It took a really long time to get to camp, and I was hungry. When we got there, Mum went off in search of the Camp Director and she left me and Kendal cooped up in the van with Helen. When Laura came out to the van, she wanted Kendal to go with her to look for our Mum, but Kendal was too afraid so I went instead. There were lots of people at the camp today. Kendal was afraid of them, but I played with everybody and I chased a rabbit! I especially like the little people, because they feed me yummy stuff. Kendal didn't want all of her dinner, so I finished it for her. Laura wouldn't let me have her chewy though. Uncle Justinian took me and Kendal on a walk to explore the camp. Kendal was afraid to go down the hill. After dinner, I went swimming in a big pool with Elisabeth. - Ashton

It took us a long time to get to Summer Camp because the van got sick. Everyone was hot and tired when we finally arrived. Mummy went off in search of Laura. Then Laura came out and took Ashton to search for Mummy. I stayed in the van with Helen because I didn't want her to be lonely. When Laura and Mummy and Ashton came back, we all went into the camp. It is a really nice place, but there were children at the camp today and they were silly and made a lot of noise so I tried to stay away from them. When Laura put up my kennel, all of the children wanted to play in it. I let them because they weren't bugging me when they were in there. We went to see the pool after dinner, and Ashton was so hot that Laura pushed him in. He looked pretty funny. - Kendal

I was so excited last night I couldn't sleep. Plus, it was really hot in the house, and I wanted to be outside. Laura kept falling asleep though, and I had to wake her up to make her go outside. She was pretty grumpy about that. Finally, I went to visit Uncle J. who was working on his computer. He took me swimming and he let me help him clean the pool. After all that hard work, I was finally tired, so I had a nap on Laura's bed. In the afternoon the children were still here so I played with them. They shared their cookies with me, and Elisabeth gave me her toothbrush, but Laura took that away. After the Pennsicers left, Kendal wasn't so afraid and she played with me down by the Maypole. Laura found all kinds of interesting things on the grounds of the camp, but she hid them in a big metal can, and I haven't figured out how to get it open yet. I chased the white cat up a tree twice today! - Ashton

Ashton was a big pain last night. He kept waking everybody up. Finally, Uncle J. took him out to the pool enclosure, and Laura and I got to sleep. In the morning, Laura had to do some computer work. I sat with her, but Ashton fell asleep on Laura's pillow! (He is very cheeky.) In the afternoon, Ashton played with the children and he wandered around getting into trouble. I stayed with Laura and helped her do her work because I am a good dog. I was glad when all of the other people left and it was just me and Laura and Ashton at camp. The big people were scary and the little people were noisy and the baby smacked me in the head. That wasn't very nice. In the evening it was nice and cool and we all danced by the Maypole. We listened to music by Tannis Slimmon, the Wyrd Sisters, Erin Benjamin and Karen Savoca. After all of the other people left, Laura put a barrier across the doorway between the cats' half of the house and our half of the house. That's so that Ashton can't get into any more trouble! - Kendal

It's hard to get enough to eat now that the children have gone because Laura only feeds me dog food and she's cut off my access to the cats' kitchen. Kendal let me have her chewy this morning though. I've been patrolling the grounds, making sure there are no intruders. Kendal is afraid to come with me. She just follows Laura everywhere. The cats are hiding today, but our friends Mano and Rowan came down the hill to visit us. Laura wouldn't let me eat any of Rowan's french fries, but I did get to go swimming with her and I played fetch with Mano. First I fetched a fish for him but the second time it accidentally died. Then I fetched a plastic light sabre. The first time, Rowan beat me to it because it was the same colour as the water and I swam right past it! The second time I got it first! After swimming I was very tired. I had a nap while Laura went out to buy food. She says that if it stays cool enough she will make some special cookies! Kendal tricked Laura into letting her eat her dinner chewy in bed tonight. (She pretends to be so cute and innocent, that Kendal dog, but I know better!) - Ashton

