Cedar's Big Adventure

Long time readers of this blog (if there are any left at this point! LOL!), will remember that we have a jetski and that the dogs like to ride along! So it was only natural that at some point, Cedar would learn all about it.

It has been a very rainy summer here in the Mid-Atlantic and that has kept the Potomac River near us deep enough to take the jetski out. Usually by July or even sooner, the water level has fallen too low and we can't take a chance on hitting rocks just under the surface. But not this year! So with some very hot weather this week, we decided it was TIME! We took Cedar by himself for the first time so we could focus on making him comfortable and safe. He is a bold little guy with most new things and this didn't scare him either! He took to his life vest just fine and rode the jetski with only a mild bit of caution. He sniffed the air that was blowing in his face across the water and reveled in new smells.

Of course I took a million photos, but alas with my cheap point/shoot water proof camera. It doesn't have the sharp focus of my good DSLR but I still got some photos I like!

Since Jimmy loves to swim A LOT, he missed out on a good day!  That's not fair, so the next day, we took Cedar and Jimmy! Wilson is just way too old at this point. I once again took a million photos, but didn't get much I liked. The boys had a good time playing in the water, happy to be active on a very hot day.

Follow-up to Yesterday's Post

I thought I would give a bit of a follow-up to yesterday's post showing Wilson on our jetski.....

Jackie  asked if the boys needed training to ride on the jetski, or just took to it. For Wilson it was pretty much a hop on and go experience. He LOVES to swim, and he quickly learned that the jetski means he will get to go swimming. I don't think he loves the ride so much as where it takes him. He does enjoy the wind in his face so when we get up to speed, he does tend to lean into the rushing air. We always hold on tightly to his vest once we get going. Both boys started as young dogs, going on short trips. I think Wilson being at ease with it first showed Jimmy it was no big deal. Plus there was no way Jimmy would miss out on anything fun that Wilson was doing! And have no worries, we are all about safety! The boys always wear vests and we only take them along on weekdays when the waterway is much less busy. That way the water is calmer with less wakes to dodge and bounce through.

In this photo, while we were moving through a "No Wake" zone, you can see how relaxed Wilson is about the whole thing. His head is resting on the edge of the jetski.

Our jetski is a big 3-seater, so Jimmy rides up top, in between John and me. His confidence level isn't quite as high as Wilson's so he prefers to sit in my lap. Once again, he's all suited up in a life vest, and I keep a good grip on him. Here's my view as we are riding along.....

Even though he doesn't like it quite as much as Wilson, he does relax into it as you can see here.....

When we get to where we are going, that is when they really wake up! We must hold on very tightly or they will dive overboard in order to get the real fun going!

I really wish I had a photo of all of us on board from an outsider's perspective. We must be quite the sight.  I know we get plenty of smiles and pointing from the other boaters.

And here are the boys, enjoying the fruits of their ride......

And, yep!, we even bring along a beach umbrella to be sure the boys have plenty of shade when they are ready for a break. It is amazing how much stuff you can bring along on the jetski!

Did I leave any questions unanswered? If so, leave them in the comments and I'll reply with the answer.......

Water Was Whizzing by Wilson's Whiskers on Wordless Wednesday

Waiting for His Man to Return from the Sea

A Follow-up to a Follow-up

So the other day I posted a follow-up to my Wordless Wednesday post. Well, now this is a follow-up to that follow-up!

I mentioned that I did not have any photos of what the the four of us look like riding on the jetski. Well, darn it, I still don't! But, I did carry my little water-proof camera while actually on-route to our outing this past weekend and do have a couple of more views to share.

Here's how it looks to me as I ride along......


Wilson.......Just like in a car, Wilson will try to stick his head way out into the air stream for the best smells. John keeps a firm grip on the vest handle at all times! Safety is always our top concern!

Jimmy.......He sits in front of me, with his butt in my lap. I've got my hand on his vest handle as well, although his spot is a bit more secure (and drier!). Jim gets the primo seating due to being a bit more timid about the whole jetski thing.

Arriving at our playground for the day.....We have to be extra careful as we reach our destination. Both boys are so EXCITED at the prospect of swimming, retrieving, and all around general mayhem, that they will dive off the jetski to get the fun started. You should hear the whining and yips that start to happen this close to shore.

