Rain makes the flowers grow

Tulips at the bottom of Davie Street
Originally uploaded by iTripped

This weekend was kind of wet, so we didn't get out for as many long walks as we first thought. But a dog still needs to get outside, so Louise did manage to get her exercise.

Exercise is important because if we don't play her out, Louise will wake up in the middle of the night and wander around - just to see if anyone else is up and bored. On Saturday night we didn't get in until very late, so that just helped to reinforce the whole 'being active when I should be asleep' behavior.

I made sure to give her a good and long run this evening - I'm hoping it means she sleeps through the night.

Luck is just crap unless it's good

Waterfront Skytrain station
Originally uploaded by iTripped

We wanted to sign up for the car cooperative yesterday, and since I had Louise with me that meant a different route on the skytrain. That brought us to the Waterfront Station, and this is where I grabbed this photo.

Shortly after leaving the station, a rogue seagull flew by and happened to 'drop his load' on Louise, who was in the stroller. There are some who say that it is lucky to get hit by a bird's poop. Louise certainly didn't seem to notice and barely minded. It was a much larger concern for me as I discovered it when I went to give her a pat on the back. :(

By the end of the day we were pretty late getting home, so we decided to order some food. We got a roasted lamb dinner from Olympic on Denman - yes, the same one that the International Olympic Committee is giving such a hard time to over their name, despite the fact that they have been called that for 15 years or so. Anyway, as luck would have it, I was able to give Louise one of the lamb bones from our dinner, which is one of her favorite treats.

Louise at Burrard

Louise at Burrard
Originally uploaded by iTripped

Here is Louise at the skytrain station, surrounded by cherry blossoms. We were on our way home from the office and instead of rushing home like normal, we stopped to take a couple pictures since the whole station was in bloom.

Not quite a bone

Tasty Stick
Originally uploaded by iTripped

We took Louise up to the dog park this evening and she had a good time barking and playing with the other dogs. There was this one French Bulldog that was small, dark and fetch-obsessed. He was entertaining to watch as he ran full tilt after his ball.

He was also very difficult to photograph well since he rarely sat still long enough. I have many blurry photos to prove it.

Louise however, wasn't really interested in this fellow. There were two larger dogs having a play fight and as usual she and another dog had to act like the resident police officers. They were barking up a storm and the other owners thought they were funny. Well the little black dog WAS kind of funny, the way his eyes would bulge out of his head whenever he barked.

Eventually we distracted Louise by tossing a stick and seeing if she would fetch it. Turns out, she was more interested in just chewing the stick and promptly laid down to do just that.

You can see more photos on my flickr account.

Louise telling ghost stories

Louise telling ghost stories
Originally uploaded by iTripped

It was a dark and rainy night.... or so the story goes. Louise and I were out for our last walk of the night along the marina and we noticed these pot lights in the sidewalk. When Louise stood beside them, it reminded me of kids telling ghost stories in a tent, with a flashlight to partially illuminate their face.

Shortly after taking this photo, the rain started to come down much harder than before. We ended up calling Holly to meet us half way with an umbrella. This made for an interesting time as Louise and I waited on Robson street (a busier street in Vancouver) under an awning. Louise was going crazy because of all the cars driving by and I was having quite the time keeping her under control. (Crazy is defined as nonstop barking - she was still a happy dog.) Eventually we made it home, moderately damp but at least not completely soaked.

Sunset on Beach Ave

Louise in the sun
Originally uploaded by iTripped

Louise and I set out for our evening walk a little earlier than usual the other day and were rewarded with a nice sunset. I guess it is that time of year when the days get longer, which means most of my photos will probably turn to daytime shots instead.

That is ok by me because it usually means that things are warmer around here.

Louise didn't meet too many people on this walk despite the fact that there were a lot of folks out enjoying the sun. She was more interested in sniffing each bush and barking at the cars. Some things never change I guess.

New friends at the dog park and night time eyes

Louise and I were at the dog park and we met a family of three pugs. One was only a couple years old, while the other two were even older than Louise, aged somewhere around eleven or twelve years each. One of the older ones had this silly look on her face because her tongue hung out the side of her mouth.

As usual, these pugs were all good natured and didn't mind spending some time with Louise and the other dogs. We let them run around until the sunshine disappeared behind the buildings and then it was time to go.

Later that night I had Louise out for her walk and I took a few photos with the flash. I like how her eyes glow blue and green, instead of red like humans. Because Louise is crosseyed, her eyes also tend to reflect different colours instead of the same one.