I am so excited about this post!!!!
I had been wracking my brain trying to come up with something fun to do for the 5-year anniversary party next month, and really wanted to do something not only fun, but be able to give back to my clients, friends and fans who have supported me over the past 5 years. Normally I have my anniversary parties at off-leash parks, so that people can come and bring their dogs and they can play and have a good time. The dogs all get goody bags filled with fun stuff, and I often have food and drinks for the parents. Last year I even had a client bake and make gourmet food for the party!
While that is all fine and dandy, it just didn’t seem *enough* for a 5-year anniversary party. Plus, it’s great for the dogs, but I wanted to do something really special for the parents too.
So you want to know what it’s going to be this year?
A day of fun in the sun on Whidbey Island!! Not just any ol day, but a very special day. A day filled with sun and sand and forests and trails and food and playing and fetching and drinks and FREE photography (more on that later)! Sunday, August 3rd, all day. Start early-ish (but not too early!) and come home late. Please RSVP to info@cowbelly.com if you plan to go!
We will take the ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton. Just like Fergie did on her first ferry ride last year on her birthday.
We will then drive the short distance to Marguerite Brons park, a 13-acre gorgeous off-leash dog park with a wide-open field perfect for ball catching and romping with friends, and deep green shady grasses to relax in.
As if that isn’t enough, Marguerite Brons has a wooded trail that is part of the park. The full trail through the woods is one mile, and, get this, FULLY FENCED!! Forest and field in one fully fenced dog park? Doggie heaven!! When Fergie and I were there she ran and raced through the trails with her new buddies. I had never seen her so happy.
Then, when we are done at Marguerite Brons, we will leave and drive over to the very pretty little town of Langley, and eat a yummy lunch of panini sandwiches, cookies and gourmet soda at the Useless Bay Coffee Company. I am not in any way a roast beef fan, but when my sister and I and Fergie were there it was all they had left, and I swear it was one of the best paninis I have ever had. I still think about it whenever I want a sandwich. The Useless Bay Coffee company has a beautiful large garden/patio area outside with lots of great seating and even a grassy lawn. And of course, a water bowl for our canine friends. Wouldn’t you like to eat lunch with this view below?
Then, once we have had our fill, we will make the drive across the island to Double Bluff beach, which looks like this:
“What, no leash?” you say? Nope! Double Bluff beach is off-leash!! Once we walk past the on-leash part of the beach (about 8 agonizing minutes for the dogs), we will have fully 2 miles of beach to run and play on. Paradise for dogs of all sizes and types. (Saturated for premium impact).
This is what the bluff behind us looks like:
This is where the doggies will get to romp and play in the surf:
We will have plenty of opportunity to dig in the sand:
and chew on our tennis balls:
and beachcomb:
and chew on sticks:
and run down the hill with them (be careful when you do this!!):
and hunt for crabs:
and make your servants humans throw the ball for you:
and make new friends:
and just generally go nuts:
And the best part about the day? (I mean, aside from the fact that it will be the most awesomely spectacularly fun day EVER). I will be bringing my camera and doing FREE DOG PHOTOGRAPHY for all of the attendees!!
WHOOHOO!
That means, that if you are a client or friend or even just a longtime fan, if you’d like to accompany us on our Whidbey Island day trip/anniversary party, and bring your pooches, they too can have some beautiful shots like the ones above!
Although it will be very informal in terms of the actual photography (when I see a shot I’ll take it, as opposed to trying to schedule people), it will be my goal to get a handful of great shots of each pooch. I will even take shots of people with their dogs if they like. Hey, whatever goes! I just love doing photography and the parks are a photographer’s paradise, so I will be so excited to be shooting all day.
Sometime after the trip, I will post the photos to an online gallery for everyone to see. Prints and other products can be ordered at that time but there is certainly no obligation to buy anything because that’s not what this is about. If you’d just like to bring your dog and don’t need any photos, then that’s totally cool too! Just come and have fun!
There are a few requirements:
1. Any canine you bring MUST play nicely with others. Although we may be able to control our group fairly easily we will come into contact with lots of other dogs and we don’t want to see anything bad happen. Scuffles do happen, but we’d like to avoid any real fights so no human or animal aggression please.
2. Every human must be responsible for their own water and sunscreen, towels and essentials. Same goes for ferry tickets and lunch. I’d offer to also provide lunch for everyone along with the photography but if a ferry full of people show up that would make me one broke photographer, lol!
3. All dogs must be current on their shots. Kennel cough bad, healthy dogs good.
There is no limit to the numbers of people who can come, and I can provide my cell phone number for everyone in case some folks want to head over for just a part of the day, or if the ferry they wanted to catch is full they will still be able to meet up with the group. We will most likely meet someplace central before heading to the ferry (a park and ride? mall parking lot?) so we can all get to the ferry line at relatively the same time. I expect the ferry to be very busy so we’ll want to allow plenty of time. But the day will be all about relaxing and having a great time with our dogs- no stress.
If you come, here is a list of things you should plan to bring:
1. Bottled water. The kind you can carry for awhile and not have your arms fall off. Check out these awesome water bottles called MySIGG I stumbled upon online.
2. Water for your dogs for the beach. I will provide gallon water jugs and no-tip bowls but there will be a limit to how much I can carry. Especially since my camera bag is about a million pounds fully loaded.
3. Sunscreen. Lip balm. Hand lotion. Bug spray if you have it, although I don’t remember that being a problem last July.
4. A Change of clothes, socks and shoes. A warm coat. If you bring fleece remember the wind will blow right through it. Do not forget the socks, I promise you will need them, even if you plan to wear sandals all day. Definitely bring a change of pants/shorts too. A knit hat would also be great.
5. Towels. For the dog and for you. Your feet will probably be wet when you get back to the car from the beach.
6. A blanket to sit on on the beach. Blankets for the pooch for the drive home. They will be cold and wet and tired so a nice cushy warm blanket will be appreciated.
7. Food for your dog. They will most likely need dinner before you get home, so bring enough for a meal and a half (the other half they can have in the afternoon if they have been playing hard). Bring a tupperware container to put the food in that can also double as a bowl. Bring treats you can give your dog during lunch.
8. First aid kit for your pup. I will try my best to remember to buy one beforehand (have been meaning to forever) and bring it with me.
9. Your (charged) cell phone. Plus a car charger if you have one.
That’s all I can think of for now. I may add to this list as I remember things.
Now, if you are interested in coming, please email me!
I will compile a list of the folks who plan to go, and we can coordinate everything through email. I will also need a head count because there will be special goodies for the dogs who attend and I want to make sure I don’t miss anyone! I also want to make sure I have plenty of charged batteries for my camera and enough memory cards. Last year for Fergie alone I think I took close to 900 shots!
I am so exited about this and I can’t wait to have a super fun day on Whidbey! If you have any questions let me know!
Dogs and parks and beaches and sun, YAY!!