The Newest Bark Ranger of Indiana Dunes National Park: Day 3

 

We had some business to accomplish on this morning! Our prospective Bark Ranger had finished pretty much all of her required activities, but this prospective Junior Ranger still had some work to do, so we went on a hike:

It was a misty, overcast morning on the Bailly Homestead, but we had the place to ourselves as we wandered around:

Look how lush and green the trail was!

After a short hike through a forest full of sugar maples, we reached the working Chellberg Farm:

Luna had a BIG adventure here!

I am very unsure of Luna around farm animals. She embarrassed me by barking at draft horses at Kentucky Horse Park, and I still hold over her head the one time, years ago, that she lost her mind and mortally wounded a chicken and I had to behead it.

Honestly, I might still be in low-key hysterics from that one...

So even though these sweeties looked as content and happy as... well, this--

--I was extremely reluctant for Luna to do this--

--and then this--

--and then this!

The pig didn't seem particularly fazed by our slightly overexcited dog, but pigs have a lot of teeth and I didn't relish the idea of carrying a dog with her face half bitten off the long hike back to the car, so I made Will pull her away and we all hiked back, faces unbitten, through a woods that was now looking a lot more like this:

It started raining before we were quite finished, but don't you find that weather that's unpleasant to humans is often the best for spotting wild critters? Look at my new friend, the gray ratsnake!

Back, then, to our Airbnb for snacks, a glass of wine for the grown-up, and a lovely interlude watching Luca courtesy of our Airbnb's Disney+ subscription.

I REALLY liked our Airbnb!

Luca was perfectly timed, because by the time the credits rolled, the sky was blue again. 

Back we went to the beach!

I could have really liked Central Avenue Beach--it was much quieter than West Beach, and had a much easier walk to get to with a fun scramble down a dune at the end--

--but the whole time we were there, we were absolutely mobbed by some sort of horrible, stinging fly. I didn't bring any anti-stinging fly repellant, and anyway, they were also clearly biting Luna, as well.

We, at least, could escape entirely into the water--

--but Luna is still scared to go out beyond her knees.

Will had the brilliant idea that Luna would be less susceptible to horrible fly stings if she was covered in sand:

It was obviously the best of many good decisions made during this trip:

As I was taking four thousand photos of our adorable dog with sand on her snoot, I happened to notice that the beach we were on was clearly adjacent to the beach that Matt and I had walked on our own trip to Indiana Dunes the month before:

And that's how I came full circle on this trip, happily achieving my dream on almost the very same spot where I first dreamed it.

The Newest Bark Ranger of Indiana Dunes National Park: Day 2

 

On our first full day at Indiana Dunes National Park (here's Day 1), our main plan was to spend the day at the beach with Luna.

We took the long way round:

This Dune Succession Trail happily led us to the part of the beach adjacent to West Beach that dogs are allowed at! In the middle of all the other well-behaved dogs playing gently in the water, Luna had an absolutely ridiculous time barking her fool head off at the waves, running Will back and forth while barking and snapping at the water, stopping dead to bark her food head off some more, etc. I was both delighted at how happy she was, and secondhand-embarrassed at how much of a scene she was making.

Luna is wearing her new Ruffwear Float Coat, because I am apparently a doggy smother mother.

It's not the first time it's occurred to me that dogs and toddlers are quite similar.

Here's another way that they're similar: when Luna had finally worn herself out enough that she was willing to come away from the waves to our nice beach umbrella and towels all laid out comfily on the sand, she immediately proceeded to gleefully dig herself the largest hole of her entire life:

And then she promptly laid down in it and fell asleep in the shade:

Notice that nose facing the water, just in case it makes any sudden moves and she needs to go bark at it some more:

With Luna nice and tuckered out, I babysat for a while so Will could get wet past her knees:

Even though this dog kicked sand ALL OVER my beach towel, I love her so much I can't even stand it:

We spent most of the day here at the dog-end of West Beach. Luna chilled out enough to enjoy the water without barking hysterically at it--

--and we got plenty of time, as well, to just lounge in the shade of our umbrella and read and eat snacks. Not gonna lie--Matt filled my thermos with margaritas before I left home, and I quite enjoyed them here, along with the little snoozle to follow.

Obviously, we had to take some puppy portraits to commemorate Luna's first full day at a real beach!

Then we trekked the LONG trek back to our car with our tired dog who kept wanting to lie down, and happily spent the evening sitting on the couch of our AirBnb, eating delightful snacks and binging Schitt's Creek:

I'd say that was a pretty good last first day of high school for Will!

Make a Cardboard Record Album Cover and Duct Tape Bookmark

 This tutorial was originally published on Crafting a Green World in 2016.

If you need something a lot sturdier than plain paper, but you still want to craft with some upcycled materials, then this cardboard record album cover and duct tape bookmark is for you! 

 The vintage cardboard record album cover, taken from a damaged record, makes an awesome front for your bookmark, while the duct tape strengthens the entire thing and covers up the back of the bookmark, concealing any stains or rips or other flaws. 

 Got a favorite record album cover that you've been wanting to upcycle? Here's how to make a cardboard and duct tape bookmark for yourself! 

 You will need: 

  vintage cardboard record album cover. Take this from a record that's no longer playable, and do something else awesome with the record! 

  duct tape. It's not an eco-friendly crafting supply, but when used in moderation, it's SUPER fun! Check out the time that the kids and I made duct tape wallets!

  hole punch. You can use any size, although I think one that's just slightly wider than the diameter of your yarn looks better than one that's really wide. 

  yarn or embroidery floss. Choose a color that matches your bookmark.  

1. Cut out your bookmark. Using a favorite bookmark as a template, trace a bookmark outline onto a scrap of cardboard record album cover (these are the scraps leftover from my upcycled record album cover folder project), then cut it out. 

  2. Back with duct tape. I LOVE our duct tape in novelty colors, and I have a pretty great time matching cute duct tape colors to stuff. For the most eco-friendly project, make the bookmark no wider than your roll of duct tape.  

3. Cut the duct tape away from the bookmark. If you have duct tape scissors, this will be MUCH easier to do. 

  4. Add the tassel. Punch a hole at the top center of the bookmark, then cut off a length of yarn or embroidery floss that's about double the length of the bookmark. Thread it through the hole and tie a square knot.  

This cardboard and duct tape bookmark would make a pretty cool present when presented along with a brand-new book, and an especially cool present if you can manage to make it from someone's favorite album.