Bosco Dog Blog

They are calling me "Misstick" and I'm getting tired of it. But I guess they are too. I'll tell you what happened.

American Dog Tick on the tile floor (hint hint)

So on Wednesday, Joan wanted to go on a hike - great! We went to El Chorro Regional Park near San Luis Obispo - it had an easy 3 mile trail for my people (Joan and her parents - Tom and Judy) and it also, bonus, had a dog park! So I ran around the dog park and went in the dog pools that were there (pretty tiny compared to my usual swimming hole, the Mississippi River!) and then we were ready for our hike. Joan and her mom chose this because it said it did not have poison oak - that dreaded plant. However, we started hiking and there was poison oak on either side of the trail so Joan kept me tight on the leash so we would stay on trail.

But then - Tom saw some ticks on her Judy's pants. Judy was the only one who wore pants. It wasn't so bad - they brushed them off. Well, we went up to a vista point and then continued on the trail loop but it had tall grasses. Joan pointed out the ticks on the ends of the grass just waiting for us! Then the trail got really narrow and had TONS of poison oak, so we turned around. Well, we got back to the car and Joan pulled two ticks off of my ear and head. We got back to the house and Joan made me go outside. She then took off my collar and started looking through my fur - super slowly. And then, every once in a while, she'd pull some of my fur out! I did not like that, but she kept doing it. One time Tom came out and asked Joan if she wanted an evening cocktail and Joan said something about needing a lot to drink after this was done. We were out there for at least an hour and half and Joan told her parents she removed and killed (smashed with a rock and then flushed down the toilet) 51 ticks. They are American dog ticks, as illustrated above. So that was 53 ticks with the ones at the car. You would think that would be all but NO. For the last two days, Joan has found more ticks on me and also many of them fall off me because Joan puts this funny stuff on my back every month that kills ticks. So we are easily up to over 100 ticks that have come off of me. They all stopped counting after they were in the 70s. Just right now, they came back from lunch and found 9 ticks on the floor. Joan has not let me sleep in her bedroom either, so I've had to sleep in the laundry room for the past two nights. Bummer for me. Here's a picture of me in my kitchen kingdom - can't go into that room with wood on the floor:

Here's a picture of us at the scene of the tick crime:

Tom started called me "Miss Tick" or misstick. When will I lose it? Probably never. Now, Joan isn't going to take me on any hikes that are in the grassy hills around here. She's sticking to sidewalks. Joan thought there were a lot of ticks in Minnesota, but this place has way more!

We did go on a short walk in a place called Shell Beach. It was so COOOOL. They had a drinking fountain for me! I loved it and drank a lot.

Here's a picture of Joan and me at this park - it is beautiful there (and no ticks!).

Joan and Judy left me yesterday with Tom while they went to a farmer's market in San Luis. Joan returned with this funny photo - if you know anything about CA, it is that it is smoke-free. No smoking anywhere, practically. And sure enough, you can't even smoke in the parking ramp!

All I have to close with is: Dogs - Don't go to El Chorro Regional Park unless you want to have hundreds of ticks on you!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I woke up Joan at 7:10 AM - that's my time to get up! Today she leashed me up and we went running. There were lots of new things to smell but Joan realized that there is a danger to us going running or hiking here - it is something called "poison oak." Of course, do you think Joan is worried about me? No, the poison oak won't hurt me, but it can touch me and my fur and then if Joan or someone else pets my fur, they can get this itchy rash from poison oak. I guess this poison oak grows like a weed around here. Shucks-I bet she's not going to let me off leash anytime soon. We had a nice run and returned to the back patio to find - another human! It was Joan's mom who I also remember from visiting me in Minnesota. (I did not eat her cookie from the countertop.) I had just rolled around on someone's wet lawn and she was in her bathrobe so you can imagine that she wasn't super into petting me, but I tried my best to get over to her.

Besides our run, today was not super exciting because Joan was doing what her goal is for this trip: relaxing. She was reading a book in the backyard and then napping (thus, I napped too). Later on, she left with her mom, and when they returned, I was outside with her dad for cocktail hour, which I guess is a time for the humans to drink and eat on the patio while I watch. But, as long as I get to be there, I'm happy.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it seems we might be here for a while because Joan took a bunch of stuff into a room and took all her clothes out of the backpack she brought etc. But who knows?? We are driving so much, I'll be ready at any point.

