Day at the Sand Dunes

My sister Nicki and her family originally decided to visit Kassie so that they could go four wheeling at nearby sand dunes. I ended up as part of the plan because I invited myself along. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see my "almost twin" sister (we're the same age part of the year) and my adorable nephew. My brother-in-law is great, too!

Monday morning we headed to the dunes. We had two four wheelers, but one of them decided not to work. Thus, we had to find another way to entertain ourselves while we took turns riding. After a brief walk around the parking area, we found a shallow lake where Papa and Kyle could get wet while Nicki and I visited and watched.

When I first had Kyle, he didn't want to walk through puddles. Thus, I was amazed at how quickly he voluntarily ran into the water. He'd run a large circle around me through the water and across the beach.
 There is no doubt that Kyle is a water-loving dog.

(Kyle standing in the water. At the lake's deepest point, it was probably 1.5 feet deep.)

Of course, getting wet didn't make enough of a mess. Kyle decided that he wanted to roll in the sand after a few runs through the lake. That effectively changed him to a gray lab.

(This is a shot of Kyle's underside completely coated in sand.)

Kyle never completely wore himself out, but he did spend some downtime soaking up the sun rays.

(Kyle lying in the sand. I love that his nose is completely covered. I'd brush the sand off, but it never lasted.)

Eventually Kyle got tired of the hot sun and decided to make a cooler spot for himself. Sometimes animals' natural instincts amaze me. Kyle has never dug in the past, but he taught himself how and burrowed down until he got to the cooler wet sand below the ground's surface.

(This is a great video of Kyle flinging sand everywhere as he dug himself a cool resting spot.)

Kyle never got to rest in his holes for very long because Papa always filled them in for him. I counted at least three seperate holes that Kyle created for himself though.

Papa loved having a K9 friend to play with in the sand. Kyle got too rowdy at one point and jumped on Papa. Other than that, they made great playmates. Kyle even sat patiently while Papa tried to bury him.

(Papa has a huge grin and Kyle has a grimace as Papa poured sand on Kyle's back. The sand was too dry to actually bury the patient pup.)

Perhaps Kyle's favorite part of the trip was the last few minutes. I walked Kyle through a spot that had a few burrs, so I let him sit on my lap long enough to check the pads of his feet. He didn't want to get up afterward. He still thinks he is a lap dog.

(Gigantic Kyle overwhelmed my lap as he rested on it, but he enjoyed the treat nonetheless.)

Of course, after a messy day at the beach, only one option remained for Kyle. He had to get wet again as he took a bath. He survived though, and is now squeaky clean.

(Kyle gets to sport a mohawk whenever I bathe him. He is less than impressed.)

After Kyle's fun at the beach, I want to go to a deeper lake where I can take him swimming. That would be fun!