Ashton slept for almost the whole night last night. Hooray! He has been wandering around the camp this morning, but I stayed close to Laura to protect her. I wanted to save my breakfast chewy to eat later today, but Ashton stole it. He stole it right out of my mouth! He is a very bad dog. There are three big steps in front of the door to get into and out of the house at Summer Camp, and I run up and down them all by myself! There are lots and lots of birds at Summer Camp, and I like to listen to them sing. I also like to listen to the music that Laura has. This morning we listened to Kiva. My favourite songs are the ones with cello. After lunch we danced to Susan Werner's new CD. I could only dance for some of the songs because I got tired but Laura danced for the whole CD. She says that I am out of shape. In the afternoon, we listened to Karen Savoca and at bed time we listened to the Wyrd Sisters. I saved my dinner chewy to have as a bedtime snack. That was very tricky because Ashton kept trying to steal it, but I kept it away from him. The hardest part was when I wanted to get a drink of water. I had to put the chewy down to drink, but I kept my body between Ashton and my chewy and he didn't get it. Wasn't that smart? - Kendal

I was so tired from all of that good swimming yesterday that I slept for ten whole hours last night! Laura was working on the Outer Rim today, so I got to lie around in bed for most of the day. I did chase the white cat again though. One day I'm gonna get that cat! After dinner, we all went out to the pool. I fetched the light sabre lots and lots of times for Laura. She said I was a very strong swimmer. Even Kendal came in the pool, but she didn't stay in for very long. I tried to swim with Laura when she was swimming lengths, but I couldn't keep up. (Laura has longer arms and legs than me so she doesn't need to work as hard to get across the pool. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!) After swimming, Kendal and I went to explore the valley. We ran around and around the church of St. Timothy which Helga is building. (There's not much there yet, but I heard that there's going to be Timbits inside of it one day.) While Laura was baking cookies, we patrolled the camp grounds to keep out intruders. Laura made us special cookies, and I got to have one because I am such a good swimmer. - Ashton

Ashton didn't wake us up once last night! Finally I get my beauty sleep. We listened to lots of music today, 'cause Laura was working on the Outer Rim and cooking and she says you have to have good music to cook by or the food won't taste right. We listened to the Wyrd Sisters, Kiva, Erin Benjamin, Tannis Slimmon, Karen Savoca, Anne Lindsay, Darlene and Kiva again. (Laura has to practice, 'cause there's a Kiva concert in Toronto in two weeks. I don't mind, 'cause I really like the cello songs.) Laura was so busy, I got to spend most of the day in bed. She made me get up and dance for one of Tannis' songs though. Even Ashton danced. Laura is always dancing. After dinner we all went swimming. I jumped in all by myself and I swam out to Laura and back to the edge again all by myself. Laura had to help me get out, but she helps Ashton too, and he's bigger than me. Laura said I was very brave. After swimming I went to explore the valley all by myself. (Well, Ashton came too, but I would have gone by myself. It was my idea. Ashton just followed me.) Later, while Laura was cooking, I went outside to patrol. (Ashton's going to say that he came with me, but he mostly sat in the kitchen watching Laura. I went all by myself and was almost done by the time he came out!) When I was finished patrolling, the cookies were ready, and I got to have one for being so brave. Laura said she was proud of me. - Kendal

My friend Mano came down the hill this morning to clean the pool. I tried to help him, but we couldn't figure out how to make the pump suck hard enough to make the vacuum work. Laura went into the office to search for instructions from Uncle J. and she found them, but they didn't say anything about the suction being too weak. Hopefully he will write home with better instructions. Laura was going to take us into town today, but Kendal was afraid to go, so I stayed at camp too to keep her company. I chased the white cat two times today and I tried to make friends with the calico cat, but the calico cat was frightened, and Laura took her inside. It was too cold to go swimming today, but that meant is was great weather for playing outside. I chased Kendal through the valley and around the camp fire circle and the Maypole. I rolled in the grass on the dancing lawn. That felt really good. In the evening, Kendal and I helped Laura to take out the garbage. The garbage truck doesn't come all of the way to camp, so we had to take the garbage in a big wheelbarrow down the road to the neighbour's house. We got letters from home today. My folks said they are happy I am doing so much swimming, and my Mum said she might take me to a special pool so I can keep swimming once I get home. - Ashton

