Blue Skies and Sunshine

After what seemed like 87 gazillion days of rain (okay it was just 2 but it was non stop!) we finally got to go to MY park. We decided a walk with our invisible leashes was required so we headed off to MY lookout because no-one ever goes but us. Mom also discovered another meaning for the word fall - not only do leaves fall - but so do doggies (and people) when they step on slippery wet leaves or don't see all the tree roots under the piles of leaves. Here is MY lookout and me headed up to the top.





















Yay - we made it to the top - yes even Dweeb who although I hate to admit is is much better at climbing stairs than I am.













The next bit was coming down - easy peasy so long as you don't get to much momentum going and if you do - well Mom's legs are always useful for breaking purposes.





















Next we headed down through the woods to the lake which we must say is at the lowest level we have ever seen - guess all the rain we have had the last gazillion days hasn't helped - but look what we found - the beavers lodge - uncovered! Normally this little cove is completely under water.













And finally - a tree with some real color - it was so pretty against the blue sky and we also saw what we think is a crab apple tree - it looked like a sad little stick Christmas tree with a few baubles on it. What ever the fruit is - the squirrels sure seem to be enjoying them.





















Now even though it was a bright sunny day, the wind was a blowing and it was cold - perfect for us but the Mom's chattering teeth and creaky old bones were getting so annoying that we headed back to MY car so she could warm up. This is also the only time you will see Dweeb racing out in front of Mom - she just has to say two magic words "car car" and you have never seen his fluffy butt move so fast. Mom says he see the car as his safe place after alluding all the wild creatures he hears stalking him the bushes - funny no one else hears them :) :)

Kangaroo Yum !

Mom got a 'care' package from her sissy back home in Australia and it was full of Mom's favorite Aussie treats - but Aunty Kris also put some special treats in there for ME us and guess what it is - kangaroo!!!!

Mmmmmmmwe got to try the snap bar first and even Dweeb gobbled it down which is unusual for him as he is the slowest eater in the whole entire world. We loved the kangaroo treats but I told dweeb he couldn't have too much because he would start bouncing all over the place :) :) The best thing about them is they are also nice and soft which we both like. Thank you so much Aunty Krissy - you made our day.

Weird things at MY park

We managed to sneak out early to MY park before the rain came and I must say we came across something very weird looking. Mom says it is called an RV and that if she ever won the lotto she would buy one and we travel all over the USA to visit all our buddies. One thing is for sure - you certainly couldn't miss it driving it down the road and you could hardly miss is parked in MY park either!!!!!!!

Mom was also doing a lot of sighing at the park today too - she said it made her feel sad now all the leave are all falling and that bleak winter look is appearing again. Did you know a recent study showed that green and blue are the two colors that lift our spirits, help us to focus better and be more productive.You can read more about it if you do a search on "the psychology of colors"

A most disappointing adventure

Yesterday we headed off on another adventure to visit Heber Springs and Greer Ferry Lake which is 2 hours south east of where we live - at least that is what Google maps said.  Mom's GPS decided it could find a "quicker" way and it actually took us 3 hours to get there - needless to say the GPS is lucky to be still beeping!

Anyhoo - along the way we stopped at a tiny town called Oil Trough - population of 260 - which is situated right on a bend of the White River. Mom said it is a weird name for a town but she liked the little overlook they have built there and we enjoyed having a sniff around.













 We continued on through the Ozarks with the GPS taking us every which way - Mom was dreading we were getting well and truly lost but eventually we arrived at Heber Springs where the lake is located.  Our first stop was the Visitors Center where picked up a map of the area. The couple in the center were very helpful and told Mom there was a nice easy walking trail up to a lookout where we could see the dam and it would take about 25 minutes to get there. The trail as it turns out took us 40 minutes and was pure mountain goat country hanging on the side on on the hill with a steep drop on one side and barely wide enough for Mom to walk on.  We had to climbs over rocks, up hills and down, over bridges and just when we were nearly to the lookout came the worse bit - 70 wooden steps up to the lookout - so much for it being an easy trail! We decided to follow the road back to the visitors center and came across a sign pointing to Collins Creek Falls which turned out to be spectacular and made the whole  hike worthwhile - it was just the MOST beautiful place.

We finally made it back to the car and after having some picnic lunch we headed off to see Greer Ferry Lake and this is where the BIGGEST disappointment happened. We went to 3 of the public parks listed on the map near the end of the lake where we were (there is 16 in total around the lake) and all 3 had BIG signs saying "Pets Prohibited - $800 fine" What The DOG !!!!! After driving so far we couldn't even go and see the lake. Mom was annoyed at the first park, at the second one she angry and when she saw the same sign at the third she was ready to run it over with the car! Sadly we didn't get to see the see the lake up close and didn't get any pictures. Greers Ferry Lake has now been well and truly scrubbed off our list of places to visit. Thankfully Mom turned off the GPS for the trip home - following the map she had printed off and yes - this time it did only take 2 hours :)

Stopping for a rest

Stopping for another rest - happy face!

Greer Ferry Dam from the Lookout

Collins Creek Falls

Simply Sunday Snippets

We thought it was time to catch up on some questions.

