A girl and her dogs: August 2008

You might want to grab a coffee because this is bound to be a long, photo-heavy post. I'm sitting in a crack-ass Internet place guzzling coffee and listening to Bon Jovi over the speakers in here. I don't have my truck in town and my ride isn't coming to get me for a couple hours, so here goes. First of all, I want to say that I apologize for all the delays in posting but, well, I've been preoccupied as you can all imagine. And, it's only going to get worse. I might not post again for a few weeks.
Anyway, work is going well. Good money, good for the dogs and good for me. I miss Sam terribly, especially when he tells me things like 'I bought you a four-wheeler for your birthday' and 'I bought a new dog-truck for you.' Please, someone, tell me what I did to deserve such a thoughtful, selfless guy. I still haven't figured it out.
The tourists are touriffic. OK, not really. I actually had to tell a lady to get the hell off my cart (twice) the other day. She got right in my face and said 'You tell me how this isn't cruel.' I said 'Well, usually wagging tails is an indication that dogs are happy.' She proceeded to interrogate me about the dogs' well being and I got defensive and told her to get off. She later apologized. Fucking stupid bitch. (Sorry, Gran)
Here are the top five most inane questions I get from tourists.
**I get these queries at least 10 times a day and they all inevitably come after I've already explained everything they're about to ask. That's why these questions make me want to douse the cart with diesel and light a match.
1) 'So, like, do these dogs run on snow?' Duh.
2) 'Why are the dogs so skinny?' Not skinny, fit. These dogs actually exercise. Gasp.
3) 'Why do they run sideways?' Because they stayed out too late last night.
4) Have you seen 8 Below? No, but all those dogs actually died.
5) Where are the real huskies? Frozen solid in Antarctica.
ARRGGG!
But, for every ignorant slut there's at least one or two really great people each day. People who ask thoughtful questions and not just barf out the first thing that pops into their little heads.
OK, enough about work.
Despite that little rant, I am really enjoying it still but am missing Sam terribly.
I do, however, think I'll come back again next year.
On a lighter note, literally, I cut all my dreads off and sport a short, shaggy do that looks like a cross between Binky the Clown and Kramer. Meh.
It's been raining a lot here and getting a little cooler. Summer is officially over. And we still have six weeks left of the cruise-ship season. The Coho salmon are running in the creek just outside dogcamp and the bears are out in full force. They're freakin' everywhere. It's pretty cool except when I come in late at night and it's dark and I have to cross the creek on foot. I usually sing at the top of my lungs...I think that would scare anything away.
OK, enough rambling. On with the photos. Thanks for hanging in there, folks. Upon my arrival back in Squarebanks, I'll be posting regularly again. I should add that I'm really excited for this season. I'm decided to do the Gin Gin 200 and the Quest 300 as my qualifiers for the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest in 2010. Yikes.
Peace.