Promises, promises

I said I'd post something, so here we are.

Over the weekend, my kids and granddog were up from VA to help kill off some of the landscape - a weed-tree that was banging on my house, and another, bigger weed-tree that was banging on my power and internet lines.  Much success on #1, mostly success on #2.  #2 still needs some close to the earth trim out, but I can't do it now, we just fell out of this month's time period when it's ok and legal to dispose of yard waste.  I can't afford to have the town yard waste nazis fine me for putting debris out on the wrong part of the month.

We won't even discuss the chunk of #2 that is entwined in my internet line, and may come down at some future date thru force of decay and gravity.  It's way too high for anything I own to be able to reach it.

Anyhow, we also did the obligatory taking out of grandma (my mother) to dinner, which was nice.  Nice restaurant, decent food, and a good view.  And we got to feed the ducks at her place, before going to dinner.  Win-win.

More importantly, it was the first ever meeting of Bandit and my granddog, Kaylee.  They got a bit rough, Kaylee is getting older (she's 8 yo), and Bandit is just a puppy, so his idea of playing is somewhat different than hers.  But with a lot of refereeing by the humans, they figured out how to get along, and actually posed for a couple of pictures.

They both like sticks.  This is a particular stick, which isn't actually a stick, it is a root that my son dug out from under my patio a few years ago, which I've saved because Kaylee always enjoyed banging into people's kneecaps with it.  They shared nicely, I think.

And later, back in the kitchen, they both patiently did good sits while they waited for treats.

Kaylee is about double the size of Bandit.  Maybe plus a bit, as she gets older and doesn't race around as much as she used to do.

After they left, Bandit spent the rest of the day searching for her.  He didn't want her to go home.  But once "car ride" is mentioned, she's all for it, and can't wait to get in and go. 

He also got some training in, with Anna.  She's really good at it.  He now knows "paw" really well, which he never got before.  He'll turn into a civilized doggo at some point in time.  I hope soon.

Been busy lately

Everything has been flying by, the last couple of weeks, no time or patience to post.  But we're getting around, from place to place, visiting more parks and people, and trying to not go to the dog park so much, because frankly, some of the people there make me crazy.  Tho I have to say, the regulars are for the most part very nice, and some days it feels like a safe space.

Not so, today.  So we didn't stay long, and instead went to Pablo's park, which has finally dried out enough that I didn't come home with mud caked all the way to my ankles.  We met 5 dogs there, and Bandit jumped on two of them, was indifferent to two others, and made friends with the smallest of them all, along with its little kids.

No turtles today, but plenty of tiny frogs.  None of which stayed still long enuf for me to get pics.

Path in Pablo's park:

It's peaceful, when there aren't kids on bikes blasting thru. 

On Friday last week, we also had a bad day at the dog park, so we left after a very short time, and took a later trip out to Hartshorne Woods, which is at the top (and bottom, technically) of a large promontory that over looks the shore, and has an old gun battery at the top (18 ft canons, they're impressive, and could apparently shoot an awfully long distance).  We started at the top, and went about halfway down, mainly because of my lack of confidence in being able to get back up the hill (this varies from day to day, depending on how I feel, and the temp/humidity combo).  We (mostly) used the paved walkways, which does make it somewhat easier (maybe).  Until you get down to the river, tho, there's not much scenery other than trees, but just as you're leaving the battery, you get this view down the hill, overlooking the ocean.

 Clouds, sky, ocean, in that order, top to bottom.  It's WAY far down.  Bandit isn't into getting wet, so it's just as well we didn't go all the way down.  And all you get at the bottom is river, the ocean is on the other side of the Sea Bright/Sandy Hook peninsula.

We also one day did the other side of Thompson Park, away from the mass of people, and it was nice.  We even were surprised by a deer, which with Bandit is one of those shoulder-popping experiences, as he launched himself after the deer, nevermind being on leash.  At least he went forward this time, so he didn't spin and land me on my tush.

Yes, all the parks kind of look alike, but they each have different smells, which is, I think, why we go to more than one. 

On my wish list, I want to start Hartshorne at the bottom, where the trails climb up to the battery.  Tried it once with Pablo, and it quickly got too steep for him.  Then, when we tried to go down that side from the top, he got scared of the woods.  That's the side away from the water.  It's a big park.

That's probably the best thing about Monmouth County.  They've got good parks.

Doppelganger

At the dog park this morning.  Me and mini me.  Mini me is Bandit.  The bigger one is a full German Shepherd.  Perfect together, they had a great romp.