There were letters from my Mummy and Daddy in the mail bag today. They said they were very proud of me for jumping in the pool. Laura went into town today and she was going to take me and Ashton with her, but I thought that someone should stay behind to guard the camp, so Ashton and I did that. In the evening when Laura walked down the street with the garbage, however, Ashton followed her. I was concerned about leaving the camp unattended, but my Daddy said to make sure that Ashton behaves himself (a tall order, 'cause Ashton is a big dog and he's pretty naughty sometimes). How could I keep Ashton in line if I didn't go with him, so I ran all the way to the garbage drop off point and then I ran all the way back to camp. Ashton ran with me and he stayed out of trouble, and no one broke into the camp while we were gone, so it was all okay. Today we listened to the Wyrd Sisters and to my favourite Cate Friesen CD, Wayward. (Laura says that my favourite song on Cate's CD doesn't have any cello. It's an acoustic bass, Laura says. What do I know about that? I'm a puppy dog, not a musician. I just know what sounds pretty.) Ashton and I chased the white cat twice today and, the second time, I almost caught him. We also saw two bunny rabbits. Laura was the first to spot the first one, and it was almost disappearing into the bush before I saw it, but I saw the second one first and I chased it all the way across the back lawn. At twilight, the faeries came out to dance in the valley and in the maze. I had a fun time dancing with them. - Kendal

Laura had to do lots of work today, so I got to lay around in bed. That was pretty sweet. The only trouble is, Laura likes to listen to music when she is working and sometimes she gets up to dance and she dances on the bed! How am I supposed to sleep through that? Our friends Mano and Alex and Rowan came down to visit us today. Mano and Laura figured out how to clean the pool, but Mano said it still wasn't cleaning as good as last year. It was too cold to go swimming again last night. (It was so cold, Laura even put shoes and SOCKS on to go out for our evening play time!) The water is pretty warm though, 'cause Laura puts Uncle J's solar heater on every day. She said maybe today we could go swimming a little earlier so it wouldn't be so cold. In the evening, we went for a walk all over the camp grounds and through the maze. Kendal is going to say she led the way through the maze, but I wasn't just following her. I found my own path. - Ashton

Today we listened to Kiva and Tannis Slimmon while Laura was working. Ashton and I were resting, and Laura said we at least had to get up and dance for the dancing song on Tannis' CD. Then she got up and started dancing right away on the very first song! I like to dance and all, but sometimes it's tiring trying to keep up with Laura. I ran all around the camp today. Across the dancing lawn, back across the dancing lawn, past the swing and the pell, down into the small valley, across the road into the big valley, around the partially built shrine to St. Timothy of Horton, along the secret tresspassers' path (they think it's a secret, but we know all about it and direct them that way on purpose so they don't bug us!), past the pool and the little house and the barn, through the maze (I'm very good at navigating the maze), past the campfire circle and across the dancing lawn again. I like to scoot in the grass in the valley and on the dancing lawn. I'm not sure which place I like best for scooting yet, so I test both everyday. The grass is soft on my tummy. - Kendal

Laura had to work again today, so I got to rest lots, but we did go swimming before dinner just like Laura promised. The water was a little bit cold, but Laura went in so I had to go in too. Kendal stayed on the deck though. I guess she is even more of a wus than Laura about cold water. I fetched the light sabre a few times for Laura, then she got out of the water 'cause she was cold, so I got out too. After dinner we went for our walk all around the camp grounds. There are lots of interesting things to sniff in this place. - Ashton

Today we listened to Kiva, Tannis Slimmon, the Wyrd Sisters and Susan Werner and I sat with Laura on her bed to help her do her work. Laura and Ashton went swimming in the afternoon, but I thought the water was a little bit cold. Besides, somebody has to be the lifeguard, right? It got pretty cold in the evening again. Too cold for the faeries to come out and play. Ashton and I had fun running around the camp though. - Kendal

Today was the most fun day at camp so far. Our friends Willow and Luty came down the hill to play with us! Willow is a really fun dog. I showed her all of the interesting places all over the camp. We went exploring together behind the pool and we chased each other all around. Willow doesn't even swerve to avoid bushes and stuff. She just runs right through everything! Willow and I went swimming. Laura and Luty threw the light sabre for us, but they didn't come in the pool. Neither did Kendal. I let Willow get to the light sabre first 'cause I thought I should be a good host and not win all of the time. Willow is a really good swimmer, like me, and she can even get out of the pool without help! She's pretty skinny, and she just jumps right out of the water, almost like she's flying! Sometimes Willow can be kind of cheeky. She went into my kennel and stole my bone! Then she ran off with it and hid it! I got it back though. I was tired out by the time Willow and Luty left to go home. Luty said that maybe Willow can come down and visit us again sometime. - Ashton

We listened to lots of music today because Laura had a lot of work to do. We listened to Susan Werner, Erin Benjamin, Karen Savoca, Kiva, Tannis Slimmon, Anne Lindsay and the Wyrd Sisters. Ashton and I mostly get to rest while Laura is working, but today Laura decided that Anne's CD was dancing music. I was let off the hook for one song on the CD though, 'cause Ashton decided to dance with Laura. After Laura was done work, our friends Luty and Willow came to visit us. Willow is a pretty wild and crazy dog. I had fun running around with her and Ashton, but I stayed out of their way when they went swimming because they were being pretty rough and running around the pool deck and I didn't want them to push me in the water. Luty is a lot calmer than her dog. When Willow and Ashton were wrestling, I sat on the steps with Laura and Luty, and Luty stroked my ears. I think she likes me. After we all hung out by the house for a while, we went for a walk around the camp, and I showed Luty and Willow the maze. They were pretty impressed by that. We found a ground hog hole in the maze, and Willow and I sniffed it pretty hard, but no ground hogs came out. We did see a rabbit though. Willow tried to chase it right into the bush. I could have told her she would never catch it once it got in there! When it was time for Luty and Willow to go home, Ashton and Laura and I walked them to the gate. After they left, Ashton hung back by the gate to watch them head up the street. He missed seeing the calico cat back up by the house. I saw her though and I chased her into the barn. I hope that Luty and Willow can come and visit us again. - Kendal

Today I had a lazy day, lying around and snoozing. I was tired out from all of that playing with Willow last night! Laura had a lot of work to do, and then she had to go out to buy food for a party we are having tomorrow, so she let me rest for most of the day, but she woke me up at 8:30 in the morning! Said it was time to get up and at it. Hmph! Just because she had work doesn't mean I couldn't have lain in a bit longer. - Ashton

Lots of music today because Laura was working very hard. We listened to the Wyrd Sisters, Katherine Wheatley, Susan Crowe, Anne Lindsay, Erin Benjamin, Tannis Slimmon and Kiva. Ashton mostly slept while Laura was working, but I stayed awake to help Laura. I ate all the insects that came buzzing near where Laura was working so that they couldn't bother her. I am a good bug-catcher! - Kendal

Today we had a big party called the "I'm Glad I'm Not at Pennsic Party". We hosted the party, and lots of people came. Most of the people brought food! First Shaun and Cissy and Sylvan came. Shaun gave me some hamburger buns, but Laura took them away. Then Sylvan gave me a peach. That was very yummy. Loretta was the next to arrive at the party, but she didn't bring any food, so I left her at the campfire with Laura and Kendal and I went swimming with Shaun and Cissy and Sylvan. I liked playing with Sylvan because he let me lick his face and he petted me and gave me big hugs. Shaun gave me a big hug too, so I gave him a big wet kiss. After swimming, Beryl arrived at the party. She brought marshmallows, and I almost got some, but Laura snatched them away from me. (I don't know why Laura is so greedy. She'd already had lots to eat!) When Laura served the desserts, she didn't offer me any, but Cissy was kind enough to let me lick her bowl when she was done with it. Then Heather and Matt arrived at the party. Heather brought vegetables, but she gave them to Laura, not to me. (I guess I need to work on training some of these humans better.) When we were all sitting around the campfire, there was a very noisy dog over by the paint factory. I kept barking at him to shut up, but everytime I barked, the other dog barked back. He didn't come near our campfire though, so I think I had him pretty well scared. - Ashton

We had a big party this evening, so we spent most of the day getting ready for it. That was hard work, because when Laura cooks she listens to music and when she listens to music she dances. I had to do a lot of dancing to help her but I like to be helpful and I like to dance too, so that's okay. First we listened to Kiva, then to the Wyrd Sisters. (Laura says that you cannot make a cheesecake without Wyrd Sisters music or it won't taste right.) Then we listened to Darlene, Tannis, more Wyrd Sisters and Susan Werner. Finally all of the food was ready, and we went outside to start the fire. I helped with the fire by searching out some good pieces of wood from the wood pile and dragging them to the fire pit for Laura. Some were too big, so I got them ready for the fire by gnawing them down a little. The party was a little bit scary because lots of people came and some of them were pretty big, and I couldn't see what everyone was doing very well in the dark. I tried to be brave though, and I stayed close to Laura and to Loretta. Loretta stroked my ears and she told us all stories about her trip to Mexico. Ashton was pretty funny because he barked at something which he heard in the bush, and his bark echoed back off the wall of the paint factory. Ashton thought that was another dog so he barked back. He kept trying to scare off his own echo! Isn't that silly? - Kendal

Today was another fun and busy day. I was barely recovered from the party last night when our friend Willow came down the hill to visit us again. Laura and I were swimming, and Willow jumped in the pool with us. Willow cried when her mom Luty had to leave to go to work. She climbed under the fence of the pool enclosure and ran to the gate after Luty. When Laura let me out of the pool enclosure, I ran after Willow. I told her it would be okay. Luty would come back soon and, in the meantime, Willow could play with me and Kendal. Willow decided that would be okay, and we ran around in the valley. Then Laura took us swimming again. That Willow sure is a good swimmer. We swam and swam until we were both so tired we couldn't swim one more stroke. I didn't let Laura help me out of the pool either. Willow gets out all by herself, so I had to show her I could do that too. Laura says I am getting strong from all of this swimming. After swimming, we ran around and we played in the maze. Willow stole my bone again, but I got it back. Then our friends Mano and Rowan came to visit us. Willow went swimming with Rowan, but I was still too tired to go back in. (Willow is a lot younger than me.) Then Luty came back to take Willow home. They rode up the hill in a big fancy car, and Rowan went with them. I stayed back to help Mano clean the pool. Luty said maybe she and Willow would come and visit us again. I hope so. After everyone else left, Mano found a garter snake slithering down the stairs into the basement. Laura had to pick it up and take it back outside for him, because Mano was afraid to touch it. I wasn't afraid, but Laura wouldn't let me touch it. It was a pretty small snake, and I guess she didn't trust me to be careful enough with it. I just wanted to sniff it and maybe lick it and see what flavour a snake has. When Laura was making her dinner, there was a nasty screaming noise in the dining room. It went on and on for a long time and it was very scary, so I hid on Laura's pillow. I don't know what made that noise, but I hope it won't happen again, because it hurt my ears. - Ashton

This morning we went down to the campfire circle to make sure we had cleared everything up from the party. There wasn't anything left there though. We all did a good job of cleaning up last night. After we checked the campfire pit, we went to check the pool. Laura turned on the solar heater, and Laura and Ashton went swimming. Then our friends Luty and Willow came to visit us. Luty couldn't stay because she had to go to work, but Willow stayed to play with us. Willow and Ashton did lots of swimming. I stayed on the deck to help Laura lifeguard, 'cause Willow and Ashton are pretty crazy in the pool. They do naughty things like running on the deck, so I thought I'd better help Laura watch them. That Willow tired Ashton right out, then she wanted to play in the maze. Ashton was so tired from swimming, he couldn't run fast enough to keep up with Willow, but I showed her how to get around in the maze. Then we were all tired and we went in the house to have a rest. That cheeky Willow wanted to lie down on our bed, but I told her no. I let her drink from Ashton's and my water bowl, and I let her play with my toys and go in my kennel, I even let her sit in Laura's lap, but I had to draw the line somewhere. The bed is only for me and Laura and Ashton. No other dogs are allowed there. Later in the afternoon, Mano and Rowan came to visit us. Willow went swimming with Rowan, but Ashton was too tired, and I wanted to keep Laura company. Then Luty came back to take Willow home. I mostly like Willow. I like her to visit us and I like to play with her, but she stole my bone today and she hid it and wouldn't bring it back. I don't think that was very nice. We spent so much time playing outside today that we didn't get to listen to very much music. We listened to Kiva while Laura was making dinner though. Then the smoke alarm went off. Laura says it is too sensitive. Nothing was burning, it was just starting to smell good, but that stupid alarm started ringing. It was very loud and we couldn't turn it off 'cause it's hard-wired into the house electricity. Ashton was so scared, he curled up on Laura's pillow. I don't know why he thinks the pillow will save him from a smoke alarm, but that's Ashton for you. - Kendal

