Treasure's Turn

  Today's nice weather had us heading to Ball's Bluff again for a hike.  We took Jackson and Treasure on our outing and had a much longer hike than last time (much to Treasure's dismay).  It was a good work out for Jackson but perhaps a bit too much for Treasure.  Her tail stopped wagging shortly after we hit the trail!  But, she was a trooper and persevered, even though it was apparent she'd rather be napping.  She did find some good scents to investigate and there were a few people on the trails to pet her.  We finished our trip to Leesburg with a stop at Home Depot where she got lots and lots of attention, plus a treat from the cashier.  It was a great day out for her!

Jackson on the trail

Treasure

Jump over the log!  You can do it, Treasure!

Hmmm, something smells mighty good!

My babies!

I seem to be having quite a serious conversation with Treasure!

Exhausted Treasure

Nature Boy

  We took Jackson on a hike at Ball's Bluff, a beautiful wooded regional park along the Potomac River.  It's the site of a small battle of the Civil War and also the smallest national cemetery.  It was a very windy day with strong gusts.  When I saw the amount of downed trees since my hike last month, I questioned the wisdom of hiking in an isolated area on such a day!  But, we had a great time and emerged from the woods unharmed.
  Jackson had a ball!  Not only did he not have to share his time with us with the rest of our dogs, he had lots of smells to explore among the leaves, trees to jump over and sticks to chew on.  While pausing to take some pictures, we met a father and his two young sons.  Lots of pats for Jackson and the two little ones took turns "feeding" Jackson sticks.  I could tell he thought little people were great!
  After our hike, we went to Panera for lunch.  Even though it was breezy, it was warm so we brought Jackson to the patio outside while we ate.  I shared the bread crusts off my sandwich with him but I could tell he rather have had the chicken salad!
  We finished our day with errands at Petco and Home Depot.  Jackson was so interested in those new surroundings, he didn't notice he was walking on the floor surface that scares him!

Along the Potomac.  Notice how the wind gust is ruffling his coat!

Meeting new people

This looks intriguing!

Jackson learns little boys are fun!

But the woods are full of sticks and he can find one to chew on by himself!

Getting some local history

Re-hydrating after that long walk!

Lunch!

Lap Dog