Steamboat Blogs

Saying Good-bye to a Friend

Posted on24. Jul, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

Yesterday Red passed away of old age. He had been acting strange the day before, pacing his kennel and flinching when I went to touch him, which is very unlike Red. Normally Red prefers to sleep most of the day away or to come out with a tail wag and a quick hello before going back to napping. I sat with him for a while and felt his head and petted him. He didn’t seem to have any physical pain anywhere, but he was clearly anxious about something. He didn’t eat his food, which his friend Jack next to him appreciated as Jack got to eat an extra breakfast. The next morning Red appeared to be fine and back to his old self. Sara gave him some lovin’ in the morning, but by the afternoon he had passed.

It’s so hard to lose a good friend, especially a dog like Red. Red was a tough old man, who loved to be on the trail and run, or would come up and snuggle us. I will always remember Red with lots of love. With a hundred dogs of all ages, it’s inevitable that a dog will pass away, just as our friends and family do, but it is never easy.

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Favorite Writing Exercise

Posted on20. Jul, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

Okay. Here’s my current favorite writing exercise:

Write about your most frightening experience - something that haunts you or terrifies you, could be a memory from childhood, something that happened as a teenager. The moment could be one of embarrassment, shame or fear. Write for 10 or 15 minutes.

Now take that story and place it somewhere in nature - the mountains, the desert, a forest or field, or even the ocean. Turn the people into animals. Take out any speech and replace it with movements and actions. See what you end up with.

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NPRs Dog Talk with Tracie Hotchner

Posted on20. Jul, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

I had the privilege to be on Tracie Hotchner’s ‘Dog Talk’ on NPR talking about frosty dogs in the middle of summer. The interview is about halfway through the clip -

http://www.traciehotchner.com/dt/podcasts/Dog_Talk_07_17_10.mp3

Yippee. Hopefully more people will realize how loved and how amazing these dogs are. My life lights up every day I get to spend with them!!!!

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Writing Workshops

Posted on04. Jul, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

I recently drove to Boulder for a reunion with my teacher and some classmates at Naropa. Within a few hours I realized how much I missed having a writing community. So much has changed and taking on a full time job writing and editing has sapped my energy for new and creative ventures.

As part of trying to pass on some of the tools that have helped me survive in life, I started a workshop to integrate writing and nature. The first workshop took place this past week. I had a nine year old girl and her mother. We walked about twenty minutes to a gazebo overlooking a pond and river. The river gushed and birds tweeted and we took a few breaths and wrote about our surroundings. The next hour was filled with various exercises that got me out of my routine writing of Audrey Rose and pictures/writing of the dogs at Grizzle-T.

It was great to stretch the boundaries of where I have been writing and decided I had an idea for a new book potentially. Could be a lot of fun. So my advice: if you’re having trouble motivating with your writing, take a workshop or look up some writing exercises online. In the coming weeks I’ll be posting some exercises that were really helpful for me. Stay tuned!

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Puppies almost ready to be weaned

Posted on04. Jul, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

These little munchkins have grown up so quickly, it’s hard to believe. They were no bigger than my hand when they were born, and now they are out checking out their new world. They have their mother Rain’s enthusiasm and personality, sweet and energetic. There’s  a male and two females and they only get cuter every day!!

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Hugs Video

Posted on13. Jun, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

Short of the dogs’ hugs, these are some of the best hugs I’ve had! Hugfest 2010

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Hugfest 2010 – Vail, CO

Posted on06. Jun, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

Saturday, June 5th, I attempted to break the world record for Most Hugs in 24 Hours. While I didn’t break the record, I did manage to hug 3,459 men, women, children and dogs. It was an incredible experience that moved me and was a day I will never forget. This was also 1,000 hugs more than my previous attempt at the Aspen Winter X Games, and one more step towards breaking the world record.  For Audrey Rose’s version of the day, check out www.SweetAudreyRose.com

Pictures and video will follow!

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2nd Attempt at World Record for Most Hugs in 24 Hours

Posted on29. May, 2010 by DagnyMcKinley.

Saturday, June 5th,  I will be heading down to Vail for my second attempt at setting a World Record for most hugs in 24 hours. The first attempt at the Aspen Winter X Games was such a positive experience, I feel I could spend my whole life hugging!

This weekend is the Teva Mountain Games and I will be trying to break the record of 7,750 hugs in 24 hours. Over 40,000 people are expected to attend over the four day festival. I will spend Friday checking out the area, finding a great place to hug and enjoying some amazing athletes. Then Saturday, we will let the games begin for me!

I will be raising money for the Save Audrey Rose fund. Audrey Rose is a fictional character of mine who is at one with nature and feel more at home there than in cities or towns. She is free in ways most people are not. The Save Audrey Rose Fund is being created to develop workshops that engage girls with the outdoors and let them know that nature belongs to them, too. Each girl will receive a notebook that is hers to keep and we will do some writing exercises that are intended to help girls realize their feelings and fears or fearlessness in regards to nature.

The first workshop will take place this summer in Steamboat Springs. It’s a two day workshop done through Partners of Routt County!

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