End of Summer Blues

Sunset off my parents deck in Cape May, NJ

Ahhh Labor Day weekend...its sadly the last weekend of summer, for those with kids its the signal of another long school year. For me and my family its the last long weekend every year we get to act like immature drunkin fools together down the Jersey Shore. We partake in this ridiculousness each year at my parents shore house in Cape May, NJ. We never miss it, always look forward to it and need it to cap off the beach season.

It's not just us humans who love the beach. Cleo looks forward to the different smells and salt water bliss. She spends each morning running down Higbee beach chasing balls and playing with other dogs. She spends most afternoons crashed out in a dog coma while we lounge on the beach drinking cocktails. At night she gets to run down Broadway beach stirring up a dust cloud. She loves Cape May every bit as much as us.

Beach Time Cleo

Cleo passed out on the screen porch with a ball still her mouth

My brother's Bassest Mr. Fisher taking a nap

Cleo also gets to go on jeep rides and enjoys drunkin wrestling time with her Uncle Matt (My Brother). 

She also gets to watch the ducks off our kayak dock.

And enjoy sunsets

The end of summer is sad. Luckily we get to come down here for weeks after most folks do. But for us the end of summer marks the beginning of a new hunting season. So soon enough we will be focused on pheasants, grouse and hopefully some woodcock. With the end of one season another begins. I know I feel thankful for the past summer and the time spent with family. 

Cape May Shenanigans

Last weekend Cleo was in Western Maryland at Deep Creek Lake. This weekend she got to spend a few days beaching it at Cape May, NJ. What this really equates to is that she is spoiled....plain and simple.

Cape May is a quiet beach town located at the most southern tip of New Jersey. It really stands out amongst other Jersey shore destinations because it has such a Victorian flair. The Cape lacks the drama, clubs, and boardwalk scene made famous by the train wreck of a show Jersey Shore. What it does have is clean beaches, fun bars, architectural character and woodcock hunting. Cape May, NJ came in second on Trip Advisor's "Best Beaches" in the United States list as well as a highly respectable ninth in their Best Beaches in the world. Click here to see an article on that.

I'm very lucky in the fact that my parents own a shore house in West Cape May and we get to go down on a regular basis. During season you can't take dogs on the regular beaches. However, Cape May does allow you to take your four legged friends to Higbee Beach.

Plenty of birds to chase

Jelly Fish

Higbee Beach is a cool place. It's approximately 1 1/2 miles long and it's located in a 1,100 acre Wildlife Management area where County Hwy 641 dead ends. It's home to some of the best bird watching in the Northeast and there is an abundance of wildlife here. 

Since horseshoe crabs are hard to roll on they make for good barking

Jim and I have heard from more than one person that Higbee Beach is a great spot to hunt woodcock. However, getting information on where and when to go has been tough. We did find out that you can hunt there but only in certain areas and the season is apparently only a few days. I'm gonna have to do a little more research but we would love to get her down there for at least a day or two of hunting this coming fall. 

But as far as the summer goes in Cape May, if you have a dog it's the place to be. 

Higbee Beach is located across from the Cape May Lewes Ferry Dock

Cleo also had a blast chilling at my parents house. Below is a pic of her locking up on point at a rabbit while she is on the back deck of my parents house.

Hunting Rabbits!

The Chase!!

  

Also these have nothing to do with Cleo but here are pics from the back deck of my parents house as a storm rolls in. It never rained where we were but it looked beautiful.

The lighthouse is in the lower left

Cleo goes to Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland!

This past weekend Cleo and I drove 5 hours each way to hangout at Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland. My Aunt Gail and Uncle Sherman own a vacation property on the lake and they kindly invited about ten of us to come hangout, drink too much and act inappropriately. We all had a fantastic time but I'm pretty sure no enjoyed themselves as much as Cleo did.

Deep Creek Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Maryland. The lake is man made and construction began sometime in 1923 and by 1925 the lake began to fill with water. Today the lake is huge and covers 3,900 acres and has roughly 69 miles of shoreline. This was my first time out to the lake and I have to say that I was impressed by the beauty of the area as well as the shear size of the lake.

Deep Creek Lake is an optimum vacation spot. At any given time there are people swimming, water skiing, fishing, or cruising around on jet skies. It's a pretty neat place to spend a few days. It also has allot to offer four legged spotted high energy dogs. Cleo would wake me up at 6am every morning and we would spend a few hours doing the following until everyone else woke up:

#1: Chasing Ducks and or Geese clear across the lake resulting in a near heart attack for me

#2. Fetching sticks off the dock

#3. Chasing deer through the woods. I don't have pictures of this because it would throw me into panic mode. Mainly because it was so early in the morning and I was hungover and my brain was functioning on such a low level. She'd take off after a deer and all I could think about was getting her back otherwise Jim may never let me come home. Thank god for Tri-tronics when you need it.

Cleo pretty much spent 4 to 5 hours a day swimming in the lake and diving off the dock. The insulated vest with handles I had bought her from Ugly Dog Hunting really came in handy pulling her out of the water back onto the dock. My only complaint is after several hours the vest rubbed her armpits raw. I'm sure it had more to do with how much she was swimming and being lifted out of the water than it did the actual design of the vest. We kinda went form zero to a hundred with it.

Just when I thought she couldn't get any happier with jumping off the dock we took her out on her very first pontoon boat ride. I was nervous at first how she would handle the ride but she did great! My only complaint is she must have thought the pontoon boat buoys were gigantic throwing bumpers. She kept trying to attack them. But we drove across the lake, threw anchor and swam. Cleo was in all her glory.

Dog ears flapping in the wind

Cleo saying, "Mom...stop taking my picture already."

Cleo LOVING the boat ride

Cleo hanging along the side watching the ducks and geese go by

Cleo having jumped off the boat to retrieve a bumper

Me and Cleo racing to get to a bumper first...she always won. 

Cleo chilling with my Dad - Bobby K.

We cruised past a regatta

Cleo also got to go on her first golf cart ride with Uncle Sherman.

So it was a great weekend! It left Cleo and I completely exhausted. By the time the two of us got home on Sunday we were beat and just wanted to sleep. She was very excited to see Jim to say the least. That dog sure loves her daddy. But I was so excited that I got to take her with me. I'm also very grateful to my Aunt Gail and Uncle Sherman for not only inviting me but letting me bring Cleo. It's such a joy for me to see her experiencing new things and she sucks them up like a sponge!