It is July 4, and the festivities are in full swing, both the official fireworks over in the city, the informal fireworks in Oakland, and earlier, more of the small-dog variety. It is tough to pick a favorite.
Actually, as I type, I can see the city of San Francisco's official fireworks from the bed. They are actually at about eye level for me out in Casa Del Rudayday. They are lovely, but having done fireworks downtown in SF several times, I don't feel compelled to go and see them up close, especially since I can now see them from my bed! (I just watched the finale. It was excellent, but I was too lazy to take the camera out to grab a shot of it for you - they do lovely work over there more often than not.
So far, the 4-day weekend is a bit more like snakes and snaps than m-80s and Silver Salutes. There has been a good amount of sit around the house time playing ball with the kids.
Pocket is a bit more a dog-like dog than Booms. She digs the playin'. She even loves playing fetch!
She has quickly also adopted Pt. Isabel as her favorite regular stop on our canine-pleasure circuit. It is Boom Boom's all-time fave haunt, and we have been pretty good about getting there a few times a week.
I think Pocky lives more a city dog life than Booms does anymore, though Booms got his start in about as Urban Jungle a hood at SF fields too. Spending enough time out in the big off-leash parks, the park trails, and country in general has done much to help Booms become a big time fan of gettin' out of town. I sense it in our visitor too.
Whereas Booms likes the smaller dog parks so he can walk around peeing, pooping, sniffing, and looking for humping victims. Pocky likes the running and playing.
Pocket started out very skittish at the parks, but within 2 or 3 visits, she has already done more playing with the doggies we meet than Boom Boom has done in 4 months of everyday visits.
As it turns out, the only dog Boomie plays with at all is Pocket herself, but he will only do it indoors - at least as far as I can tell. They played a lot at work back when we shared workspace with Pocky's mama, and it has picked up again in the house. It is great fun to watch.
Pocky herself is small, but Booms is very small, so she usually wins. He seems to want to deliver a definitive dry-humping-of-victory whereas she seems to settle things with her patented P.P.Bite. She is quick on the draw.
I must admit, I am surprised how long they can keep battle joined. Rarely is it done in passing, and it usually takes place over several rounds.
Often, after settling down, Pocket still wants to play, so she will side up to me with a toy or ball and see if I will have a go with her. I sometimes wish Boom Boom was more that way, but all the same, there is something for a pooch who gives up easy and likes sleeping. I appreciate these virtues in him more with time.
Anyway, today we went out to a few dog parks and chilled until we did some shopping and came home for a low key evening. We actually tried to go to a handful of awesome off-leash dog areas, but they WERE FULL! In Alameda County alone, Del Valle in Livermore, and the big place with the waterslides and offleash beach in Pleasanton BOTH had cops out in front closing it off from new cars joining - this before noon! I had a big day planned, but we didn't get out early enough. Thankfully, we already had a big day out this weekend (which I will get to writing up soon I hope), and will hope to have one tomorrow, today ended up a dud. Since yesterday was a big day, and they ended up draggin big-time, they probably needed the day off. They have now had it, and given how little they seem to like all the explosions outside, I suppose it is good for them that they got some sleep in early!
If it turns out I oversleep or we get out too late to get out to where we plan to go, it will be ok. I need to get some work done around the house, and I have now become fully instructed in what it takes to keep the kids happy at home. A skill I hope not to need too often, but every once in awhile, it ends up being a good call.