The Tour, The Workshop, The Piece of Heaven!

Wow....2 posts in 2 days.  It MUST be hot out, and there's not much else to do except read and maybe write....So, here I go, with more "catchup" posts from the past few months.

FIRST of all, do you know what Time of Year this is?  Surely....it is the Tour de France season....and I should be thankful that it is only 3 weeks out of the year instead of those poor football widows who endure months and Months of crowds screaming on the tv...

Actually, I kinda Like watching the Tour...even tho it is not as exciting w/out Lance.  It is a Dream of ours to someday go over to Europe during the Tour, park our van, and camp out, waiting for the bicycles to speed past. Then drive on to the next stage....SOMEday....

ANYway.....After the Exciting THREE POINT MAJOR!!! Brenda and I headed north towards Vermont and Dog Camp.  We went up a couple of days early to attend an Animal Communication Workshop with Barbara Janelle. 

This is the 3rd year for this group of people to meet and learn as Much as they can from Barbara (you can link to her webpage by looking beside this post). Each year, I see such incredible Growth and insight in me during these workshops, so I have made it a priority to attend.

THIS year, Barbara told me that it was time to "hang out my shingle".....meaning that I am "getting it"....Wow, thatsa very huge step forward for me, and I must admit, I have been turning it over and Over in my heart for the past month.....So...if you have any animal that you want me to connect with, lemme know....I could use the practice.... 

On Saturday night we always meet for supper at a pub nearby in Putney, VT. Laughter is the main course. The founder of Camp, Honey Loring (now retired), lives right across the road from the pub, and she always joins us.  Here's Honey and Barbara together!  I just love these two women!

 I think Barbara was choking here....She got so tickled at some of our stories....

Back at the workshop, here's a picture of Lisa and her puppy. Did I mention that this was a pretty relaxing weekend?!

Here's a few pictures from Dog Camp.  This was my 7th year, and, well, I didn't take very many pictures.  Mostly I just "did" instead of trying to document.  Sad, I know.  But there Were some folks there w/some very nice cameras, and I bought a few pictures from them.

We only took ONE van this year!  Yeh, that's right....SIX Collies and all our gear, plus stuff to give to the Silent Auction.  This is probably the Last year we can do this, as we add to our packs in the future....especially Brenda....Needless to say, the ride up was really fun, because we got to talk the whole time! The dogs all ride quite well, stuffed in like furry sausages, and friend Maureen took up some of the slack on hauling our gear and Brenda's little girl Collie, Khylie.

                                                                DANCE CLASS

Here's some pictures of our room. We will Never receive the "clean camper" award....(no such anyway!), but we lived like Queens in our dorm, and slept like very tired puppies.

Can you guess which one is MY bed?  Leash-making bag? Rocket Dog shoes? Pink duvet?!

I was very deliberate in making sure the boyz were well hydrated....And no, they did Not touch the metal spout.  Don't want them to get germs....

My friend Nan did not bring her Collie Robbie to Camp this year...He was getting quite fragile, and she thought that keeping him at home might be the best decision. As it was, Robbie passed on not too long after Camp was over....

Here's pictures of Nan and her yellow Labrador, Sally.  Sally is only 9 years old, but was battling cancer. By Tuesday of Camp, Nan knew that Sally's time had come. She took her in to a trusted vet nearby, and helped her pass over, coming back to her dorm to an empty crate and dogfood that would not be needed....

Nan remained at Camp for the rest of the week. I mean, after all, what Better Place to be than surrounded by loving friends who understand Completely what she was going thru....

After a couple of days, she took Brenda up on her offer to take Duncan (Brenda's tricolor Collie who is a workaholic), and they set off for Dance Class.  It was beautiful to see them together....Beautiful and heart-wrenching....Duncan working his magic as only a Collie can do, dancing and heeling and giving her his rapt attention. On Friday night, Nan and Duncan even demo'd a bit of Freestyle with the rest of us.

Of Course we always take walks in the Vermont woods.  This year, I felt comfortable enough with their good recalls to allow both boys off lead. Rocks are very good stopping points for Mom to snap a picture or two.

This big golden boy is Fiero
This big golden boy is Fiero.  Brenda's new Collie puppy. He's about 6 mos old, and Camp has offered him Lots of chances to experience new things.  In this picture, she is treating Fee as he is looking and listening to some Very Scary construction going on around the campus. What a great opportunity for him to get positive strokes when things don't seem so normal and everyday.

Do you see the futility in this picture?!  Do I have this dog's attention?  Is he even in the same Time Zone as I am in?  What you are viewing is a brief moment in time where this blue boy was actually Quiet whilst watching the other dogs have their turn herding the sheep. Prosper couldn't wait. He Couln't.  He Could NOT Wait!  And he pitched a whining, barking, tap-dancing FIT.....The Super-embarrassed dog trainer was attempting to turn him around to Good Behavior, but, as you can see, he wasn't listening. At. All.

So, the First thing a dog must do before he gets to chase the sheep is "Down!"  Got that one just fine.

And then, he's off!  Dude looks like he Knows what to do....My sister gets a bit maudlin and speaks about his "ancestors harkening to his spirit" and telling him what hundreds of generations before him were bred to do......

 I DO believe that he thinks he can go Faster than this....

 And he can turn on a dime, give you 9 cents change....

And, well, if they Don't get in line, he Can get Serious.....Can you Believe this is my liddle wolf cubbie baring those teeth?!

The last day of camp, as we were packing up, it rained.  We'd packed up our rain gear, so we found alternative "coats" to wear.....

Drying off in the dining hall.....Nothing seems to dampen our spirits at Camp.....except maybe leaving....Until next year, my friends...When, once again, for a Magical Week, a small liberal arts college campus turns into Heaven on Earth....My deposit is paid....My savings account has begun once again.....But, now, it is time to head South towards this beautiful face: