in the neighborhood

When Sunday morning rolled around, I found it difficult to get motivated.  The sky was hazy with blown-in smoke (from California) and I didn't want to deal with people at trailheads and on the trails.  So while H did a ninety minute road ride, Milton and I did a ninety minute neighborhood walk: up the long hill from our house to Granite Park, to the trails at Dimple Dell and back down home.

Speckled boi

It was a lovely morning for a walk, wildfire smoke notwithstanding (and even that seemed to clear a bit as the day wore on and the winds changed direction).  It was cool and not many people were out and about.  As you walk towards the Wasatch Mountains, the neighborhoods segue to older horse properties.  At the farm just across from Granite Park, a young Texas longhorn was standing in the shade by the fence.  We stopped to talk with him a bit (he was pretty friendly).  While we were there, his sheep friend noticed us and also came over to say hi, all the was from across the field.  I suspect the sheep was hoping for some snacks but instead she just touched noses with Milton through the fence as a greeting.

Sunflowers keeping summer alive

People had started coming out as we walked down through Dimple Dell.  We met a couple of other dogs, including a GIANT six-month old chocolate lab who was very friendly.  When we got home, Milton drank a bowl of water and then we went back out to weed the rockscape on the north side of our house.  The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and other chores, as well as quality time spent on the shaded patio with books and beers.  Not the most exciting of days but sometimes it's okay just to recharge the batteries.