Taken at Gettsyburg a few years ago. I want to go back when we have more time.
Today all of our veterans, at home, abroad, in service, and those who have served deserve our thanks and gratitude. Wtihout them we probably wouldn’t have the rights we do.
So, thank you to my wonderful Husband who served, my Mom and Dad, my brothers, friends and those whose names I don’t know.
Please remember to thank a veteran for their service.
So, hubby was out of town this week. Good news is he’s on his way home now. Yea!
We’ve been married for 21 years, and they have been 21 great years with him. We love being together and doing things together. I miss him when he travels but at the same time I get so much done.
This got me thinking. I can certainly list more negatives when he’s traveling. But, what about the positives.
Pro’s of Hubby traveling:
I get so much more done around the house.
No washing dishes.
I can watch chick flicks, HGTV, shows he hates.
I can wear sweats all day and not feel bad about looking icky when he gets home in the evening.
Now let me say that if I were to wear sweats when he got home from work, that if I didn’t make dinner and that if did watch chick flicks, etc. that he would not complain. He’s a great hubby. I like making dinner for him and looking nice when he gets home.
Now, for the Cons’:
Well, he’s not here.
The bed is empty-ish. The doggies are still there, but it’s emptier.
I tend to stay up later and get less sleep.
I have to get myself up in the morning and I am so not a morning person.
I miss him.
Now, lets talk about the food.
This is what he gets to eat when he travels:
It was Duck Confit. His mouth was faster than the phone camera.
Scallops, my favorite all time shellfish.
Can you believe it’s an appetizer?
Lobster Pie. He said it was so much better than it looks in the photo.
Filet Mignon
This was over a three day trip.
What did I eat? No cooking.
Did the dogs miss him? Bubba did.
Isn’t that sad?
Callie, well…Callie does what she always does.
Glad he’s coming home. Back to normal, back to cooking and washing dishes and glad for it too.
Poor Bubba. Callie just plain wears him out.
Before Callie, Bubba was pretty active with me. We’d walk and play games. Then Bubba brought Callie home. Or, did she follow him home? I forget. Now Callie plays so hard that to get him to walk is like dragging a sack of concrete around.
Now for scenic pictures.
This bowl in the mountain was just so cool.
A sunset of course.
I never know which pictures to post as I”m my own worst critic. Hope you enjoy.
What do you think?
Well, we’re back home. Our plan was to stay for two full weeks, but we’re worn out. Once again, this includes everyone with the exception of Callie. I’m convinced Callie can not be worn out.
Callie had been doing so well in the car that on Monday we thought we would drive out to the Sand Dune Recreation Area. We took the dogs out on a long walk, then let them play for a while. All of this was an effort to tire them out. Callie did really well until we got to Walden. She got sick when we stopped to get gas for the jeep. Car sick or anxiety from the people around the gas station?
We then drove on to the Sand Dunes. She seemed to be doing better once we got there, so we drove around and had fun in the sand. Up the sand trails, around the trails, sliding in the sand, bumping along the dunes. We stopped a few times and again, she seemed to be doing fine.
Well, now, lets head into Laramie Wyoming. Apparently Callie didn’t like that idea as she was sick before we made the turn into Laramie. Ok, we can take a hint. It was getting late in the day anyway, so back to the camper.
Eat dinner. Walk Callie and drag Bubba. Poor guy, he even looks exhausted now. And he’s not the only one. We’re pretty tired too. Is it the altitude getting to us? That’s what I’m going with.
So Tuesday morning we walk the dogs, have a nice breakfast and decide to head back. Not wanting to rush a road trip after the dogs eat, we take our time packing and cleaning. Just in case Callie gets sick on the way home, we put a cheap tablecloth on the floor of the RV. It’s a four hour trip down the windy mountain. Armed with her favorite ball and sitting with Callie I keep her distracted with the ball for four hours. She did not get sick once. Now I really wonder. Motion sickness or anxiety. This only proves we need to get her in the car more for one, and secondly we need to get her out with people more.
It was wonderful waking up and not having to walk this morning. Although I replaced walking dogs today with a day of laundry, and I’m still not done.
Is Bubba winning?
Or, is Callie winning?
Wonder why they’re tired?
Break time for Bubba.
Bubba always leaves a little bit of himself on Callie. Isn’t that sweet?
And, you wonder why he’s tired? I wonder why she’s not tired.
Lastly…..
Bubba, the co-pilot making sure we get home.
We woke up this morning at 7 am to 37 degrees. Now, when I say “we”, I mean Jim woke up early. The dogs were perfectly content to stay in bed with me until he got up. Oh, well. Nothing like a brisk morning walk to wake up.
We fed the dogs and sipped our coffee while catching up on the news. Ipads are wonderful. We were feeling pretty lazy this morning. This time by “we” I mean everyone but Callie. I swear, we still have not worn her out. Bubba, however, is totally exhausted. It was evident in his gait (or should I say drag) this morning.
After doggie breakfast, Bubba went back to bed. Callie lay next to me on the couch, but perked her ears each time one of us moved or even shifted. She was waiting for the normal outing in the car, which did not happen.
