An Osborne Family Christmas

At the end of 2009, daddy's parents came to visit for Christmas. Uncle Peter took up his ski lessons again and went nearly every day. He either loves skiing or loves the Brazilian ski instructor - we are not sure which! I love the snow...daddy always shovels the driveway and throws the snow up in the air for me to catch. I could play that game all day but daddy gets tired so we have to stop. Mummy makes the best snowballs and we go to the frozen lake and I chase snowballs for hours.  

It was a wonderful family Christmas!

Mummy, daddy and I went up to Donner Ridge and went back-country snowboarding. We took Peter with us this time and while we hiked up to earn our turns, Peter hiked to be our photographer. 

  

At the top, mummy was taking her own sweet time. So I decided to bark some encouragement!

 

On the way down I picked up some icicle fangs!

Another time we took Peter and Carol with us to Donner Ridge. I was walking along the top when all of sudden I disappeared into a small crevasse! Luckily I went in bottom first so that mummy and daddy were able to dig in and grab my collar to stop me sliding further. Daddy then dug underneath me so that they could pull me out. Here I am after my rescue.

Every tail has a happy ending though - daddy and I carved our way back down the ridge with no further incidents.

We all had a lot of fun at Donner Lake. It didn't freeze so I got to play in the water and the snow. Here I am with Mummy, being very good and concentrating on a snowball without snatching it. 

Daddy wanted to pose too....

Then daddy, Peter and some strange man made of snow.....

Then it all got out of hand when daddy and Peter wanted to pose with me on a rock!

It wasn't all mountains this Christmas though. We also went to Rodeo beach. Here's a super family portrait that mummy took. Just as she thought we were all nicely lined up so she took the shot, I stuck my tongue out!

After that I played a lot in the sand and got so dirty...

....that I had to have a bath before bedtime!!! 

New year, new Milo!

xxxx

Dog Days of Summer

We had a lot of fun at the end of the summer as we went to the mountains and to the beach quite a few times.

 

We had a wonderful time at Stinson Beach, chasing each other back and forth along the sand, and playing in the surf with my tennis balls. As usual, I was sick afterward as I always end up drinking so much sea water. At least I did it before I got in the car this time though.

Nevertheless I was allowed to join mummy and daddy for barbeque oysters at the oyster shack in Marshall. 

For our summer holidays, we went to Tahoe and did all sorts of hikes into the wilderness. I especially liked the ones where we found watering holes for me to swim about in and cool off.

One of the biggest hikes we did was to Salmon Lakes. We hiked all the way up to the furthest lake, where we finally stopped for some snacks.

Then daddy and I had swimming races, diving in at the same time and then seeing who could make it first to the island in the middle of the lake.

 

Afterward daddy laid on the warm granite in the sun while I went off to explore and search out squirrels.

Then we both sat and contemplated life...and it was good. 

Once again this summer I got to mountain bike, this time with daddy and his friend Brendan. We all raced around Donner Ridge.

Mummy and daddy decided that we were going to hike to the top of Squaw and I was excited because I thought it meant another ride up in the cable car. But oh no! Mummy and daddy decided that we would hike to the top. It was a tough climb up and I had to mountain climb up and over huge granite faces. Luckily there were pools to cool off in and things to chew along the way.

  

The best thing though was running through the grass at the top!

Reality Check

Mummy found a new job quicker than she or I expected so I returned to my routine of walking with the dog walkers, Hillary and Leigh. Here I am with some of the old gang – it was good to see everyone again.

I also got to roll around in the back of Leigh’s car – she thought I was drying myself on the lovely towels she provides us but I was really just playing.

Mummy now works for BlackRock. I spend a lot of my time on Mt. Tam which is also a big rock, so I think mummy’s day must be similar to mine. Daddy is always very busy at work. I am not sure what daddy does but I bet he is good at it because he is the top dog! Daddy still has time to monkey about with me though when he gets back from work. He likes to pick me up and spin me round in the air. It makes me feel a bit dizzy so I lick his face until he puts me down again.

Summer with Peter and Carol

Peter and Carol came to stay again!! This time they took me to Tahoe and we had a fun time. They took me to the top of a Squaw Valley in the cable car! I was a very good boy when we went up. I could go up and down in the cable car all day long – it was amazing to see the valley below from so high. The other great thing about the cable car is that it takes you to the top of the mountain without you having to walk all the way up! So when we got there, we were full of energy and ready for our hike.

We also went to Glacier Way on Donner Ridge and did the hike from there. It was a super hot day and we had to rest a few times. Luckily Carol brought enough water for everyone including me! 

Mind you, I still needed a top up when we got back to the car park…

Later on mummy and daddy came up to Tahoe and we all went to Lost Lake. It was another hot day and so we all had a great time swimming in the cool alpine lake…even with tennis balls!

 
All that swimming made for thirsty work so we stopped and had a picnic. I had my own picnic kibble but Peter’s sandwiches looked much more appetizing. 

 





From Lost Lake, we hiked along the contours to a view point. As you can see, in this picture I am the view point!

All that hiking made us hot again so we had one last swim about in the lake before heading back.

When we got back to the car part, I was so tired that daddy had to help me up into the car. Or at least that’s what I told him…. :o)

Happy Hammock Times

Daddy and I spent this afternoon chilling out on the hammock.

 

After a while, daddy got fidgety and started playing with my jowls so that I made funny faces.

Once again I had to sit on him to make him stop!

Will he never learn? Maybe I should try positive reinforcement with treats……?

Back-Country Boardin'

I love back-country snowboarding. OK…I don’t snowboard (I am a dog after all) but I love to run around in the snow, carving my own lines in the fresh pow. 

First we have to earn our turns as daddy says. We hike all the way up to the top of the ridge. Mummy and daddy wear peculiar shoes to help them get up the steep slopes in the snow because they don’t have specially adapted paws like me.

Then we carve down the mountain 
Here's me and mummy!

 

And here we are in action...

 

It's thirsty work hiking up the slope and then running down again, especially in the Sierra sun. Mummy always brings a backpack filled with cool water - enough for both me and her. I have perfected the art of drinking from a Camelbak!

Once we've stopped for refreshments, we set off again to find the perfect run. Daddy likes to stop every now and then for a photo shoot. He'll get mummy and I to pose just so...

But I always like to be the super model!

Then it's back to boardin' and this time it's a run with daddy. He likes to catch 'big air' and as you can see, so do my ears. 

No matter what, mummy always celebrates every run!

Skate Dog

We went up to the cabin this weekend for the last few days of Spring skiing. As the weather was so lovely, daddy decided to put the snowboard to one side and bring out another board – his skateboard! I have never seen this before but what a wheeze! Daddy rolled all along the roads by the cabin and I followed along, sometimes leading the way and other times chasing daddy.

Daddy even let me have a go! I think it's definitely easier if I stand on 4 legs though daddy!