February 22nd

It’s been a very snowy winter. Several times we have taken Lily snow shoeing through the woods. She really loves it.

Two to three weekends a month are spent down in Eloy. Tyree is jumping with an 8-way team and Lily is the social butterfly of the Drop Zone. The Drop Zone presents a wonderful opportunity for training. Dog Rules are very strict, so the mission has been to so totally endear Lily to everyone that they don’t even notice she’s hanging around. During the day, she spends her time relaxing in the camper, watching the skydivers land from her perch on one of the beds. Several times a day we walk around the perimeter area, constantly having to stop so Lily can look up and watch a load of jumpers exit their aircraft. She is totally fascinated by the process of it all.

As planned, she has captured the hearts of everyone she meets. In the evenings we can be found at the Drop Zone bar/café; sitting on the patio enjoying drinks and conversation. This presents a great opportunity for Lily to have restaurant and crowd training. She sits on the porch with us and waits patiently and quietly while we visit with our friends. As can be expected, those that have not seen her throughout tahe day, are in awe that she is JUST a puppy. Both her size and manners seem to contradict her age. They just sit there shaking their heads, time to have another beer.

March 25th

Lily’s hair continues to change in the most remarkable way. This month she has a silvery sheen that that makes her look like she’s shimmering. You can just begin to see her longer, black hairs down the middle of her back. What will she look like next week?

She has been such a joy to have around. Each day is a new learning expereince.

 

 

April 15th

The snow has begun to melt. We have now begun taking Lily on more hikes through the wilderness. Luckily there are trails in abundance throughout Flagstaff. The town itself sits at about 7000 ft, surrounded by the world’s largest Ponderosa Pine forest. Great opportunities for hiking are all around. It helps, too, that I work for the County Parks & Recreation Dept. We have just completed a lovely trail that winds through the forest around my office. It is a perfect place for Lily to practice her Trail manners. At every available opportunity we are found in the forest. Already, if she wanders off the path, all you need to say is “trail” and she is right back where she belongs.

 

May 2nd

Lily’s FIRST birthday. What better way to spend the day than to hike up the mountain. Humphrey’s Peak sits practically in the town of Flagstaff. The mountain peak is at an altitude of 12,600 feet. We plan to start at the lodge (about 9,000 feet) and hike until the snow stops us. She is all decked out with her backpack (lightly loaded with just treats and stuff). She is quite the hiker and loves to spend all day on the trail. We couldn’t have asked for a better addition to our family.

The day was beautiful and the mountain looked great. We started out early and just hiked until we could hike no more. The snow finally caught up with us at about 11,000 feet. It just got too deep on the trail. This didn’t seem to bother Lily or Tyree much, but I felt it was time to head down. Lily did great on her first assent up the mountain. What a great way to spend her birthday.

May 4th

What happened to my little puppy? When we took her for your birthday weigh-in she topped the scales at 93.9 pounds. She’s about 28 ½” tall. She’s going to grow another inch and twenty pounds in the next three years?

We definitely have a big girl here.

May 28th

We just returned from the annual Arizona Challenge in Eloy. This has become like a family reunion of some of the most talented skydivers in the country. Last year’s event was the last time that any of our friends would see Hershey. This year they would meet Lily for the first time. No one could believe that she was only one year old. We had lots of practice hanging out on the porch at the Bent Prop Café. She is fast becoming a Drop Zone favorite.

July 5th

Flagstaff has been our home for the past three years. After about 6 months here, we realized that the Pacific Northwest is the place where we wanted to be. We only needed the right opportunity. Back in May we applied for another chance to return to Portland. This would be our third try. We tried not to hope too much.

Tonight when I got home from work, Tyree said we were jinxed. He must have seen the shock on my face, because he rushed right on to say that we were jinxed because every time we buy a new garage door opener, we move!! He got the job. This would be our 6th move. Lily’s 1st. Hopefully it is our last. We’ll be in Portland by August 28th.

July 8th

The weather is beautiful today, so we decided to head back up the mountain. We won’t have too many more opportunities for the rest of the summer. With the house up for sale, we need to stick close to home. Lily is always happy to hit the trail. Wearing her backpack now is no big deal. In fact, she sees the gear coming out, and she’s ready to go.

It got a little warm on the trail as the afternoon progressed. Lily perfected “shade” hiking. She would hike for awhile and then see some shade along side the trail. As soon as she got there, she would “parallel” park herself into the shade and flop down for a rest. Her daddy took so much pitty on her that he ended up carrying out her backpack for her. Yep, she has him wrapped around her furry little paw. Needless to say, it took us awhile to make it back to the car.

 

August 6th

Tyree headed back to Portland for the Dive ‘n Dine Skydiving Invitational this weekend. Lily and I had to stay home and try and sell this house. It was a good thing we stayed. We had several showings over the weekend. This presented more opportunities for Lily to meet new people.

This is Lily’s first move. It is also the first move without Hershey. Hershey was a part of all our adventures. Lily is now carrying on the tradition. It seems at times as if she senses Hershey’s spirit. Some days she goes over to Hershey’s box and just stands there and whines. It’s as if she knows Hershey is here watching over us.