Sweet December

Whoa, where does the time go? The past month FLEW by. Probably because November is the busiest month for my job. Add a new puppy to the mix and you can bet my nights lacked sleep.

Let's try and catch up on the important stuff. I named the new pup Knoxville, "Knox" for short. His first two weeks were the hardest. Unlike my other dogs, he didn't pick up on our sleep schedule after the first few nights. I was up two, three, four times a night with him. The explosive diarrhea didn't help. Luckily, he gave me fair warning and I got him outside in time.

He has yet to sleep past 7 AM. If I'm lucky, I can get all the animals fed and all the poop scooped before 7:30. Then the dogs occupy each other while I get to sleep a few extra minutes.

"Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" came and went, along with about a week and a half of working 10 or 12 hours every day. Exhausting when you're up all night with a crying puppy, but I made it through.

We celebrated Thanksgiving Eve, our potluck tradition, and then regular Thanksgiving. I could eat turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and biscuits every day. As much as I love Turkey-Day, I'm excited to have it out of the way, and for the real "holiday season" to begin.

I was so eager, I hung Christmas lights outside the house the day after Thanksgiving. We put up our tree and interior decorations the following week. I still may add some more here and there, but for now I'm content with the hall deckings.


I do have some exciting dog mushing news to share! The Dick Dalakian Memorial Race on November 26th was our first race and the Pine Barrens Dryland Race on December 3rd was our second. We participated in the bikejor class -- and I'm proud to say, we took first place at both events! These were both "fun" races and not extremely competitive. However, I'm still very proud of my dogs. Dexter has come a long way from being, well, not a sled dog at all. And Denali continues to impress me every day.

Our next race is the Fair Hill Challenge this weekend in Elkton, Maryland. We'll be competing in the two-dog sportsman bikejor class. This will be our first time at this race site and our first two-day race, so I'm a little nervous. I'm confident in the dogs' ability, just hoping we don't run into any problems. I've heard quite a few horror stories about this trail's difficulties. I guess we'll have to wait and see! I'm also looking forward to a mini get-away in Maryland. You can bet your ass I'll be treating myself to some crab, even if we lose.

After Fair Hill, I think our racing season will be pretty much over. I'll be picking up our sled at the event, so the next challenge will be learning how to use it (assuming we get some stinkin' snow). I may attend some snow races, but I doubt I'll be confident enough to participate just yet. Of course, we'll still be training on the bike (and I'll probably reintroduce the rig) while the cold lasts. Long live winter!

Things have been really crazy over here -- thanks to my new puppy, pictured above! Little no-name (we're working on it!) came home on November 6th. He was adopted from Sixth Angel Shepherd Rescue, although he's clearly mixed with Siberian Husky. So far he's been a good little guy -- only two accidents, and both I should have seen coming. He's learning our daily routine, mostly by watching Dexter and Denali.

Denali has been surprisingly good with him. She can sometimes be a pushy jerk around new dogs, but she's been almost motherly with him. She does get a little too rough from time to time (like when she tries to carry him by his back fur), but she's still a puppy herself. I have to keep my eye on them both.

Dexter, on the other hand, has been uncharacteristically shy with the new puppy. He was very excited initially, but has since become almost afraid of the 8-pound monster. He's even grumbled at him, which has me worried. He was a little more patient with him this morning, so I'm hoping his wariness will fade.

I don't have too much more to say, as it's only been a few days with the new guy. I'll post again when I take some better pictures. I can't wait until he's big enough for the training harness!

Wordless Wednesday: Bikejoring

All Good Things are Wild and Free

In the Catskills by Thomas Doughty
"Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling." - Henry David Thoreau

Unless, of course, you travel with dogs. Then maybe it's more than your imagination.



I didn't have work on Friday, so I packed up the dogs and drove up to Chester. We went to Hacklebarney State Park, where I've hiked many times. It was about 70 degrees, warm and sunny, but you could feel that fall breeze starting to creep in.






The trails were slick in some spots from the recent rain. And the rivers that cut through the park were flowing fast. It made Nali nervous, but Dexter wanted to get closer and dip his feet in.



I think the leaves were starting to change colors -- but I can't be sure. I spent most of the hike focusing on not falling down. This was Denali's first real hike and she pulled with all her 40 pounds the entire time. She was in harness, so that's exactly what she should be doing, but it made the walk pretty intense.



Going uphill with two dogs pulling was a relief. Going down hill, or trying to maneuver over the rocky trail, was borderline scary. In hindsight, I should have avoided the rocky areas. I was asking for a sprained ankle, but somehow managed to make it out in one piece.



We only went about four miles, but it was pretty warm and I was beat. Denali could have went another ten, I bet. Dexter was content either way. On the way home, I stopped at Alstede Farms for some cider, apple pie, and honey. Nothing beats locally grown food.