On a warm early fall day, this  little strip of beach feels like just about anywhere BUT a few miles south of Washington, DC!

Anticipation, Anticipation

Those bright orange objects are doggy life preservers.

As a follow up to yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post, let me tell you a tale about a couple of dogs who love our jetski, a Yamaha Waverunner.

We've owned various jetskis for quite a while now. They fit in our garage nicely, are easy to tow, get you out on all sorts of water, and best of all, when we go to Myrtle Beach, the jetski gets us to beaches with very few people! If you don't have a watercraft of some sort, you just can't get there! We've even seen dolphins when we go out into the ocean!

Early on, when Wilson was just a young boy, we decided to see if he could ride along with us. He already loved to swim, had been canoeing, so going out on the jetski wasn't all that much of a stretch. Wilson had a life jacket for the canoe, so his safety was taken care of. We started out slow, going for a short ride on the Potomac River near our house. We stopped on an island for a bit and let Wilson swim, one of his very favorite activities! That was all it took! He put two and two together, and quickly realized a ride on the jetski meant swimming. Any trepidation he might have had evaporated just like that! The jetski soon became a source of great excitement! When Jimmy came along, he had Wilson's fearless example to follow, and soon learned the joy of getting out on the water, plus there was SWIMMING!

It has reached the point, when we start to gather the jetski stuff like a cooler, waterproof gadget bag, snacks, lifevests, etc.,  that the boys GLUE themselves to the door leading to the garage. They want to make very sure we won't forget to take them along. On the days we plan for all day dogless outings, it is very guilt inducing indeed to see the disappointment on their little faces as we squeeze out the door without them.

When John gets ready to launch the jetski at the boat ramp, he opens the hatchback on his SUV for a better view backing up. I walk down the ramp so I can catch the jetski as it floats free of the trailer. The photo at the top of this post is the sight you see every time we are doing this. Wilson excitedly supervises the activity, whining and hopping around in an effort to speed things up. If the angle had been right, and the front hatch of the jetski was closed, Jimmy's head would have been there as well. Here's another angle, you can see a Jimmy ear if you look closely.....

My only regret is that I do not have a picture of all four of us cruising along out on the water. Jimmy sits on the seat/my lap behind John, and Wilson rides in the left foot well which is perfectly corgi sized and shaped. John holds the handle on the back of his vest for security and off we go. The sight of us brings many smiles to the other boats we pass. It's not everyday you see a dog on a jetski, let alone TWO dogs!

Here's Jimmy, sporting his vest, shortly after landing on the empty beach......

And here's John, off to have much speedier fun without his crew......

I stay behind to enjoy the beach, play with the dogs, and eat all the snacks and drink all the beer!

And when it comes to snacks, watch out for those seagulls! Even on the quiet beaches, they aren't shy!

See y'all next time!

Occasionally......

....We have the nerve! to go to a beach without the boys. This beach is right on the South Carolina/North Carolina line. You need a boat to get to it, or take a very, very long walk from a NC beach town further north along the beach.....

Or, as someone did, ride a beach bike.....

It was old and weathered and very photogenic.

No people for miles around....Ahhhh!

So pretty and peaceful

The little rectangle in the water is our jetski.

I love Sea Oats.

Close-up!

Me playing King of the Hill, or in this case Sand Dune.

The beach was covered in Sand Dollars, but since most were broken I just call it Spare Change.

We brought some lunch along which ensured we had friends. Apparently gulls don't eat carrots or peppers. Click to enlarge.

On the ride home, we stopped for a beer at a restaurant on the InterCoastal Waterway. This is what we looked at.

What a view!

Best She-Crab Soup Ever!

Wilson's Watertoy Wordless Wednesday

Another Day on the Water

Jet Boys

Here's a scene you don't see to often, dogs riding on a jetski. Our boys happily ride along on our jetski, especially since they know it means it will be a day of swimming. This is the Potomac River, north of Washington, DC and Great Falls. This part of the river is wide and pretty shallow. It has lots of islands where we can beach the jetski and let the boys run wild. It is located close to home, so it's a convenient place to play in the water. The jetski is a big three-seater, so Jimmy rides in between us on the seat and Wilson prefers to ride in the footwell with his face pushed out into the wind. Of course, we are very careful, and hold on tightly to their vest handles, and drive slowly......

An easy swim with the vests still on......

Keeping their distance!