Fun and ice

First the photobomb of Dixie.

Then as she bounds off to more adventure along the creek with a whine of ...Come ON!

She kept getting in the way of me trying to set up a photo using a tripod in the creek.

I think her intent was to whack the whole works with her tail to let me know how happy she was to keep moving.
There is the new challenge.
Morris would just wait and let me do my thing.
I'm sure Dixie and I will come to an understanding.

I really didn't bring the cheapo tripod to do that while hiking with her anyway.
I thought it would be fun to set up a 'selfie' with her. Little camera on the cheap tripod with a self timer and call her to me....

Seems to have worked fairly well.

We had a very successful walk despite her impatience to keep moving. In that respect, she is a great hiking partner.

...and she is curious and still quite young.
I think I explained that I keep the training collar on her when we hike in the woods as she is prone to chasing things or following her exquisite nose.

Dixie wears a bright collar with our name, address, and phone number on it.
Since she has been trained to come on a whistle I am confident that I'll never  lose her.
The biggest challenge I've had with hounds is that sometimes they get very distracted by scents and will run off. Dixie has never been trained to hunt so I'm pretty sure I can keep her close while off leash.
However we do hike in a remote area. If I were hiking at the Reserve or the State Park, she'd be leashed of course per the rules. But when brush busting and creek leaping, you do not want to wrangle a large dog on a leash.

However. I would rather be safe than sorry.
Dixie is trained to 'find' me if she loses me. We used to play 'hide and go seek'. I'd go hide while she was distracted and then let out a call and she'd have to track me to find me. She excels at that. Bless that big hound dawg nose!

Morris cannot find me unless he hears my voice or sees me. But given that we've hiked for 14 yrs together and he has learned all the trails and my habits, I'm sure that Dixie will also.

So for now, Dixie and I do hikes but no complicated stuff.

Our really bitterly cold temperatures did some amazing things to the ice wall and the creek.

Isn't this ice amazing? Looks as if it froze instantly while running! However this wall is a sandstone mix that seeps water constantly.

This is a shot of the section of the creek that froze solid on top. Towards the top of the photo you can see the frozen deer tracks. It must have been slush when the deer walked on the ice and it froze like that!
I need to get back over to the long dry run that has a spring in it.

There should be a nice long ice flow in it and the colors ought to be incredible like those greenish blue colors in the photo above.

I do love winter. Didn't I say that?
It is so interesting in the forest.

Meanwhile at home ... later that day...
Morris relaxes with my new blanket.

It will be warm enough this week for me to take Morris and Dixie out together for a little walk up the road. Morris has been feeling quite playful the last few days and is enjoying the sudden warm up.

The weather is supposed to get cold and wicked again after some rain/sleet and snow comes.

Dixie Saves the Day

It was cold, misty, and foggy. I still had a bunch of milkweed pods I wanted to get and I knew there were some I could find in the soybean field between the contour strips nearby.
It was only a 15 to 20 minute hike.

I decided to take Dixie the hound dog since she would end up being confined during the 9 day deer gun season. It had been a while since I'd taken her off the farm for a walk. A long time!
How would she do? Would she behave on a leash?

I clipped an old lead rope to her collar. She pulled a little bit at first and then settled into almost a perfect heel. I was so pleased that she remembered her manners.

Off we went. Dixie trotted alongside me swinging her head back and forth as her nose worked the air. As a hound, I'm sure she was investigating the 'air' off the farm. Since we were on a field road, I let her off leash. She promptly ran like a puppy in large circles stopping to smell the aromas that lingered in the damp air.
She didn't mind the misty fog at all.
I found the milkweed pods and began to clip them to length.

Dixie ran up and smelled what I was doing and then ran back out onto the picked soybean field.
I whistled and waved to her. She ran up to me.
"Dixie, sit!"
Dixie stared at me and trotted around me.
"Dixie! Sit!" I made a motion and tapped her hindquarters with my hand.
She instantly sat and looked up at me. I reached down and loved her up. She groaned.
I decided to follow the snow mobile trail down into the valley. I could always go up the creek to the trail that led back home.
It was the long way, but what the heck, I had Dixie with me and having company in the Wild Woods is a nice thing.

It is fun to have her along. She is exuberant in all she does.

We hiked the trail down into the valley.
Dixie would run ahead and then race back to me.

I thought we might get into some trouble when 3 nice doe bounded across the trail in front of her. She stopped and whined and looked after the deer. I whistled and yelled out "NO!" Dogs who chase deer are frowned upon in our area, especially only a few days before gun season.

She wanted to hunt and chase, that is her nature. But she wasn't sure. I squatted down and whistled again.
Dixie charged like a bullet. She ran up to me and past me. Then touched me and let me love her up.
Off she went again to lead the way and let her nose do some investigating.

We explored the damage done by the spring flash floods to the snow mobile crossing. The culvert had been washed away and repeated hard rains had made the creek cut in at least 6 feet below the crossing. The gap had widened considerably. I don't think the owners of the land even knew this was washed away. I guess they'd get a surprise come Saturday morning when they drove their trucks or 4 wheelers in. No access to the rest of the land by vehicle any more.

Upstream the creek spreads out but it is more like a swamp. A person can walk through it and I've ridden with Ariel and the mules through it, but a 4 wheeler or road vehicle is not going to get through the deep sucking mud.

Dixie and I went upstream. Just before we got to the Willows, 4 bucks crashed up out of the brambles and headed up the steep valley hill. Dixie ran to follow but crashed into the thick briers and brambles. My whistle stopped her.
She came back.
I put her on the lead rope.
"Oh Dixie," I said petting her. She wagged her whole body. "Now I'm going to put you on a tight rope. I don't think you'll be able to contain yourself if we pop up more deer!"