1 - A lot of you ask how many time we get brushed and we must admit - it isn't what everyone thinks. We get one one really good brushing on a Sunday morning and  Mom uses a blade rake comb which is awesome at getting loose undercoat out and any knots. Then she brushes us all over again with a swivel tooth comb - that is a special comb that had swiveling teeth - it glides though fur so easily and doesn't pull or tug. And that is basically it - just one good brushing although sometimes Mom will brush our chests after we have had a bone and we do tend to get bits stuck in our fur occasionally.

2 - Mom is feeling a little better - she averages 1 or 2 days a week where her IBS plays up but this past week was a bit rough as it lasted 6 days straight. Luckily she also went to see a new specialist this week and he has some new ideas about what is going on. He also gave her some new medication and that seems to be helping. Today Mom say she is feeling great so we are hoping to get out adventuring this week.

Sharing on Saturday

One of things peep don't often think about is what happens if there is fire or some other disaster that affects our homes. Although the focus is often on helping the people - a simple sign on the door to let first responders know there are pets inside can also be a big step to making sure we are safe too. There are many signs you can purchase but they tend to be quite expensive so we have made our own that you can print out (it is 8.5" x 11"). You can then have it laminated (any office shop can do that) or a cheaper alternative is just to pop it in one of those plastic protector pockets. Place it next to your main doors - front and back so they can be seen easily by first responders.

To download the images - simply right click on the image and choose 'save image as"

Weight Lifting and Prancing

Today we are just playing in our yard - the Dweeb thinks he is super strong lifting that 150 kg dumb-bell....we just wont tell him what a dumb-bell he is for thinking a plastic toy weighs that much :) As for me - I was showing Mom some of my high stepping prancing moves - tail up, ear up, smile of the face - yeah that is the way to do it.

Captains Scrunchin and Crunchin

We had so much fun playing in all the fallen leaves today. The weather has turned cooler - only 60 degrees and it was so bright and sunny that we decided to have an extra long walk to enjoy it. Mom says we were running around scrunchin and crunchin like a pair of crazy things and best of all .......we even got to chase some squirrels and came with a tails length of catching one! Life just couldn't be better :)

Wordless Wednesday

Close to home

Mom has been having a couple of bad days so today we thought we would just stay to close to home and go to MY everyday park - and why not - look how beautiful it is! Can you believe it is the end of October and we still have temps in the low 80's !

Back to Hardy

Mom decided to take Dad (and us) back up to Hardy to see if the leaves were any more colorful (sadly they were more brown now) but Mom was super duper happy because the Pig "N' Whistle Pub was open. Mom went in and asked if we could get some goodies to go - and they said YES - so she placed our order and we had a quick walk down the main street while we waited for it. Can you believe what we found - A PUBLIC PHONE - when was the last time you saw a public phone - one that actually worked! This pretty little corner where the phone and gazebo are is a small memorial garden right there on the main street - about 4 stores down from the pub.

But back to the good stuff - we headed back to the pub and picked up our goodies. Dad got Bangers and Mash and Mom got Fish and Chips with real malt vinegar - the lovely people packed it up for us so we could go down to Hardy Cowspotdog Park and have a picnic.  We would show you pics of it but we all tucked in so fast Mom forgot to take pictures. Mom ordered an extra 'banger' for ME and I got to share some of Mom's fish too! After much tempting - Dweeb even had a little nibble of fish too! Mom also noticed that they had a whole bunch of English Chocolates for sale at the pub too and she bought a bag full of them! After our picnic lunch we went for a nice walk through MY Hardy Cowspotdog Park. It was a totally pawsome morning!

A Jaunt to Jacksonport

Today we headed South East to the town of Jacksonport - population 212. It is about 40 minutes from where we live and is also home of  MY Jacksonport State Park.  In the 1800's  Jacksonport was a very busy paddle boat destination as it is where the Black and White rivers meet. Jacksonport was also one of the main mustering points for the Confederate army in Arkansas. Throughout the war both armies fought for possession of this strategic port. At the end of the war, General Jeff Thompson, "Swamp Fox of the Confederacy," surrendered over 5,000 troops at Jacksonport.

Now one of the things we found odd about the old court house (which is now a museum) is that it is identical on all 4 sides - everything is the same, same windows, same doors and same steps. (There is an annex on one side now that they added on to allow wheelchair access) but apart from that - identical - even the second floor with the doors and balcony!

After having a wander along the river at Jacksonport we headed back to the bigger nearby town of Newport and Mom did something she hardly EVER does. She went and got some takeout from Long John Silvers so we could have a picnic next to the river. Now Mom doesn't normally eat fish - but for some reason she likes the mild taste of LJS fish and the fact is doesn't have bones. We then went back to a little park we saw on the White River and sat on this dock to have our picnic. It looks so peaceful but in reality the main road was quite near by and the traffic noise kind of took away from the tranquility of it.










MMMMmmmmm Mom even shared some fish with ME - although why she removed all the batter I don't know - she won't even eat that herself! Dweeb of coarse being the Dweeb won't eat when are out and about so he missed out - SCORE ..... all the more for me! We did have a little walk around the park but we couldn't really see much of the river because as usual the river's edge was people's back yards and Mom said they would grumpy at us if we walked there. We did find this one pretty spot to take a picture so that made Mom happy.