(Road) Tripping, part one

Just returned from an abbreviated vacation, leaving the new dry creek bed, well...not so dry. We were grateful we put this in when we did for it did help move the water out of our yard.







Heading towards North Carolina I made few but spectacular stops. Decided to spend the night at Kentucky state park, Pine Mountain - I think! This is the view from one of the pullouts as I was leaving the next morning.






There was a stop at Bean Station which is one of the first settlements in Tennessee. This was a warpath for the Cherokee and apparently there was/is
a famous Bean Station Tavern,
in front of Bean Fort.
The tavern was loved by Union and Confederate soldiers for when the Civil War was fought it was protected.


Then there is The Chimney Tops...This is an image of the creek running in the lower part of a 4700 ascent to the summit. Yes, I made the climb! That shot and more...to follow in another blog!!!!

Bob wins again!

At the Puyallup show on June 8, 2008, Bob won Best of Winners earning another Major and 4 more points. Competition was a family affair as he went head to head with his daddy (Herbie) and his kennel mate (Sera). Herbie took BOB.

Bob's a Winner!

Bob's first time in the ring. He took Best of Breed at the Puyallup show on June 7, 2008. Winning a Major and 4 points towards his conformation championship. He competed in Groups but only made the first cut still not too bad for his first show. HAIL Bob!

Spinning Beagles

The Team showing off!

Duck Suit NOT Duck Soup!

The Marx Brothers had it wrong. In this part of the country right now we should all be in duck suits. It's wet. What else is there to say? Yesterday we were called to serve. A military wife, whose husband is away, is in their new home with 4 children and her father. Also in the home was a carpeted basement full of unpacked boxes, furniture, and water. Within two hours several of us had cleared it out and vacuumed the water. A carpet shop owner had been there and was an angel. He was coming back before the day's end to help and he was donating cash to the Crisis Response Team. He wears a cross on his business suit. Boldness. Living it.

Anyway, it was good to do something for someone else. I'd just been mulling and moping in my own (mother)issues and had said to myself, "Self, you need to quit the pity party and go help someone who needs it more than you." God provides.

We have baby robins! Our poocher, Tripp, has taken them on as a family to guard. As if his paws weren't already full enough as it is.
And, then there's Harmony, the mudrunner. She makes the most of every moment which is a great lesson to us.

Tids and Bits

My cousin sent me an article about making a tripod with a string,...G. Ooops, does that make it X rated, using string and G together?

Eva/Mom is UP in a wheelchair and has done a therapy session. She feels obligated to do that and she's going to complain the entire time. Good for her we say. She has already surprised us with the turnaround she's experienced.

Our geographical area is soaking wet. Who elsewhere needs water!?

Is anyone else relieved that the primaries are over? Do we need to tell Hillary cuz she didn't seem to get the memo. All sorts of options are being batted about - she wants Mr. O to pay off her campaign debts with his campaign surplus; she wants him to support her friends who are struggling with re-election; she wants something more than Sec'y Health (Education and Welfare - are they still lumped together?)...on and on. I'll admit she's admirable, if for no other reason than her persistence. One side of me says she's the bigger person for forgiving Bill's indiscretions but the real me says, she should have drop kicked him out of the Oval Office when she had a chance. Is it good that she lived through that and came out smiling? Does it show strength, fortitude, courage? Or, is she savvy enough to hang on for the political plums, screw the rest of it/them? And, what about darling Chelsea? Is it in the Clinton long term plan to launch her political career soon so she will have her chance at the presidency someday? Count on it.

All the pundits and news puppets are right - there is a heckuva big difference in delivery between McCain and Obama. Americans need to look at what the message is. Like that is going to ever happen. Aren't we all more and more ADD each day? If we cannot tell if McCain is awake we won't even try to understand him. If we are swept into Obama's arms by the surrounding enthusiasts won't we go along with it? I'm stuck. I'm not certain I can support a national health care plan to cover people who are too inconvenienced to take better care of themselves and would rather whine about it and let those of us who do make an effort pay their way too. I can understand some of it and gosh knows I hate my ascending premiums. But, aren't we supposed to be responsible for our own selves and well-being? Isn't there some sense of personal commitment? At the same time, who wants Iraq to be sucking the air out of our tires for another 100 years?

Face it, this is more of a beauty contest than ever before. We can only hope that the candidates recruit damned good staffers and fill the appointed posts with terrific, experienced, diverse, and patriotic people.

...it's going to be a bumpy ride.

From Hail to Dog Days

As was predicted, we had a major rain storm Friday night. The wind blew, but severely and not exceedingly long, and then the sky opened up and we were whopped by rain turning to hail. Fortunately one of the dogs and I had walked in the field next door and found 8 golf balls so there was something to size the hail against.


APL has enriched its "Donation Dog" program with add'l volunteer dogs. Yesterday was Harmony's debut and she was stationed outside a big box store for 3 hours. Her friendly pitt mix demeanor yielded $173.54 for the dogs and cats who need extra attention at the shelter. Here's the li'l darlin' herself, enjoying a personal exploration of the creek bed and the water it held from Friday night.

BTW, the golf balls in the field are regular finds there. We're collecting them to create a golf shore or golf coast on the creek bed.