the Adventure Vizsla Life
Killarney Lake Loop Hike I’ve done this mini trip several times and have always loved it. The Killarney Lake loop is very flat and easy and is great when you have a large group to wrangle. There is a surprising variety of terrain and landscape…
Whiskey in her flowered diaper Whiskey has impeccable timing. The day that my partner left for Belgium, she started her heat. We’ve been noticing that she’s been slowly swelling for about 1.5 months before she started bleeding. The last 2 weeks her nipples had swollen…
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| Wine capital of BC |
So last weekend we took a little trip to Kelowna, the Okanagan, in the interior of British Columbia. It was my first trip there and we had a great group of 6 to share a wonderful vacation home. I’ve been wanting to visit for ages as it’s BC’s wine region and is famous for its local produce.
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| Lots of weddings and nice scenery |
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| everyone helping out in the kitchen |
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| The Summerhill Winery |
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| Moo having loads of fun outside her normal home |
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| our beautiful rental |
This was the first time we’ve taken Moo for a trip and as our cat-sitter was coming along, we figured we’d give it a go. Moo is not a typical cat and has experience moving homes as a rescue. We had an idea she would be fine because she was so quickly comfortable in our house when we first got her. So this time we traveled with a full car-load, cat scratchers, litter box, luggage, food, 3 humans, 1 cat and 1 dog. Moo and Whiskey were great in the car for our 5 hour trip although Moo wouldn’t take any treats (Whiskey had no issues). When we arrived, Moo didn’t eat for 1.5 days but was exploring non-stop. Luckily the house we had was 2 floors and Moo felt safe on the top floor away from a friend’s mini Dachshund (who wasn’t allowed up the stairs). In all, we were 6 people, 2 dogs and 1 cat.
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| the group |
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| Whiskey working for bacon |
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| naps surrounded by a zoo |
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| yummy home cooked meals |
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| travelling companions |
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| Kelowna |
Our first day consisted of a farmer’s market, 3 vineyards, a goat cheese farm, and an amazing Korean rice roll dinner. Whiskey strolled around the vineyards and I had such trouble keeping her calm with the wild Quail (with babies!), ground squirrels, marmots, and birds everywhere!
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| SpierHead Winery |
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| Waiting for the adults to taste |
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| Oh Boy! A goat farm!! |
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| Very interested in goats |
Our 2nd day was a lazy sleep in, followed by fun on the lake, a bbq dinner, and board games.
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| Ginger rather stays on the beach |
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| Getting ready to do a 3km swim |
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| BBq dinner for all |
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| S’mores over the fire |
Moo even got to explore the garden for short (very carefully watched) outings. The 3 acre plot was fenced off so we felt very safe letting Whiskey roam (though she stayed really close to us the whole time).
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| Not quite sure about going outside |
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| I wonder what she’s thinking |
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| Checking out the garden |
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| Time to come in! |
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| It’s nice she can travel with us |
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| Moo’s been great with the two dogs |
Our last day was spent doing a little hike up Bear Creek, then a lazy breakfast followed by packing and heading out. The road trip back was uneventful with beautiful passing scenery. We really can’t wait to come back for a longer stay.
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| Oh boy, someone’s happy to run |
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| There was a recent devastating fire |
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| I swear she’s so cute! |
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| I love this tree |
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| It’s hot out here! |
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| Still happy to pose |
Sedated for xrays and joint tests So Whiskey has been running and doing really well lately. She’s even been filling out her very skinny frame (adding much more fat, oils, quinoa, sweet potato into her diet is helping). Then one day while at work, I…
We’ve had a couple minor health problems since spring rolled around. We’ve had a couple bumps crop up and are currently finishing up another case of Giardia (Giardiasis) so I thought it might be of interest to keep a diary of small problems should they…
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| Happy birthday Whiskey! |
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| She was so little and well behaved on the plane |
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| little Whiskey’s first week at home |
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| loving exploring the rocks and learning to climb |
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| fell in some water and needed bodyheat |
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| so curious and always at the end of her leash |
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| already climbing up and posin |
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| first hike! |
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| super happy to be out on trails |
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| preferring to walk on the edge of everything |
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| city girl! |
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| pretty gentle with her toys |
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| getting a little older |
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| part of the family |
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| camping in the summer |
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| chasing bikes in the fall |
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| filling out and growing legs |
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| learning caution on steep terrain |
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| adding more muscles and losing the puppy face |
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| becoming a tough dog |
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| hating the rainy winters here |
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| starting some longer hikes |
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| learning to enjoy fetch finally! |
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| she’s not a puppy anymore |
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| finding her personality |
Photographing dogs is like photographing babies that can run faster than a bike… It’s just not easy. We recently hiked up Eagle Bluffs again in snowy, freezing rainy, and cloudy conditions. It was cold and dark and wet but I’m really happy I still got…
One of the views from Eagle Ridge Last week we hit St Marks Summit again, but unfortunately this we were hit with crowds everywhere (our previous hikes up here had very little people)! So this weekend our goal was an uncrowded hike with breathtaking views.…
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| our hiking coach |
Starting at the same parking lots as the popular “Chief” hike, Upper Shannon Falls is slightly longer, with similar views, but less busy and has in my opinion, a nicer trail to enjoy. I really enjoy this option during the Summer/Fall months when hoards of tourists descend to hike up the Chief. It’s also better for the dogs when there are less crowds and more space to run. Details of the hike: 5 hours, 470m gain and 7.5km.
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| scouting ahead, but always checking back |
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| I swear she knows she’s posing for photos |
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| it’s a nice workout, but not difficult |
We prefer to park at the Shannon Falls parking lot vs the Chief parking lot, because though it’s a wee bit longer to walk, it has proper bathrooms and you also have a nicer view to start of Shannon Falls (the hike will lead to the top of the falls). The trail starts the same as the Chief with lots of stairs and people, but soon it turns off with a small sign and you are on your way- no more stairs!
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| little lion king |
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| Such a nice sunny February day |
The trail also passes under the new sea to sky gondola which today was closed, but for another day, you can keep going further to the gondola platform and take the gondola down (with the dog!).
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| under the gondola |
Today though, we stopped at the look-out for a fantastic view of Howe Sound and Squamish where we enjoyed some tasty treats before heading down.
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| That’s it? I didn’t even break a sweat! |
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| Not too shabby a view |
Getting a puppy and cat together So within the span of a couple months I decided to rescue my cat, Moo, and fly home a puppy- Whiskey. I went from never having pets to being surrounded by fur. We purposefully picked up a cat-like dog…