Doggy Paddling...

On November 21, Veronica and I were in for quite a shock when Kati stepped onto what she must have thought was solid ground but ended up in a canal covered in algae instead while attempting to chase a cat; this was extra surprising as she rarely chases cats. We both just stood there frozen yet laughing as she swam across the canal.

Veronica ran around the end of the canal to help Kati out, while I stayed on the original side in case she swam back. It took three tries, but just before a neighbor and Veronica reached her, Kati managed to pull herself out of the canal. All these years we’d wondered what would happen if she fell in, but it never dawned on us that she'd try to walk on water. 

When she got out she was cold and covered in algae, so as soon as we got home she earned herself a bath and then a cuddle on the couch with Veronica.
 

Meeting Pippen...

On December 13, we met nine-week-old Pippen, our next door neighbor’s puppy, for the first time. 

She seemed to like our baby gift.

Jimmy was very happy to meet her...

...but Kati wasn’t as enthusiastic.

Two days later we caught Pippen crawling through our hedges.

On Christmas we tried getting Kati to pay attention to Pippen, but she wasn’t interested in playing along. 

Kati was much happier when we finally ran into her two buddies, Nina and Pedro, in the field for the first time in over nine months. 

Meet Coda, an Australian Kelpie (we suspect Kati is part Kelpie). We see her periodically in the village carrying a basket of goodies and Jimmy approached the owner to learn more. Clearly she is not only smart, but also very photogenic. 

Focusing on Kati...

Strangely, this summer Kati has taken to jumping behind this hedge in our yard. Although the landlord’s landscaper replaced similar dead hedges in the front yard, I agreed it wasn’t worth replacing the ones in the backyard as long as Kati uses it as a play area.

It’s a rare day that Kati plays with a stick. 

Jimmy was pretty pleased with how he taught Kati to cross the balance beam in the far side of the field.

The crowds of kids at the park along the Vliet made Kati nervous.

She was definitely happier out in the field.

 

Veronica, Brett and Kati...

Here’s some random photos with Kati that were taken over the months. 

She’s never really been into sticks, so it was surprising to see her jump up to try to steal a stick from Veronica. 

Looks like she and Brett were having a serious discussion.

She accompanied Brett and Veronica while they scouted out the site for our Lockdown Puzzle photo shoot. 

She also came to the field with us for a variety of photo shoots. 
 

Kati Loves Boating...

There’s no doubt that Kati loves boating. 

Between Veronica and I, we captured a lot of nice shots of her. 

 

Unsailing Trip...

While Jimmy was in the US on a business trip, Hannah and Austin invited me and Kati to go sailing, so I ordered a doggy flotation device. Notice anything missing in this photo? Yes, Kati seems to have lost her tail. She was so stressed out with that vest on that her tail was completely tucked under her, but she was actually calm here compared to how she was once we lifted her onto the boat. 

In fact, she was so upset, that I quickly put her into the cabin and took off the vest.

Dixie, on the other had, was quite the pro at wearing her vest...

...and so was Emma.

This photo is actually deceptive as it implies that Kati was happy on the boat as we were about to sail out of the port, but it turned out that a storm was approaching and we were just holding still waiting to see if it would pass.

Emma was definitely comfortable on the boat...

...but that didn’t mean that she was always happy. Although Hannah was laughing, we were all disappointed that the impending storm waylaid our plans to sail.

Kati’s Big Adventure...

The last weekend in August, Jimmy and I took a train to Hannover, Germany for German Nash Hash. Kay was sweet enough to look after Kati, who wasn’t especially keen on riding in the bokfiets (box bike) to her house.

So instead Kay cycled slowly and Kati ran behind her.

That was quite a sight to see.

The highlight of the weekend for Kati was when she got to go sailing for the first time. Amazingly, she didn’t look at all scared.

She also went on their motorboat with the whole family. While Kay’s kids were happy to have Kati for the long weekend, their elderly cat was quite miserable so afraid she can’t stay with them again until he runs out of his nine lives. 

Another Fond Farewell...

In early August we hosted Gillian and David for a farewell dinner.

 Jimmy made paella for the only time that summer.

While we had a great evening, I was dreading Gillian’s last day in town before moving back to Edinburgh. 

Luckily for Kati and Beauly they had no clue about the significance of their last walk together. We may have been smiling for this photo, but later we couldn’t hide our tears. I was deeply saddened to be losing my walking buddy of over six years and will really miss my dear close friend. 

Lady and the Tramp...

Back in March, we had Gillian and David over for dinner and Beauly joined us as well.

It wasn’t long before Jimmy attempted to recreate that infamous scene from Lady and the Tramp.

Lady was clearly confused by what was expected of her.

Tramp would have definitely gobbled up any spaghetti.

At the end of May, I brought my camera along on some of our walks in hopes to get photos of the dogs for a farewell gift that I had planned for Gillian, who was repatriating to Scotland in August.

Sadly, Beauly, who had a heart condition, made it to his 11th birthday in Edinburgh but then passed away shortly thereafter.

Unfortunately, there was a major delay by the artist—a graphic designer who specializes in using maps in her artworks—that I had commissioned to make Gillian’s gift and it wasn’t finished until months after she moved. Luckily it turned out great and was finished in time for her first visit back to Holland.