4th of July Weekend at Silver Lake

As promised, some photos from our Holiday weekend at Silver Lake.

I would really like to go in one of these trucks at least once, it has to be so fun to just fly up and over those hills!

And this poor guy royally screwed up his back end when he landed. The amount of money that goes into a lot of these vehicles is just crazy, then to think they probably break 90% of the time you're doing these crazy things.

A sticker on the back of one of the vehicles read 'Wasted Wages' - Probably appropriate. :)

This was the view from our perch. We set up on top of a hill so we had a good view of everything going on in the dunes. Above is the drag strip- that grey truck was pretty fast. There were all sorts of vehicles racing, even snowmobiles. 

That's our tent up on top of the hill. We had it going on this year - a tent, chairs, and a grill full of lunch/dinner stuff.  

Above is a sandrail that caught on fire. Luckily, all four people were able to escape quickly before it was completely engulfed in flames. There aren't any fire trucks out here, although one did show up after about 20 minutes which, by that time, nothing was left but the charred carcass of the vehicle.

I forgot to take any pictures of our campsite this year, but our friends have a giant tent that we shared. We cooked meals on the grill and s'mores on the fire. We slept on the air mattress at night and it was nice and cold so we got to snuggle close :) 

Saturday night we went to Craig's Cruisers to ride the go-karts (I just watched) then had ice cream before watching the fireworks on the beach.

It was a pretty perfect weekend. Makes me wonder about next year, when our little one is 8 months old (crazy!). 

Until next time :) 

xx

Have a Safe & Happy Independence Day!

What are you up to this weekend? Cookouts? The beach? Fireworks?

We're finally heading up to Silver Lake! I can't believe that this was my first post, just about a year ago. My husband has been going there since he was about sixteen and now I get to be a part of his tradition. Love, love, love and it makes me all gooey inside. Puke, I know :)

Here are some links to kick start your weekend:

Search here to find a Michigan firework display going on near you this weekend.

Would you try this twist on spaghetti?

When Game of Thrones is over.

A beachy, mermaid waves hair tutorial.

Looks like Whole Foods is in some hot water.

Needing one of these for my car.

A few tips to paddleboard like a pro.

How did I miss take your dog to work day?!

Delicious recipes to try over a campfire (we're going to try the breakfast burritos!)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Recognizing Heat Stroke in Dogs

In case you missed it, here are some tips to keep your dogs safe this summer. Failure to keep your dog cool can result in heat stroke, which can be deadly for your pup. 

Normal body temperature in dogs ranges from 100 - 102.5 degrees. Heatstroke occurs in dogs when their body temperature reaches 104 degrees or higher. Above 106 degrees is considered severe and can be deadly, you need to seek immediate veterinary assistance.

Here are some signs of heatstroke to be wary of:

Early Stages:

• Heavy panting or rapid breathing
• Excessive drooling with thick, sticky saliva
• Bright red gums and tongue

Advanced Stages:

• White or blue gums
• Lethargy, unwillingness to move
• Vomiting
• Uncontrollable urination or diarrhea
• Labored, noisy breathing
• Shock
• Seizure

If your dog is showing early or moderate signs of heatstroke, take immediate action. Here are some tips to cool them down before or on your way to the vet: 

• Apply rubbing alcohol to the dog's paw pads.
• Apply ice packs or cold, wet towels to the groin area, neck and under forearms. 
• Hose down with water. **Be sure not to use super cold water - cool water or, for small dogs, lukewarm water. 
• If you have access, bring into the air conditioning and lay in front of a fan.
• Allow the dog to lick ice chips or drink a small amount of water.
• Offer Pedialyte or dillute gatorade in water to restore electrolytes. **Do not force dog to drink as they may inhale and choke. 

It's recommended to take your dog to the vet even after you've cooled them down to their normal body temperature. This is because the heatstroke could've done damage to internal organs, they could be dehydrated or have other complications. 

Dogs that suffer from heatstroke once are more susceptible to getting it again, so be cautious and take steps to prevent further issues.

Keeping Dogs Safe in the Hot Summer Months

Summer is a great season to be out and active with your dog. Here are a few things that I've learned in the past to keep our furry family safe in the summer.

•  Easiest one first. Never leave a dog in a car. That thing turns into a hot box in a matter of 2 minutes.
• Water. Always have water available for your dog. In addition to having water inside, always have a bucket full and available for the times you are outside playing.
• This one sounds silly, but make sure your dog can swim! You may decide to take them to they lake and before you know it, they courageously run and jump of the end of the dock. Be sure they don't sink straight to the bottom. Same for swimming pools, they may jump or fall in - be sure they are able to swim. If they'll be left unsupervised, be sure they know how to exit the pool.
• Warm weather means mosquito and heart worm season, make sure the dogs are up to date on their heart worm prevention program.
• It's also tick and flea season, so make sure you're checking them close each day after playing outside or with other dogs.
• For daily walks, make sure you're going in the morning or evening hours when the temperature is the coolest. Keep off of asphalt that's roasting from the sun; their paws are tough, but they can still get hot.
• Give them access to shade. My dogs would love to go out on the boat, but we don't take them because there's no shade and they'd just be sitting roasting in the sun while we soak in the cool water. Same for backyards - plant a tree, build a makeshift tent with a tarp or build an open-air shelter, get creative! Same goes for beach outings, even through they have water, they'll need shade.
• To follow along with the tip above, always check under your vehicle before you or your guests leave. Pets might be lounging on the cool dirt or concrete underneath the parked vehicles.
• Restrict exercise for very active breeds, as they will run and run their hearts out. 
• Here's a fun one - 'pupsicles'! Make chicken, beef or vegetable broth and pour into ice cube trays, when they freeze, pop them out and give them to your puppies as cool treats. 
• Keep dogs off freshly fertilized lawns for 24 hours or according to package instructions.
• Smoosh-face or short snouted dogs should always be kept as cool as possible. Their short snouts prevent them from panting effectively enough to cool themselves.  

What else do you do to keep your sweeties cool?

Soggy

We have had a crazy unnatural amount of rain this spring. It could always be worse, so I'm not complaining, but you could have white water rafted across our driveway and into the ditch last weekend. 

Sorry that these aren't the best picture quality- iPhones were used.

This is our driveway- completely covered in several inches of water.

This ditch never has more than a trickle during rainstorms. A bunch of the millings from our poor driveway washed wayyyy down the ditch, as did most of the big rocks on the right side of the drain.

Don't be confused by this picture, it's not normally a lake. This is the bean field across from the farm. Massive amounts of water killing the poor little beans. This photo really made me realize how much farmers gamble for a living. Kelly can work his butt off doing what's best for the crops, but good mother nature will do what she will.

Above is my stepdad the skipper on his neighbor's dock last weekend, which is usually a whole foot above the sea level. We had a couple more downpours on Monday through Tuesday morning, which resulted in one of their building's basements downtown flooding as well as their home basement flooding. Not fun.

And guess what's in the forecast for tomorrow? Yep! More rain.