5 Whole Months on Planet Earth...

...And what a whirlwind it's been for our smallest little reindeer. Cooper's already a well-versed camper, hiker, mt. biker, fishermen and socialite. His favorite friends are Sam & Billy Goat. He loves the woods and the beach and mountain views. He also much prefers forest service roads to the highway and LOVES his puppy bed.

5-month-old wake-up call.

Cooper has a very good stay. He waits at the door after taking care of his morning business in the yard.

Coop is all in for a wrestling match!

Cooper was fixed on Monday & also had a half-grown dew claw removed. Healing like a champ!

Pigs 'n sticks.

The nuggets do the trick after working up an appetite!

Our little ding is bound for more adventures this Labor Day weekend—mt. biking, SKIING, friends & some Guitar Hero for good measure. :)

Lewis River/Bird Mountain Trip

A few weeks back, we packed up the bikes, kayak, camping gear and dog for a weekend trip to the Lewis River, which is located in the wilderness SE of Mt. St. Helens, about an hour NW of Hood River. We got one of the last available campsites at the Lower Falls Campground—just after the last of the pre-weekend rain.

Woodsy ding.

Cooper & I took a little walk along the Lewis River Trail and then scrambled down to the water to see the Lower Falls. He's a strong hiker! :)

The Lower Falls roar while Cooper plays fetch with a stick longer than he.

We did some unfruitful fishing & took a few bike rides along the trail. Cooper rode in my backpack and was super-cute. Everyone said, "HEY! Look at that puppy!" Coop loves the attention and loved the free ride.

Chillin' in style by the fire. MMMmmmmmmMMM. Warmmmmmmm.

Cooper likes to stay toasty near the fire so he can monitor who is cooking what. He ignores his nuggets all day in hopes of a hot dog. No dice, doggie!

Pretty Cultus Lake is still sporting snow!

Sunday turned out to be as beautiful as Saturday and we took the scenic route (forest roads) back to Hood River. Along the way, we stopped at Hand Shake Lake (very cool) and enjoyed some tree-framed views of Mt. St. Helens. We got some on-foot miles in when we stopped at Cultus Creek Campground and hiked around Bird Mountain. The trail and lakes were beautiful. Cooper was like a maniac in the snow—zooming around at high speed and running in crazy circles. He loved it. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were FIERCE. That'll put some pep in your step. Kinda sucked cuz we didn't get to enjoy our lunch or sit at the lake. Although for me, a day in the woods is great all the same.

Tom & Gary in the snow.

Fishin' for St. Helens.

The views of Mt. St. Helens on the return portion of the loop were awesome. So were the huckleberry smoothies in Trout Lake! Good time. :)

4-Month-Old-Ding

Cooper is getting bigger by the minute. He's so flippin' cute too. We can barely walk down the street.

Our little guard dog stands watch over our newly-planted lavender in the rock wall out front (then he drags mounds of moss all over the yard when I turn my back, damn little ding!).

Little Ding at 4-months-old.

Good times in the green grass with a little licker.

Handsome boy. He looks so studious. :)