Iggy Goes to the Beach

Sniff, sniff, sniff! Ferociously, the little nose sniffs the air streaming through the open window, forcefully blowing into her tiny face and causing her eyes to close, despite her best efforts to keep them open! Her entire tiny body quivers with excitement, every muscle tensed with the excitement of adventure! For Iggy is going to the beach!

We arrive in Malibu and she literally leaps from the car, paws sinking into soft, warm sand. The sun gives her short black hair a sheen unparalleled by sun seen in any other un-beached parts of the world. Perhaps, that's just my personal bias, but I'm pretty sure there's hard science to back me up about beach sun and other sun. Iggy agrees. She strains at her leash, nose to the ocean.

At last, an eternity later, well, three minutes, we settle onto our own patch of sand and start soaking up rays and nourishing our souls. The gentle waves roll in, the sea gulls dart over head and we breathe in the salty air. Iggy says no. Iggy demands that her paws dip into ocean for the first time.

We don't know if it's her first time or not, but we have to assume she's telling us the truth. Iggy is four years old and is a recent adoptee of my neighbors and friends, Gloria and Dylan. Min pins are cute, but she excels in the cute and personality departments. Dylan takes her down to the water and I take in the sights. It isn't long before a Mexican family arrive and a hot twenty-something starts chasing a frisbee on the beach. I wait, less than patiently and soon am rewarded when he removes his tshirt, revealing bronzed skin and taut muscles. *sigh* This is the life.

Directly in front of me, I see a pair of feet. Interesting.

I must investigate. Beneath the cliff, I find two lovers sharing secrets. Awww.

Closer to the water, Iggy isn't sure what to make of her parents at first. She confides to me that she is pretty sure they are crazy, but she loves them anyway.

Then Iggy turns her artistic eye into photography of shoes: because dogs love to chew those, right?

and the obligatory paws in the sand pic:

She is quite startled that there are birds the same size as humans. She is completely unconvinced when I explain to her about perception. 

She isn't really interested in birds after she sees humans that are tinier than birds, but she does dig this bird silhouette, so she snaps a quick photo. 

She is pretty impressed that I meditate by the water in such an outlandish pose. She really tries to twist her paws into that shape, but ends up falling down. 

Finally, she does the best human impression she can manage and kicks back in the beach chair. She stays there until the sun sets, painting the sky with a brilliant palette of pinks and oranges. That's not true, she only stays for three seconds and then she is off exploring again.

And this is the face I expect she'll make when she learns of all the stories I make up about her.