what engineers do for fun

We sometimes go to bridges to check them out. This is the "Big Dam Bridge" in Little Rock/North Little Rock. We studied the concrete work and the steel work. It all checked out to me... I know little about either. I deal with piles of dirt instead of stuff in the air. Anyway, this is the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, from what I understand, and was retrofitted over an existing lock-and-dam on the Arkansas River, hence the name. And no, "retrofitted" has nothing to do with polyester and bell bottoms.

Jackson was not too thrilled about being 100 feet up in the air or with all the people riding by on bicycles.

Whitaker Point

The three of us like to go hiking and see new places. Whitaker Point is a must-hike for anyone who can handle a 3-mile moderate hike. It is just beautiful. Tim Ernst does a great job photographing it and those are worth googling if you like nature pics.

My awesome puppy

I know everyone thinks their dog is the cutest, smartest, bestest dog ever. But I just wanted to share one of the pictures that makes my heart melt. He loves that smelly, worn-out rope. He is so soft and so snuggly. My favorite time of the day is when it gets close to bed time and he starts winding down and will let me grab him and put him in my lap and pet him. He usually can't stay still that long.

Jackson discovers new thrills

Nate, Jackson, and I go to Nate's parent's house a lot. We go so much I bought a 4x8 fence pen to leave up there for Jackson to chill in when we are gone. Anyway, as was the case at home when we first got the puppy, I would stay out in the yard or the garage with the puppy much more than everyone else was comfortable with. So the parent's were very nice to Jackson and I last Christmas and decided he could come in the house. He is a very good boy and helps his Grandma with any thing she does around the house. She says he is nosy but I know she likes all the attention.

This summer Jackson was left for a while in the living room while other things were happening. I went in to check on him (hoping he did not find the collectible figures on the shelves tasty) and didn't see him at first. Can you find him? It is like "Where's Waldo"

There he is. Behind the furniture under the window! But why in the world is he over there? He usually likes to lay on the tile in the entry because it is cooler than the carpet.

Oh, I see. He found the air-conditioning vent. Good boy. Way to be creative in the quest for the coldest spot in the house. The only thing was that it was hard to get him out of there. I would get all excited and he would come out into the room and then look at me funny and hurry back to the vent. Maybe I was a little jealous of the pull the vent had over me, but I used the secret weapon--peanut butter!

Then Jackson got to ride in the back of the truck. Wow, if windows let you smell lots of stuff going down the road, that must have been an overload! I had to be creative and tie him up because he is a jumper. He jumped out of the Blazer with the tailgate still shut and now has jumped out of he car window to chase a squirrel. I think we are going to try agility training.

Canoeing the summer away

For some more canoe pics, see Atomic Annie's blog. I recommend checking it out anyway. There aren't as many pictures of Jackson over there, but it is still a rockin' blog.

Jackson is an excellent canoeist now. Here he is chillin' with my bro. float on, my friends... float on.

I am an expert fisher-woman. All other fishers bow down before my mighty skills. I catch the biggest and the most elusive fish in the world!! --Ok, maybe not, but I have lots of fun casting and sometimes I get fish stuck to the end of the line. But if it were not for the brave souls driving the canoes (dad or Nate) not only would I bump into stuff floating around aimlessly but I can't get the fish off my line by myself.

On this trip we figured out that Jackson should be staked with his long rope (don't tell parks and recs it is longer than 6 feet) on the side of the tent away from other tents and the eating area. He will only trip people and knock stuff over with the rope. Stake him close enough to the tent that he has rope to walk around inside the tent and just leave him attached to the rope all night and leave a tent door open. This way he doesn't have to pace around and around and around inside the tent because he wants to see what's outside and I don't have to wake up to put him on the leash and open the tent door and put him out. Oh, and then let him back in. So he really likes the tent and thinks it is just another dog house. This picture was taken when I couldn't see him while we were hanging by the fire. He was laying on his travel bed (a blanket that he lays on at home) in the tent. when I went over to take his picture he stuck his head out.

Jackson and Capone both get a stick to chew. Good boys.

Jackson can be a good boy in the canoe when he wants to be. Not when I want him to be, and usually only when he has been up all night roaming around the tent and whining to play with his friend Capone. I poured water on him to keep him cool. He does not get wet on his own accord.

This is Nate and Jackson in Old Blue. Old Blue is old and made of fiberglass. The bad thing about it is that you cannot turn around in it and steer it for a solo canoe. Nate is showing us the reason you want to be closer to the middle of he canoe when going solo.

