The Hills are Alive

How I have missed you, my blends (blogger friends)!

There are times, like this last little while, where my day job leaves me feeling so drained I scarcely find time to blog. It’s a side effect of reading all day long when I’m preparing for trials.

But inevitably I hear the siren song of blogging again.

And so I return. To share beautiful pictures. Tell you about my wonderful eats. Remember happy times. And feature all the loves of my life.

So let’s take a bit of a jaunt down memory lane, to a perfect summer day deep in the heart of the Canadian Rockies . . .

Where mountain meadows meet spectacular views.

And wild flowers bloom as though out of a fairytale.

No one had told us this beautiful place existed.

Discovering it led to an unexpectedly happy time.

The trails were so beautiful that for a moment, we thought we could turn this area into our forever home.

We soon changed our minds. The next year will likely see us return to the West Coast.

And when we leave, we’ll pack with our treasures the memory of a perfect alpine day.

 

Question: When was the last time you unexpectedly had a perfect kind of day?

Today Was a Good Day

My afternoon was decidedly laid back and relaxed. And it was all thanks to a 3pm power outage that saw our boss let us leave early,

I have to confess I scurried away, lest the power come back on or my boss change his mind.

Once I was a safe distance from the office I decided to head to the gym for a run. Let’s just say it could have gone better. Clearly, the bananas in my breakfast are not agreeing with me. Noted.

After quickly rushing home for a snack I grabbed Daisy and headed out for one of our doggy hikes. It was kind of a cold and slightly wet day so we all played it safe and wore an extra water-proof layer.

Yes, even Daisy. She’s cool like that!

The emptiness of the trails was quite in contrast to the summer months teeming with other dogs, hikers, and mountain bikers. It was kind of nice to feel surrounded by the solitude of the forest. Of course that may just be the fact that we brought a hunting knife and bear spray for protection talking. Ha!

In all seriousness though, grizzlies and their cubs have been out and about in alarming numbers lately. Combine that with the fact that there are cougars, coyotes, wolves, lynx, and black bears on the trail and you can’t blame us for being prepared.

Like Daisy’s coat? It’s Gore-Tex and even has a reflective strip for greater night time visibility. Yeah, it’s mighty high tech of my puppers.

As an added bonus, it keeps her a tiny bit cleaner when she ends up muddy after our hikes.

Of course, what would one of our hikes be without our usual follow up dinner. Tonight’s menu is brought to you courtesy of the latest record run of wild sockeye salmon in British Columbia’s Fraser River.

You could taste the freshness of the fish in every bite.

All in all a wonderful night that left me feeling relaxed and ready for what tomorrow will bring.

 

Question: Have you ever had any crazy wildlife encounters? Do share!

Farewell to Summer

In my corner of the world, today marked the first day of school. Summer has come to an end.

There’s a definite chill in the air. A wind that rustles the fallen leaves. Snow on the hill tops surrounding the city.

But what a summer it was. One filled with laughter. Doggy hikes. Blogger trips to Banff. And summer afternoons on sun drenched patios.

I will miss summer in the mountains. This will likely be our last. And I have to confess that makes this city-girl a tiny bit sad.

I will carry the memory of these past three summers with me.

And although I've much to look forward to this fall (wedding anyone?) warm summer memories will warm my cold winter nights.

So here’s to summer. The sweating. The laughing. The splashing. The hiking. The running. I have loved it all.

And here’s to the fall that will be. Filled with joy. Brimming with love. Abounding in its possibilities.

See you in a year my dear friend. Until then. Thank-you for all those special moments.

 

Question: What was your favourite part of summer?

High Altitude Roasting

Hola Bloggies:

I know I keep on mentioning this but it’s still sweltering up here in the Rocky Mountains. In fact it’s almost 10PM and it’s only now starting to get bearable. All I know is, I have heaps of respect for those of you that live in the South.

My guess is that although I was born in the tropics I forgot to live in crazy heat somewhere along the way!

Monday it was over 100 degrees by the time I left work (over 40C). I couldn’t bear the thought of cooking so I went to the grocery store to buy a deli sub for dinner. That’s when one of my co-workers called wanting to know if we were still on for our standing Monday night doggy hike. Truth be told I was stunned to no end. I couldn’t imagine Daisy out in that heat. To compromise we decided to head out to one of the local lakes (a particularly gorgeous one at the base of the Rocky Mountains) for a picnic dinner and hike.

Lovely, no?

 

The lake is spring fed so it’s particularly frigid. Particularly where it gets deeper. This despite the intense Rocky Mountain sun.

Don’t believe me? Ask my soaking wet puppy!

Dinner featured some G2 Gatorade (I’m a big fan of Gatorade in hot weather since I tend to become easily dehydrated).

More deli sandwiches made by my local Safeway.

Some wonderful British Columbia grown cherries.

I also added one of the new Kashi granola bars (courtesy of a coupon I received for a free box).

The bars had pretty decent nutritionals.

At first glance I was impressed.

And as far as the taste I have to say my mouth was pretty happy. My chocolate raspberry bar was not too sweet and certainly not salty. I also enjoyed the fact that it tasted like it had a layer of raspberry jam between the chocolate and the granola bar itself. Overall I was pleased.

