Cobalt: Heavy Snow

Last weekend had a heavy snowfall here in Toronto. Cobalt adores snow, so we were looking forward to taking her out to High Park -- but the snowfall was so heavy, we didn't think we'd be able to drive that far easily.

So we figured we'd take her to Riverdale Park. No luck! Cabbagetown hadn't been plowed at all, we couldn't get in.

Brickworks? Nope -- the parking lot was pristine with its 20cm of snow.

Eventually, we ended up back home, parking in front of the house instead of in the garage, because we weren't sure if we'd be able to get back down the lane (we barely got out!).

So, it was Allan Gardens by default.

They're building a fenced-in off-leash in Allan Gardens at the moment, but it's not ready yet. So we had to make do with the rest of the park.

Cobalt enjoys the snow in the back yard before we head out.



Arriving in Allan Gardens.



An encounter with a friendly 5-month-old Newfie.



The only thing better than chase games is chase games in the snow.





Catching snowflakes.



You know, I'm starting to get a little soaked here...



And it's starting to get a little hard to move around...



And my fur's all frosty...



Ok, I think I'm ready to go in!

(Actually, she could probably have gone for another hour or two -- but we were freezing!) Read more!

Puppy: Sad News

We just got news that the male blue merle puppy we'd reserved at Stoverly Aussies died overnight at four days old. We're going to ask for the blue merle female instead, but it's definitely a sad disappointment.




Stoverly has named her "Vixen", but we'll be sticking with "Denim". Read more!

Stuff: The Strangest Question I've Been Asked This Week

Yesterday morning, a scruffy-looking man carrying a putter approached me on Queen Street, just west of University, and asked, "Excuse me, did you see a green Titleist golf ball fly past here?" Read more!

Cobalt: Another Birthday

Shortly after we got Cobalt and introduced her to my mother's dog, Mattie, we decided that we'd need a second Aussie -- but not until Cobalt was at least a year old.

A few months ago, we put a deposit down on a Stoverly Aussies litter that was to be due in early December. The breeding got delayed, though, and the final due date was December 18th.

The litter apparently liked the original schedule better, and arrived today!

Our original hope was that there'd be a red merle (coloured like Cobalt, but primarily red instead of black & grey) who we could name "Copper" to go with "Cobalt". There aren't any red merles in the litter, but L's already decided she really likes this blue:




We've put a reserve on him, and L's already decided he's going to be called "Denim". Read more!

Cobalt: Happy Birthday

Today is Cobalt's first birthday!

Before


After

We celebrated yesterday with Photon, with doggie-cakes and cookies in Riverdale Park. I'll have photos up soon!

I'm way behind on posting -- I have vacation photos & other stuff to put up as well. It's been a busy fall! Read more!

Cycling: Another Century

Yesterday, I completed another century. Technically, this is my second -- I only did 98.6km on the day of the Ride for Heart. This time I set a new personal record for distance at 116km, which helps make up for coming in short in June.

This time, I toured Toronto east of the Don Valley instead of west:

View Larger Map

Some notable bits of the trip:

• 4.4km - Stopped at Cherry Beach for an hour to do some water-fetch with Cobalt.
  
• 12.2km - The tip of Leslie Spit
  
• 25.4km - Breakfast
  
• 47.2km - A view of Pickering's nuclear power plant
  
• ~52km - The Highland Creek trail turns to fine sand, and a washed-out section I encountered last year is even more washed out now.
  
• 64.0km - Stopped for donuts.
  
• ~78km - I planned my route through the forest in l'Amoreaux Park -- that was a mistake. The path is soft wood chips.
  
• 85.3km - The tippy-top: Steeles & Leslie. From here, it's (almost) all downhill.
  
• 94.4km - Lunch
  
• 100km - Arrival at Edward Gardens, the north end of the part of the Don Valley trails I know best.
  
• 116km - Home, finally!
  

Read more!

Cobalt: The End of the Evening

The party ran until just past sunset, with people drifting off as the pups got tired and the sky got dark.

Sunset


A couple of dogs went back in for a quick dip before heading out.


Jazz didn't stay in the water very long, though.


People eventually moved up the beach.


Photon stayed longer in the water,
and Cobalt stayed the longest of all.


By now, Splash was almost entirely over her barking.


She showed off a few tricks, like her ability to distinguish left from right...


...and High Five.


Everyone hung around for treats before leaving.


Photon looks like a cartoon dog when she's wet.


Heading Home

Read more!

Cobalt: Aussies On The Beach

Since the dogs wanted into the water and the shore near the labyrinth was covered with huge boulders, we moved down to the beach area at the west end of the off-leash park.

Photon was the first to get wet


She could direct shipping with those semaphore ears!


Jazz had a good swim, but didn't go back in much


Lots of excitement over Cobalt's fetch toy


The waves caught Bean by surprise


Three sisters in the water. Photon wanted at Cobalt's toy!


Oh yeah, she definitely wants that toy.


She tried and tried, but Cobalt's become
quite protective of her toys, and kept hold


Charli was a pretty quiet pup, but
even she got into the fetch game


I think this is Jazz, but it might be Bean


This fluffy fellow joined in the fun,
and was eventually named an honourary Aussie.
He's quite young, but bigger by far than
any of the Aussies.


One of Charli's people ended up throwing a stick
pretty far out. Charli made a valiant attmept, but
just could not find it.

That takes us to the end of the photos I've uploaded at this point. Tonight, I'll be putting the rest up, and I'll have one more post. Read more!

Cobalt: Aussies In The Park

Here are some highlights from the first part Mini Aussie Party.

We started at the stone labyrinth that people have built in the middle of the off-leash area.

Other dogs joined us from time to time
(Splash and guest)


Some of the Aussies played fetch
(Photon)


Some got to know each other
(Jazz, Bean, and Cobalt)


Some got to know the other owners
(Bean giving Splash's owner kisses)


Some went exploring
(Photon, Cobalt, and Jazz)


Some did tricks
(Jazz)


The "the camera twisted as I shot the photo" version
of the above picture. I kind of like the effect


Photon's a real ham for the camera sometimes



Cobalt and Photon started hinting
that they wanted to go down to the water


Unfortunately, the beach was a little... rocky... right there

We gathered everyone up and headed to the west end of the off-leash area, where there was a proper beach right down to the water. That's in the next post! Read more!