Web Cam!

I'll start with Sunday. It was cold. Haha. Windy and cold. But it was a good day. It was my turn to drive the dogs. Not just be along for the ride. This time I drove and Mary rode. It was great. A little nerve racking for me, but Mary is a great teacher. The picture on the left of the page is the view from the four wheeler seat. (Rob fixed my picture transfer thingy. woo hoo!!) Rob rode along with Mark. They took a much longer run then Mary and I. They had the Varsity team, and are getting ready for races soon. Mary and I were back to camp much earlier than the boys. Even though it's cold, there is still a lot of water left from the rain all last week. So the dogs and all the equipment gets covered in ice and slush. When we got back from our run, we had to use wrenches to knock the ice off of the tug line clips and neck line clips. Once the dogs were all happily back in their houses, Mary and I changed the straw in the Varsity team houses. When the boys got back, we got water, did some other chores around the house, then did our dog chores.

During the week I had set up an web chat date with my brother. All day I was excited about it. As soon as dinner was over, I headed back to our cabin to set it up. IT WAS AWESOME! There is quite a delay, but being able to see my brothers face and hear his voice was pretty damn sweet. I talked to my brother for a few minutes, then called my parents. That was so fun. It was great to see and hear them too!! It's such a different experience than a phone call. I mean, they're right there!! Nate and I were having a pretty hilarious time with the delay. It puts a strange comical twist on the whole conversation. It was a great way to end the day! I'm hoping to talk to them every Sunday. We'll have to see. There is no real schedule around here. Just things that need to get done.

Today Rob and I drove the dogs together while Mark was behind or in front of us. I think it went well. It's been an adjustment for Rob and I to learn to work together in a different work environment. For the last few years we have worked so well together and have had the chance to get used to each others work habits. But things have played out a little different here. We're still learning who's good at what and what we can help each other with. And both of our egos can clash on occasion. I think today was good for us both. And as far as I know, we did an okay job with the dogs. As we learn how to run dogs, we are also learning the many trails to take them on. There are no road signs and almost everything looks the same. That might be the trickiest task. We had Hercules and Zena as our lead dogs today. I think we relied on Hercules to know the way, and it may have been too much of an expectation. He decided to take us on an additional mile and half before heading home. We have got to learn those trails!

After our run we took a little lunch break and then chopped some wood. The pile is getting smaller. Thank gawd! Haha. As it started to get dark, the moon started to rise. Tonight is going to be beautiful. The sky is completely clear, the moon is almost full and there are more stars than any of you city dwellers can imagine. The down side.... it's going to be freaking freezing tonight too. Haha. Talk to you all tomorrow. OH! I just heard that my dear friend Mary Ann has been reading the blog. She's all the way in Costa Rica!! Cool. The pictures from top to bottom are: P.J. and Foreman drinking after a run, Denali and Athena drinking after a run, and little Lilly and part of Murphy. Taking pictures of puppies is hard :), and Mark and Rob taking off for a run.