big brown beach

to the beach?

 800 steps from our rented spot we see three good signs that a beach is near...

really?

 

 

in texas they drive on the beach, and unlike florida, they will allow Me on the beach too!

 

it's lovely, cool, windy, sea spray and rain, and just what we need.  we now live on the longest barrier island in the world. we chose the north end, perhaps a little less traveled, and just right. 
 

this will pass for sunshine. no problem.

welcoming committee.  we've found the beach. 

wonder if it's cold or hot...

 

rahhhn's thinking fishing thoughts

there she goes again mumbling about most this amazing day...

i want to play with this water balloon and they won't let me. grrr... they are everywhere and some of them are moving and waving at me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life is good on our boat

through Whewston! and to the coast of Texas

traded in Sam Rayburn Lake and the beautiful
sycamore (and lake) and pines for the ultimate
roadtrip.

an even more beautiful sycamore, old, tired, gorgeous

 sometimes the price of trying to come to amerika is life itself

Houston was way too exciting, not for me, just for them. Once finished with the seven lanes of traffic, we stayed at Walmart State Park in Victoria, listened to trucks run their diesels because they can.


next day we stopped
to pay homage to the culture wars...

shoulder = no problem

cool.  looks like florida... we can do these low bridges

    

you should hear 'leen when we lose the shoulder and climb to the Sky!!!

you should hear 'leen when Ron begins to be a tour guide with one hand on the wheel. oh and while on a bridge.  with no shoulder.

The Island.  which island, we say.  The Island.  where in the world are we?

tick not mutt

so, yes. i'm kind of in the dog house.  been wandering the woods, chasing my dreams, and picking up numerous ticks.  i bring them home happily, share them as much as possible, and for some reason that's Not Acceptable.














i get myself in a tangle, admittedly...

 

 but more than often i'm standing at attention, ready to walk.  ready for anything....

  so even though i have ticks, galore, we celebrate the season.  see the tree?  see the hot cocoa with campfire melted mashmallows on top?  we're good here in frigid north texas.  and we're so ready to leave.  we want sun. beach. we want good air to breathe.

 we say goodbye to beautiful lakes and pines and frigid temps, and we head south toward sunshine. we hope.  and away from ticks. 

the blue true dream of sky and the leaping greenly spirit of our christmas trees....

backroads of arkansas

the thing is that the back roads of arkansas can keep you lost for at least five weeks. no internet, unreliable phone--it sounds peaceful, right???    












on the road, there are adjustments...  




yes. of course we have a bathroom.  well, the world is My bathroom, but my peeps have this one....

and hey. our music room has a view of the lake....  

so we're lost in this space of north america earth, and yet, we're fine. freezing, but fine. we'll be seeking south and sun as soon as the roads de-ice...   until then we listen to our tin tent roof as the rain plink plink plinks. and we huddle round the one small electric heater. we fight over the one furry blanket, totally synthetic.  i get my peeps out as much as possible, which isn't much in this freezing rain, "the wintry mix" they call it around here.  but soon, a better, sunnier day is coming. i can feel it. 

happy day of appreciation

we have not enough internet to blog pictures or email, and the phones have no service, but we have lots of beautiful back roads to cruise. we have a 35 acre park of our own (no one else is here at this campsite) and a 63,000 acre lake of bass (they aren't biting). our apartment on wheels has all we really need. we have sunsets on our pretend ocean. we have mosquitoes in November (they are biting), which is better than snow. we have no turkey, but ducks call in the distance through the fog.

we have our family and friends gathered in our hearts today, grateful for each special one.
 

ArkLaTex, USA

 we're all cleaned up from our baths at Hot springs, so now what...
 let's go south...to Mineral Springs...  

a real town in ArkLaTex

 let's find a nice lake at a low price, and let's stay a while....

how come you study the boat rules but you don't care about the Alligator Warnings? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

they are every where and they are after me!

there is only one other camper here at Millwood Lake: Prince and his parent, Paul. Prince is some kind of pure dog. he has credentials. i don't know what that means, or care, but he is quite beautiful. and he smells really good.

Prince, my new BFF. sorry, Chequers...

Trick or Treat

what do you think--Growl?

help me choose my costume: shall i play it tough or cuddly?

or no growl, just mismatched eyes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

my costume was supplied by the girls at Petsmart. they gave me my first report card and wrote "she was wonderful."  they even wanted to adopt me. so even though i don't think much of them dressing my like a girl, the fact that they were crazy about me forced me to tolerate the bows. at least they have pumpkins on them. also, i smell like a candle shop. i'm not going to let it get me down. there's probably a pile of something around here i can roll in by midnight....

we stay in this awesome National Park, called Hot Springs, and everybody keeps talking about "the baths..."    apparently the water here is magical, especially when delivered through fantastic buildings built in 1910, with marble tiles and benches, beautiful stained glass windows and skylights, and numerous sculptures and fountains.  plus, as my peeps reviewed their experience they talked about togas and steam and needle showers. Petsmart was probably better...
 

leaving Branson, going south

ok, Rahhhn. i'm ready.  anywhere at all

the joys of the open road...

 Branson for almost a week, and though the State Park had great walking trails and a nice lake to look at (Table Rock), we were waking up to 30 degree mornings.  south, please.  i don't like that pink sweater they make me wear.

fall color

 it's what they call "hills and hollers"














nice Arkansas scenery...

 no hill for a climber

river of rock?

and the happiest captain Rahhhn

lots of oooh's and ahhh's from the human gallery

ok, i get it, it's a beautiful state...

quaint...

they call it "the natural state..." for good reason and wouldn't you think my peeps would wash the windows?

time out. enough scenery already!

 so after a few hours, i said Hours, of swaying and rotating and lumbering along, listening to all that raving about Scenery... i couldn't take anymore.  no dogs, no scents to track, just "fall color" whatever that is...
but at last we stopped.  i was ready, standing by the step, willing to wear whatever contraption they decide will tame me, and please, Higher Power, let me feel the earth under my feet.

landing at last, at Hot Springs National Park camp ground. Now we're talking! 

no fish, just my reflection.

meeting Rangers is always nice. this lady was cute and had a lovely accent,
and she liked me quite a lot, but time to go.

at last. solid ground. other dogs nearby (there is a law that peeps traveling in coaches or fifth wheelers must have a dog--preferably a lap dog). i can pull them up the hill across the creek. it's a sheer rock face, but only .8 miles.  i can do it.  i've been practicing.  if they would lose a little weight i could pull them up that wonderful trail. i'm a rock solid 12 pounds. i pull as hard as i can, and with a good wind i can bring them across the road before they weigh me down.

Home Sweet Home, they've opened the basement doors so they are serious!

see my red dog house at the rear?  see me?  Rahhhn parked me near a fire ant colony and oops he received the brunt of the placement.  yikes. two bites on his right hand. this happened once before (in Florida) and it's notsogood. he seems to be allergic to fire ants. of course, isn't everybody?  those suckers are ruthless. a little benadryl and time out and he'll probably be fine.  at least we're on solid ground and we live in a beautiful park, and we'll just see what happens next...