buddy, Bailey!

My other new neighborhood Golden buddy, Bear!

Yep, I'm officially a Golden Retriever magnet!  Apparently my Gran"dog"ma's neighborhood is sprinkled with Golden Retrievers, only to be discovered once I stayed there for a week.  Better yet, Gran"dog"ma's backyard neighbor's Golden, Bear, decided to break out of his yard to trot into mine- for playtime!  What a silly, clever, and mischievous dog! :) But, we had SO much fun, and Bear's parents really don't mind when he wanders over, and neither does Gran"dog"ma.  When the neighbors saw us having all the fun, they brought over their dog, Bailey, ANOTHER Golden!  So, we all wore each other out, creating another "success" in my book.

What sorts of mischief have you been up to this week?  Discuss!

(Oh, and if you haven't entered the giveaway yet, you have a little less than two weeks to get your entries in!) 

Chow!