Olive Takes a Dip
I think I post a version of this photograph more than I probably should. We have had a ton of rain in the past few days, and Olive and I had a lovely wet walk in the woods this afternoon. But for some reason, the water, the leaves, and the dog make me feel quite happy and I wanted to share it.
Olive’s New Bowl
When Judy Berde and I were making arrangements for my talk on Roosevelt Island, I got an email from her asking if I had a dog. The question came out of nowhere, but I told her about Olive. When I finished my talk she presented me with a box with this amazing gift inside. Olive now has a new bowl, and she loves it! (Well, it has food in it and she is a Labrador; what’s not to like?) I think these bowls are for sale through the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, as well as mugs with the same text. Any of you who live in the metro New York area should think about joining the organization; Judy does a great job and the island has a really interesting history.
Olive is also now rocking a new Red Sox collar, which is a gift from my sister Karen. Thanks Sis.
New Page
I have just created a direct link to all of the suitcase posts for those of you who have very little interest in my dog, or the other bits of my life that I like to post here. If you look to the column on the right →, under “Pages” you will see a link to “All Willard Suitcase Posts”. I hope that it makes it easier for folks who are looking for all the suitcases in one place. I will still upload all suitcase stuff to this site.
We are in South Carolina for a bit and seeing tons of interesting wildlife. This bobcat was just hanging around on the deck yesterday.
And this little lizard was on one of the dining room chairs.
Olive has been swimming every day, and it doesn’t take much to get her to nap between dips.
Happy New Year’s everyone, thanks for following, and be well. Cheers, Jon
Olive’s 1st Anniversary
We brought the Olive home one year ago today as an adorable 8 week old puppy. Here she is in her first post.
We went up into the woods late this afternoon before the rains arrived.
It has been a fairly wet summer, but there isn’t much running water. She still manages to stop for a soak from time to time.
Here she is waiting patiently for Cris to throw a stick.
Action!
Summer Solstice
Yesterday was the longest day of the year, and there was a little event at the UMASS Sunwheel. We put the dog in the car and went down to see what was happening. It was a beautiful evening.
This has been the greenest summer I can remember in a long time, although that could relate to the fact that I was in California earlier this month, and the contrast is striking.
Olive’s First Birthday
Olive is one year old today.
There were three yellows in the litter, and one was a bit darker than the other two. Olive is one of the lighter ones, but we are not exactly sure which of the two Michele is holding is she. You can see her mom Rose looking on. I took the puppy photos with my phone when they were 2 days old. We love Olive so much. She is a great dog.
Big Stick and Chelle’s Kickstarter
When we are on our walks in the woods, Olive is in the habit of picking up a stick and dragging it back to the house. She dug this one out of the snow the other day. I was pretty sure she wouldn’t manage it, but to my amazement she succeeded. Without any exaggeration, I would have to say it was at least 12 feet long and quite heavy.
One of my suitcase backers from Australia, Chelle Destefano, has just put up a kickstarter appeal, and it looks interesting. I would encourage any of you who are interested in abandoned spaces to check it out here.
Olive at the Beach
Due to the wonderful generosity of my brother and sister-in-law, we are back at the beach in South Carolina. This is Olive’s first visit to the ocean.
She took to it like a champ. Full blast, right into the water and ran like the wind. Here she is during her first encounter with a horseshoe crab. Initially she was cautious, but after a minute she just barked at it until we lured her away with biscuits. She is really becoming a great dog.
First Snow with Olive
We had a lovely light snow today. Olive was a bit confused by it, but ultimately had fun running around.
Nor’easter Walk
There is a Nor’easter spinning around New England today. It is always a bit odd to have weather move in from the East. I have been spending a lot of time in front of the computer editing photographs and answering email, and thought the dog and I could use some time in the woods.
I have written before about these little plants that grow around here and, as usual, I can never remember what they are called. The recent rains have really brought them out.
Fantastic stick action for Olive.
In addition to the usual horse shit and acorns that she usually finds and eats, she also ate some of these mushrooms before I could stop her.
Anybody have any idea if they are poisonous? Or hallucinogenic? Let’s hope not. Ach, puppies.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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