Life Adventures

The campground is located off 17 (exit 33 off I-95).  It's a convenient stopping location for access to Beaufort, or for an overnight when traveling to and from Florida.  The Thousand Trails campground is older, however.  That said, it's an easy in and out.  There's a nice long road, where the only traffic is fellow campers, for walking dogs or biking.  The KOA down the road is a little nicer.  Still, the area is about convenience and not a destination unto itself.  Given that the campground is so easy to get in and out of, arriving at night isn't an issue. 

On an agility trip to Latrobe, PA, I wanted to take the time to see Waterfall, my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright house. We took the tour and it was amazing.  Russ compared this tour to the Biltmore.  He said it best when he said, "The Biltmore is ostentatious, and Waterfall is pure genius." My favorite parts of the tour were: 1) to let your feet touch the water in the main living area 2) listening to the changes in sound when the small many windows are opened in different angles.  As the tour guide said, Frank Lloyd Wright played to all the senses, including sound

Braddock's STD run was extremely fast, namely because I chose techniques to stay ahead.  I did a lateral send to the tire and got the blind cross before the tunnel.  I chose a front cross at the tunnel exit because the first thing I wanted for him to see was my body turning.  This put him on the line to the aframe.  Those who went for a blind, if they weren't fast enough, had the dogs seeing their feet facing the off course jump beside the aframe and the dog would exit on a line to the handler's right and miss the cross. At jump 8, the better line to the dogwalk was to turn the dog to the left.  8 was a panel and leads to extension.  So when turning the dog to the right, people were delayed in supporting the turn to make sure the dog didn't back jump (due to handler position).  And then the handler was stuck with the dogwalk on the right and had to beat the dog to the end to push to the correct tunnel entry. Because I could leave 8 early...

Frye is really coming together on the field.  I am able to trust her more.  So for this run I did a lateral lead out and shot her to the triple while I got in position for a front cross on the landing of 4.  I have learned that being ahead of Frye and doing front crosses is the clearest cue for her right now.  I was able to get another front in before the weaves.  I am not sure why she popped out after getting the entry.  Perhaps some movement on my part?  The ending was nice as she responded to the rear cross and followed the line to the finish.  I was worried about that part as with rears I get so far behind.  My favorite part is her victory dance at the end.

We couldn't buy a standard Q this weekend so we have a couple things to work on.  But, there is so many things Braddock did well. In the STD run, for those that got a cross on the landing side of 3, you really had to leave the dog at the aframe or else the cue would be late.  If crossing on the landing of 4, a sliced blind cross was best option followed by rear on flat. A front cross set the line for the off course.  The line off jump 8 worked best with a front cross timed early.  Some chose to pull and the dogs went extremely wide over 8.  The final challenge was the descrimination.  Most chose to turn the dog left over 15.  It wasn't a good approach to the dogwalk and the dog still lined up for the tunnel.  But if the dog ran slowly, the handler could get the lead change for the dogwalk.  I turned the dog to the right, as did Tracy Hirsch. She got it, getting the change of lead after the dog landed.  I tried to get the head check but ...

I was very proud of Frye.  She is definitely trying and is taking her job more seriously.  Yet, at the same time, she shows an obvious enthusiasm for the sport.  In Open JWW, I did a reverse spin at the 180 after the tunnel.  A lot of dogs were slipping here because they weren't reading the turn cue and then would try and turn last minute while in extension.  Frye read the reverse spin beautifully, but what I forgot is that this would change her line and instead of slicing the next jump, she was squarely in the center which set her back in line with the tunnel and thus she went off course.  Otherwise, it was a beautiful run. The other good news is that she got her second Novice STD leg.  We didn't run until close to 6pm so I can't even begin to describe how anxious I am to get out of Novice.  I overmanaged that run, and will have to work on building trust in the standard course.  I am most impressed with her effort to stick the table. ...