We came to a creek crossing. I didn't want to get my feet any wetter than they were, so I jumped. Dixie jumped with me. I was grateful that the big lug hadn't taken that moment to knock into me while on the lead rope.

I took a reroute along a deer trail to keep from walking in the creek. I reached into my coveralls pocket for the pink camera that I normally carry and it wasn't there. My first thought was. Good! I lost it! I can finally replace it!
My next thought was, Dang I had some fun shots of Dixie on it!

I set the bouquet of milkweed pods down and turned Dixie and I around. We had to go find the camera. I probably lost it in the big leap over the creek.
I wonder if it landed in the creek? I'd dropped it years ago in nearly the same place.

I started back the same way I came. Dixie now seemed to have a purpose. I let her lead me as she seemed intent on smelling her way back. She did retrace our steps and when we got to the spot I'd jumped the creek? She bore down and tried to pick something up ...

I plucked the pink camera out of the muck and zipped it into my pocket.
I loved Dixie up and let her off lead.

Time to head home.

Okay. Dixie never really 'saved the day'. But she was fun to have along. She was obedient and fun. I really needed to take her hiking more often. Especially since Morris can't really go anymore.

I wonder how she'd do with our friend's dog Scout?

Well, that remains to be seen.
Dixie is as always, a fine and wonderful dog. She simply IS. And that is good for me.
And that camera? It still works just fine.
Sigh. It is 8 yrs old and I'd really like one a bit better...

Dixie and I hiking together. Caught on our Trail Cam.

Well Love is a Hound Dawg...

So who can resist those flopping ears, the wobbling jowls, the wagging tail, and the awkward galumphing of Dixie?

I was going to go shoot some still life shots just for something interesting to do. At the last moment I chose to bring Dixie.
That changed all of my plans.

Dixie played and ran and was pure joy. I had to just simply observe and enjoy her antics.

In the photo below you can just barely see her as she really blends into the backround.

She got muddy as all get out by climbing logs and at one point she fell into a wash.
She popped up and shook off. Tough dog.

Dixie can't help her nose. It is fantastic without a doubt. She can track me, but she can also find interesting carcasses. This was a doe at some point.
I would love it if Dixie could find antler sheds.

She was so very good about the whole thing. She picked up some bones and chewed on them until I got there...climbing under nasty prickly stuff...

I told her to leave it. And she dropped the bones and we went on.
I collected the skull for an art project later this year. I deposited it in a place where I could come back and get it.

We found other deer parts spread out through the valley. Most likely coyote kills or careless hunters.
This land is now leased during deer hunting season and I am not an advocate of certain kinds of hunters who shoot and don't find their animal.

After our adventure, Dixie and I went to visit the upstairs...top of the ridge neighbors...she was curtious, kind, and lovable to the little kids. I know my next indoor dog will be a hound.
Dixie would have been an indoor dog, however, before the remodel, we did not have room for her AND Morris.

Big Dog. Huge Heart. Lots of Love.
Dixie.

Riding in the dark...

...in the forest or out on the ridge with headlamps is a pretty new experience to me.

We were riding with hounds that were hunting which I think makes it doubly interesting.

I think I may have discovered a new love.  I really enjoyed riding under the stars and the challenge of riding through the thick brush to find a treed dog.

The temperatures were downright cold.  But I'd dressed for it and had good insulated riding boots.  They are made by Bogg and were worth every penny I spent on them.

I loved seeing the absolutely startlingly bright stars over head.  I felt I could reach out and touch them a few times.

One time while we were waiting to see what the hounds were up to, a hoot owl screeched and then began to call.  

There was only one time I didn't care for the dark.  That was when hubby went back home to put a dog away and get another one.  I was left with Mona which was fine.
But then a coyote started barking somewhere near.  Mona quite whining and sat very still.
Opal started doing some 'Blow Snorts'.  

Then the bone chilling coyote calls started.  To her credit, Opal just stood there and listened.  I watched her ears and she was very aware of where the coyotes were at all times.

Normally when I go 'coon hunting with hubby, we are on foot.  Just this year we started to take the mules with us.  After all that is why he got into mules years ago.

I generally get a bit bored and tired from all the hills and the walking [not bad exercise...but].
The past two times we've gone, I was not in the least bored or tired.

In fact last night when we decided to head home, I glanced at my watch and realized that it was after midnight.
I was sort of sorry to have to go home.

Look out Siera!  It is your turn next!

Productive Day!

Recieved my Dolica TX570 Ultra Compact Tripod with Professional Ball Head the day before.  So yesterday morning I took of with the tripod to try it out at Jersey Valley.

The results were more than satisfactory.

It was cold and frosty, but still quite stunning even with the overcast skies.  While at Jersey Valley, it flurried!

Morris went on a hike with me to hunt up little fungi.

We found more than one variety.  I got full of burrs while getting way down on my knees and ...even further  'down' to get the 'shots'.

Morris decided at noon that he was rather done in with all the fresh air.  He promptly took up a spot on the couch and decided it was nap time.

After dark we rounded up Axe and Dixie to take them hunting.  Dixie has never gone before so she was more or less 'job shadowing' Axe.

Axe did a great job.  It was fun to walk quietly through the fields and woods and listen to a hound dog bay.

One of the things I've never done before is try to take photos of a hound 'treeing'.  This didn't turn out so badly for shooting in the dark. 

We traveled about 2 miles by foot and there were a lot of elevation changes according to my Garmin.

Lastly, we rested by the creek before heading home.

Talk about a full day!
It was near midnight when we got home.

I can say the fresh air and hiking really gave both of us [and the hounds] a good night's sleep.