The Fiancé however felt something was missing. He deemed it “healthy tasting.” Which is his way of saying that his taste-buds weren’t fooled by the chocolate layer.

Our friend clearly voiced her opinion when she blurted out “Chocolate!?!? THIS is chocolate!?!?” Apparently she wasn’t fooled either.

The problem I had with the bars was when I noticed that buried at the end of the ingredient list was peanut flour. I was sad. Never before have I needed to worry about peanuts with Kashi. And here they went and made a bar with peanut flour. Given that I’m allergic to peanuts I won’t be buying these bars again.

Miraculously I didn’t get sick from the bars – which leads me to believe that the peanut flour content is negligible at best. Likely why it’s right at the end of the ingredient list. Still, I won’t be risking my health in the future.

I honestly don’t understand why Kashi would stipulate on the package that the bars contained dates and raspberries and somehow neglect to mention peanuts. Fail Kashi. FAIL.

After dinner we splashed around the lake where I snapped some more pictures of the surroundings.

As the evening cooled we made our way to another lake where we went on our regular hike. It was hot. Brutally hot. And the sun was blistering.

Still, we lasted about an hour and a half before heading home. Not bad.

I had grand hopes of going for a three mile run after my hike. Ha! I ended up with heat stroke and passed out from my crazy migraine. Clearly, I should have taken my outdoor activities a little lighter, given the weather. Noted.

Question: What do you do to cool off in the midst of the summer?

Foto Friday (Before and After)

Hola Bloggies:

You’re going to have to indulge me . . . I’m about to make it two Daisy posts in two days.

About a week ago, while I toiled in the salt mines of the Canadian Rocky Mountains (I kid) the Fiancé enjoyed five days off from work. Being the (Vancouver) Island boy that he is, he made a break for the water. His route took him all the way from Canada, along the Columbia river, down the Oregon Coast, all the way to Crescent City, California, through the Redwood Forest, and then back up through the Interstates. Sounds fun, eh!?

I hear it was!

And while he didn’t make the trip with another person he did take my beloved Daisy. Just before he left we took her to the groomers. Consequently, the before picture looked this:

Besides looking totally adorable she also looks pretty white. Take it from me – it’s practically impossible to keep her white paws looking clean for very long. Still, I didn’t expect her to come back so dirty!!

Here she is after discovering the joys of digging holes on the beach:

First thing I noticed in this picture was the fact that she looks like she’s going to be carried away by the wind. And then I noticed that she also looks decidedly brown!!!  

Ha! She kills me!

I guess this post is my way of reminding you to throw caution to the wind! Get out there and enjoy your weekend!

 

Question: Do you have any plans? I’m going to lay low this weekend!

A Brutally Honest Review – Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dog Treats

Hola Bloggies:

How has your week been going? Mine has been full of legal work. Not the kind I get paid to do during the week but the kind I do for free for my Fiancé after work!

I know I mentioned it briefly but some two months ago we were stopped at a T-intersection when a car turned left and directly into our lane, causing a dead head-on collision. It was shocking to say the least. But when the insurance company said we were presumed to be at fault because we had the stop sign (did I mention we were at a complete stop?) it became downright frustrating. The weeks since then have been filled with more than their share of wrangling with the insurance corporation. I’m sure you can imagine that we were seriously upset and ready to appeal.

And so this week I have been working on putting together all the documents for the appeal. That’s meant very long hours writing, and gathering materials, interviewing witnesses, as well as, drafting and swearing affidavits. Gracias a Dios it’s all done now. But if you could spare a prayer for our cause I would be most grateful!

Needless to say the huge amounts of legal work this week have meant that cooking, working out, and blogging have taken a back seat. But I’m back!!!! And with a review to boot!

 

A Brutally Honest Review: Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dog Treats

Recently, while in an organic grocery store I found a product I didn’t even know existed: Newman’s Own Organics Premium Dog Treats! We have a really hard time finding any Newman’s Own Organic stuff in Canada so I never expected to find products for people much less dogs.

I was curious. The front of the bag claimed the treats were  made with a variety of wholesome ingredients.

Mmmmm . . . a new treat for Daisy? Perhaps!

The ingredient list was definitely enviable! I’m pretty sure most people don’t eat ingredients anywhere as wholesome as those in these dog treats. Since Daisy had been a perfect angel that day I purchased the product and walked out of the store. (Please note I used my own money for this product and no one asked me to write this review)

Now I have to confess I was still sceptical. Daisy isn’t really a treat kind of dog. She won’t even go near most doggy cookies. Sometimes she’ll like them once or twice but that will be all! It’s decidedly difficult to find a treat she loves (other than baby carrots that is).

Once home I followed the package directions and “broke their hearts!” Ha! Cute!

Then came the true test of the product – would it be Daisy approved?

Well . . . let me show you what happened. But first keep in mind that when she really loves something she throws it down on the ground, dances around it, rolls all over it, and generally proceeds to have a ball.

Cue the official puppy review.

After that spectacular love fest she devoured the dog treat. Success!!!!!

Daisy’s Review? A ringing endorsement! Two paws up!!! As for me? If Daisy is happy then I’m happy. Needless to say we both recommend this product.

 

Question: Do you make an effort to make sure your fur baby eats clean? I won’t feed my puppy ingredients I wouldn’t eat myself.