Day in the sun

When I got up this morning, there was this yellow stuff shining in the windows all over the walls. It was odd. I opened the venetian blinds, and there was the sun, (relatively) high in the sky and shining yellow, not orange nor pink. How fascinating!

After breakfast, we went skiing on the Tanana.

Happily prancing around:


A tree that had frozen in the river:


The wealthy homes lining the river (they face due south, for maximum sun exposure):


Happy leaping!


Linden running:


Autumn running:


Dan fell behind when he stopped to take off his jacket. So I stopped to wait for him to catch up. One of the girls' sweetest habits is that when I stop for any reason, they come to me unbidden and sit with me.

Linden sitting and waiting:


Autumn sitting and waiting:


"Here is my papa at last!"


How freakin' cute is this photo? I want to kiss that fuzz under her nose!


Autumn looking very sweet:


Linden testing out their new bed:


I don't think our girls belong in the "God, please help me be the kind of person my dog thinks I am" category of dog. They don't think I am any sort of exceptionally brilliant person in particular. They, like human family members, know that I am fallible and imperfect, and yet they love me all the same. They also don't obey my orders blindly, because they know that in some cases, they (Autumn in particular) know better than I do. When we are skijoring and faced with a choice between two paths, I would sometimes choose the more difficult or less sensible one, and they are conscientious objectors. Nowadays, when we have a choice between two ways to get home, and they know that we are going home, I don't say anything, and let them make the call. It's much better than stupidly mumbling, "Errr.... ge-haw?" (instead of "gee" for right or "haw" for left)!

I've always heard and read that a good dog should accept you as the benevolent dictator, and that huskies in particular need to show submission to their human masters. However, the relationship between the girls and me is not much like that. They only obey me when they understand the point. And yet... they are not difficult nor troublesome dogs at all. I find that their deep affection for me, backed up by their unusual intelligence, serves the same purpose as blind obedience in another dog. The only difference is that their actions stem from their own thinking and then drawing of conclusions, rather than a command from me!