Mummy's Birthday

June is a special month because it is when mummy was born. This year mummy’s birthday fell on a beautiful sunny day. So once she got back from work, mummy took daddy and I to Blackie’s Pasture in Tiburon to celebrate with a game of fetch. Daddy also spent quite a bit of time taking photos of me. He does love to do that and I always try to be good and let him take as many as he wants to.

Daddy does take good pictures although he really should have taken more of mummy seeing at it was her birthday. Here are some of my favourites from that day:

In the end I had to give daddy a time-out so that we could carry on playing birthday fetch with mummy!

A new favourite thing - Cars

Just a quick blog today to let you know that it’s official…. I love being driven around in the car!

My car - the Milo Wagon - is great as it has its own registration plate and it comes with mummy as a chauffeur.

 When daddy isn't looking, I sneak into the front seat so that I can truly be the co-pilot. Mummy keeps a box of wipes in the car to clean up my muddy paw marks so that daddy will never know when he sits in my seat.

Now as great as my car is, daddy’s car is even better as it comes with daddy as a chauffeur AND it has no roof!!

It is fantastic for driving around and picking up all the smells in the air!!!

It's a Dog's Life

For the first half of the year, Mummy and daddy were cycling home from work 2-3 times a week. Then they would collect me from home and we would all go for a walk on Mt. Tam. I am always so pleased to see them. I wiggle about in little circles doing the Milo Mambo, jump up and down, and then run and get a toy for us to play with!

I often get asked what I do all day when mummy and daddy are at work. Well let me assure you my two-legged friends, I have a very busy schedule hanging out with all my friends! It tires out all four of my legs!!

In the morning, Leigh picks me and my friends up and takes us for a fun romp around Marin. We love playing chase in the marshes, especially when it has been raining and there are fresh lakes of water to run around in. My morning gang includes lots of chocolate coloured dogs like myself.

One of my best friends from the morning crowd is a Bassett hound called Murphy.

Leigh drops me off at home and I have just enough time for a recovery snooze before Hillary comes to pick me up for my afternoon walk around Mt. Tam. Hillary usually brings my friend Obi. Here’s a picture of us up on Ring Mountain. 

All those walks and fresh air are very tiring you know. It’s a good job I can get a ride home! I then get just about enough time for a second recovery snooze before mummy and daddy come home and want to play. They seem to think I have done nothing all day but wait around for them to come home!!

My First Black Tie Gala

What an exciting time! I was allowed to go to my first charity event: Black Tie & Tails at the Ritz Carlton hotel at the Northstar ski resort in Tahoe. The event was to raise money for the Tahoe Truckee Humane Society. They look after animals who unlike me, are not fortunate enough to have a home of their own or human companions to look after them. I don't have a black tail but mummy and daddy did buy me my very own black tie. All the other guests commented on how especially dashing I looked. I was also very well behaved, lying at daddy's feet next to the table even when a large drunk lady fell on me - four times!!! Here's a picture of the three of us looking very posh in our black tie outfits.

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.