A Life of Firsts

I met my first human cousin this past week. Her name is Olivia and I love her. We bonded instantly the moment she walked into my house. We spent every waking moment together and I even slept in her room at night. On car rides, I laid my head in her lap and she stroked me gently while I slept and dreamt of nothing but her. She's gone now and I have only a few pictures to remind me of how wonderful puppy love can be. Here I am lounging with Olivia on the Wenatchee River with Nemo watching over us.

We went river rafting, which required that I don my PFD. Olivia took this picture and then we floated down the river watching for osprey and mergansers. I even got to swim alongside the boat with Olivia holding me by the handle on my PFD. I made her smile.

And then we went on a hike. It was my first. Five miles round-trip we trudged up a gentle slope in 90 degree heat and my little puppy body was thrilled to see a lake a the end of the trail. I jumped in. I laid down. And then, as I'm often wont to do, I rolled in the dirt turning my beautiful apricot coat into a brown mess of sap and pine needles. Glorious, absolutely glorious.

It's been a summer of firsts. I can't wait to see what fall and winter bring. I've heard mention of snow. I wonder what that's like?