Kyra - Sniffing around for WiLd MuShRoOmS!

For the past 2 weekends,  I went hiking, while Kyra went k9'yaking at favorite watering hole at Black Hills Regional Park, Maryland (psst: especially since she needed a bath). ;)

There were a few slippery spots along the trails that sloped right into Little Seneca Lake.  And with the heavy rains from tropical storms Irene and Lee that flooded into our region, as well as high humidity and dampness during the course of each day, we decided to go sniffing around for colorful mushrooms.  

Kyra's no expert, but we found a few that mushroomed into interesting colors, textures, shapes and sizes.

Here are a few fresh pics that were taken 
"litter"ally at ground level:

Some yellow-orange ones:

Some strange purple'ish ones:

Some wildly flared ones:

Some pancaked ones:

Some tall, some short ones:

There were a lot more ...

(click image for slideshow) 

We have no clue what most of these are,...

some could be edible, ....

some could be poisonous. 

For Kyra and I, it was a nice day for a Sunday hike 

We could've hunted all day for more wild mushrooms. :)

Only she and her nose had enough, ...

 

 

and soon went k9'yaking again. :)

Master Kyra teaches a Golden the Fine Art of Retrieving

Last Sunday was Doggy Dip Day at our community pool - the official end of our summer season.

But to Kyra, it was her

4th Annual "Go CraZy, JumP RigHT In & Show'Em How it's DoNe Day!"

Over these past 4-1/2 years, not only how I've witnessed how great a swimmer that Kyra's become,
but also how masterful that she's become in applying the Golden rule of lab retrieving!

Rule: Always Return the baton to your owner! 

This year, 15 of Kyra's local K9 pooled around together
during the closing hour of our community pool.

However, only a handful dared to get wet.
(The other k9s mostly went into a panic state went 'forced in' by their owners. )





But for Kyra and a young energetic 1yo Golden Retriever,
it was a lesson between the Master Retriever (Kyra) vs this young apprentice,
as the Golden raced to take Kyra's orange baton.




As the only tool available, the Golden's youthful energy outpawed Kyra
(...although the owner and a few kids would throw in closer to the young Golden).

But in the end, Kyra knew that it's not when you fetch it, ...
but how you retrieve it to your loving owner! ehm,. that's me

So while the Golden triumphantly snatched Kyra's baton in the water,...
Kyra patiently and stealthily tracked behind her. 

As a 1st Degree Master Retriever,
Kyra executed her most clever tactical strategy
to retrieve our orange baton back! 



 
From years of training (28 in people years),
Master Kyra knew that patience and opportunity
would always prevail!
 

 

Yep, ... wait for the "{{{{((Twist & ShaKe)))}}}}"
It worked everytime! 
... at least 3X by my count.

The young'uns only watched and chased in total bewilderment! 

 

- Master Kyra on the Golden rule