This morning that cold cloud thing called "fog" was still here. Later in the day, I went to something called an "ocean" - it has the special name of Pacific Ocean. It is a lot of noisy water. I really loved walking on it, but I was a bit sensitive to the water. When you are near it, all of the sudden, water is coming up on top of you when you happen to be looking the other way. For that reason, I didn't run around in the water too much - which is pretty hard to believe given my love for all things H2O.

Grover Beach to Pismo Beach

I found this really smelly plant on the beach everywhere. I smelled it and it was glorious because it had so many smells. I had to leave my mark on it, of course.

When we returned home, Joan gave me a bath in the front of the house. How embarassing, though I know I was pretty dirty after lying in all the campgrounds we went to. Then we sat in the back of the house while I dried. Joan brushed me and then came out with scissors and cut some of my fur off. She said I had something called "sap" in it and no matter what, it would not come out. I don't think it is a big deal - I'm sure my fur will return and I seem to have plenty of it.

My allergies are back and Joan has started to give me my peanut butter pill since I'm eating my food again.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here are our collective statistics about driving west.

Saw people from 34 states and 1 Canadian province (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado, Ohio, Kansas, Tennessee, New Jersey, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, Washington, Louisiana, Vermont, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, South Carolina, Quebec, Montana, Alabama)

Drove 2,510 miles in Hondacar.
Used 78.842 gallons of gas.
Paid as low as 2.61/gallon (Iowa) and as high as 3.49/gallon (CA).

Favorite highways included:
Utah 128 between Cisco and Moab;
Utah 24 between Hanksville and Torrey;
Utah 12 between Torrey and Hwy 89;
Utah 14 between Long Valley Junction and Cedar City.

Favorite park was Kodachrome State Park in Utah.
Joan's favorite day was June 8.
Bosco's favorite day was June 4.
Joan and Bosco's favorite rest stop: Colorado on I-76 near Julesburg (no rules about where I can go to the bathroom or walk around and they had neat Teepee.)

Posted by Joan Hughes at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, miraculously, Joan and I slept in until 8:00 AM - that's our latest so far on the trip! I guess all that swmming tired me out. Rosemarie and Ian were already awake and Ian likes to play with me.

They put me in the kennel again and left me in the house for awhile. I still don't like it, but I laid there fine for the hour or so they were gone. When they returned, they were eating food from a bag that had that same yellow arrow and "In 'N out burger" on it. They didn't give any to me, though.

We tried to take a picture of this family, dogs and all, and this was the best we could do. I'm not even visible because I was behind Nestle. Joan says there is another guy (dad) in this family but he wasn't here while we were here.

We got in the car - I was very excited as I love my spot in the car! We drove a couple hours through some mountains - and we saw the fog - I guess that means cold clouds, Joan says. Bakersfield was hot but where we were going had this white cool fog.

I was whining a bit but we very quickly ended up at another house! We got out and this guy came out that I remember visited us in Minnesota (I ate his cookie from the countertop, as I recall!!). I was so happy to see a friendly face. But then Joan put me out in the backyard patio on my leash and left me there. I felt like it was forever, but really it was only 5 minutes. But in that 5 minutes, I was so concerned about Joan not being with me and me being at this new place, that I threw up. As usual, Joan says. We are at our final destination - most westerly location - it is called Arroyo Grande - that's Spanish for "Big Ditch" Joan says. This is the patio in the back - something called the ocean is about a mile away but it was getting dark so we didn't go there or see it really.

When Joan came and got me from the back, we went into the kitchen with the tile floor. It's a big room and I spent some time sniffing every nook and cranny though it seems these people are pretty clean - didn't find any good things to eat. Then I saw another room and started to step in there, but Joan said "No, Back" and I went back into the kitchen and then she said "Good girl." We did this a few times and I got the sense that they don't want me in that other room, so I have to lie on the tile or my bed in the kitchen. It's not so bad!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I woke up early – at 5:30 CA time, Joan said. She let me out and then went back to bed. I snuck up on her bed – I knew it wasn’t allowed so I just stayed on the bottom edge until I saw Joan look at me, so I went up near her, but she told me to get off. There was this loud screaming and we went out to find out Rosemarie was feeding a baby, Ian, who was making that loud noise! Later, I found out he crawls on the ground a lot. Joan tried to get me to meet the dogs again but we still don’t really get along that well.

