Monday, March 16, 2009

Things to play with in Mommy's backpack






















Hello again. Miley here. I have gotten Mommy back on the blog again. Oh, I wish I could type - isn't there any bark recognition software out there? Our pleasant field excursions were rudely interupted by a very cold, winter storm. Less than an inch of snow, not enough to do nose plows through or bounce around in but temperatures dropped to 3 below zero (wind chill factor of -25 one morning). Mommy grumbled a great deal and kept the wood pellet, burning stove running constantly for several days. Needless to say, much of last week was spent indoors. We finally got back to fieldwork this past weekend.

I have several little games I like to play in the field while Mommy is occupied with taking notes or pictures. She has an assortment of objects in her backpack. The tape measure and compass are boring, but I do like the gloves and fuzzy hat so I pull them out. Mommy usually places her backpack (unzipped) on the ground while she is focusing the camera to take pictures for reports. I love to reach in and grab her gloves out one by one. Then flip them into the air and catch them. Of course sometimes I do miss - Mommy usually finds the glove nearby caught in the sagebrush. The hat is fun to toss about or roll through the dirt - then she has to wash it or get dirt and sticks in her hair (which is funny for me).
Have a good week, Miley the Airedale















Friday, March 6, 2009

Miley's First Day of Field Season









Hello. I am Miley the Airedale (no relation to Hannah Montana, but I do like the show). As part of the gang at the High Kountry Airedales Pack and quite bubbly, I was chosen first to post. Yesterday was my first day back in the field with Mommy after a lengthy and cold Wyoming winter. My Mommy is an archaeologist or cultural resource management consultant. After months of shut down by snow (no archaeological survey allowed unless snow cover averages less than 20%) then mud, we returned to the bentonite mine yesterday. Having been office bound writing reports for months, Mommy is a little sore today and I am slightly tired after our hours of walking. Still wet and partially filled with snow and ice, drainage crossings were slick. Mommy slid and nearly fell down but I have 4 paw drive with more stability. Didn't see any bunnies to chase. Didn't see any of the wild horses although evidence (piles) from past horse activity were present.

I love hiking with Mommy especially when it is a little cool out (mid 40s). She has been taking me out in the field since I was about 9 weeks old - of course she had to carry me alot back then with frequent rest periods for me to nap in the truck. I am 2 and a half years old now. Back then, my distant relative Mariah was in the field with her most of the time. However, Mariah is nearly 9 and a half years old and is semi-retired from fieldwork. She still goes out in the field on smaller projects with less hours of continuous walking. Mariah is good at supervising Mommy when she is recording sites.
Wishing all a good weekend, Miley