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Sir Charles

Nikita's number one playmate since we moved to Boston is Charlie, a one-year-old hound mix who lives a couple blocks away.  

I typically text his owner, Kate, mid-afternoon to see if they can meet us in a local fenced-in playground to run around.  It ends up working out at least a few times a week, which is good for all four of us, as N and Charlie get to exhaust themselves, and Kate and I get to wear out our pups without wearing out ourselves in the process.

Lots of running, lots of wrestling, lots of biting, and Kate and I get to just stand there and chit-chat.  w00t!

St. Patrick's Day

My aunt Judy sent me a ridiculously fun St. Patrick's Day care package, which included this pair of shamrock-shaped sunglasses.  Henrey and Melina next door had some fun with them, as did Nikita and I:

Weekend Warrior

Our friend Kevin's been spending a good number of weekends in Boston the last couple months and we've taken alot of fun day-trips around New England.  First up was gorgeous Newport, Rhode Island, where we took a several-mile stroll along the puppy-friendly Cliff Walk:

The next day, we went back to Rhode Island, to Wickford, Jamestown, and Newport again.  Below are shots from the Beavertail Park in Jamestown and just off of Ocean Drive in Newport:

Nikita seemed to get a big kick out of climbing around on the rocks, which may've reminded her of being out on the Point back when we lived in Chicago...

A couple weekends later, we drove up along the coast of Maine, stopping in Kittery to see Fort McCleary, from which the next two photos are taken:

We continued on, stopping in York to check out the Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick; in Ogunquit to have a fantastic lunch at MC Perkins Cove in the jumble of old fishermen's huts now housing a bunch of restaurants and shps; and Old Orchard Beach to let Nikita run around on (and dig in) the sand.  We also drove through Saco and  Kennebunkport, before ending the day in Portland, where we walked around for a couple hours admiring the architecture before heading back to Beantown.

The Vermonster in Action

Stowe had gotten two feet of fresh powder the day before we arrived, and puppy put it to very good use:

We developed an excellent system whereby N would helicopter-hop her way through the deep snow while I jogged, just a few feet away, on the cleared sidewalk or road.  Somehow I still ended up the more tired...

My Little Vermonster

Since puppy -- and, to be honest, dad and I -- had so much fun on our ski-trip to Maine, we decided to throw in a late-January/early-February one to Vermont as well, taking N with us again.  

This also provided dad with a nice break in between flying up here to pick up his car -- which he was kind enough to lend me for the month+ he was galavanting around Central America and the Caribbean -- and driving it home.  

So we had an evening in Beantown first:

Then it was off to Stowe, VT for a few days of skiing there and at nearby Sugarbush.  (We were at least equally-motivated by the excellent local food scene, looking forward to revisiting The Green Cup Cafe in Waitsfield, The Common Man in Warren, and Leunig's Bistro in Burlington, but anyway...)

I was able to find a decent hotel that also accepted dogs, and get a room with a balcony to boot.  This had the dual benefit of relieving me the worry of N chewing up the room while we were out skiing, and providing N the opportunity to hang out in the cold and snow observing the local goings-on, which included a family of deer: bonus!

We also took lots of early-morning and late-afternoon walks in the gorgeous countryside...  I've decided that Vermont and Oregon are my two favorite states. 

  
Despite the balcony's many delights, she did however occasionally actually seem to prefer hanging out with us:

The TT isn't exactly the ideal car for a giant pup, but N was good about making it work:

Grandpa and grandpuppy mercifully really love each other, or these vacations would be quite the bitch...

The North Shore

Taking advantage of having my dad's car for awhile, I took puppy on a late-January road-trip along Boston's North Shore -- a series of cute towns laid out on a convoluted shoreline about 45 minutes north of the city.