And no, as far as I know, Bandit is not a GSD.  Maybe just a single gene, to give him the stand up ears. 

Beach day, sorta

I'm not one to sit on a beach.  They give me headaches - too much sun.

But doggo needs to get some beach experience.  Not so simple, in NJ in the summer.  Beaches are mostly off limits to doggos in the summer, here.  That never made much sense to me, so don't ask.

However.  My neighbor told me about a beach on the bay that allows doggos anytime.  It's not a huge beach, and it's not the easiest place on earth to get to from here, especially when you take into account all the road work that's going on right now.  More detours than normal roads.  Very scenic, yes.  But annoying, and lots of extra traffic.

The place is called Popamora Point, and it's in Highlands, right at the south end of the Henry Hudson Trail.  Small beach, and like a lot of bay beaches, kind of strewn with rocks and shells and sea glass (!!! but mostly green), so not the softest sandy circumstances.  Still, nice breeze, and gentle waves lapping on the shore, all the beachy things you look for.  Even some shade, which I noticed because of a tank top on someone at the dog park the other day that said "nobody likes a shady beach."

Since doggo hasn't had any previous beach- water edge experience, we tried it.  First, he wouldn't go anywhere near the water.  Then, when he saw other dogs in the water, he got closer.  What ensued really required a second person to do a video....he barked at the waves, charging at them, till they came towards him, at which point he backed away furiously.  If I hadn't needed to hang onto his leash, I might have done a video.  Alas, I only have two hands, and he's very strong.  And I was laughing too hard to hold a camera still, anyhow.

And no, he didn't end up going into the water.  Maybe another time.

Then we took a walk up the Henry Hudson Trail.  It's nice.  It has sea smells.  Like rocks and salt water and leftover crab shells and stuff like that.  Smelly stuff that dogs love.  And the land side of the trail has a sort of drainage indentation where the water lands when it comes off the hill above, before joining the bay.  Which doggo assures me contains all sorts of living creatures, like frogs!  I didn't see any frogs.   But he actually set foot, or feet, into that water, chasing his imagination, and having a nice cool drink.  Considering we had almost 4 inches of rain yesterday, I'm pretty sure it's mostly clean rainwater.

This is from the trail, at the north (or west) end of the beach.  Directions are odd in this part of the world.  It's the water.

Looking south (or east) from the trail.  It continues along the water like this, for a couple/few miles.  At some point, it turns inland a tad, to pass behind the huge marina in Atlantic Highlands.  We tried walking it once from that end, but the part behind the marina is deathly boring and not cool (temperature or otherwise), so we gave up.  It was a hot day that time, and today isn't particularly hot.

Nice thing is, there's some shade on the trail.  And the water ditch, which is apparently tasty if you're a dog.

There's a huge hill along the trail - or rather, the trail is at the foot of a huge hill.  Huge houses at the top of the hill, stuff I could never dream of affording.  Nevermind the probability that at some time in the not so distant future, those houses stand a good chance of landing at the bottom of the hill, due to the climate things that are going on.

Be that as it may, one house stood out to me, enough so I got a picture of it.  I particularly like the method for getting down from the house to the trail, and thence the beach....kind of medieval.  Let down the drawbridge....

Right.  The last flight of steps can be raised or lowered via a set of pulley type mechanisms.  Pretty ingenious.  Scary (for me) if you're at the top.  It's a long way down.

Next time, I may try climbing these steps to see where they come from....they look like a public thing, rather than a private house access.  Pretty, in any case.  But I'm curious.  I just didn't quite have the energy to climb them today.

Doggo thought about it too, and declined.  So there's more exploring yet to do.  Which is always a good thing, especially on trails that don't loop.  And next time, I'm taking the real camera.  The phone isn't as good as they claim it to be.

Old homestead

Not mine, of course.  My house is nothing special, and in fact, is rather blah.

This is a house near here, old, and not terribly well maintained.  As far as I can tell, only a very lovely older gentleman lives there, anymore.  I could only wish to be able to afford to buy the place, when he is done with it.  Little chance of that, it will go for a lot more money than I could ever dream of.  And will be knocked down, and the acreage sold off, and a whole passel of McMansions built in its place.  I hope I'm no longer here when that happens.

Anyhow, the front entrance:

And part of the patio out the back:

The patio is multi-level. and I think there's a creek at the bottom, tho I can't get close enough to tell for sure.

It could be a nice place to do an opera.  But that won't happen.  It's a cultural wasteland around here.