I hadn't seen the white cat in a couple of days. Laura thinks that both cats have been hiding out in the barn. I saw the white one this morning though. I chased him all the way across the back lawn and into the maze. That white cat is lazy, but he sure can move when I'm on his tail! Laura's guest pillows are getting kind of gamey 'cause she hasn't washed any of the drool or hairs off them, and she's taken to hiding the one which she uses, so today I had to rest with my head on Laura's knee. (Why should that Kendal dog get to be the only sucky baby anyway, just because she's smaller?) It's a good thing that I rested all day, 'cause our friends Willow and Luty and Rowan all came to visit us tonight. We all went swimming except for Laura and Kendal who thought the water was too cold. After swimming, Willow and I ran around, and I rolled and rolled in the grass. I gave my back and shoulders a good massage and it felt really good. When our friends had to go home, we all walked them down to the gate. I wanted to walk them up the hill to make sure they all got home safely, but Laura said no. She said they would be okay, and she wanted to make her dinner. I was tired from playing with Willow and tried to have a nap after they left, but Kendal decided to get saucy and kept climbing on top of me. What does a guy have to do to get some peace around here? Laura didn't have any simpathy for me either. She laughed and said it served me right. Hmph! (We'll just see how she likes it when she's old and tired and all of those young people who she hangs around with want her to keep dancing!) - Ashton

Luty and Willow came back to visit us today, and they brought Rowan with them. I really like Rowan. She is my best friend that I've made at summer camp so far. Rowan is small like me and she likes to sit beside me calmly and she doesn't do silly things like flailing around and screaming like some people do. I think that Rowan likes me too. When Ashton and Willow were running around, Rowan sat with me and she stroked my ears. I really liked that. Rowan also made up a nickname for me. She calls me "Kandy." I'm her Kandy dog. I like to be friends with Rowan. I like being friends with Luty too, and I even decided to stay friends with Willow because she gave my bone back to me today. We listened to lots of music today while Laura was working and, after our visitors went home, when Laura was cooking. We listened to Erin Benjamin, Anne Lindsay, Karen Savoca, Tannis Slimmon, Susan Werner, Darlene and Kiva. Laura danced to the Darlene and Kiva CDs of course, because that was when she was cooking, but she let Ashton and me rest on the bed. (Playing with Willow is a lot of hard work sometimes.) I got my second wind later in the evening. Laura was still cooking, so I played with Ashton. Sometimes I let him be top dog to lull him into a false sense of security, but tonight it was my turn to be top dog. I stayed on top for the whole game 'cause I'm pretty good at that, even if I am smaller. - Kendal

This morning Laura put the Kiva CD on first thing and I had lots of energy and got up to dance with her, even before Kendal did. (I don't want any of you to think that it's just Kendal who dances. I dance too. I just like to choose my times.) In the afternoon, our friends Mano, Alex, Rowan and Lili all came down the hill to visit us. Rowan was swimming, but I decided to stay on the deck and visit with everyone else. I found Rowan's bathing suit sitting on the deck and I was going to keep it safe for her, but Laura wouldn't let me. In the evening, Laura and I went swimming. I fetched the light sabre lots of times. Laura tried to race me for it once, but I beat her. I don't even ask for help getting out of the pool anymore. I'm getting very good at that. The white cat was crying outside our kitchen window at bedtime. Laura went out to see what it was making all the fuss about, but I didn't care about that. The white cat is easy to see in the dark. I chased it all the way past the pool and into the bush. It wasn't crying outside our window anymore after that! - Ashton

Today we danced to Kiva, the Wyrd Sisters, Tannis Slimmon, Karen Savoca and the Wyrd Sisters again. I am doing lots of dancing at summer camp. Even Ashton danced to some of Kiva's songs today. In the afternoon, my friend Rowan and her family came to visit us. Rowan's sister Lili even came. (Lili is my friend who I met last summer when she was visiting us in Milton.) I tried to say hi to Rowan and to Lili, but there were a lot of people on the deck. Ashton was being pushy and getting in my way (he even tried to eat Rowan's bathing suit!), and I still think Mano is kind of scary 'cause he is tall and he's always carrying a big pole around the pool. I managed to go in the pool for a quick dip with Rowan though. I even got out all by myself. (Can't let Ashton and Willow think they are the only dogs who can do that.) After Rowan and her family left, I saw a bunny rabbit and I chased it all the way across the back lawn. Ashton didn't even see it, so I got to play with the bunny all by myself. Chasing rabbits is fun! By evening time, the weather was just perfect at camp. Not too hot or too cold. Laura and Ashton and I sat outside and we looked at the stars and the trees and it was beautiful. - Kendal