All in all, a perfect kind of day.

Wordless Wednesday: Things I Like

Wordless Wednesday: Just Some Dogs

Being a Grown-Up

Somebody stole my little fluff-ball of a puppy and replaced her with a lanky, long-legged young dog. As adorable as puppies are, I'm really excited for her to fill out. She's going to be a pretty girl. Hell, she already is, despite her "awkward" stage.


I ordered her adjustable training harness last week. She lets me put it on her and take it off her without any fuss, and she doesn't really notice it's on when she's wearing it. Unlike Dexter, who freezes in place whenever you put any kind of harness or backpack on him. Well, at least until he gets outside, anyway. He's got issues.

Hmm, what else is new. Oh yea, my car died -- something with the timing belt going bananas. So I bought a big, 6-cylinder, gas-guzzling monster!


My first self-bought vehicle -- kind of a big deal, I guess? My old car is probably going to be salvaged for my sister. My parents are paying to get it fixed, so I figured it was time to pass the car along and get something else.

I put about a year's worth of savings into a down payment and began financing a used 2008 Mercury Mariner. It's a lot like my parent's Ford Escape, which I really like, only newer and better. The gas intake will take some getting used to, but I really don't drive that often, so it's not a huge deal. I wanted something big enough to accommodate people and dogs, with the power to tow, so I really didn't have many gas-friendly options.

I also equipped the trunk area with a dog barrier gate, so most of the fur will be kept in the back of the truck. Time to rejoice and possibly wear black clothing again. My only concern: what happens when I have three or maybe four dogs? Where will they all go? I have problems!

To New Hampshire and Back

New Hampshire is pretty friggin' beautiful. We drove up there on Saturday. It was rainy on the way up, but the sun came out just as we started fishing in Newfound Lake. No bites -- unless you count all the flies and mosquitoes -- we definitely need a boat if we plan to fish there again. And next time, we avoid black fly season.



After fishing, we washed up at our hotel and walked to the main drag of town. It reminded me of New Hope, PA, but on a much smaller scale. We ate at The Common Man, which I'd definitely recommend to anyone visiting New Hampshire. Afterwards, we tried to find a bar with the Mets/Yankees game, but were unsuccessful. Instead, we spent an hour talking to some locals about fishing. Now we know where to go, next time.

We walked back to the hotel with a six pack of gas station Blue Moon and played in the game room for a bit. Most of the games sucked or were broken, save for the air hockey and pinball machine. Weird discovery: I'm not bad at Guns N' Roses pinball. Who knew?

We knocked out relatively early, only to wake up at 5:30 AM to head to the breeder's house. Once there, she took us to a spot where she trains her team. We helped get 16 dogs out of their dog boxes, onto their picket lines, into their harnesses, and onto the tow lines. Then the three of us rode on the back of her ATV, pulled mostly by her team, through the trails. I've never been pulled by so many dogs. It's amazing how well they all work together and listen to commands.

It was somewhat humid out, so the run wasn't too long. We put the dogs back on their picket lines, gave them water, and removed their soggy harnesses. Good training for my future team, although I think four will be my limit for awhile. Hell, two is enough for now.

Once back at the breeder's house, we piled into the puppy run and were met by six little balls of fur and teeth. I've never experienced such a happy swarm of, well, anything before. I had two pups to choose from, since the other four were being kept for the breeder's team. I chose the pup named Summer. Out of the two, she seemed to be more reserved and gentle. This being my first pure-bred husky, the calmer the better. After all, calm for a husky is a maniac for most other breeds.

We made the transaction, signed off on the paperwork, collected all her information, and packed up a bag of her current food. Everyone said their good-byes and the pup was packed up in her crate for the long drive home. She did very well on the (accidentally) extended ride (don't ask). She pottied at our pit stops and slept the majority of the time.


Once we got back, Dexter went just about insane with happiness. Friends and family came to great the new addition, and she began settling in pretty fast.


I'm pretty sure I've settled on the name Denali, after the National Park and alternate name for Mount McKinley in Alaska. She's a smart girl, but I can tell she's going to be more stubborn to train than Dexter. She's only had a few accidents inside, and she manages to keep them all in the same spot on the kitchen floor, so it hasn't been too messy. She cries a little in her crate at night -- the first night being worse than the second -- so I assume she'll grow out of it quickly.

She is a good little alarm clock, and she gets me moving before 7 AM every day. It's bittersweet -- I'm exhausted, but I'm getting much more out of my day. And waking up to an adorable puppy isn't too bad, either.

Eat. Fish. Sleep.

