Happy 4th Birthday Ace!

> Happy 4th Birthday Boy! You've gotten a little bigger since we got you!

Mountain Dog vacations at the Beach!

Who could have known that a dog who has grown up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, would be so at home at the beach? Here is Ace on our family vacation at Sunset Beach. The moment we arrived, this Golden Retriever ran right to the water and jumped in!

Little Red

Ace and I have found a dog. We have named the dog Little Red. The dog appears to be abandoned, and lives in the woods near a former school where we go to walk. The dog has been there the last 7-8 times we've gone there. Only recently has it let us get closer. Today we got close enough to see a collar. There seems to be a tag on it. We bring it bags of dried food and leave them in the woods along the trails it follows. I can't stand to think about it being cold at night. We'll make friends, if we have to go everyday, and we will find Little Red's owner. I have it on good authority.

The Adventure Box

 

I love this.  Ace never gets tired of "Loading Up!"

(Our term for going on a ride.)

 

 

Ace Conquers the Elk Knob State Park

 

Today, Ace and I made the 2 mile climb, up the snow covered rocky trail, to the top of Elk Knob State Park.  At 5520 feet above sea level, the views are panoramic and breathtaking.  Ace led the way, and could have easily hiked another 20 miles!

 

After the winter we've had, it did us both a lot of good to get out of the house, and help us both beat our cabin fever. 

 

(Above, this view is toward the north, and looks toward Mt. Rogers, Whitetop Mountain, and as far to the northeast as Pilot Mtn.   Below, to the south, you can see Grandfather Mtn, Sugar and Beech Mtn, and all the way to Mount Mitchell and Tennessee. 

 

 

(The photo below shows where our hike started, and where we were when we reached the peak.  What a blessing this was to stand atop this mountain, and experience God's glory with Ace.)

 

He claims that he can't read ....

 

... but I know he can.

 

Ace is MY Dog.

Ace and I have become best friends.  He watches me leave for work from the front door.  He waits for me to come home, and is excited when I arrive.  As I pull into the drive way, he pounds on the door, barking and wagging his tail. 

When I come in, he sticks right beside me.  If I move, he moves.  He watches and listens for instruction.  If I ask "Would you like to go for a ride?",  he bolts for the door and runs to the car.  When I open the door and say "Load up!" he leaps into the back seat.  If I ask "Want to go for a walk?", he heads for the door.  

The picture above was taken in a nearby park where we like to hike.  He is sitting on a rock in a stream, and I am sitting on a bench taking his picture on my cellphone.  Right after I snapped his photo, I began checking my email on the phone, and my attention was drawn to a work related message.  

Ace sat patiently, then stood up and walked over to me.  With one swat, he knocked the cellphone from my hand and onto the ground.  He stood their looking at me. I honestly think he was telling me that he'd been waiting all day, and this was his time with me.  I thought about it for a second and agreed, and I put the phone in my pocket.  

Ace is My dog, and he has chosen me to be his master.  That's quite an honor.  I plan to live up to it.