Kinney Lake Backpacking

Rinley and I went backpacking this weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail, a place called Kinney Lake. I was really needing to go camping at least once this year, and my uncle Dave recommended this place. Quite ideal really, only 2 miles in to a wonderful campsite, but far enough of a drive/hike that not too many people were there.
Grandma walked in with me, just to keep me company.
Of course, it was lovely.
This is Kinney Lake, or one of them, there are 2.
After Grandma left, I shucked the bags and continued hiking for the heck of it. Here is my lake from above.
A beautiful meadow/mountain.
Sometimes, when I caught him out of the corner of my eye, Rinley looked a heck of a lot like a deer with those big ears. (if you click on this picture, it will blow up and you should be able to see better)
Pretty mountains...

Pretty views...
And back at the lake, my view. I kept taking pictures as the sun went down, it was lovely
Rinley was absolutely perfect on this trip. I was able to keep him off leash the entire time, he wandered, but always came back when called. Had a great radius, if anything a little too close. But he will get better as he gets more confident.
We had a blast playing a sort of tag. Here he is, all ready for me to chase him.
Sunset
Unfortunately, I got very sick in the middle of the night. Caught a flu from one of my friends, made for a very miserable night, and cold. I was so very glad to see the sun rise in the morning. and, it was pretty.

The hike out was a test of will power though. 2 miles is nothing if you are healthy, but 2 miles at 8000 feet if you have a fever and can't breathe?
Made it out though, even if I had to (got to) spend 2 extra days at Grandma's house as neither of us thought I was coherent enough to drive home. I have to say, it was nice to have someone take care of me in my misery. Normally I have to putter through alone!

Rinley

I adopted a dog! Meet Rinley, my new man.

There is a new manager at my apartment complex and she is super nosey. I knew I would never be able to get my regular parade of gentle giants past her. In a panic over loosing the chance to have dogs in my life, I started searching for a smaller dog who would be more acceptable for the complex. Before you think I'm crazy for adopting a dog on the spur of the moment, well I've been thinking about it for the past year, just hadn't met the perfect dog. The recent difficulties just upped the urgency a bit.

Rinley was listed at 42 lbs (so not true, he weighed in at 57 today at the vet). I grilled his foster on his behavior and temperament and all that, got satisfactory answers and picked him up Sunday on the way home from the mountains.
While I am normally a floppy ear kind of girl, I just fell in love with Rin's 'wings.' I love how they can look so beautiful (below), or absolutely absurd (above).
He is slowly adjusting to life here with me. I think he is a bit overwhelmed by the chaos of the big city (if you come from a reservation and then a country home, Davis is a big town). I am being patient with him and coaxing him through the trials of the garbage truck, Davis bikers, and most especially, linoleum floors. He really really doesn't like those. After a few days of carrying him up to my 3rd floor office (he is definitely not 42 pounds!), I've finally got him willing to walk on it by day 4. He still really really doesn't like it though. This is him just begging me to get him out of here and away from the horrid floor.
So, I think it is going to be quite a lot of work bringing out his confidence and revealing the wonderful personality I'm already getting glimpses of. I do wonder what his bad habit is going to be... But isn't he the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? And such a sweety!

Karen's ashes

We went up in the mountains this weekend to spread some of Karen's ashes. It's a lovely spot, a few miles in the Pacific Crest Trail from highway 4.
As you might imagine, wonderful mountains and trees... and of course, family.
Keith and Larry had to return to work, but the rest of us gathered together for this difficult but important event.
Even the dogs! Above is Linda with her Chase, and below is Polly and Luke's new(ish) Harvey. That little guy may be a small dog in stature, but he totally acts like a big dog, fun pup. Tag is around somewhere.
Katie brought her Justin, he has been wonderfully supportive for her.
We even had some fun silly times. Here's Linda and Luke dancing up a storm.
Here's us girls taking a picture with Karen.
Part of Karen gets to stay here in this lovely place, with her brother Don and her Father. If you look, you can see where we spread her under the beautiful tree.
Linda made this memorial on the rocks overlooking the site.
I love my family because we deal with grief in such a... well I don't know what to call it, but we task like mad, laugh whenever we can, and do our best not to snipe. I'm so grateful and proud to be part of the Nelsen crowd. Wish the obvious, but still...
It is also way too cool that my 81 year old grandmother was hiking the PCT, and not just a few yards in. I think we hiked about 4 miles that day. Isn't she amazing? 81!
Silliness. Linda didn't listen to the warnings about disgusting floors in the potty, so she tossed her socks and Katie gave her a ride.
And here we all are, my wonderful family.
We miss you Karen!