I've been fishing every day this past week, and I'm not complaining. I finally caught some this weekend: two Largemouth bass and a sunny. Next step is catching something edible -- but I'll have to leave central NJ for that.

This upcoming week will be full of rain, Netflix, new Tosh.0, and making preparations for new puppy's arrival. I'll be driving up to New Hampshire on Saturday to visit with the breeder and pick up my new girl. I'm trying to maintain my composure, but this really is the culmination of a childhood dream. Finally, I'm getting my first Siberian Husky!

Many, many pictures to come. And probably more huskies.

Off to the Races

Last Saturday was the Dick Dalakian Memorial Sweepstakes Race, hosted by the JSSDRA. The mushers I usually train with were there, along with new folks from the surrounding states. I took photos at the event, since I wasn't competing. I also tried to soak up all the knowledge I could from everyone -- so much experience all in one place! I spoke to a few people about upcoming litters, so hopefully by next year, I'll have a pup to train.

Along with meeting mushers, Saturday offered the opportunity to look at a ton of dogs and several different rig styles. While the hound mixes and Alaskans are awesome athletes, I don't think they're what I want in a dog. I love the fluffy, show quality Siberians. I also really like the historic, racing-line Seppala Siberians. I foresee my future team being a mixture of the two. And Dexter, of course.

As for rigs, my little green cart will suffice for now. In the future, I can see myself splurging on an Outlaw rig, or a Greiner-Hahn rig, since the guy who makes them mushes with us. I better start saving now.

---

I'd like to take a moment to stop talking about nerdy, dog-related things for a little while. I've been thinking about the future a lot. I'm always meticulously planning every detail of everything, so it's no doubt the next few years hold a lot of expectations.

As of right now, my goal is to survive as a freelance designer and photographer. To get to that point, I need a solid resume and a killer portfolio. Working at my current job is building both these things. While the company itself isn't a household name, the brands I incorporate into my work are huge -- Nikon, Samsung, Canon, and Sony, for example.

The scary thing about freelancing is the uncertainty of it. What if I can't find work? My plan is to continue with full-time employment and do freelance on the side, then slowly wean myself off the full-time job. I could go part-time, then become a steady freelancer for the company, as well as taking on other jobs. Ultimately, I want to have more jobs available than I can accept.

I really just want to be my own boss. I like working on my own -- I'm a control freak and often find others to be unreliable. OK, so my people skills might need some work. I can work with others, as long as they're as motivated as I am.

I work best in unconventional ways. If I have a project, I might work on it for days at a time -- only stopping to sleep and eat. Breaking work up into 9-to-5 days doesn't always make sense, especially for artists. You wouldn't expect a painter to work every day from 9-to-5. They're in their studio when they feel like creating. Same goes for designers.

Vacations are also important. I don't like being told when I can take off. I'm not in school. This is my life, and in 60-something years, I'm going to die. Let me enjoy it while I can.

This rant sounds like I'm unhappy, and the truth is, I'm not. The work week flies by because I'm busy with holiday marketing material, and I enjoy doing it. But I don't want my life to simply fly by. It's already December! I want to savor every moment of this month, not to mention every month following.

I have an undeniable fear of growing up. I thought moving out would make me happy, but I honestly miss living with my family. Especially at Christmas time. I just want to shrink back to my 8-year-old self and play with my plastic dinosaurs in my backyard.

Dog People

My weekends are quickly becoming consumed by furry, four-legged beasts. This past Saturday, I took photos at the Howling Woods Farm clean up event. I spent the day hidden behind my viewfinder, narrowly avoiding massive dug-out canyons and poop mountains -- both products readily manufactured by the woofers.

Sunday I returned to the Pine Barrens for my second day of mushing -- well, my first real day. I borrowed Bolt and Spirit, the same two leaders as on my first run. Dexter once again took the wheel position -- this time, with no hesitation at all. Rob road with me at first, but hopped off once we hit softer terrain.

We road just under 2.5 miles in about 20 minutes, with our average moving speed just under 7 miles per hour. The lead dogs were a bit tired from their morning run, and I kept a relatively slow pace so that Rob could keep up on foot. Dex also decided he needed a poop break mid-run, so that slowed us down a tad. Our max speed was 14 and 1/2 miles per hour. The take-off is definitely the most exhilarating and terrifying part of the ride.

This Sunday, I'm going to get to the race site as early as possible and have Dexter run with my mentor's full team. I hope he doesn't mind being referred to as my "mentor" -- although, technically, everyone I've met thus far has offered lots of help and advice, and could be considered a mentor.

To conclude this entry, I will leave you with a short video from our Sunday run. This was taken by Rob as he dangled off the back of the cart, and he spent a bit too much time filming my dirty hair and goofy face -- so please, ignore that and enjoy the dog butts.