Day One

I opened the door to my backyard and let the dogs out this morning. No collars, no leashes, no worries. I fed and watered them and went back to bed. What a luxury!!

Home sweet home after a whirlwind trip to be with our children and celebrate the wedding. It all started out so well. I was so prepared. After packing in a suitcase for the past two years and sitting on ready to go for my Dad, you would think that going in the motor home would be a breeze. I had three days to load and load I did.

I had a system. Start in the back and work forward. Make the bed and load the bathroom, all the while filling the closets. Yes, this one has three!! I did not forget anything for the dogs or He Who depends on me for his wardrobe. All the dresses for the wedding went in first.

So sure I had thought of everything, I was confidant that the trip would be a breeze. I awoke very early, showered and loaded all the last minute toiletries along with my furry babies. Oscar was pleased to go, walking right up to the steps and waiting to be lifted up the steps, Cujo wasn't so sure how this would work, but he followed us in along with Wall-E. I had left Toni Louise until last. She is sneaky, this lone female dog of ours. She is the escape artist of the pack. So, imagine my horror when He Who, I sometimes wonder about, opens the door and lets Toni out into the parking lot, assuming she will follow the example of her siblings and simply get in the motor home.

She ran, our willful canine did run. First she meandered through the tent area. She saw us and would even stop, letting us get close before running again. I picked up a brown leaf and dangled it in front of me calling "treat, treat" while He Who drives was giving chase by car. She is a sly one.

Finally we were on the road. I was on the couch with the canine contingent, since Toni thought it would be fun to ride on the dash in front of the driver. Oscar was happy to lie on my feet propped on the couch and Wall-E lay beside my legs. Now, Wall-E is usually our carsick baby. He has learned not to look out the windows, being a savvy guy. Cujo was just happy to be in my lap. He was so excited to look out the window at the traffic go by. He stood on his hind legs and watched excitedly for a long time before settling in on my lap.

Cujo felt unusually hot to me. He is always like a little furnace, but I kept touching the other dogs to determine if he was too hot. I was listening to an audio book with my head back and my eyes closed. My feet up on the couch, legs crossed at the ankles when suddenly my lowers legs felt very warm .......... and wet. Cujo threw up on me.

Wall-E, savvy dog that he is, tip-toed out of range, carefully avoiding any fall-out. Toni Louise, escape artist and decidedly socially clumsy wagged her long tail through the incident and splashed a sleeping Oscar with Cujo's stomach contents. This also helped spread the obnoxious odor. I knew better than to bring my calamity to the attention of the driver. No worries about him smelling anything or even hearing me through the din of the radio. I disengaged myself and grabbed the roll of paper towels and began cleaning.

I packed too many bath towels, thank goodness. I was able to clean it all up and lay a towel on top of the affected area of the couch. I fixed myself a big mug of iced tea and settled in the passenger seat where there was a cup holder. The bottom of the mug tapered to fit in the hole, but was still pretty top heavy. Cujo staggered to my side and demanded to be picked up. I settled him in my lap and Oscar stayed on the couch along with Wall-E, but Toni Louise jumped into my lap and knocked the tea onto me.

So, in the third set of clothes for the day, I was resigned to sitting on the couch with the dogs and no beverage. My mind was busy cataloging everything I had packed when it occurred to me that I had forgotten my purse. We were almost to Iowa on I-35. My purse had all the cash we intended to spend in it. I have no idea why I decided to share this with the driver, but I did.

He takes the exit we were approaching. "What are you doing?" I say. He was going to turn around and go back after over 4 hours into the trip! We had our credit cards, it wasn't the end of the world. I doubt I would need ID if I decided to order a glass of wine. The only need for my ID would be in the event of an accident and I had decided that after the morning I had, it would not be likely.

The rest of the trip was long and punctuated with road repairs and many potty breaks. The hooking of the leashes was a trick with Toni. She would dance excitedly, while the others stood patiently to be hooked up. As soon as she was hooked up, she would set out to tangle all the leads together. Soon as I fixed that she would wind herself around my legs. This made every stop longer than it needed to be. The rain started as we entered the state of Minnesota, slowing us down again.

At 5:30 or so my phone rang. It was the campground that had our reservations. I was scolded for being there yet. Really. She did not want to park us after dark. This park does not handle travelers off the road. Reservation only. After determining that we were only an hour away she told me she would come out and open the gate for us upon our arrival and then "see what we could do".

There was plenty of light left for parking when we got there and I went in and took care of the bill while my driver waited with the dogs. I suppose they were not accustomed to parking big rigs with drivers that actually know how to back in, so the lengthy process they expected took only minutes. The sites were nice enough, if a little tight. I was sorely disappointed to pay nearly $50 a night and have no internet at my site, but .........

This when I discovered I had forgotten our food I had planned to cook for our supper. We didn't tow a vehicle, with all the kids being close by. But we were sort of stranded and at the mercy of the kids. The bride and groom brought food, along with our grandson, the boy of Wall-E.

Boy and dog were equally ecstatic to see one another. Lots of tail wagging and smiles ensued. I mean the dog ....... the dog was grinning at the boy. I swear to you, that silly white dog with the goofy ears was so happy to see that child. Never have I seen such a bond exist. When Gavin is there, we no longer exist as far as the dog is concerned. He loves that child as much as the child loves him.

And so Day One of the big adventure was. TV did not work that night and no internet ..... we had to talk to each other, meaning I had to repeat everything I said twice! Day Two to follow.