Our friend Loretta came to visit us today, but she didn't bring any food. Then Laura brought pizza down from up the hill. She shared it with Loretta but not with me. When Laura wasn't looking, I tried to be really cute so that Loretta would feel sorry for me and share her pizza with me, but it didn't work. That Loretta is a tough nut to crack. It started to rain while Loretta was visiting us. It rained really hard. That sounded loud on the tin roof of the porch. Plus there was thunder. That was kind of scary. Laura wasn't scared though. She ran right outside into the rain and she started dancing. I thought she was crazy. Then Kendal ran outside too and she danced with Laura. I waited in the doorway for them, but they weren't coming in. They seemed determined to stay outside in the rain, so I decided to go outside and join them. (I had to make sure they were safe out there. Plus, what they were doing looked kind of fun.) It turns out that rain dancing was fun, but the best part was that, after it stopped raining, Laura finally fed us our dinner! The rain made everything smell good so, after I finished my dinner, I went for a walk around the camp to see how everything smelled when it was wet. Then I had a nap on Laura's pillow. - Ashton

Today it finally rained. It rained and it rained and Laura and I danced all over the camp. We danced all across the back lawn and behind the barn and past the fire pit and around the maypole and the blood beech and the tulip tree. My favourite rain dance of all is the roly-poly rain dance. (That's the one where you roll around, rubbing your head and shoulders in the grass, but you keep your bum up high in the air so your human will scratch it for you. It's good to do when you're dry too, but dancing is always more fun in the rain.) The other thing I really like to do in the rain is run across the grass as fast as I can. After it finished raining, Laura had to get changed out of her wet clothes. I didn't want her to feel bad about having to be dry before me and Ashton, so I rubbed my wet back all over her skirt for her until she was just as wet as me again. I don't mind sharing stuff with Laura 'cause she is my good friend. Our friend Loretta came to visit us today, and I tried to remember not to be afraid of her, but even nice people can be a lot taller than me when they're standing up, and that can be scary. I decided to stay in the bedroom and protect our bed while Loretta was here, just to be safe. When we were outside rain dancing this afternoon, we danced to the music of the rain itself, but when we were inside, we danced to music by Anne Lindsay and Kiva. - Kendal

We finally got to listen to some cool guy music today. We listened to Wendell Ferguson. He is really funny. I paid special attention to the cowboy songs. Then I got to thinking, maybe I should call Wendell up, 'cause I'd be a good cowdog. Then we listened to Moxy Früvous, and I thought I should call them up because I have lots of moxy. Maybe I could be a cowdog in a band. That would be cool. Kendal actually caught the white cat today but then she couldn't figure out what to do with him so she let him get away. - Ashton

I won the chase the white cat game today! I saw him streaking across the driveway, so I ran as fast as I could and I caught him! Then we played roly-poly together and the white cat ran off again. Ashton tried to chase him then, but he didn't catch him. Only I caught him. Ashton was scared when Laura was cooking tonight. He hid on her pillow he was so scared. I stayed beside him to protect him. We listened to lots and lots of music today: Kiva, Tannis, Erin, Wendell Ferguson, Moxy Früvous, Kinnie Starr, Katherine, Susan C., Cate and the Wyrds. When we were out on our walkabout this evening, I saw a trespasser at the gate. Don't worry though. I scared him off. No trespassers are cutting through Doggie Summer Camp when I'm on patrol! - Kendal

