Charter member of the ES polar bear club?

On Thursday my Doctor finally said that the pneumonia had been cleared from my lungs. I could go back to working full time and doing all my other normal activities. I was very happy.

Today was a clear day with good weather. It was only thirty degrees out, but that is normal for winter in Connecticut. A warm coat and hat would take care of any difficulties. I decided it was time to take Chandler out on a hike, as we hadn't been out on the trails for over a month because of my illness.

I quickly discovered two things.

1. After a month of forced rest I was out of shape and could not walk as fast as I was used to.

2. My dog is crazy.

No, really. (On point #2) We got to the reservoir, and he does this:

Cold? Well, maybe the water is a tad bit brisk.

I did mention it was 30 degrees outside, didn't I? A little thing like freezing weather will not stop my water dog. In that photo he is lying down in the water. To be fair, he didn't stay that way very long. In fact I think his hindquarters are already rising in that photo. However, he also waded in again when we got to the beach where I usually throw his buoy.

Of course, his fur then proceeded to freeze.

This is my new look. Do you like it?

The problem with frozen fur is that leaves tend to stick to it. Chan's britches ended up covered in leaves. Things stuck in his fur bother him, so he kept stopping to try to pick leaves off his chest, leg feathers, and britches. Unfortunately every time he sat he gathered more, much to his annoyance.

Hey! This is not my best side.
Point that camera elsewhere!

The only remedy was to defrost him. I turned the heat up in the car for the drive home. I haven't looked in the back seat yet. It seems to me that he entered the car with more leaves than he exited with.