Post-Bath Trauma
Mongo and Dad had just finished their respective bath and shower. It had been an exciting, and muddy day at the dog park (Click HERE to read about the Wild Weather at the dog park.) Mongo was exhausted. Dad was trundling down the stairs to the washing machine with an arm load of wet towels, when he glimpsed something from the corner of his eye. He stopped for a better look and then bellowed up to Mongo.
“I spent two hours washing those walls!”
Formerly-Clean Wall
Wild Seattle Weather
Seattle is not known for wild extremes of weather. In Oklahoma, Dad had seen the weather change from sunny and 80°F at 2:00 pm, only to become a blizzard by 9:00 pm. In Oklahoma, they say, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute”, and it is true. In Seattle, it is more like, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute… and it will still be drizzling.”
This last weekend was an exception. A line of squalls had been forecast to roll through Seattle, and with them came the hope for some meteorological excitement. And on Sunday, the promise was fulfilled.
Dad and Mongo, however, had left the house blissfully unaware of the weather forecast. All Dad had noticed was that the sun was for a few minutes, and it seemed like to a good time to take Mongo out for a romp. Mongo was up for anything. Dad was happily clueless.
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge
Dad had been traveling quite a bit after the start of the New Year. He was gone so much that Mongo and Drewbie started to notice the absence of his jovial presence in their everyday routine. However, Dad did manage to zip home for a quick weekend in Seattle, and Mongo made no bones about his expectations. Read More…
Spring is in the Air…
Mongo and Dad have already begun to notice the heralds of Spring, and it’s not even March yet.
Black and White Bonanza
Mongo is a talented dog, and his problem solving abilities are quite impressive, at least when it comes to solving problems related to getting more food. This morning, as Dad and Mr. M walked past a neighbor’s driveway, Mongo locked up in a point.
Normally, this posture is reserved for birds, squirrels, cats, etc. However, when Dad looked to see what had caught Mongo’s attention, nothing jumped out at Dad, literally or figuratively. Dad scanned the area for a moment. Then he realized what had caught Mongo’s eye.
Third Time is a Charm
Another one buddy”, Dad asked ask he scooped up another pile for this morning’s walk. Dad knew something was amiss with Mongo. Mongo is typically a digestive machine. Two cups of kibble every morning and night yield one bag of dog poop every morning and night. But here was Dad in the cold light of a winter’s dawn making multiple scoops.
For some reason Mongo was off schedule. The evidence was that Dad was on his third baggie of the morning. His first thought when Mongo hunched up the second time was that Mongo had one more piece to poop out, a Clingon if you will. That has not been the case. Instead of one more little turd, Mongo had made an entire second load. And when he finished the second load, he had started a third.
Dad pondered the situation and asked aloud, “I wonder what he ate?”
Hike to Dewey Lake in Mount Rainier National Park / Wenatchee National Forest
Mongo and Dad decided to take Spork on a hike to Dewey Lake. Actually, Dad does most of the deciding, but he still prefers to bounce these ideas off of Mongo, who is almost universally positive in his response. Over the years, Mongo has developed into an excellent “yes-man”.
Dewey Lake and nearby Tipsoo Lake are two excellent spots to take scenic photographs of Mount Rainier. Tipsoo Lake is right off HWY 410, and is on the agenda for many of the charter bus tours of the park. Dewey Lake is on the opposite side of the highway from Tipsoo Lake and down in the valley. It is a six (6) mile round-trip hike to the lake. It is about nine (9) miles round trip to hike from the highway and go all the way around the lake. Far less tourists ever make it to Dewey Lake.
It can be difficult to avoid the crowds at Tipsoo during summer. Early dawn is one of the few times when there is still a little solitude to be had on the lake shores. However Tipsoo is a very small lake which can be walked in just a few minutes.
Tipsoo Lake at Sunrise
Dewey Lake, however, stands as one of the monarchs of alpine lakes. This long, broad lake boasts scores of shoreline pockets that offer up the elusive solitude often hard to find in a mountain lake basin. Stunning scenery also awaits, with tall Naches Peak towering overhead and a rich forest cradling the opposite lakeshore. If that isn’t enough, Dewey hosts an impressive population of trout for the anglers among us. Indeed, the lake is stocked periodically by plane–fish are emptied from tanks in free-fall dives during low overflights of the lake.1
So early one morning, Dad bundled Mongo and Spork into the back of the truck, and set out for Dewey Lake. Once again, they left later than Dad would have liked to, but one makes do with what one has.
They arrived at the trail, and started on towards the valley. Dad had carefully researched the authorities in charge of managing this trail, and determined as long as he started on the trail in National Forest, he could avoid traveling within Mount Rainier National Park.
Not that Dad dislikes the park, but in the National Forest, Dad does not need a leash on Mongo. Spork gets a leash wherever she goes. Spork is a bolter. Bolters can make hikes extra exciting.
Mongo’s gallery
Mongolope 
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