Snortling with Mom

Oh, will you lookee here. The movers brought in another rug. Ooooooh, this one is a nice thick rug. So whadya say, Mom? Can I snortle here too?


OK, if you insist Mom. Let me start by doing some turnarounds.


Rule #16 of Life -- never turn down a good snortle once you've been given the green light ;-)

Let the snortling begin

When the movers unrolled the carpets in our new apartment, it was time for me to get to work too! Alpha had to hold me back until the carpet was properly positioned ... and then ...


I had to do some serious "snortling", which for those that don't know, includes rubbing whole body over the carpet, and doing "froggy legs", and making my snortling sounds.

Yes, you can say it, it is incredibly adorable. I'll share more later ;-)

And here's my king bed

Like I said -- the good stuff has arrived. Now I'm just a couple-a-sheets, a down comforter, and a quilt away from snuggling up with Mom and Alpha. Yep. Right in the middle. I like to be surrounded (hee-hee).

All the comforts of home

So on this move to Germany, Alpha tells me he did things differently. He found the apartment *before* he got us on the plane.

That meant (a) we knew pretty much what furniture to bring and (b) we did not have to stay so long in a hotel.

16 nights to be precise (on this end) but who's counting ;-)

Nevertheless, when you are a little doggie, you have no idea how long you have to live in that tiny room.

So needless to say, I was *really* happy when some of my stuff started showing up. Like the leather sofa.


And like my homemade bed that Mom made just for me. Yep, I could tell I was "home" again. Woo hoo!

Even better without snow

This might give you a better feel for the woods over here. Thankfully, the snow is gone for now (we're really not supposed to get that much here). And this way, you get to see all the cool, mossy tree stumps and leaves.


Let's just say that when Alpha gets his butt out of the chair, he'll have lots of woodland paths on which to to take me running!


Though I do wonder what these elevated blinds are for? If they are hunting wild boar -- wouldn't that mean that there are wild boar in the forest? That sounds scary -- hey guys, don't get too far ahead OK?

The long and winding road

Must be in a John Lennon mood ...

The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me her
Lead me to you door

We really do have some neat forest paths over here. Right outside our back door. It's great, and it means I get lots of walks (mostly thanks to Mom, since Alpha has to work). You can see how they just undulate through the forest, and go on and on. It would be easy to become lost, but then, it's not that far to any road if need be.

You can also see the wintery wonderland that gets created in these woods, when the snow is a bit wet and heavy, and then sometimes it can get pretty cold. But Mom bundles up and takes me out anyways. Thanks Mom!

And so this is Christmas ...

And so this is Christmas ...
... and a Happy New Year ...
... let's hope it's a good one ...
... without any fear ...

Looking for your Christmas present? Well, look no further. Check out that sweater, and it will be clear to all that I'm Baaaaack! It's been over six months since I've been on the blogosphere. My apologies to those who checked back only to see the same old me each time. I may be cute, but I understand there are limits ;-) And thanks go to Alli who said the only thing she wanted for Christmas was to see her Frito-a-Day updated again. Aw shucks, Alli.

So what have I been up to you ask? Well ... moving over to Germany, for one thing. Yep, and I'll try to bring you up to date on my new digs, and some of the cool places we've already visited, and the miles and miles (oh wait, let's make that kilometers and kilometers) of forests paths where I get to take my walks. In the photo above you can see I am checking out some logs that the ForestMeister left along a trail. 

And below, I'm visiting one of the MANY Christmas markets they have all over Germany. Check out Alpha and the hat. What's up with that?



So Merry Christmas Alli! And Merry Christmas Greg! I really miss you guys and hope you'll come visit me soon. And until then, at least send me e-mail, so Mom and Alpha can read it to me ;-)

The Homecoming

All day, during the drive from the Adirondacks in New York, my parents kept telling me there was a big surprise in store for me.

So it was with lots of anticipation that I was waiting to see what it was.

And boy, you should have seen my little tail start wiggling when we pulled down the driveway, and out came Alli to greet me.

At home, once again, with my girl!

Now that's what I call a homecoming!

(Oh yeah, and Alpha promises to catch up on the missing posts soon ;-)

Down by the river

Well, we are camping at the Mohican State Park in Ohio. And boy, did we luck out.

Since it's a Saturday night (and Mom wanted electric hookups for A/C ;-), Alpha called and made a reservation.


Well good thing, since this place is packed! And our spot is right on the river at the end of a loop. I'm just inches from a quick dip in the water.


Alpha set up the table and chairs so the humans could also have a riverside seat, and wireless internet connectivity. These guys are pathetic (hee, hee). But hey, at least I get to stay outside longer. AND ... Alpha finally updated my blog!

That's a good boy, Alpha ;-)


And then this little pipsqueek dog just wandered over without a leash. Alpha had to pick him up and find his owner. I was a little bit jealous. Thankfully he was only hors d'ourve size for me (and not vice versa ;-)

Hot and fuzzy!

Well, we were visiting President Lincoln's birthplace in Kentucky.

And boy, let me tell you -- it's been hot and humid lately, can you tell? ;-)


But then we went to visit the spring that the Lincoln's used for drinking water, which is quite a bit below ground level.

Wow -- it as so much cooler. I just sat there with Mom and we cooled down. Phew!

Sunset dog

Check out the sunset I got to see. Alpha just kept snapping away with that camera of his.


And check out my new friend, the fisherlady.