Happy Thoughts

Some doggy updates, the happy part of my life right now.

Timmy is doing well in his new home, he has bonded very strongly with Dante as you can see. They renamed him Montana. Aren't they cute?

I got some pictures from the woman who adopted Chase, remember him? He loved swimming so much and I got the adorable pictures of him in the American river.

They just adopted a new kitten and I guess he has turned around and adopted Chase. He even tries to nurse! What a sport.
And finally, a new possibility. My new landlady is waaay too present in the apartment complex, she comes into the back section almost every day. Unlike the past 2 managers, I don't think I can sneak a giant lab past her. But I cant live without dogs in my life, especially when things are so difficult. The complex does actually allow dogs, just the smaller variety (the logic of that I will never understand. small barkers or big gentle quiet dogs... hmmm)

I found this guy on the internet (internet dating, for dogs...?) He only weighs 40 lbs, but man oh man is he adorable. I'm going to look at him this weekend. If we click, I very well may adopt this little guy, I was impressed by his 'credentials.' If not, I will just foster him till he gets adopted as well. I must admit, I am getting mighty sick of giving them up!

His name is Rin Tin Tin, but I don't like that name, so if I do keep him, and he isn't too terribly attached to it, I might have to change it.

Karen Gay Nelsen

Born September 5, 1956 Died September 1, 2008

The worlds most wonderful, cynical, giving,
painfully honest, wickedly funny, beautiful, adventurous, botanical, and darling aunt.

Her funeral was last Saturday, and as you can see below, rather difficult for many of us to take. But, if you can judge anybody by anything, I think a good measure might be their friends. The people who came for Karen, mourned for Karen, spoke for Karen... all were such amazing people that I can't help but think that that silly room glowed with all the goodness in it.

I played my flute before the ceremony, it was one of the hardest things I've every done. Don't know why I didn't expect this, but there you go. I cried so hard that every breath I took burbled. Makes playing an adventure I can tell you. (As a side note, I've now done 4 weddings and 3 funerals. Somebody I love really needs to get married soon, that is entirely to close for comfort!)
Karen's friend Gretchen put together these lovely posters of all our pictures

The water lily is a plant that Karen gave her friend Laurel, it hasn't bloomed in the 4ish years shes had it, but it bloomed Friday, Karen's 52nd birthday.
Karen had recently retaken up ballroom dancing. There must have been 20 of her fellow dancers lining the back wall.
This was a collection of all the momentos she had hanging around her house.
Karen had so very many friends, and from such an incredibly long stretch of time... Diana on the left is a friend from grade school. When her family moved to Oregon in the 8th grade, the girls kept in contact through letters, something that continued for close to 40 years. Diana told me that they hardly ever spoke on the phone, and once, when she called after the 1989 earthquake, Karen got mad at her and told her to get off the phone, a letter was coming.
The two women in the middle were part of her high school gang of 5, a wild bunch of girls that had amazing stories and adventures.
There was also a gang of college friends that went camping every year. They aren't at this table, but Ian is in the group shot later.
And on the right are Laurel and Gretchen, two amazing ladies who walked with Karen every Sunday morning for who knows how many years in Karen's home town of Napa California.

Here's the group of us after the service. Not everyone of course, but the crew who hauled. Ian and his wife Margaret are on the left. It really was a bit of a party, albeit sad as hell, and I was so grateful to meet all the wonderful people who loved Karen. Wish it had happened before etc, but... When I get over being mad at her for leaving us... I am going to be so sad for the world and its loss of this amazing lady.
One of the good things about the weekend is that the 4 cousins finally were all in the same room at the same time! I found this picture in Karen's stash. Now, it wasn't quite that long ago that we saw each other, but...
Look how we've grown! I love my family.