Later on, out came the dog kennel – hmmm….I kinda knew what was up. Joan put me in it along with a toy and a treat and they left me in there and left. I lay down and was okay but I really don’t like being in there.

When Joan returned, she put a new collar on me! It is also red but has reflective paw prints on it. She also got a new name tag made for me with her cell phone number on it – especially if I got lost here in California! My other tag was unreadable because I’ve had it so long. So now, I’m clothed again with a new collar.

We hung outside for a while. But there are two of those flying blade type things on the ceiling of the outdoor patio. Ughh! They are everywhere here! I was tolerating Nestle, the taller dog, and we would have been fine if it hadn't been for Tabasco. Everytime I laid down, he'd come over and sniff my you know what and I'd growl and get up. Then Tabasco and Nestle would follow me around incessantly. I was getting a little tired of it - actually a lot tired of it - I couldn't relax. It was like they were "it" and I never got to pursue them but only be the pursued. I just wanted to go inside to get away from them! Following are photos of us across the day. Bonus - I got to go swimming in that water hole! However, I should warn other dogs to not go in these water holes because there is no way to get out unless your human is there to show you the way out!

Bosco, Nestle, and Tabasco

Bosco and Nestle (and my new collar!)

Swimming in the water hole

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We woke up early and went immediately on a hike through the panorama of Kodachrome State Park. We saw lots of jackrabbits and lizards while we walked. This park is known for their rock spires.

Back at camp, Joan was drinking her tea when I ran after these birds that encroach upon my campsite empire. I ran so fast after them that the plastic latch on my collar broke when the long leash tightened up, and I was free! No collar or being tied up! Joan called me back and I went obediently to lie down in the shade but then she was a bit mystified about what to do with a collarless dog! Then, to my dismay, she put on the seatbelt harness and I was back to being tied up.

Joan packed everything up, and I could see we were on the move again! I got in the car, and we were off. Hondacar was at 119,110 when we started. I stayed awake because it was very pretty country.

We drove by Bryce Canyon National Park and near to Zion National Park (Joan’s been there before) but again, we boycott those parks because we can’t walk around them except on roads. I was lobbying Joan to go near Kanab because the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located there – it is a sanctuary like the place were Joan got me – Animal Ark in Minnesota. They never kill animals like lots of the other shelters do, so we like them a lot! Also, they helped out in New Orleans last year rescuing all sorts of animals. Someone said they have nearly 1800 animals at their sanctuary! But, we did not drive that way but drove up into the forest – we even saw these very interesting lava flows that reminded Joan of Bend, Oregon area, but we were in Utah! We went on a hike at the summit of Hwy. 14 in a Bristlecone forest – it was a short walk but smelled fantastic! We could see all the way to Zion National Park.

We saw snow - it was weird to see snow again. We were up at 10,000 feet, though.

We also had lunch (both of us – I am finally eating a bit) in a campground that has beautiful aspen trees and wildflowers.

Back in the car, and I slept for quite a long time until we got to Las Vegas, NV. I don’t want to miss any of the big towns. I couldn’t forget this one because we were in traffic – bumper to bumper – and we also almost got into an accident since a ladder was in the middle of our lane, and Joan had to swerve around it, just like the big truck did in front of us. That was exciting. There also was this big yellow arrow and all the sudden, Joan yelled “In-N-Out Burger”!

We kept driving and driving and driving and I was sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. Finally, after about 11 hours, we ended up in a place called Bakersfield, California at Joan’s sister’s house – her name is Rosemarie and I was scared of her at first, as usual, but then became friends. However, I am not friends with her dogs: Tabasco, a small yipper dog, and Nestle, a hound of some sort. Let’s just say teeth have been shown and growls heard! I just feel like they are ganging up on me. I did spy a big water hole in the backyard behind a fence. I hope I get to go in it! In the kitchen - actually almost in every room - there are those flying blades on the ceiling. I do not like them but sometimes I can go under the table and then I can't see them. I also discovered a new type of animal - it is kind of like those lizards in Utah but they are bigger and don't really move, at least not when I am near them. Joan said they are called "frogs" and they were all over the backyard at nighttime. I sniffed them but didn't do much else to them.

Today we went through 4 states: Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and finally California. Arizona was the "Grand Canyon State," Nevada just said, Nevada - it must not be known for anything, and somehow we missed the sign into California - but maybe it's the "Golden State" - perhaps for the plants that turn golden in the summer, or the Gold Rush in 1849, or the golden sun - who knows?!

