New Years Eve 2013

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of another year. As my memo's tell, it has been fun-packed!

We decided to celebrate New Year's Eve a little differently this year. We never make it to midnight anyway, so instead of welcoming in the new year, we said farewell to the old one. Down at the beach, daddy made a fire and we all sat around reminiscing. Everyone else had bubbles to toast the old year - I found a few bits of wood to chew on (until I got told off).

Mummy was concerned that I might wag my tail too close to the fire so we sat together and cuddled next to the flames. That way she could keep me out of harms way. 

Slowly the light faded and the glow of the flames lit us all up. It started to get a little chilly so I settled in closer to the fire as we watched the last rays of light from the old year disappear. 

Once the sun had set, we all headed back to the house for a wonderful dinner. Even I was allowed to have some steak. That's a great way to start the new year! Dinner lasted quite a while and there was a lot of laughing and talking. Finally everyone joined me in the lounge for some relaxation. 

It wasn't long before everyone fell asleep - including me! And guess what? We never did make it to midnight!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Milo For Milo!!

It's official! I'm a canine super model!

Here's the final proof of the 40" x 30' poster that now has pride of place in the local Pet Food Express in Mill Valley, CA.

Thank You Pet Food Express and your My Mutt Program for helping me to support my favourite rescue organization:

The Milo Foundation!

Pet Friendly? Everyone Friendly!

Boy am I having a lot of fun!!!! This morning we all walked the entire length of Carmel beach and went into town for lunch...including me!!! This beach is the best beach ever. There are dogs running all over the place, chasing tennis balls and frisbees, and frolicking in the sea. The humans are running all over the beach too, chasing footballs and surfing in the sea. Just like us dogs!! 

Forget pet friendly - this place is everyone friendly!

Mummy and I played a great game all along the beach. She would throw the ball to me and then we would stare each other down to see who would run to try and get the ball first.

Sometimes mummy would cheat and throw two balls to confuse me. At least that gave her a better chance of getting at least one of them!

Playing at the beach is one of my favourite things. I love chasing the tennis balls across the wet sand and into the sea.

There's nothing quite like scampering through the salt water when it's hot and sunny....and it is hot and sunny! It's hard to believe that it's December and we are about to celebrate New Years Eve. This place really is a slice of heaven!

I love to pretend that the tennis ball is trying to get away from me. I have to pounce on it before it runs away! I never get tired of this game. Sometimes I get so excited about it that I start digging the sand all around the tennis ball until the ball is completely buried.

Then I will pretend that I don't know where the ball is. I'll look this way...

...and that....

Where is that ball, I wonder?! I'll sit and look innocent, wondering where it is. Sometimes I really do lose the ball because the waves break over where I was digging and I lose the scent. 

But magically, new tennis balls appear all the time on Carmel Beach!!

Carmel = Canine Heaven

Look at this amazing beach!! Mummy, daddy, Peter, Carol and I are going to spend the next week here - can you believe it??! This place is called "Carmel" but I call it "Heaven"! Dogs are allowed to run free on the beach, walk around the shops getting treats and join our humans at the restaurants! Now I can make sure that everyone is eating properly - including me!

We are staying in a nice house and this evening we went to the beach, which is literally a two minute walk down the street. Faster if I pull on the leash. 

Mummy and I found some rocks to sit on while we watched the world go by.

Carol came to join us while daddy and Peter took photos of everything. Literally everything! How many times can one take a picture of rocks and the sea? Well if you are daddy and Peter, then a lot!! We spent quite a while there, watching the world go by......

Waiting for the sun to go down....

Finally it did....and what a glorious sunset it was! I can tell that we are going to have a lot of fun for the next week!

Good night Memo Readers!

Christmas Hike 2013

Those of you who have been following my blog for some time, will know that it is a Christmas tradition in the Osborne household to go for a long hike on Christmas morning. We do this to work up an appetite for the Christmas dinner, which is always a hearty feast!

This year, we decided to repeat one of our favourite hikes in the Marin Headlands. Fort Cronkhite is a former World War II military post located in the Marin Headlands, and is the park's best preserved example of a World War II "mobilization post". History buffs will know exactly what that all means but I'm a do, so as far as I am concerned, it's a wonderful place where I can run around off leash and explore old buildings, trails and nature, leaving little messages so that other dog pals will know I have been there.

The hike is straight up Hill 88. Here's mummy and Carol bringing up the rear:

 

Peter took this picture of daddy and I. We were already at the top of the road waiting for everyone.

Some parts of the hike are on narrow trails so I followed Carol down. That way, if I slipped, she could stop me rolling all the way to the bottom.