She was more interested in the sunset than the fish I think (good choice ;-)

Keeping cool with Mom

It's been really hot lately. So anytime we're outside of the RV (and its air conditioning), we have to find some way to keep cool.

That usually involves a dip in the nearest river or pond.


And then afterwards, if I'm lucky, I might get to roll on the grass and do my froggy legs.

Well, actually, anyone that gets to see me do that is the lucky one (hee, hee).

Cool bridge

Now this was a cool river and a cool bridge.

The river was very flat, and it's bottom was all slate. So we could walk right across it. In fact, the people who lived across the river just drive right across the river!

But for walking I guess they use this personal suspension bridge. So cool. I wish I had one ;-)

Loungin' with Alpha

Well, during one of our rest stops, we found some cool grass in the shade.

Alpha was lounging, so I decided to join him. Made for a much better picture, doncha think?


Yep, just us two boys hanging out, rollin' in the grass.

Happy boys ... can you tell?

Rascally Rabbit

Do you see him? Alpha didn't until I started stalking him. He's in the upper right hand corner of the picture.

Don't worry ... unfortunately Alpha kept me on a short leash until he bounded away.

Next time, I'll have to be more stealthy around Alpha ;-)

Now that's a cave!

And where else would you find it, but in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois (where do they come up with these names?)

It used to be a hideout for bandits and pirates. Yep. Really.

Now it's just a cool (literally) spot on the Ohio River.

Neat rocks

Hey, check out these neat rocks. We went to see them at Garden of the Gods (in the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois)



In addition to all the cool vistas, I particularly liked all the nooks and crannies to explore.

17 years

See all these holes in the ground? Do you know what they are from?

Once every 17 years! Yep. The cicadas are back!



Well, let's just say you can hear all about it ;-)


Here's what they look like when they emerge from those holes in the ground.


And here's what they soon become. I think they are sooooo cute.

And tasty! Yep, I ate one (hee, hee).

My turn

Well now, Missy, you best be findin' yourself anotha seat.

'Cause I'ma fixin' to ride shotgun this time, ya hear!

Alright Alpha, let's move 'em out! Get 'dem doggies rollin'. Ye haw!

(Now where in tarnation did I put that dog-gone bandana ;-)

Did ya hear?

It's Memorial Day today! I hope you got to spend some time with your family, like I did.

And spare a thought for those that have lost a loved one, or for those still serving in distant lands. Keep safe y'all.

Not-so-Badlands

This is an interesting place. We were driving east through flat, lush fields of green, and then all of a sudden ... we're in these so called Badlands. Only I didn't find them so bad. The sky was blue, with a few puffy clouds, and since it's Spring, there's water here and the temperature is pretty cool.

But I guess things get ugly in the summer. Oh well, the only thing Mom is worried about are cacti. She want's Alpha to keep me on a short leash when we walk through the grass. She saw some hiding there.

Horsethief Lake

Well today we visited Mt. Rushmore. Or should I say my parents visited Mt. Rushmore. I got to stay in the RV since "no pets are allowed in the National Memorial" (blah blah blah).

But here is the good news. Just two miles out of the Memorial, we found this really neat campsite. You could walk around the lake, which I did with Alpha and Mom a total of 3 times. It was fun. And very serene.

Indoor day (aka rain)

Well, today we stayed put. We decided to spend an extra day at the Devil's Tower because it was a nice campground, and it was a beautiful morning.

Then the rain came. But this wasn't so bad either. After all, we are snug as a bug in a rug in Thistle Dew Too. And Alpha got to work on some RV projects. Something about running a new 120V circuit and installing a backup camera.

Can you believe that this was the first real rain we've had since we started our RV adventure (almost a month ago)? So I can't complain. Instead, I just play indoors ;-) But I do feel sorry for all those people camping in tents though.

Such a devil

Well, not me. Just the place I'm visiting.

It's called the Devil's Tower, and it's a national monument in Wyoming (that's it in the background). It's a unique geological formation, formed millions of years ago underground in a process similar to a volcano, and then uncovered by LOTS of erosion.

The real devil, however, is Alpha -- who's been so lax about keeping my blog updated ;-) He keeps mumbling something about limited internet connectivity, whatever the heck that means.

Powder River Pass

It's windy and it's cold up here at 9666 ft on the Powder River Pass. But it sure was a pretty ride.

Then the weather changed and a front came in. Now we need to get off the mountain before it snows!

Let's go already

Come on Alpha, let's get a move-on. Daylight's a burnin'.

I've got miles to go before I sleep, or somethin' like that.

Beauty sleep

Shhhh, be verry, verrry, quiet. We don't want to wake up Mommy.

Alpha says she needs her beauty sleep. Oops. He said I wasn't supposed to tell you all that (hee, hee).

Frito line art

Oh jeez -- he's been at it again.

This time it's "line art". Alpha, won't you give it a rest? ;-)

Yellowstone Falls

Now this is something impressive! A mini-Grand Canyon right here in Yellowstone, and a really cool waterfall.

And look -- you can even see where the park gets its name -- "Yellow" stone on the canyon walls

Welcome to Yellowstone

Great weather for our arrival, but what the heck is that stuff on the ground? It looks like snow!


And what the heck is that over there. Boiling water in the ground? This is one weird place! But cool, no hot, oh forget it ;-)

Craters of the Moon

What a strange place to find in the middle of the Oregon Trail. Can you imagine being a pioneer crossing the country, and running into lava fields?


Well, in any case, it looks really neat out my bedroom window. Which is also my living room window ;-)