There’s only one thing that makes me happier than hiking in a beautiful area with my camera – hiking in a beautiful area with my camera and my puppies. These pups – my two, Kai and Koby, and my daughter Morgan’s pup, Oakley, definitely breathe life into my years. Seeing the joy on their faces as we pack the truck and tell them to “hop in,” and then let them free to hike the beautiful mountains of the Blue Ridge, brings a smile to my face.
We visited the Blowing Rock area of the Blue Ridge Parkway last weekend, and Morgan and Oakley met us there. Though they had a little of a rocky start when Oakley was first brought into our home for the summer, they are now inseparable! How happy they are to arrive at a location and see that Oakley is there too!
I love to take photos of them together – they’re usually pretty accommodating (as long as treats are involved), and just love to smile for the camera. And when Morgan and I are off taking photos somewhere that the dogs can’t climb to – well, my understanding husband, Mark, is happy to stay with them and wait for our return. The photo of Mark and the pups in the back of the truck was the sight that greeted us after one such excursion, and from what Mark said, they caused quite a stir on the parkway that day. People were stopping in the middle of the parkway, just to take their photo. I can’t imagine how many people came home from their own Blue Ridge experience with photos of the happiest dogs around. We were stopped countless times with people wanting to pet them and take their photos. And after all, how could those faces not make you happy?
