We had been trying to encourage him to go for longer walks with us, like maybe down the hill and perhaps going out of direct vision contact with our house. He would stop stock still at the end of our driveway and not budge. When we encouraged him out into the street, he would take three steps, look longingly back at our house, take another three steps, look longingly again back at our house, and this basically sums up the entire walk. After about a week, I mustered up an enormous amount of patience and somehow got him to go far enough that he couldn't see our house. At the point where I mentally decided to begin to turn back, he telepathically figured it out and began a powerhouse lunge in the correct direction home. When we arrived back in the driveway, he practically did somersaults head over tail he was so ecstatic. It was really embarrassing. Now at the beginning of every walk we always tell him that we will be allowed to return home at the end, just to get him to go, and he seems to understand.
He's a really good, usually calm and quiet dog. Right now we are working on basic puppy training, like reinforcing the housebreaking, helping him walk on the leash to the side while we walk just a step in front of him, and helping him realize that he is allowed to nip and chew on toys, but not on humans or clothes. I think he's lost a front bottom tooth, because he looks kind of snaggletoothed. All in all, I'm surprised by how much I like him.
His sketches were definitely inspired by those over the top library books. He made aerial views, views from inside, views from outside, views involving how the nails would be hammered in, and cross-sections. His sophisticated ideas were kind of dwarfed becuase we are just about the most unskilled contractors you could hire. We worked on the weekends and weeknights until the structure was indeed finished and painted to his satisfaction. The roof was the hardest part -- we ended up crossing pvc piping over the top and then staplegunning heavy tarp-material over the whole thing. Our area has been subject to quite a few deluges since its erection, but the building so far has remained dry inside. All in all I think the project was a success.
They do go out there quite a bit to play -- they usually build legos inside or draw. One day they both ran home from school and decided to go out there even though it was pouring down rain. They changed into their rain boots and got their umbrellas out, and walked the few steps to the front door. The problem was how to take their boots off and shelter them with their umbrellas while they were inside -- the didn't want to track the rain and mud inside. It was funny to watch them logistically figure this puzzle out, but they were successful and they stayed in there for about an hour drawing up designs for their next creation -- a rocket!
We climbed to the top of Incense-Burner Peak and enjoyed a not so clear view of the surrounding hillsides. Actually I should be more accurate. Brian and I only climbed halfway up becuase Brian had been on a sleepover the night before, and he was really tired. We huffed and puffed halfway up and then sat and read a book together while the others continued the climb. (Incidentally, the book was entitled, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid.") Ed climbed the whole way up, and he was proud to note that there were 2,300 steps involved. No one had to carry him or really help him, except that Scott held his hand on the way down because it was so steep. He looks so proud in the last photo above.
After the climb up the hill, we enjoyed a dinner of Yunnan hotpot. The highlight of the meal was the massage that they gave afterwards. I have never eaten anyplace where the piece de resistance is a massage, but no one was complaining. Here are some pictures to document that part of the meal.