Above we have Murphy resting up, from the busy summer we were having! Even though I usually mostly take pictures of Murphy at home, this summer I have so many pictures I've had to split it up in to multiple updates.

So one of the most memorable aspects of summer 2009 here in Vancouver was the heat wave.

Above we have Murphy stretched out in front of the fan. But, as you can see to your left, Murphy's favourite spot was on the cool tile in our entrance way. When we were home, this was Murphy's go to spot for cooling down. The heat was insane, by Vancouver standards - well in to the 30's for days on end, and it felt closer to 40 with our humidity. Before it hit I think I knew two people with an air conditioning in their homes; during this stretch of heat the stores were sold out of AC units and fans for months!

And to top it all off some of the units in one of the hospitals I work at didn't even have air conditioning! This hospital is mostly populated with elderly, making the situation even worse. And THEN our ice machines started failing from over use! Unbelievably I don't think any patients were seriously adversely affected, thank god.

But, that doesn't involve Murphy. Luckily our condo is North facing, and between my fan and the cool tile Murphy didn't seem too bothered by the heat. Below we have Murphy resting in the crevasses of the many pillows on my bed. Must have been a cooler day if he was willingly snuggled in there!

So one of the big changes in Murphy's life was me starting to date a new guy. To your left we have Russ, a coworker you might recognize from my Hawaii trip and Christmas dinner. Russ and I have worked together since 2005, and actually went to respiratory school together in 2002.

Russ has never been around dogs much, so it's much more of a challenge for him to get to know Murphy than vice versa. Murphy, as I'm sure you know, loves EVERYONE. So he's thrilled with Russ. Above you have Murphy sharing Russ' popsicle (we went through a ton of them during the heat wave). Below you have a good example of Russ having to adjust to Murphy:

Russ had left his socks tucked in to his shoes. Murphy, being Murphy, thought this was the perfect opportunity for some attention. So he picked up one of the socks and started parading around with it. I caught him on camera wandering from the office to my bedroom, grinning to himself with the sock in his mouth. I eventually convinced Murphy to present Russ with the sock, as you can see above to your right. Russ was surprised that Murphy could find his socks since they were inside his shoes! But Russ is slowly getting used to Murphy, the main issue of contention left being Murphy's desire to constantly cover everyone in kisses. In the next few updates you'll see the two of them on several different walks together.

Of course, July's highlight for Murphy is his birthday. With money being tighter around here we had a pretty low key celebration. Below you have Murphy eating his birthday treat, along with my snack made of the same ingredients:

Due to Murphy's limited diet I really only have a couple recipes for cakes, and have been recycling them for the last several birthdays. This year I thought I'd do something a little different - sweet potato cake!

To celebrate Murphy and I went on a tour of our neighbourhood, thinking it would be nice to share his "kingdom" with everyone. Below you have him waiting impatiently for me at our gate. Next to that you have Murphy's typical takeoff from our yard, tugging me behind him.

His first stop is always our neighbour's bushes, for a sniff and a pee. He will crawl right under these to get at a good smell. I have several other pictures of him sniffing, but you get the idea - Murphy stops to smell every tree, boulder and lamppost on our walks.

Below we have Murphy posed next to one of our lampposts. Right at his level is a cute little sign with our nighbourhood's name on it.

So our next stop is the shopping plaza. This part of it was built just last year. It houses our main library branch as well as restaurants and shops. It's become a very popular neighbourhood hang out with people drinking coffee, kids riding bikes and dogs hanging out with their owners. Several of the businesses even have doggie water bowls out.

Murphy's favourite shop is this hair salon. They frequently have their door open, so he always has to stick his head in to say hello.

In front of the hair salon is an "Eagle in the City". These are sculptures that local artists have painted in different motifs. They're put on display all around Metro Vancouver in public spaces, then auctioned off for charity. The one below features a salmon run.

This picture below was taken in almost the same spot, just facing North instead of South. Just thought it was pretty, with the mountains in the background, so I included it here.

A few steps further North is one of our "main" intersections. This is often a spot we come to on our walks, giving us three options for our next direction.

It was hot, and posing for all these pictures was wearing Murphy down, so he stopped for a rest:

Everywhere in our neighbourhood there are paths and walkways and pedestrian bridges. Below you have Murphy posing above a little stream:

Of course, there are lots of schools in Lynn Valley. The one below is actually now the district archives, but it's a pretty building so I caught it on camera. On either side of it are an elementary school and a preschool.

Murphy loves to walk right next to the schools' fence. I think it's a funny little quirk, so I had to post it here.

And no matter how many times I tell him he can't, he always wants to go explore the field. He always seems so disappointed when I have to drag him back to our side of the fence!

There's also a high school in the next few blocks. You'll notice the sign is in French and English, as it's a French immersion school, where you can choose to take most of your classes in French. My father attended this school back in the 60's (before there was such thing as French immersion). My father didn't care for it much...

Below you have the uniquely Vancouver program (or at least I haven't seen it elsewhere) "Stream of Dreams". At elementary schools around the city kids paint and post salmon on their schoolyard fences. It's supposed to remind us "to protect and conserve water to ensure a healthy future for our rivers, lakes, oceans and communities".

We're literally on the home stretch now. Below is the little corner park right by our condo. You can see a sign in the background to the left. It features the original layout of North Vancouver back when it was a logging area feeding Vancouver proper. I'd guess few people, other than those walking their dogs, ever come inside this park, which is a shame, because it's actually a very interesting display.

Almost home, Murphy was hot and tired. In the background to the right is our local fire hall, with a sign displaying the forest fire risk. Luckily this summer we didn't have as many dangerous fires as a few years back.

So that was Murphy's 9th birthday! Below we have a few random shots of Murphy that I thought were cute, so I've included them here.

Below is a similar shot, but taken on a different day. I'd been working on the computer in the next room, and came out to find Murphy trying to stay cool by splaying himself out:

You can also see some of his typical summer belly sores in that picture above.

Murphy has also become a true master in the art of nest making. Below you have him in one of his creations on my bed:

And another on the couch. He looks downright thrilled with himself in this one:

And the last couple ones are Murphy in my little office. I thought he looked cute in the low light, under the framed pictures of English Cockers from the 1930's:

And he looked downright bookish with the bookshelves as a backdrop!

So the other development that I was going to mention was my joining the English Cocker Spaniel Club of Canada. Over the years I'd forwarded reports of ECSs needing rescue to the club when, finally, late last year, a member came back to me saying "Why not join us and actually work on rescue?". So I did.

So far, in nearly a year since I joined them, we've had one ECS needing rehoming in BC. Luckily she wasn't abused or neglected, she just needed a better home, in a less rural environment. After months of searching, in July, we found a woman in Ontario who'd wanted this precise dog for years, but had lost track of her! It was an amazing, and very happy, ending for everyone.

And that was July 2009! I have tons of pictures from the rest of summer, featuring more of Russ and Allie and Owen, so check back soon!

Email me!

Meghan

Here's the link to the next update: August 2009
Here's the link to the previous update: Early 2009

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