Dog Days Of Summer

After recovering from a bout of jet lag, Rebecca and I ventured north for one last excursion to our “base camp one” near Plain, Washington in late September. For this trip -- in the waning days of summer -- we brought along our golden retriever, Moxie (above).

On this, our final visit of the season, I had a compelling need to deal with the 1974 Starcraft, which had sustained annual beatings from the winter snow in Shugart Flats. One of my neighbors, a master recycler I’m told, happily took the old tent trailer off my hands.

Friend Kelly Tjaden, fellow former wilderness ranger and the one they call “Tree House Guy” at local hardware stores, joined us for a few days. He has finalized the platform on the tree house on the property and next spring, the structure will be framed and completed.

The weather was mixed, with some rain and some sun, along with a bit of wind: good burning weather. One thing was certain: Moxie enjoyed the water at Lake Wenatchee State Park (above) and down on our beach at the junction of the Chiwawa River and the Wenatchee River (below). Needless to say, she was always in her element.