We stopped in Manchester-by-the-Sea, where N fixated on ducks and chewed on lobster traps; Magnolia, where we visited a bizarre, ocean-front, faux-Scottish castle; Gloucester, where we spent time at the dead fishermen's memorial reading (at least I did) about all the calamities that have befallen the men of that town and enjoying a nearby beach; and Rockport, where we admired the famous Motif #1 and hunted for mussels and Sauv Blanc for lunch.  (Well, the latter was, again, really just me.) 

Chicago Friends

In mid-January, my good friends Daragh, Sarah, and Matthias came to Boston for a long weekend, not having seen Nikita for many months.  

While S and M were able to assert their dominance and, correspondingly, get mad respect from puppy, D struggled markedly and instead got bossed around by N for four straight days: 

(He's covering his mouth here to prevent her from slipping him the tongue.  Again.)  N had a great time, as our routine each day was:

- long walk for her courtesy of me while these lazies slept in;

- extended play session with the three of us *not* in the shower at any given time over the next few hours; 

- trip to whatever restaurant we were having a late lunch/early dinner at that day (Papa Razzi, Aquitaine, Tremont 647, Bin 26 Enoteca), where she'd be tied outside to be adored by passers-by while we ate and drank at a window table with a view of puppy; 

- back home for more drinking (us) and dominating-of-Daragh (her). 

It's a Very. Tough. Life.

Home for the Holidays II

We had a great time at mom's for the period between Christmas and New Year's, taking long walks in the woods across from her house several times a day:

I learned that, at least given the sample we passed, a lower percentage of suburban dogs are friendly than their urban counterparts.  I suspect this is because the former are typically confined to backyards and therefore aren't as well-socialized as the latter, which tend to get their exercise from actual *walks* during which they regularly interact, and even play, with other dogs.

We also spent some time with Monika, a friend of my parents from the College Park days.  She came to our neck of the woods, and let N whisper sweet nothings in her ear: 

 
We also went to hers -- the Eastern Shore of Maryland, with North Beach pictured here:

"They tried to make me walk the plank..."

Home for the Holidays I

About a week before Christmas, puppy and I went to my mother's in Northern Virginia.  We *massively* lucked out with my mom's new neighbors.  An older couple -- kids grown and away -- moved in across the street with their incredibly sweet, year-and-a-half-old Border Collie Bruno.  They also have a fenced-in yard.  

Another pup + 25 meters away + huge enclosed space = triple-plus fantastic!  The two of them had a number of rollicking play-sessions.  

We also got a visit from our Chicago human friends Chris and Amy -- who got engaged just a couple of days after this photo was taken, yay! -- and canine friend Pumpkin.   

Mom, N and I all went down to my aunt Shelia's in Chesapeake, Virginia for a few days around Christmas proper.  Shelia, my cousin Chad, and their almost-15-year-old (!) Black Lab Rocky were incredibly gracious about opening up their home and yard to a crazy puppy.  Nikita repaid this kindness, of course, by digging up Shelia's yard, holes visible below:

I haven't been able to pick N up in many months, so she looks understandably stunned by what's going on here with Chad:

We also went down to the beach on Christmas Day, and N got alot of love from my cousin Jess and her husband Stuart.  (Puppy clearly puts out big-time on a first-date, slut.)

We then went back to mom's in Northern Virginia for another week of fun.

My Little Mainiac

Shortly before the holidays, not to mention dad's five-week jaunt to warmer climes, Dad and I took Nikita with us for a long ski weekend in Maine.  

Our hotel at Sunday River, pictured below, doesn't allow dogs, so we checked her into the Paws Inn in Bethel.  Propreitress Carolyn took excellent care of her, and I went over every afternoon to take her for a long, apres-ski walk.  

We found a bunch of "machining" (ie. snowmobiling) trails and peeked in windows of various shacks on nearby farms...

Anyone seen the movie "Fast Runner"?

Despite Nikita's having chewed up some of Carolyn's things, she's apparently (still) welcome back when dad and I go again for a full week in March.  Hopefully she won't terrorize Carolyn's poor dog Sam next time...