So many of you guessed correctly - Cousins Ruby and Tartok joined us camping.
Here we all are hanging out in front of the hu-dad's S-RV (we will show you how The Herd Annex rides in their RV soon).
From front to back - Kiska, Natasha, Qannik, Rusty, Kodiak, Cheoah, Ruby and Tartok.
Oh - and the outtake. Just as I snapped this picture, Queen Natasha the Evil decided Qannik needed to BACK OFF! Notice his body language.
P.S. – Happy Howl-o-ween. We were going to howl for the holiday, but the hu-dad says we are not allowed to sing in the campground. Bummer.
The patented Cheesewhiz RV face
Yes, it is a beautiful weekend and we chose to take the RV out. Last time we did this, we challenged everyone to guess where we were going (that was the beach). This time, the where is simple – Lake Hartwell South Carolina State Park. It is the who that is the big question.
Here is the hint. In the very next campsite is a brand new RV with some very special guests accompanying us for the weekend. Depending on how the guesses are going, we might drop additional hints during the day on our Facebook page, but we will reveal the answer on Sunday’s post.
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Our friends Jack and Moo have declared today as Show Us Your Treat Jar Day. We fully expect each of you to show us fancy treat jars with really cool treats. Ready for ours? Here you go.
Can you see it?
No, there is no problem. No broken link. No failed picture. You see, we do not have a treat jar. Nada. None. We have bully sticks, but they stay in the zip lock bags inside the cardboard box that they are shipped to us in. Other than that, we have our food. No treats. Now you know the entire truth about exactly how deprived we are. Oh, sure, the hu-dad may treat us with nuggets of the very food we eat for dinner, but even if it might be lamb or duck or chicken or anchovy (and boy can we behave for the anchovy), it is still the same food we eat for dinner, so that doesn’t really count as a treat, does it? Can someone NOW report our humans for canine abuse?
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- Where could we be with such a shiny floor?
Almost every Sunday noon, between morning and afternoon hikes or runs, finds us in a nursing home having lunch with the hu-dad’s dad. Of all of the Herd, Cheoah seems to have the best behavior and attitude for this job and she shows no fear or reaction to all of the beeping of electronic equipment. Plus she is a great memory stimulator for the hu-grand-dad. This particular facility encourages family members to bring family pets, as long as they are well-behaved and up-to-date with their medical records.
- Waiting patiently for the lunch tables to be cleared. Today’s meal, chicken fried steak, smells heavenly.
The unit we visit is a secured unit because the patients are apt to wander. Our visit is greeted with enthusiasm and many of the patients want to spend a few minutes with the Cheesewhiz. What we did not expect, however, was that our walk through the home to this unit is now peppered with a number of places we must stop because those residents look forward to our visit as well (ok, and quite a few of the staff). It is so incredible to spread a few smiles and such fun to see Cheoah strut her way through the facility with such confidence.
- Enough chatter, hu-dad, I need to let people give me ear scratches. It’s a tough job, but somepup has to do it.
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Sorry about all of the technical problems with the website this weekend. Our host was having some issues and we know a number of people were unable to access the site or leave comments. This is the third time that this has happened this year, so we are actively searching for a new host. We will keep you posted.
We were out for a hike to Rattlesnake Lodge (click the link to read about the fascinating history) on a part of the Mountain to Sea Trail. The lodge was a private home built around 1903 on a 318 acre lot. The house was a weekend home for a doctor who worked in Asheville. The home was sold in 1920 and then destroyed by fire (probably lightning) in 1926. When the Blue Ridge Parkway was being designed, the land was declared a part of that right away and then finally bought by the U.S. Park Service in the 1970′s. This is very fitting because the doctor was one of the early proponents of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and was a advocate of forestry conservation.
We like this hike because you can see some of the foundations and rock walls from the original house, but the area is still very wild. In the middle of the area, there is suddenly a Park Service sign which explains the lay out of the original grounds and a little of the story. The hu-dad figured he would be the only one interested in reading it, but someone else nosed their way in.
Hmmmm - so where exactly was the dog play area?
Just a minute more, please, I am almost finished reading this.
By the way, we have posted a before about Rattlesnake Lodge and even posted a video of the walk. Go here if you want to see it.
Why does my favorite blueberry bush have no more blueberries?
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