Today was kind of a boring day. There was trouble at work so Laura had to spend a lot of time at her office and I had to stay at the camp. I kind of didn't mind, because summer camp has been really hard work and I needed the rest. Plus, Kendal and I are being good guard dogs and keeping the camp safe from intruders. It was kind of a drag when Laura came home and still couldn't play with us 'cause she was still dealing with the work problem though. Eventually, Laura was done all the work she could do for the day, so she took me swimming. No one else would come in the pool with me (Laura says the water is getting too green for her) but I did some good swimming and Laura threw the light sabre for me. I get out of the pool by myself all of the time now because I am getting very strong and good at that. After swimming our friend Loretta came to visit us. She and Laura had cheesecake, but they wouldn't share any with me. I even tried eating some flowers right in front of Loretta so she would think I was starving and relent and share her cheesecake, but it didn't work. I've tried all of my tricks with Loretta and I'm at a loss. She just won't share. What's up with that? After Loretta left, Laura took some food out to the barn for the cats. I think she felt sorry for that white cat, 'cause he was looking a bit tired to have let Kendal catch him yesterday. Of course, Laura shoved the cats' food way inside the barn so I couldn't reach it. Hmph! I had a nice sleep on the pillows this evening. I've been thinking all of these pillows are quite alright. I'm going to have to get some for my own bed at home. - Ashton

A bad thing happened at Laura's work today, and Ashton and I had to be very good and quiet all day so that Laura could make things better. I don't think she was very successful, because she wasn't very happy when she was done. She invited Loretta down to visit and they got out the cheesecake and the chocolate raspberry cream liquor. I sat really close to Laura and I let her stroke my ears so she would feel better. Ashton had to go in his kennel while Loretta was here because he was naughty and kept eating bad things, but I was a good girl and sat with Laura and was only a little bit afraid of Loretta. (I know Loretta is our friend, but sometimes people are very tall and that is scary for a little dog like me.) When Loretta left to go home, I walked down the hill with Laura to see her off and I helped Laura secure the gate afterwards. (It is very important to keep the camp safe.) We couldn't listen to music while Laura was working today but this evening we listened to Karen Savoca, Kiva and the Wyrd Sisters. Tonight we are going to bed early because tomorrow is the last day of camp and we have to get up early to pack and get ready to go home. - Kendal

We had to be up bright and early this morning to get ready for the long drive home. It had been a bit of a blow to my ego when Kendal caught the white cat the other day, so I decided to show the cats I was still top dog around camp before I left. I snuck into the barn when Laura wasn't looking and ate their breakfast. That earned me a time-out in my kennel, but it was worth it! Our friend Loretta had breakfast with Laura. She drove home with us in the van to stop Kendal from being afraid on the journey. Laura followed us in a rental car. Laura and Loretta were going to a concert in Toronto in the evening. I thought, "Now's my chance to sing cowboy songs and be discovered!" but then I found out the cowboy was not performing and they wouldn't let dogs into the concert. Ah well, there went my chance for fame! I needed an early night, anyway, after all my hard work at camp. The folks had bought us new toys to welcome us home. Maybe they thought we would want to go back to camp with Laura and were bribing us to stay. I played fetch with Dad for a while to keep him happy. We chewed up the light sabres. There is no pool to retrieve them from here. I checked out the yard and barked a bit to let everyone know I'm back. (Have to keep those four-wheeled monsters behind the back fence in their place and remind the hound across the street I am in charge here.) I had a fun time at camp but am enjoying a rest now and getting the old folk back into our routine. - Ashton

We were up early this morning getting ready for the ride home. Ashton was naughty. He ate the cats' food. Laura wasn't very happy about that. She made Ashton go in his kennel. I was good though and helped Laura pack up our things. Our friend Loretta came for breakfast. She drove home with us in the van to keep Ashton from getting into trouble while Mummy was driving. Laura drove a rental car because she and Loretta were going to Kiva's concert in the evening. I would have liked to go to the concert but I wasn't invited. (Laura says they don't allow dogs in Hugh's Room, but I think that can't be right because they let Dog Watson go to Kiva's concert in Helsinki last year. Maybe the no-dogs taboo is a Toronto thing.) We only had time to listen to one CD before we left camp, so of course it was the ladder by Kiva. (Laura says, if you're going to sit in the front row at a concert, you have to be prepared.) When we got home, Daddy was so pleased to see us he gave us new toys. We played fetch for a while with Daddy. I was very brave and went out to patrol the yard with Ashton to make sure no squirrels, cats or scary monsters had moved in while we were at camp. Ashton and I barked a bit to let everyone know we are home. I had a good time at camp and was a good little dog. Mummy and Daddy were very proud of me. We took lots of pictures at camp. Laura is going to put them on our web site as soon as they are developed. (I think the developing part costs money, so Laura has to wait until her wallet is recovered from the trip to Toronto.) - Kendal