poor me

OMG they tried to save money and not buy Frontline to prevent fleas from moving into my fine fur. the cheapskates bought Sergeant's Gold on sale and poured it on my back this morning. i've been shaking, whining, screaming, refusing to move, unable to walk or run, hallucinating, all the things i never have done before.  they gave me an extra bath  :(  and then benadryl. if they hold me tight i catch a few winks, but this is no picnic.  they found a website that warns pet's people not to ever use the cheaper products, and now they're busy reporting the story to the pesticide study in Oregon. this is basically a chemical burn, and it's apparently happening every day when people use Hartz or Sergeants, according to the website they're reading.

if you know any people trying to save money during flea season, let them know the mistake my peeps made.  wish i'd been rescued by smarter folks!

pup on puget sound

we've been so busy i haven't found time to blog. this hill by the water is a busy place. we have dogs to appreciate, cats to chase, people coming and going, children (my favorite people), grass to eat, woods to explore, so many scents to follow. it's been hectic.

the boy who can

school's out, life is good

first we got the kids to quit school, and True immediately climbed a tree to show that he could. Clare did not want to star in pictures, but she did give a mighty fine music recital at Miss Mary's. then, inspired by her performance, she and 'leeeen and True put on a show playing and whistling 'bye 'bye miss american pie. they dressed in black, my current fave color.

costumes, jewelry and makeup by Clare

True played this whistling instrument in his collared shirt. wardrobe by True. 

then the family who lives here went fishing at sunset. kind of nice to live by the water. they walked to the beach, made it to the boat,  and set sail.  True had a nibble but the big one got away. can you believe that mountain? when it is not shrouded in clouds it is Huge!  i finally got my turn on the scooter.

a short walk down the hill

onto the boat

off they go

at last.  i've been waiting for this day. 

Mt. Rainier in her glory, hovering over the sound where we live this summer. doesn't it look impossible? amazing. incredible. unimaginable. but real. the northwest of our amazing nation. it's our own Mt. Fuji. but better...

last weekend, the dad and mom of this place left the children with me, and we had a mighty good time. ok. Zeke and Gita helped a little. we had a campfire--me and my new friends. 

Clare and her friend Gemma like me a little. 

 Zeke is going to the campfire. i'm going to the woods. 

somebody take me to the woods.

if i stand close to the camera perhaps i'll look as big as Zeke

we're waiting for s'mores...i'm busy with a scent under a large rock

         

why can't dogs go to tea parties? i already modeled for the Luncheon of the Boating Party. i have history. i have a stellar resume.  and i currently star in the magnificent Renoir on my beloved's dining room wall. why can't i participate in a tea party? not the bad kind.  the good kind.  please Kieran, can i join?

la vie moderne, in america. lavender tea.

cheers! salute! here's to Us! this is the best kind of Tea Party. it's the only kind to promote!

the view is magnificent and Grandmas are popular. life is good with a view.

True found a way to cool his jets...

                                                                                                                  

seriously.  after the dad and mom of this place returned, we watched the best documentary on skunks. we get PBS. that's all we need. i watched closely because skunks squeak. only the top 7% of dogs watch TV.   i think my maternal grandmother was a skunk. thanks for tuning in. it makes my life worthwhile. not to overrate the audience, but, hey. i live for my fans...

                                                                        

new friends, new family

rahhn, what are you watching?

ok, what are you and Clare watching?

oh, the dad of this place is on the water again. how does he do that?

a talk in the woods...

a walk in the woods

a Run, all of us, go go go

what Grandpas do

eey ah

my new dog walker. she requested my pink harness.  we both like pink.

she's my biggest fan.  she may be my only fan  :)

we're talkin' spring wildflowers, sweet breezes, clean ocean air.  this chapter will be awesome. hope your next chapter is also, and thanks for playing!

we're here

we found the street

looks ok so far...

 

 

 

uh oh. that's the driveway, and it's a mile long...