We added two more states from license plate game to our list: Montana and Alabama.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We slept okay but Joan got up in the middle of the night to put the second cover on the tent because there was some rain on us. I went outside and drank some water. In the morning, Joan let me out and while she put her shoes on, I heard some dogs and went to investigate, and there were a couple coming down the road but then Joan called me back and put me on the leash. Joan cleaned up camp and we left. Hondacar was at 119,039 this morning.

I thought you might like to know what is in my backseat area: on the floor on one side is a big bag of my food. I don’t really go into that – in fact, I’ve not been very hungry on our trip. In the middle floor, there are some containers of water. On the other side is a bag of my toys, dog treats, leashes, and under the seat are my bowls of food (that I’m not eating) and a dish for water. Up on the backseat is another bag that has more of my stuff, like ear cleaning solution – that Joan used once on me already – and then there’s a towel that she uses to dry me off if I go into a river or something. The whole rest of the backseat is mine to lie down on or stand up – at least as far as my seatbelt harness lets me go.

Anyway, off we went and I was awake, looking at all the rock formations and red earth along the way.

At one viewpoint, we stopped and Joan’s phone started beeping – she then stopped there and called a bunch of people – she also let me out to walk around. Then we kept going and added to the roadkill situation. There are a lot of dead animals on the road and then Joan ran over a ground squirrel – way to go, Joan!!! She’s helping the world be rid of those bad squirrels that I hate. She didn’t seem as happy as I was about it.

We got to our next stop pretty early in the day and a short ride. Joan made lunch for herself and took out a few things – like my bed but I didn’t lie on it. Next thing I knew, we drove to a hike and started walking around a big red outcropping with an arch.

But bad weather was coming.

I was really thirsty and tired but Joan, in a very worried voice, told me to keep going – we were almost running as I heard thunder above us and the trail ran atop the red outcropping. I kept going because Joan insisted, but I really wanted to rest and drink water. But overall, it was wise because we saw a huge bolt of lightning and heard thunder and then it started raining hard. We were in the car, and I couldn’t believe how fast Joan could drive on the dirt road. Back at the campsite, my bed was all wet, and we stayed in the car while Joan ate her picnic lunch, and it rained on us.

The rain stopped and finally Joan let me out of the car. She set the tent up and then we had to go into the tent.

I did not want to go in at all. It is a windowless cave, as far as I’m concerned and I can’t see anything, which makes me very concerned. She pushed me in and it immediately started raining again – but worse – it was thundering right on top of us! I hate thunder – really, really hate it. We were in that tent for 2.5 hours while it rained the entire time. Joan fell asleep but I was up, concerned, but not enough to pant incessantly and drool. It did stop and we heard voices, and Joan let me out of the tent! Joan left me at our camp for a little bit, and when she returned, she smelled really good and had wet hair!

That night, we went on an evening hike to the top of the rock ridge.

Joan started a fire when we returned to camp. She made me sleep in that tent again that night, but no rain – it was okay.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hondacar started the day at 118,775. Joan and I both were pretty tired because of some nighttime antics, on my part. We went to bed around 10pm, and I was in the tent with Joan. The last time I was in a tent was when I went backpacking along Lake Superior with Joan about 3 years ago. That went fine BUT there was no wind or people that time. Last night, there were people and wind. First, we got in the tent and since the sky was threatening with lightning etc., Joan had the extra cover over the tent which made it kinda hot inside and I could see out only in one spot. So, then I started hearing people making all sorts of noises, and I, out of respect and protection for Joan, wanted to investigate and was concerned. So I started panting and standing up. When dogs like me pant, we also drip saliva all over. THAT was a problem for Joan, I guess. I kept dripping saliva on her and she was not too happy about it! Especially since she was already hot in there, too. Around 11, the noise died down and I snuggled – not on my bed – but between Joan and the tent side – kinda on top of her. For a while, I had my head and my paw on her leg. But I stopped panting and went to sleep somewhat. THEN, about an hour and half later, I jumped up and started being concerned again because the tent started making all sorts of noises – Joan said this was the wind, but I still was concerned and resumed my panting/saliva dripping/standing routine but this time I was standing near her head so I was dripping saliva on her head or arm, and she really did not like that! Joan wanted to get up at 5:20 AM and it was already nearly 1:00 AM – Joan let me outside the tent and I went over and laid down near the tree where we had hung out during the day. Joan said I could not stay there because there are lions that could come in the night and eat me. So, instead, she got up, put me in the car, opened the windows, and returned to her tent. I loved that – finally a familiar spot that is comfortable. This morning at 5:30, she poked her head out the tent, and I was there waiting for her, sitting in the backseat in my spot. The problem is Joan didn’t sleep very much because she was concerned about me!

