{"id":24448,"date":"2016-09-11T19:25:12","date_gmt":"2016-09-11T16:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/?p=24448"},"modified":"2016-09-11T19:25:12","modified_gmt":"2016-09-11T16:25:12","slug":"exhausted-pups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/exhausted-pups\/","title":{"rendered":"Exhausted Pups"},"content":{"rendered":"

I didn’t have work again today and didn’t want to start on the small easy job I have due Monday night. So I decided this morning to go on a long hike with Mechka and Sausage beyond my Bulgarian Shangri-La<\/a>. I thought of having coffee and breakfast first, but our routine is firmly set and the dogs would not have had the patience to wait for me. I’m not addicted to coffee and could definitely wait till we got back. I did pack a couple of jam and butter sandwiches, an apple, and water.<\/p>\n

Autumn is definitely coming despite the fact that it’s still quite hot out. So many leaves crunching underfoot!<\/p>\n

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I love that rebel yellow house!<\/p>\n

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An unexpected burst of colour.<\/p>\n

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He looks so happy! I was being slow, so he’s coming back to make sure I’m okay!<\/p>\n

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One thing that I really<\/em> dislike about being out in nature in Bulgaria is how aggressive the flora is. There’s these things with super long thorns:<\/p>\n

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I caught my right calf on one of these early in my arrival here and have a more one one-inch long scar with which to remember the event. I was shocked by how long this wound took to heal and, in hindsight, I actually regret not seeking out sutures immediately after it happened or at the very least some butterfly closures, which I should have in my first aid kit.<\/p>\n

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There are also low lying vines (possibly from a blackberry plant) that wrap around your ankles and shred them. And then, my “favourite” are the shrubs with barbs that snag at you on the side of the road. One got me yesterday on my way back from Yablanitsa:<\/p>\n

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Beyond Shangri-La, we followed a very rough 4×4 road.<\/p>\n

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There’s a picnic table at the top of a hill, for some random reason. Max says he likes to go up there for breakfast. I wasn’t ready to eat yet.<\/p>\n

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There’s also a fire pit.<\/p>\n

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And some ruins:<\/p>\n

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