Fall Planting and Training

Allium planted last fall for spring blooms

Fall has arrived and here at Maryland Sled Dog Adventures LLC we are busy doing one of three things: (1) training the sled dogs; (2) planting the Fall vegetables and flowers; (3) talking dogs with other mushers.

Yesterday, marked the first real training run of the season for the Maryland Sled Dog Adventures sled dogs. We arrived at the trail head early at about 6:30 am. Temps were at 50 degrees according to the new dog truck thermometer. We quickly set about hooking up veteran leader, Zoe, and upcoming leader, Acadia, both in lead with Sobo and Okemo in wheel and set off for a brisk five mile run which took us from Maryland into Pennsylvania and back. The dogs ran awesome. Along the way, we encountered several challenges, two horse farms that needed passing (Zoe was her usual awesome self, Acadia was decent, Sobo was surprisingly good, and Okemo needs work), several bicyclists that also needed head on and over taking passes, and several joggers. The biggest challenge was the 250 plus people who arrived at the trail head about 5 minutes after we did to run a race. While the spandex clad runners complained about the cold, we hooked up the dogs and headed down the trail in the opposite (north) direction towards Pennsylvania. We cruised up the trail for about 2.5 miles with speeds ranging from 18 MPH to 8-10 MPH. Our moving average was approximately 9 MPH. At our turn around point, just south of the Pennsylvania town of New Freedom, we took a brief break and practiced our line out training. As we headed back to the trail head, we encountered the 250 plus joggers and runners walking up the trail to the start of their race. Miraculously, the dogs stayed gee'd over and didn't freak out. Not bad for the first real training run (besides our scooter run last weekend).

Yesterday also included planting our Fall garden crops. In went the lettuces and garlic which will be over wintered. Our spring planting of shallots was so awesome, I really wanted to do another crop of Fall shallots, however, finding shallots in Maryland for Fall planting is apparently impossible.

Our spring plantings of tomatoes and peppers are still going really strong generating about 5-6 tomatoes per day and an unhealthy number of cayenne, jalapeno, Mexi-bell, green bell, and Giant Marconi peppers. We're also still harvesting lots and lots of fresh herbs.

After planting and training, Eric and I headed up to meet up with a retired musher friend of ours for some dinner and dirt track racing at Williams Grove speedway in Pennsylvania. Of course, sled dogs and fall training were a big topic of discussion.

Today, we're hoping to get planted the spring flowers, allium, tulips, daffodils, and irises, that we picked up yesterday at the store.

Day lilies and Garden Update

Blooming Day Lily

Last year, Eric and I visited the Free State Day lily bloom show and sale (with Maryland Sled Dog Adventures sled dog, Sobo) at Cylburn Arboretum and picked up several day lily plants. While we've had many day lilies in the past, we've had a very difficult time keeping them safe from the deer and rabbits. As in year's past, we lost some buds to the deer and rabbits but this year, for the first time, we have blooms! Most of the blooms are on plants we planted last summer from the sale. So before the deer, bunnies or Okemo could eat the buds or flowers, I decided I had better snap a few photos. Of course, I couldn't just take one photo and snapping a few quick photos of the day lilies quickly became a full garden update.

This is the stage they are tastiest for the deer and rabbits

In nearly 8 years, these day lilies near our mail box have only bloomed once. Every other year the deer and rabbits have eaten them before they could bloom. This year was no different.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Lace cap hydrangea

The stepping stone are being over grown by hostas and hydrangeas

The raspberry plants are flourishing

The window boxes on the back terrace are filling in nicely

Garden Update

Ichiban Eggplant

The dog yard garden here at Maryland Sled Dog Adventures has received a couple of new additions in the past week.

Growing garden

Foggy morning with flowering azaleas

Currently growing in the vegetable garden we have: three varieties of lettuce; three pepper plants including a cayenne pepper, a green bell pepper, and a Marconi pepper; shallots; three tomatoes including an Early Girl hybrid, a Brandywine heirloom, a Husky Red Cherry hybrid; a burpee seedless cucumber; and an Ichiban eggplant.

The shallots have finally sprouted

Marconi pepper with lettuces in the background

Husky red cherry tomato

Early Girl (left) and Brandywine tomato (right)

Brandywine tomato

The Ichiban is a new addition to this year's garden that we are excited to try out. Unfortunately, Ichiban had a bit of a rough start. As we were hardening off the Ichiban in preparation of moving it outdoors to its new home, sled dog, Acadia, decided that she would pick up the Ichiban eggplant and run around the back yard with it. What she really wanted was the plastic pot to play with so we were able to locate the uprooted Ichiban plant in the "back 40" and quickly planted it in its large permanent pot.

Who me? I would never steal an eggplant.

(In case you are wondering, the brown stuff on the right side of Acadia's face is pitch from her repeated attempts to stick her head in the wood pile)

We selected the Ichiban variety because it greatly resembles Italian eggplant in taste and size but does well in containers. We selected the cherry tomato we are growing for much the same reason: it grows well in containers.

In addition to the vegetables, we've also planted raspberry bushes and a variety of herbs including mint, rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme, oregano, cilantro, and purple basil.

The mint is back!

Gardening is tiring says Chloe, the cat.

Photography: Sled Dogs at Play

Soft evening light plays over sled dog, Acadia

On evenings when the light is good, sled dog dad and team Maryland Sled Dog Adventures LLC photographer, Eric, sometimes spends the evenings outdoors in the garden photographing the sled dogs at rest and at play. Not only is Eric the team photographer and the photographer responsible for nearly all of the photos on the Maryland Sled Dog Adventures website, Eric's photography has been featured in many publications including among others Baltimore Dog magazine, Urbanite magazine, Solutions at Home magazine, the Baltimore Sun's Mutts Blog, Maryland Family magazine, and Stewards (the alumni magazine for the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and the Environment) (Catherine is an alum). In addition to being featured in many publications, Eric is also a wedding photographer specializing in weddings with dogs. For more information on Eric's wedding photography and for samples of his photos, email eric@marylanddogsledding.com.

"I am pretty, aren't I," asks sled dog, Sobo

Sled dog, Acadia, rolling in the freshly mowed grass

Ah choo!

Zoe pokes her head under my arm

Interesting light in the trees

T-Bone hangs out on the back steps

Sled dog Acadia playing with her ball

The flash illuminates, Siberian Husky, Sobo