Once at the top of the climb up Hill 88, we reached the former radar site from which we had the most amazing panoramic view of the San Francisco bay. Everyone took turns having their photo taken with me. First up was mummy with Peter and Carol.

 

Then of course daddy wanted to be in one as well. Daddy clearly didn't understand that I was the main attraction in these photos...I literally had to squeeze under the railings to be seen!!! 

 

Being a pedigree dog I am very cultured. I therefore like to spend time admiring the art work at the top of Fort Cronkite. Some very creative people have been up here recently and they have painted a stag, an octopus and even these plans for a G-5 jet plane!! (whatever that is.....)

It has also become a tradition for us to take a family photo while on our Christmas hike. It usually takes many attempts to get it right as someone is always looking the wrong way, closing their eyes or being downright cheeky and mooning the camera....guess who that was this year??!

 

Eventually though, we did get a wonderful family photo...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM US TO YOU!!! 

 

Downward Facing Sun - Rodeo Beach

The world around me never ceases to bring me wonder, love and happiness....

Mummy and daddy took Peter, Carol and I to Rodeo Beach to watch the sun set. I was allowed to bring the chucker and a tennis ball, and Peter and I played in the surf as the sun slowly sank.

Eventually it got too dark to play with the tennis ball and we sat and watched the sun continue on its slow journey below the horizon. 

 

It was beautiful and I was very happy to be able to share it with my favourite humans.

Mummy Loves Milo Loves Mummy

Mummy loves Milo

Milo loves Mummy

It's as simple as that...

Fort Cronkite

What a gorgeous day for a hike! It is hard to believe that it is the middle of December. It is hot and sunny!! We took a stroll around Fort Cronkite in the Marin Headlands, exploring all the historical buildings. Mummy and I like to check out the gun bunkers from the outside, whereas daddy likes to go inside and photograph...

Peek-a-Boo daddy!!

The view from up here is fabulous. The California coast stretches for miles to the left and right. Daddy likes to stand on the tallest object and survey the scenery. 

I like to survey daddy.

Daddy is very artistic when it comes to the composition of this photos. He spent quite a bit of time lining up this shot down the ladder into one of the gun turrets. No matter how long and hard I looked down it, I really couldn't see what the attraction was.

 

Here I am at the top taking in the view...

  

It is hot work walking up the headland hills, especially in this hot weather. We had to stop a lot of times for me to have some water from my bottle.

I was so thirsty that I drank...

...and drank....

 

...and drank!

We walked along the coastline until we found what we think was a helicopter landing pad. Mummy knelt down and kept calling me to come to her for a cuddle....

So I ran in and gave her a big kiss on the face!!

Ha! Ha! Ha! You weren't expecting that, were you mummy?!!

Pup-arazzi!

Step aside Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber - there's a new top dog in town!!

Having donated to The Milo Foundation, mummy and daddy were entered in a raffle to win a photo shoot for their pet (me!) and guess what? 

They won!!! 

So now I join the ranks of other highly paid super models like Tyra Banks, Gisele Bundchen and Naomi Campbell. Only I get paid in kibble (or maybe they do too...?).

The photographer, Mark Rogers, was great. You can check out his work at http://markrogersphotography.com/ He really knows how to get the best out of a model. He knows all the tricks. Lighting, location, lenses, apertures and of course, the critical accessories: tennis balls and treats!

Now there are important rules to follow when going on a shoot. 

1. The most important is not to show up to a photo shoot unless you are clean, have a clean face, and clean fur. Mummy and daddy gave me a bath beforehand so my coat was super shiny. I was also appropriately accessorized with my fancy leather Paco collar. 

Now it's important to turn up looking your best because modeling is a dog-eat-dog world and first impressions last. Well actually they don't. Pretty soon after I began working it, I was covered in grass, dirt and slobber.

2. Do not play it safe and stay in the same pose. Mix it up with innovative poses. Your wildest pose could be the one that’s picked. Photographer Mark, mummy and daddy really took this top tip to heart. They had me running all over the place, leaping after tennis balls. Over and over again so that Mark could capture my best action shots!

3. Do not stare aimlessly when posing. Create intensity for the camera through your eyes. Smize (smile with your eyes)! This is easy for me. There's a reason my nickname is SMILO!

4. Do not be a limp noodle. Always pose with tension in your body completely from head to toe. No slouching on the runway, even if it is made of grass!

5. Absolutely do not be forgettable. Make an impression by showing your distinctive personality. This of course, was the easiest rule for me. I am always sassy and memorable!

In 2-3 weeks, Mark and I will meet to review the proofs and discuss the best one to display at my local Pet Food Express store in Mill Valley. 

I doubt my proofs will need retouching. You can't improve on canine perfection.....