So we started our day and I was a happy camper (no pun intended) on my long leash at the site while Joan packed things up. I wouldn’t eat any breakfast though except my peanut butter pill. Then just before we left, I threw up. Oh well! Joan plied me with treats because I eat those. I’m just so out of sorts and hot, I haven’t been eating very much this week.

We headed out and arrived at a place called “Dead Horse Point State Park.” Here are pictures of our long walk there. It runs atop the Colorado River - Joan thought it was just as good as the Grand Canyon (note - that's another national park that we won't go to!!)

We got back to the car around 11:30, and during the last part of our walk, we stopped often and Joan gave me water.

It was very hot! Then Joan ate lunch and we headed off again in the Hondacar. I slept a bit, but then I woke up when we went through Capitol Reef National Park – we just drove through but it has spectacular scenery (but it’s a national park and we are boycotting those for dog reasons).

The scenery just kept getting better and better – we went up into a windy and cool forest with lots of aspen trees. Then we went down in elevation and went through more spectacular rock formations and ended up at Calf Creek Recreation area where we got the very last campsite at 4 PM. Phew – we were lucky!

Joan set up the tent while I waited, and then we went on another hike – this one was to a waterfall and was 6 miles roundtrip and I pulled the entire way. I had lots of energy after sitting in the car for 4 hours. I got to cool off in the creek several times.

I’m really exhausted now, back at camp. I hope tonight we all get some sleep!

Posted by Joan Hughes at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hondacar started at 118, 685 miles. We woke up early at our sub-1-star hotel so we could hike when it was cool. I was lucky in that Joan let me sleep on the bed next to her all night. She had to pay $10 for me, so she decided bed was okay! I snuggled next to her.

We drove out to this trail a guy told us about and these other people had their dogs off leash and the sign said to have your dogs “in control” so Joan let me off leash. Yeah! We walked up through this canyon along a river. Yeah Yeah! So, as you can imagine – I spent a lot of time in the water.

I am very adept with my legs and paws on all the rocks – Joan was just concerned when I got too close to what appeared to be a cliff – then she’d yell at me to come back, and I would. We went as far as a small waterfall - since we did not have a map and she had an agenda for the day. So we turned back and at one point, she saw a man coming up the trail and she called my name and I turned around, saw the man, and barked. The man got scared and almost had a heart attack! He talked with her after that anyway – he and his wife were heading up the way we had just come. We returned to the car by 8:10 AM.

Joan was on the phone trying to figure out the best place to camp, and she decided on Arches National Park even though it is a national park that relegates my kind to only go on the street – where cars go! (Despite their policies, the nice lady at the entrance gave me some treats – I liked her.) This park would give us a spot immediately as opposed to the state park where you had to wait for someone to check out.

Did I mention it was hot? It was hot – like you can’t imagine. We drove around Arches looking at things we could see from where cars can go – some pictures:

Then we set up camp at a spot that had a shrub tree (for shade). Joan ate lunch and we tried to take a nap in the tent, but I was too hot and wanted to be outside. So we went and sat in the shade and Joan read her book. We sat there for hours. I huffed and puffed forever. This is our spot:

I also was introduced to a new animal in this area almost as prevalent as squirrels in my backyard – and that animal is: a lizard. I tried to run after them, but they would run fast. At 4:00, Joan had had enough and we decide to trek out of the park (it takes about 40 minutes to drive out). She did this, in the end, nearly 100% for me. We drove out to the Colorado River and she let me dunk my body in the river and cool off. Phew. Then she went and got herself a cold Coke. She had intended on taking an evening hike but as we descended out of Arches, we saw all the bad weather and when we were in Moab to get the Coke, we could see lightning bolts striking down. So we hurried back to our camp and watched the weather there – there were gray clouds off in the distance and it was windy. Joan made dinner and then we went for a walk around the campground, and we saw a forest fire off in the distance – no doubt made by lightning. Joan read her book a bit and then we went on another walk (on the pavement) to Devil’s Garden at sunset (we wouldn’t be able to go earlier because the pavement would have been too hot for my feet. Then we went to bed!

