Dave loves to go hiking, something he does well with his friends Maura, Sophia and Karen.
Last week, David and Karen went hiking on what seemed like a nice day to be caught in a surprise thunderstorm!
Here’s a pic of Karen and Dave on the trail earlier in the year, when it wasn’t raining!
Karen and David on the Trail
As you may know Dave loves the outdoors! Whether it’s hiking, swimming, sledding or boating, Dave is a man of all seasons!
Here are a few pictures of David out on the hiking trail with his friends. But check this out, when they hike they don’t just go a few feet. They go between 5 & 6 miles out! Check out the proof on the fitness watch! 
Way to go Maura and Dave!
Some of our friends around town are the people at the Augusta Barber Shop. This is where Dave goes to get a haircut. Dave seems to go very often as his hair grows in super quick.
It’s a great place to get a trim and engage socially as everyone is always so friendly there and patient with David. We’ve often run into a few friends from Kittatinny who also go there, and even a few of Dave’s former classmates.
Cheryl usually cuts Dave’s hair, but all the gals are great! They all have enormous patience and just as big a heart. They always give Dave a chance to tell a joke and they always take time to listen when he wants to chat about something.
If you’re interested in checking them out they’re at 89 Hampton House Rd. and check out their facebook page too!
And check out Dave’s comic strip on “getting a hair cut”. I wonder how Cheryl will like seeing herself as a PuppyDuck?
If you think that horseback riding is fun, well you’re right! But at Morning Star Farms in Newton they make it more than fun. Along with Molly the ladies there helped to teach David a few things when he began riding lessons last week.n The gals there, Judy, Shelley and Kate, were friendly, patient and showed their experience when they left the coral and took David for a ride around the farm.
The temperature had cooled down a little and the weather was beautiful. We couldn’t have picked a better first day to start.
Molly & the gals helped David to learn the commands that the horse understand in order for Zip the horse to know what to do. “Walk-on zip!” David also practiced a few phrases like, “I like horseback riding it was fun!” “The horses name is Zip.” “I saw pumpkins in the garden.” And at the end of our visit Dave spotted some farm equipment that he hasn’t lost sight of as he’s said, “I would like to sit on the tractor.”, which he said to me earlier today remember that his next visit to the farm is coming soon.
Check out David on the horse and his comic strip below.
Note Molly and David are both wearing long pants and boots as you need to do when riding!
As we enjoy the last day of 2013, I can’t help but reflect on how amazing this year has been. It certainly had been a year of adjustments, growth, discovery and challenges. I found myself a bit lost over the holidays having broken from our normal routine. It was good to let go of the daily hectic agenda, and maybe reset my clock so that I can start the new year’s daily routine with less hype. I had been asked on several occasions if I had drank too much coffee as I just had so much to get done, I couldn’t help but be over-wired.
Looking to the New Year, I’m hoping we will get a final decision from the DDD on how they’re going to support David’s self-directed program. I’ve been managing on my own till now (with the support of our awesome crew), but I’d like to get a few things in order and put a few people on the payroll.
Plans for the new year include:
There are a few other things that we have lined up, but too soon to talk about. I guarantee they’re very exciting! For now, we’ll leave the list as is.
There’s a lot of work ahead, and through all that I still have plans on how I can offer a variety of things for Dave to do. Once the weather starts to warm up, we’ll also have the benefit of outdoor activities, like riding his new bicycle that he got for Christmas, continuing to work on his frisbee skills, and working on his getting a few baskets in at the local township basketball court. Until then it looks like Candy Crush, reading books, puzzles and a few other games will have to suffice for free time activities. I’m sure Dave will be happy about that as he prefers to stay inside.
To everyone who showed such incredible support and participated in helping us reach our Facebook goal, I offer my sincerest appreciation. Thank you so very much for the supportive e-mails, for continuing to come back to the website, as well as forwarding and telling your friends and family about our efforts here.
Our sincerest best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year! ~ The PuppyDucks Mom