Tambara Lavendar Park

From left to right, Chura, Dixie, Jazz, Bell, Carla, Cookie,Chamame,Piero, Viola, Naki and Mimi.

On Saturday night we got a call from some friends of the beagle reunioun group that we got together with back in May asking us if we'd like to join them for a day outing to a lavendar park. We had nothing on for Sunday so we agreed that it sounded like a fun outing and set off quite early the next morning for a 160km trip out of Tokyo to Gunma prefecture. There was quite a bit of traffic and we needed to do a few stops along the way so we ended up getting to the lavendar park at 10.30ish. In winter this area is a ski resort but transfers to this wonderful colourful flower park in the summer. The lift up the ski slope was operating but we thought we wouldn't be able to take the girls on it so proceeded to walk up the steep slope with Jazz and Dixie out in front! Most of our beagle friends were already at the top so we ate brunch and then let all 11 beagles and one toy poodle out in the dog run there. What fun they had and what a spectacle for all the visitors to the park to see so many cute beagles out together. Dixie ran about like crazy with the cool green grass beneath her little feet and Jazz played ball with any ball that people were throwing around. Jazz also did a bit of jumping but try as we may we couldn't get Dixie to go over, just around! It started to rain a bit so we headed back down the slope with Dixie still right in front urging me on faster and faster till I thought I would fall and roll down behing them! At the bottom we assembled for some group photos in front of the flowerbeds but Jazz and Dixie unlike all the other beagles were not cooperating at all and in most of the pics they had their butts to the camera! Shin and I swapped positions and I was able to snap a couple were they were at least facing the camera. After that we drove on a further 23km to a dog cafe with beautifully manicured dog run. By now it was quite hot so I sprayed the girls down with water and we sat beneath sunumbrellas drinking iced drinks and eating cakes. We arrived home early evening and everyone was exhausted after a great day out.