Sunny day at the dog park

I've been telling my brother and his girlfriend (newcomers to the Pacific Northwest) that just when you can't take another day of rain, the sun comes out and you're reminded how beautiful this corner of the country can be. You go out, and soak it up, and then you're ready to face another 3 months of gray skies and drizzle.

Sunday was that day. We woke up to dazzling sun and clear blue skies. I love that the mountains are more clear in the winter than in the summer, that you can see forever on these days. I swear the whole neighborhood was stepping out into the fresh air, blinking in the light as if we'd all been woken from a long sleep.

My family was no different. I talked the boys (including my husband) into skipping their Cub Scout meeting so we could take Beckett to the dog park. She's just six months old, so this would be her first dog park experience. After all those rainy days, Beckett needed to run as much as we did.

We ventured to Magnuson Park's off-leash area. I had no idea there was so much to it! There were big play areas covered with gravel, long paths, fenced areas just for small dogs, and best of all: a wide swath of lakefront for canine swimmers. Beckett thought she had died and gone to heaven. She kept looking up at me, as if to say "Really? I can run and play too?"

The boys were completely enamored as well. They were thrilled by all the different dogs, and kept pointing out their favorites. They were partial to the little ones - Yorkies, pugs (there were so many! who knew that pugs were so popular?) and a trio of beagles. I was interested in the way Beckett seemed to seek out other Golden Retrievers. Did she somehow know that they were related?

All in all it was an amazing day. By the time we got back to the car, Beckett was exhausted and filthy, as any happy dog ought to be on a sunny day. We couldn't coax her to jump into the car; instead she decided to lie down on pavement and take a little nap right there in the parking lot. A dog's life!