The Great Outdoors

Since we ended up having a pretty clear schedule on Saturday, Matthew decided to sleep in. I woke up early and got a few things done around my place while I waited for him to call. When he called, I was going to do some cleaning for my mom upstairs and he needed to get guitar stings asap since he was scheduled to play at church Sunday. So he went to get strings and got his guitar ready while I cleaned up and was surprised by a call from a dear friend. She and I chatted for quite some time, so when Matthew showed up, I wasn't quite done cleaning.
ANYWAY...
I was so happy when Matthew asked for sunscreen!!! We had talked about going for a walk with my dogs...I was so excited that it was really happening! We slopped on the sunscreen, packed up snacks and water for all and rounded up the pups in the car. And we were off!
At LU, the parking lot was crazy! But it is the only access I know to the LU conservation area, so we found parking at last and made our way up the trail. We quickly ventured cross country to avoid other people and dogs so that Paige and Jackson could be free of leashes and run around. They had so much fun!!! The first part of our trek was mostly rock tops. It was fun to watch them run up and down, as if they knew they were more agile then Matthew and I. From one of the highest points we saw LU Lake to the West and decided to make that our destination. As we headed down, we found a rugged bike path and followed that most of the way. Aside from hearing a group of people thru the trees at one point, we were basically on our own, and free from encountering other dogs. (My dogs LOVE to play with other dogs, I just didn't want them to startle anyone by running up to them full speed thru the bush). We made it to lakeside and when we couldn't find the spot I had in mind for snack break, Matthew found a nice patch of moss beside the water and the dogs crashed under a tree for shade. We snacked, talked and fed the dogs too. Everyone had lots of water! Jackson was in heaven with all the sticks lying around just waiting to be chewed!
We trekked south along the lakeshore, and Matthew mentioned that this hike was a great substitute for the camping we missed out on. He was totally right! It was so great to be outside, in the great outdoors, and best of all, the dogs were with us! I finally figured out where the rock cut was I had been looking for, so we headed there and Paige suddenly got a burst of energy and started 'blasting' around us in speedy circles with Jackson hot on her tail. I can't discribe the joy I feel when I watch them play like that! I was happy to have Matthew witness their crazy antics. We got to the water's edge and Jackson wadded in first...Paige followed shortly. Neither would swim, but we started tossing in some sticks, just off shore and they both fetched for a while...with Paige running into the bushes to roll on the ground after coming out of the water! She's so silly! Once we left the shoreline, the dogs were spunky from the water-play, so they were running thru the bushes more then before...it was so fun to see them having fun...to see them free to be dogs!
We headed south, still following a bit of a trail...it veered North, and brought us up and over the rocks and finally right into the parking lot at LU. What a wonderful way to spend the early afternoon!!! We all piled in the car, tired and happy, and headed home.
The rest of the day was lazy, and totally well deserved too! Matthew and I curled up to watch the first four episodes of LOST season 1. I have never watched this show, so it is totally new and I am HOOKED! We had supper while we watched and just had a lazy evening together.
What a day, definately one to remember!
Thank you for sharing in this experience with me, Matthew!