They bring me joy.

Everyday, when I look at them, my spirits are lifted.  No matter what my mood, they make my heart happy and bring a smile to my face.  Just as a lighthouse keeps ships from harm, and guides sailors home, my collies can shine a light through the darkness and I am comforted.

Our lives can be like the sea, sometimes the water is rough and turbulent, and sometimes all is calm and serene.  But no matter what trials we face, our dogs have this magical way of knowing what we need, and they can calm the wildest storm within us.  They provide companionship, and are always ready to accompany us on any adventure.

So when I am ready to explore new territory, and seek to find the beauty in the world around me, my dogs are the perfect guides.  They take nothing for granted, and are happy just to be invited along on the journey.  Their lives are so short, and they spend most of their time waiting for our return,  How can we not devote ourselves to returning a bit of the joy they bring into our lives?    

If you cannot see the wonder that surrounds you, just try to view the world through your dog's eyes.  Like a lighthouse, let them guide you through the darkness.

Today was "National Trails Day," did you get outside to take a hike with your best friend?  As you can see, we had a wonderful day.

Sepia Saturday - Collie style

 

 

Today we are joining Earl and Ruckus in their Blog hop, Sepia Saturday.

 













Travels with the collies...

What a fun weekend with the collies!  On Saturday we took the collies shopping, and they each received a lot of attention.  After the shopping trip, we took them to Lighthouse park, and we got a few really nice pictures.  Then on Saturday evening we visited with some of our friends, who also have collies, and we talked about upcoming shows.  Sunday we took the collies to the park, and unlike our trip on Wednesday, they didn't need baths after they played.  (On Wednesday it was so muddy at the park, we had to take all the collies to the kennel for baths!) 

After the park we took the collies on a hike in the woods, and ended up at the marina on the far side of the state park.  Since we needed some new pictures of Scarlett, she agreed to pose for us!  They had a great time, and were completely exhausted last night!

It was such a fun day, and even though it was cold both days, we all loved being outside most of the weekend!

The watcher

Ryder

Seeing beautiful...

We have recently been visiting a lot of parks here in New England.  During our hikes, we have been blessed with some truly beautiful scenery.  Today there is a blog hop called “Seeing Beautiful,” and we think it is a wonderful idea for a blog hop and for a post about the beauty we have discovered the last few months during our journeys.  The idea for the blog hop came from the Seeing Beautiful Blog, our friend Sugar, has joined them and has also been "Seeing Beautiful," and today is her one year anniversary, so stop by and check out their wonderful blogs.

 I want to begin with the first chance we were given to see beautiful in our lives.  We traveled about half across the country to the collie national show.  During our trip from New England to Wisconsin, we traveled through many states.  Because of this trip, we were able to visit parts of our country that we would have never seen during our lifetimes.   And when we reached the show site, we were able to see something both beautiful and historic.  The show was located on banks of the great Mississippi River!

Locally, we have been visiting our state parks.  During our adventures, we have been fortunate to see beauty on both large and small scales.

From waterfalls…

To covered bridges…

We have seen the beautiful panoramic views from a Stone tower on the top of a mountain…

We have discovered the beauty of an antique lighthouse…

As well as the beauty to be found sitting quietly by a lake or ocean…

We have seen beauty in the grace and elegance of yearling foals…

And we have even discovered the beauty that can be found in our very own yard…

But I still think one of the most beautiful things anyone can ever see, is the love that is visible in another’s eyes…



This Spring we have been fortunate enough to have our collies help us discover the beauty all around us, and we can’t wait to see what beautiful things they are going to show us this Summer!

Sunset at the Lighthouse

It's suppose to start raining tomorrow, and not stop until Monday.  Knowing the sunshine was going to be soon disappearing, I took Abby and Holly to Lighthouse Park last night after work.  It was their turn to go somewhere, so we went to this park, as it's only 10 minutes from our house.

Holly and Abby, enjoying the sunset

It was a lovely evening, and the water was calm.  We even found a statue, for the Parkday 2.0 Bingo game!