We try to bring Jimbo hiking every weekend so he can run around freely off leash and so I have an excuse to shove sweaters on him to make him even cuter. He’s loving the fall brisk weather!

So me and Joy have been working on a really reeeaaallly long term film project, illustrating Jimbo’s love for his yellow ball (aka Jimbo’s pursuit of “happiness”/Jimbo’s Lullaby). But that won’t be complete for a while. Still, we got some awesome footage this past weekend of Jimbo at the beach. So we decided to make a trailer of the film. =)

Remy is a city dog, an apartment dog. But this Labor Day weekend, I took Remy to the mountains for his first time camping. Remy rode in the front seat on the way up to the 4WD trail head, where we met up with my friend Young and Terri. We jumped into their 4Runner and made the arduous and rocky ride up to the Chinn Lake; the 4WD road was rocky and narrow. Remy made some noises that hinted of him losing his lunch, but fortunately he hadn’t had lunch yet.

At the camp site, Remy started breathing heavily either out of sheer excitement, or perhaps because he’s never been at this altitude. His big meaty paws apprehensively touched the rocky soil. He surveyed the ground at each step as if he just landed on the moon. His ears perked up as a variety of birds and chipmunks filled the forest with an orchestra of songs that Remy has never heard before. “Where are we?” he thought.

Later that night, he crawled up into my lap by the campfire. It was getting chilly, and he wanted some body warmth. For the first time since he came out to Colorado, he got an opportunity to use his Wag Wear sweater. On top of that, I dressed him in his NorthFace jacket, which his aunts in New Jersey fashioned out of an old kid’s windbreaker. The night in the tent was a bit rough. It took Remy hours to find a comfortable spot, as he shifted every few minutes. I fell asleep before he did, but woke up early in the morning to find his face nestled against mine. We kept each other warm underneath the mummy sleeping bag.

We woke up a little after sunrise. Normally, Remy cannot help himself from marking every single tree during his morning pee-time. But Remy seemed overwhelmed by the number of trees, and just gave up after he ran out of ammo. It was nice walking with Remy without a leash; he loyally followed me through the forest as we trail-blazed looking for potty spots.

After breakfast we went for a walk around the lake, which I was worried would be too long of a walk for this altitude. But he made me proud and finished the hike at a good pace. Although admittedly he did take a few dips in the lake to cool off.

[View with PicLens]

12►

Remy loves taking naps almost as much as he loves his steak-inspired stuffed chew toy.

For those of you who haven’t seen my 365 day self-portraiture project, you may not know that Remy has been a recurring character in my portraits. Here is one from the last week. Remy exploits his cuteness to help us raise money for more photography equipment.

Rembrandt learns a new hobby! With the late-spring rains bringing cooler air with them, we open the windows. Another dog barks in the distance, attracting Remy to investigate. He props himself up at the window sill. Whenever he can, Remy now enjoys just scanning the street below for other dogs passing by or barking in the neighborhood.

[View with PicLens]

“Nothing can get me over the loss of Remy…NOTHING…but this artificial, moaning, zebra hind leg carcass might help…” I like to imagine that’s what plays through Jimbo’s mind as he gnaws on his new toy. While my sister and I slept in to recover from the long 14 hour drive back from Chicago, Jimbo had apparently gotten up early in a daze as if sensing some personal loss. Apparently (according to my mom) he’d gone from room to room, including the small bedroom where Remy had been sleeping for the past 3 months, in search of something…or rather someone? His search ended with him parked inside his crate, sulking the rest of the morning away while waiting for my sister or me to awaken and for the moment his bowl would touch the ground. At this point, only food can console his empty heart–I mean stomach. And maybe a distracting toy or two.

[View with PicLens]