Water Fun

We're enjoying a bit of a last surge of summer here this month. We still have days in the upper 70s and lower 80s, but the nights are cool. We've been starting to get some rain, which is desperately needed. The entire Pacific Northwest is in a drought this year, and we can only hope that we get enough rain and snow this fall and winter to make up for it, and enough snowpack in the mountains to keep the reservoirs full and rivers running strong next summer.

Throw it!

In the meantime, though, we are enjoying the warm weather while it lasts, and getting in plenty of time playing in those streams and rivers that have enough water to be fun.

Hi mom!

Koira really loves the river. Even a dinky little stream like this one is enough for her to get excited. She'll fetch sticks all day if you throw them (though she may just stand on the other bank and chew them up instead of bringing them back).

Stick!

Om nom nom

Must. Chew. Into. Tiny. Bits.

She does love deathing a stick. I think it must be a breed trait. And while she loves to fetch, she sometimes isn't all that great at bringing the stick back, or giving it back if she does bring it.

Dis mine

You cannot have.

Teeth. (I find her missing canine totally adorable, though I hope fervently that she doesn't lose any more.)

Even little tiny sticks are a source of resistance.

Mine!

Since she enjoys chewing up the sticks so much, she often won't even come straight back. Which means I don't get any fun pictures of her leaping through the water back to me. So instead of sticks, I throw a few rocks. She can't get them in the deep water, so she comes straight back to me, giving those awesome picture opportunities.

Boing! She loves bounding through the water. I think she likes the splashes she makes.

So much happy.

Unfortunately, she does have a thing for rocks. I don't mind her chasing them, but I try to keep her from picking them up. Sometimes easier said than done, since she will dive underwater to grab them.

Snorkeling away.

See the rock she managed to snatch?

Of course, then she gets water in her ears and the shaking starts.

This way.

And every way

Once Koira gets obsessive about rocks and starts picking them up, we leave pretty soon. I don't want her breaking teeth on them. And while you could say me tossing rocks into the river to get a good picture contributes to this (and it might a little), Koira gets obsessive about rocks at the river easily and all by herself. And at the beach, for that matter. She loves picking up and carrying around rocks. Silly girl.

I will say that the gentle shaded light at this stream was amazing. I just love the photos I was able to get of Koira having fun this summer. As she gets older, I value the great pictures of her more and more.

My little baby girl. Seven years old, but athletic, in shape, and ready to enjoy life for many years to come.