Devil's Garden at Sunset

New license plates for this day include:
Idaho, South Carolina, Quebec

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before we left Littleton, we took a family photo of our families – Berkeley and me.

Hondacar started at 118313.

Joan and I left Denver, and she made a wrong turn and did not go on I-70. It was funny and she said, it’s vacation, it doesn’t matter. So we turned around and headed up the mountain. As compared with our drive on Saturday to Denver, when I slept the whole time, today I was awake almost the entire day because the scenery was so grand. There was so much to look at. Our first stop was a scenery stop but Joan realized she had to go to the bathroom so we continued on to the Vail Pass rest stop. Joan told me she biked up to this spot last summer. Here is a photo of it:

Then we went to the Vail Dog Park. It wasn’t that big (nothing like Minnehaha dog park in Minneapolis) but it got me out and about.

Then we went to a restaurant at Vail – Bart & Yeti’s. There was tons of construction going on, so I was FREAKING out, as you might imagine.

We continued on through Colorado to Utah to go to Dead Horse Park. Utah's entry sign just had something about the Olympic Games - we thought it could have been better. We took the scenic route (meaning that I was fully awake to watch everything) - and twisted our way through rock canyons along with the Colorado River.

We got to Moab and almost started driving to the park, but Joan realized we needed gas, so we went back to Moab to get gas, and Joan called the park and found out they were full. In the end, we stayed at a motel of sorts. We got our key and then drove out to do an evening hike.

Back at the room, I was FREAKED me out until I got to sleep on the bed with Joan. Someone knocked on the door (it turned out it was the door next to ours) but I barked super loudly at that! I definitely kept Joan safe in there.

We added a few more states to our license plate game today. They include:
Washington, Louisiana, Vermont, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Utah

Posted by Joan Hughes at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was fabulous. We stayed in Littleton because we needed a rest after so much driving and, of course, the elevation is still bothering Joan. Kristen and Rob are the parents at this house and the kids are Patrick and Megan. I’m just going to show you a bunch of pictures of what we did today.

Bosco and Berkeley

The main story is … bones are a bone of contention between Berkeley and me. Berkeley just doesn’t want me to have my own bone. Everytime I get a bone, she comes over and growls at me. Even when I leave the bone and let her have it and then go and get the other bone (there were at least 2 bones around), she’d still growl at me. Joan called it a dog dance, as we kept circling around everyone at the table outside and even under the table between chairs etc. After our second run-in with snarling, bare teeth and growls, Joan took away my bones, and I heard them say “no more bones!” So we don’t have any more bones around.

The Bone of Contention

But as you can tell, I’m having a good time with the kids even if Berkeley and I don’t always get along. Several people have told us that I am a mini-Berkeley.

All Dressed Up

I am a PlayToy

Licking Patrick

Swimming

Posted by Joan Hughes at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hondacar’s odometer was at 117,813 when we left Nebraska. To be honest, I can’t say much about our drive from Lincoln, NE to Littleton, CO because this is what I was doing the whole day in the car:

(Joan needs to learn to take better pictures while driving.)

We did stop at a gas station and a woman from WI pet me while I was in the car with my head out the window, and later, after more sleeping, we stopped in Colorado that they welcome us into as “colorful Colorado.” Here’s a picture Joan took of me at the rest stop on I-76, which by the way is the most boring highway ever. It was just flat, brown hay with very little traffic.

I did ask Joan to keep track of license plates since I was sleeping so much and here’s our new plates: Colorado, Ohio, Kansas, Tennessee, New Jersey, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Michigan, and California!

When we got to Denver, I got up because I could sense there was a lot going on around. I stood up and watched the city while we drove to Littleton, where Joan’s friend from high school lives. When we got there, Joan ushered me to the backyard and then she disappeared into the bathroom. Meanwhile, a really big dog was barking really loudly and I started shaking in the backyard. Then Joan reappeared and I was introduced to Berkeley, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, who is 10 years old. Then I got dinner and we went on a walk later on. Joan had a headache so we went to bed kinda early. She says the elevation is bad for her, and she feels like a dagger is stabbing her through her eye. I'm okay with it, though.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joan spent a lot of time getting stuff together in the morning, trips to the car and back. I decided to camp out in the garage and just waited by the open trunk so that I could get in the car with easy access. When I saw her pull out my bed, I knew for sure I was going with her. She put that funny harness thing on me and attached it to the seatbelt. I found out it restrains me. It was okay. I could still stand up and lay down. I can’t hang out the window, but the windows were closed anyway. Here’s the picture in the driveway as we set to leave at 11:30 AM – much later than I think Joan intended! Hondacar’s odometer was at: 117,363.

