Picture a Day - Day 278

Happy Laboratory Day Everyone!

I always like to celebrate my Laboratory Day by scrubbing down the benchtops with a nice 10% bleach solution, bottle brushing out all the old test tubes and autoclaving up some tasty burgers.

Eh . . . what was that?

Oh. I've just been informed that it's actually Labor Day. And what better day to celebrate a day devoted to labor than to camp out in the half filled kiddie pool finishing off a 6-pack while meat chars itself on an open flame.

Yesterday we decided it was time to introduce our little girl to something that should run in her blood. We drove a good half hour away to find a nice park so we could get her her first taste of open water.

As first she wasn't so sure, staying back on the shore slightly confused by the ducks that refused to leave.Even though she's a lab and her lineage is full of more swimmers than Phelps and Spitz combined she was a little hesitant when that cool water hit her paws. So I employed the trick of pulling a treat out of my pocket and wading a few feet in.

Essie still wasn't sure about this liquid stuff. She could walk through it but it offered some resistance. Instead of just plodding through she tried puppy bounding over it hoping it wouldn't get her:Making sure to splash my shorts with as much water as possible.

After a little bit she got her sea legs and started racing through the water, her otter tail churning and whipping it behind her.
Finally we employed our last secret move of tossing her toy hot dog out into the lake and watching as she chased/walked after it.
A few times she got in a little deep but so far she isn't quite sure about this swimming thing. Maybe after a few more trips she'll be ready to even give those ducks a little run for their corn.

All in all, our little girl had quite the exciting day meeting new people, watching big scary ducks and playing in this big wet thing while her two favorite humans fed her treats and played fetch.
Just about the best Puppy Labor Day ever.