This is me going by myself in a canoe that I had to steer through the mad, mad, river. I didn't do a very good job at the shoots where I mostly turned a 180 before the shoot and went down backwards. I need to quit freaking out and just DO IT!!

PBC pics

This blog you kinda have to start from the bottom and read up:


This picture was after he fell in the water. I was nervous cause he fell in upstream of the canoe and was swimming sideways instead of upstream. His back end started going under the canoe so I grabbed his collar and kept him away from the canoe while Nathan paddled to the shore. He swam like a champ and I kept telling him he was a good boy for swimming so hard. I wish I had the video of what he did when he got to the shore. He shook, paced, snorted, paced, shook, snorted, shook, paced, etc. It was a few minutes before he was done and would get back in the canoe. When he did he layed down and was fine the rest of the day. Now we are trying to train him to not just leap out of the canoe when he thinks he is close enough to dry land. Since I am usually in the front and Jackson is in the middle I can't keep as close of a watch on him and he jumps out sometimes, but we always have the emergency word and peanut butter so he doesn't run off.


After a while Jackson started getting used to the canoe and calmed down enough to lay on the mat. He was so relaxed that he ended up falling off and into the water.


This is one of my fave pics. I was probably bribing him to get that face.


I wanted to show a progression of pictures of Jackson's canoeing skills. What you don't see is that he was sitting or laying down on the mat before the first picture and Nate said his name to take our picture. Instead of just turning his head, Jackson got up and walked across the canoe to Nate. the next pictures are a minute or less apart of Nate trying to get the picture again. It didn't work. This first day Jackson just would not stay still.

Oldies but goodies

Jackson and I are chillin at camp for the PBC.










The next picture is Jackson helping us move the canoes around. He always helps us by smelling things and giving his approval, or standing on the thing we want to pick up, or showing us the way by standing in the path we want to take. I guess I wouldn't get much done at all if he didn't help.




















Jackson decided that he wanted to go outside in the middle of a rain storm. You can see for yourself what happened when he realized he was getting wet and wanted back in.

Something for Jackson's blog

I received the following in an e-mail with the same subject line. The source is anonymous, but it is funny so I would like to share.

DAILY THOUGHTS FROM DOGS AND CATS
From a Dog's Diary:
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Diary:
Day 683 of my captivity:
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates of what I am capable. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He obviously has a screw loose.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe ... for now.

Jackson, this is Mac.

Jackson met a new friend today. Mac is 2 years old and has more energy than Jackson! They played for almost an hour straight. This was the first time they were both still at the same time. I quickly took four pictures and then they were off again. I think they are very complimentary with Jackson all black and Mac shades of grey. I tried to get them to sit together and there was nothing doing on that one. Thank you, Mac for coming over! We will have to play more often!

1 year old

Jackson is now 1 year old. To celebrate, I bought a soup bone. I stuck a candle in it and sang Happy Birthday. Nate took video of it, but I am not a very good singer. I do not want become the next big thing on the internet so I will not post the video. Besides, I don't know how to make the video work. Ha! True to form, I have a picture to go with my rambling. I helped him blow out the candle and gave him the bone. He chewed on it in the same spot in the yard for over an hour. Then he got up to stretch and went right back at it. Jackson and I have come a long way in the first year of his life. I have heard that he is spoiled, and I am not ashamed to say he is treated better than a lot of dogs. I like it that way. Why should I have a dog if I am not going to spend time with him and make sure he is trained and socialized? And I love dogs, but I love Jackson the most.

Almost 1year old

This is my first baby. A pin oak in the back yard. This is it's first fall at our house. I can't wait until spring to see the leaves come back.














Nate and my puppy on a romp in the yard.










Ok, so we were all romping on a nice fall day in the backyard. Jackson really liked it when the weather turned cooler and we had a great time not doing the yard work!







Jackson is a Razorbacks fan. This was the first and only time he had a bandana on. It didn't stay long because he walked all over the house rubbing on the walls and furniture to try and get it off. I gave up and took it off. Isn't he cute?


It snowed this day and I wanted to make sure Jackson was ready to go outside. He looks very dashing with his scarf. This lasted a little longer than the bandana, I think he was getting used to me putting random stuff on him.





This is Jackson's snow angel. He was so excited about the snow (about 3") he ran out into the yard and plopped down then hopped up and ran around again. Then I got really excited and ran in to get the camera. I took lots of pictures.



Look at that face!! He is saying, "I love snow!!"