Her neighbor is going to use the guest bedroom as she has all her sons and wives and granddaughters in town now. So our house won’t be lonely. And, of course, Eileen will come over, too, to watch movies, use whatever she needs, and mow the lawn for Joan etc. It makes me feel good that Eileen will be around our house.

We set off in Minneapolis and drove past the dog park – I really wanted to go there but we didn’t. Then we kept driving forever. At one point, I barked really loudly in Joan’s ear and she knew it was time to stop. We got out in a place called Iowa that has “fields of opportunities” as it said on the sign going into that state. We walked around and I went to the bathroom and then Joan tied me to a picnic bench and asked this boy to watch me while she ran into the bathroom, and she was back in about 30 seconds. It was really hot so I couldn’t stay in the car. Then I drank about 1 ½ bowls of water – I was really thirsty after all that panting because I was unsure what we were doing. I felt much better after that!! We got back in the car – meanwhile we were playing the license plate game – well, I slept some, so I told Joan to keep it up for me while I was sleeping – here are the plates we’ve seen along the way, generally in the order of appearance.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana.

We stopped another time at a gas station. That time, Joan left me in the car with the windows (in the shade) while she went into the gas station store. Then she took me for a short walk to go the bathroom. I guess it is hard for her to go to the bathroom, herself, and keep me safe. We kept driving really fast then and I slept most of the way. Joan took a couple pictures from the car. We liked Iowa – it was rolling hills and lots of green.

She also captured me in my backseat kingdom.

Then we drove through a place called Council Bluffs and Omaha – I stood up for that as there was a lot going on, including traffic. Then we crossed the Missouri River and into a place called Nebraska!

We ended up in Lincoln, NE at a place I’ve already been to two years ago! The dog, Cleo, lives there with Loukia and Jim. Loukia is Joan’s friend from something called graduate school. Here’s a picture of everyone. I like Cleo okay – better when we are alone together. When everyone is outside with us, I tried to show off and be the alpha dog. One time, I stared down Cleo, kind of like I do with squirrels back home, and Cleo decided to stay on the grass while I had reign of the wood deck with all the people. Actually, Loukia’s dad said he was happy about it because Cleo I guess jumps on them and bugs them. Cleo is younger than I am and she really barked at me to get me to play with her, but it kind of bugged me, so I had to growl a few times at her.

I slept in a room with Joan but I was very anxious and was huffing and puffing quite a bit. Then, I woke up early and starting pacing on the wood floor – tap, tap, tap, tap – with my nails. Finally, Joan got up and let me outside – then a bit later, Jim got up and started making breakfast for the humans.

Joan, Loukia, Sef, Cleo and I went on a walk but it was a really slow walk because we went at Sef’s pace. We ended up at a park where Cleo caught and injured a mole of some sort – way to go, Cleo! When we got back to the house, we took a photo with Loukia's family and then Joan packed up and we left in the car….

Posted by Joan Hughes at 05:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I get the feeling something is up. Joan was wild today cleaning the gutters and digging up dirt in the yard (my pathway for running) and throwing small seeds down and getting it wet. Then she cleaned the car - vaccuuming it - I got in it but then realized she was going to turn on that loud machine so I got out and sat in the yard. Then she put the sheet in the backseat - I tried it out very comfy. Then she took down my crate/kennel and put it in the trunk of the car...hmmm...it really seems like we might be going somewhere.

She also came home and I guess she bought some sort of harness because she put it on me and made me wear it outside in the yard while she and her sister were doing the gutters (by the way, the stuff she threw down from the gutters had a really interesting smell!!! cool!!). The flies came out in droves to smell it, too. Joan and Eileen, though, I guess didn't appreciate it because they kept saying over and over how bad it smelled. They are crazy - it was cool.

Now Joan is bringing stuff out from everywhere - the basement, the closets, her clothes. Something is definitely happening. I'm not going to leave her side just to make sure I get INTO that car before she leaves, if that is what will occur.

Posted by Joan Hughes at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)