We finally had pancakes for breakfast, took showers, washed dished, cleaned up the camper a bit. Little bit of domesticity on vacation. Yuck.
After lazing around until noon, we took the dogs out for a short walk. Callie bounding along, or bounding as much as a doggie can on a leash, and Bubba dragging along. I do believe the only reason he went along for the walk is fear of missing something.
Jim then went into town to fill up the jeep with gas and to grab some creamer at the store. At least that was all we needed. He came back with creamer, Milky Way bars, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Cherry Coke. Which food group are they in? Oh, and he brought back some Ribeye steaks, too.
After a Milky Way for lunch, I took Callie out for a 2 mile walk and left Bubba and Jim in the camper. Jim said Bubba whined for about 30 seconds then went back to sleep. Two hours later and he’s still asleep.
Jim decided to go out fishing for a few hours while I catch up on some reading and writing.
During our daily walks we have been trying to avoid walking through a specific wildflower, which is really hard as they are everywhere. Along the side of the road, in the fields, in the campground. Like I said, everywhere. They have a cloyingly sweet smell. It’s not a bad smell, per se, but it’s so strong that it gets annoying. However, the dogs often walk through it and often we don’t realize we’re walking through the flowers until it’s too late. The smell lasts a few hours and clings to clothing and dogs. This flower is called Northern Bedstraw and nicknamed Cleavers due to the little barbs that make it cling to clothing. It’s a pretty flower, but annoying. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/White%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/galium.htm
Anyway, I only mention it because I walked through it during the latest walk and the camper has that odor to it. Guess I wasn’t paying attention.
Another walk before dinner, this time with both dogs. By now I’ve walked Callie a total of 3 1/2 miles. One would think she would be tired. Maybe someone should tell her.
Ribeye steaks, onions, mushrooms and pasta tossed with olive oil and parmesan cheese for dinner. Ummy.
Initially we had decided to stay in tonight. However, at the last minute we headed out to view moose. We did see a few bull moose, but by the time we got to their spot they it was too dark to photograph. We had our flashes for the cameras, but in order to get good pictures, we’d have to be within about 15 feet of the moose. Jim didn’t want to walk out into the field among them when it was dark. Kind of narrow minded of him, don’t you think?
On the way up the mountain, we did get a few good pictures:
Once back, Callie had her usual midnight chew:
We’re supposed to have beautiful weather the rest of the week. Hoping the trees turn more colors while we’re here. Most of the hunters should be going home tomorrow so we can get the dogs back out in the woods running. At least Callie will like that. Maybe todays day of rest has helped Bubba too.
Well, we had a another relaxing day. Another sleep in, another nice breakfast, some nice long walks with the sun shining and the temperature in the 70’s.
We drove out late morning and headed to a back road that heads up higher into the mountains, only to find the road was closed. After researching road closures, that particular road was closed due to tree cleanup. Majority of the pine trees are dead due to the mountain beetle. The mountain beetle generally attacks older trees, overcrowded trees, trees with poor root systems or during drought conditions. If interested, this link has information on the beetle kill. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html
Look closely at the trees in the background to see how many pine trees have been affected.
Callie did great in the car again and we’re optimistically hopeful that she will continue to do so. We were out for about 3 hours, so on the way back we stopped to let them potty. I also wanted to drain some of her energy. I walked her about 25 yards away from Jim and Bubba and took her off leash. JIm called her to “come”. She ran full speed to him, then I called her to “come”. After half a dozen times of doing this, she was not only tired, but it helps to reinforce the “come” command.
After lunch Bubba took up his favorite position, on Jim’s lap. We never knew until now that Bubba can balance a bottle of water on his head. Wonder if he could do it while walking?
I’m sure he’s thinking how undignified this is.
Another evening of moose hunting. And boy, did we luck out. We saw a baby moose and it’s mama crossing the road. It’s amazing how unafraid they are of the road and will often just stand in the middle as if they have not a care in the world. Mama was on one side just patiently waiting for baby to cross. As they headed up into the woods we could see hikers coming down the mountain. The hikers were probably only 20 yards from the moose, but they were uphill from the moose and never did see them. I have no idea how the mama would have reacted to the hikers, but it probably was a good thing they didn’t see each other.
On the way home and feeling good about seeing the baby and mama, we spot another moose crossing the road. This time a bull moose. There were half dozen cars pulled over by the side of the road taking photos. The moose wanted to cross over to the other side where the food was. He was frantic for a while, not of the cars, but of the people. Luckily for the two ladies who were trying to get close to him, that moose are generally skiddish of people. Finally, after crossing the road, the only care he had was eating.
A wonderful end to another day of vacation. Wish I could live here all year long, although I may start whining when it gets really cold and snow too deep to drive anywhere.
Both dogs are sleeping soundly and we’re watching another movie. This time it’s an old black and white, Teenagers From Outer Space. Truly a B rated movie, but aren’t they the best sometimes?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053337/
bubbathemerciless 