Day 2 of the trial and Braddock did not disappoint.  He got another double Q with 2 first places.  Those are easy stats to put out there, and yet, they aren't what I think about.  What I do think about is the way we ran the course, improving our lines, trying new things, and being even more connected. JWW was first.  There were 3 key parts to really work on this course.  1) jump #6.  Most people serped it, staying on the landing side.  This did, however, put a lot of pressure on the bar.  If you decided to front the exit of the tunnel and pull the dog to 7, then you were behind for the push out at 8.  I felt the serp wasn't fair to B.  He would accelerate to me, jumping center of the bar as that was the line, and then I would be asking for a sharp left turn from him.  So instead, I chose collection over the bar, opting for a front cross.  I did a blind at the tunnel exit, and then a front cross very close to #6, setting a tig...

Frye and I are still so new at this together, I don't know what to expect in the ring. I have been working towards having a systematic approach to geting us prepared.  First, I work the bottom of contacts during the week, both in the house and on obstacles.  Secondly, I work master level courses so we can get flow and rhythm and I can see areas of opportunity.  Thirdly, before the runs, she does back and forth recalls to give her a chance to stretch her legs. There were a couple of moments here I was really proud of Frye.  In Novice STD, she overran her dogwalk and I stopped her.  But when we got to the teeter, she nailed it.  This showed effort.  In Open JWW, which was run at 6:30 PM by the way, she hit that first weave pole, hesitated a bit, and I could see the brain working trying to get it right, and she nailed them.  Also, on the line of jumps after the weaves she was really listening.  Finally, on the jump after the tunnel where she ne...

I came in with the realization and appreciation that Braddock is a once in a lifetime dog.  I needed that insight.  Otherwise, the pressure that he's currently not in the top 5 could have taken out the joy.  We haven't trialed as much, but our teamwork hasn't faltered. I had so much fun running him. JWW was first.  My only real decision-making was whether to blind or rear cross before #15.  I chose the rear cross which gave a nice tight turn to 16. In STD, the line off the teeter was tricky.  If dogs took #16 tight, it set a line for off course #4.  The turn on the flat worked well for many, but put the handler behind.  I chose a blind after the teeter, but that meant I could not babysit the entry to tunnel #14. So I set the line to the tunnel, kept eye contact, and when I saw commitment, I moved into position.  The other thing handlers missed was supporting the line from #9-10.  Some dogs went around 10.

Here is why you want to go.  It's a beautiful view.  There's apple picking, but if you aren't into that then you can pick your apples from the bins outside.  The country store has jams, sauces, and other trinkets to purchase.  But what brings the large crowds is the apple cider donuts, served hot and fresh on site.  You can also buy them prepackaged at the country store.  There's nothing like a warm apple cider donut with hot apple cider to wash it down. Here is what you need to know to survive.  The hours say 9-6 but in October I get their even earlier, like 8:30.  By 10am the parking is impossible.  Go to the stand across the store and grab a bag.  Look at the map and walk to your location for what type of apples you want to pick.  Wear boots or tough shoes as the orchard is muddy and slick.  Porta potties are out front but there is a real bathroom beside the pumpkin patch. My favorite apples to snack on are Fuji and Jona...

He made it through the heat.  That was our greatest concern.  It was more time in the stroller, more time swimming, and less time hiking.  For those of you following Logan's naturopathic treatment, I'll provide some updates. In July Logan was to start astragalus to build the immune system.  After 5 days he had GI upset.  We waited 2 weeks and then reintroduced it more slowly and at less dose.  Still, after 5 days he had GI upset, which took us about 2 weeks to correct.  Thereafter we still went ahead and put him on the liver formula, a powder designed to stop metastasis.  For 3 weeks, on alternating days, we gave him about a quarter of the dose (if that).  Again, we ended up with GI upset.  Thus, we made the decision to just stick with the core program and take it easy on the supplements.  In the last analysis, he was feeling good on the core program and not symptomatic. At the end of August he had acupuncture with Pat...