 

 

  

                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                        

journey west finale

one last day of dramatic scenery....

piece of cake, sure...

see the tunnel ahead?

we'll Never Fit!!

out the other side? we're sailing in the clouds

it's downhill from here...

until the narrows bridge in tacoma

ok, an even skinnier bridge....

mission accomplished

the driveway is a narrow green tunnel, a little smaller than the bus, but we made it through, with a most amazing parade.  the Dad of this place drove down his driveway backward to lead the bus down the nearly a mile driveway.  he watched the top of the front of the bus and edged up, up, around and down and up toward the house. True was the spotter in the rear of the car, which was the front of the parade. complicated, but amazing.  and leeen and i drove the car following the bus, watching the branches swallow the bus.

now that we're in, we can never leave. the trees will only grow with every day that passes. that's ok with me. there are dogs everywhere (some already like me; some are waiting till later), and kids kids kids.  i've been here 24 hours and already played with Clare, True, and four more of their friends! people come and go constantly--it's a circus and i'm thrilled. they keep putting me back in the bus, but i just rest up for the next encounter. kids in woods climb and hoot and holler, i watched True plant his plum pit near the blackberry bushes, and we nibbled on parsley, fennel and kale from the garden.  the Dad of this place is windsurfing in this winter weather...  never a dull moment now that we're here.  it beats an RV park--not so many senior citizens, more kids. my peeps can't find their camera or phones, but after 2500 miles that's not too bad. all things considered it's a job well done. we should all get dog treats, yippeee!

packin' our saddlebags, dust on our boots and in our eyes

uh oh, this is how it starts. one up, get ready, squint the eyes...

this wind is detrimental to my self image. it's the chihuahua thing. we have to leave before my self esteem is permanently damaged. besides, they never got me goggles, just another harness.

oh boy, we might have lift off

so embarrassing

said goodbye to the rodeo bulls, the really big horses (they're totally vegan, just goes to show).  it's been pleasant--cold mountain streams, strange birds, beautiful spot for a low-key camping... 

i seek fresh water

strange bird...we don't have these in florida

sweet spot two miles south of Ellensburg

we'll miss the big, blue sky

onward to our destination and Kids!  i love Kids! 

ellensburg: the windy city ranch

the trip across eastern washington had some excitement afterall. those canyons, the columbia, the winding road--it proved to be less boring than expected.  suddenly a couple of clouds turned out to be mountains, snow covered and floating really high. which mountains peek over this eastern valley? 

that's not a cloud, it's a mountain...

once here, we settled in for rest and recovery, and we had some great trekking. but then the hurricane started. i need goggles. the wind blows so hard that the trees were actually snapping above our heads when we tried to walk today. it blows my ears straight up and i look like a chihuahua. humiliating.

other than the wind, it's a cool place. we're camped at a working ranch by the Yakima River. no interstate noise. it's a byos kinda place (bring 'yer own shower). we hear resting rodeo bulls singing at night; they're having rest and recovery too. and there are two Huge animals they call horses.

make your own reservation when ya' get here...

toilet and wash stand (no showers)

we explored the town, found Dick and Jane's house, visited an art museum/store, but then my people took me to a pet shop where the owner rigged me up with some sort of head harness to keep me from pulling. i've been depressed ever since. i thought these people liked me...apparently they don't appreciate my pulling them across america.

dudes, i'm going to start eating apples!

i earn my keep.  for example, in moses lake while we parked at walmart for a moment to regroup, i saved their lives. ok. i saved the bus.  someone tried to enter and i ran over and barked with my deepest voice and alerted rahhn, and the person disappeared.  i rest my case. so what if i drag them after the occasional bird, cricket, or butterfly?  head harnesses are barbaric. get me something i need--like goggles.

fields of gold (my favorite color)

draggin' my peeps

time out for a scent trail

my idol could have stood right here...

they say we'll "enjoy" the sun and wind one more day and then head over the last range of mountains. the last pass, and some of us are relieved to say goodbye to the journey and begin the visit. i understand there are two rottweilers who eat small dogs; they are waiting to entertain me. and up north there are two other big guys who don't appreciate my type of being. i plan to win them over. Bear and Payton seemed to warm up to me; and i dare say Buddy fell in love with me, so i will expect the best, adjust if i must. i plan to wag, jump, roll over, and convince them with licking that we can all get along.

if not i'll just pull my peeps back out of there and we'll go back to florida! why did we have to leave florida? i was perfectly happy running down the highway, except for that child's belt around my neck that was strangling me. have i mentioned how i earned the title RoadRunnerDog?  maybe a head harness isn't the worst thing... 

onward. that's my style.