Hangin’ at the lake

Sorry I haven’t blogged for awhile.  Mama and Dad took Ringo and I on vacation.  Neither one of us have ever been on a vacation before so we were very curious as to what that meant.  We looked on as Mama and Dad ran around the house in a flurry, throwing stuff in suitcases.   Ringo and I watched in alarm, thinking they were packing up and leaving us.  Could it be because I chewed up the couch?  Maybe Mama and Dad are still mad at me about that and are running away.  Ringo didn’t think so though, he thought Mama and Dad were probably tired of the house always looking like a murder scene from all the toys we  kill and that they couldn’t take it anymore.  But all of the sudden Mama started packing up our stuff!   She was putting our leashes and food and favorite toys in a bag.   Yikes!   “Maybe they are taking a “vacation” to drop us off somewhere again”, I thought.   But I don’t want to leave, I like it here!

Thank goodness it turns out that Mama and Dad weren’t running away from us or taking us somewhere else.   We were actually going on a trip!  Mama sat Ringo and I down and explained this when she saw how worried we were.   Whew!  That was a relief!   Now we knew they weren’t mad at us but we still didn’t exactly understand what was going on.  First they pack up a bunch of stuff, then they stick it in the trunk of the car, then they put us in the backseat and off we go.  What is this all about?

Well, we soon found out.  We drove around in the car for what seemed like forever, even with a potty stop.   And then, we pulled into this beautiful place –  I heard Mama say we had arrived at Aunt Lo Lo’s.  Now we know Aunt Lo Lo but we thought she lived near us, not several hours away in a car.  Turns out Aunt Lo Lo has a really neat vacation place on a big lake!  Oh my gosh!  Ringo and I couldn’t believe it.  This place was cool!   There were trees and woods everywhere and we could smell the lake.   I bet this is going to be a blast.

Indeed it was a blast!  While we didn’t go out on a boat on the water, we got to walk down to the lake and check it out.   It was neat but Ringo and I both don’t care to swim so we really couldn’t see what the big deal was, except of course for the geese and ducks that were walking around.  Those are some big birds.   The birds that come in our yard at home aren’t that big.   And boy were they noisy!  Quacking up a storm, something about wanting free food handouts.   Stupid water fowl!  Don’t they know that the big, brown-eyed soulful look works much better for getting food than making such a racket?

And then there were the squirrels and deer.  They were everywhere at the lake house.  Aunt Lo Lo’s place is on the second story so when we sat on the back screened-in deck, we were at tree top level and could see the squirrels almost face-to-face.  We were dying to get out and chase them but Mama wouldn’t let us.   All we could do is bark at them and listen to them chatter in return, something about us invading their space and peace and quiet.  And when we took golf cart rides (definitely THE BEST part of the trip!) we would cruise literally right past deer standing on the edge of the road.  Note to self:  Do not try to jump out of golf cart to pursue deer while on leash.  This makes for a painful choking sensation and gives Mama a heart attack when she thinks I am going to fall off the golf cart.

We also got to go on some nature hikes in the woods.  So many smells and new things to check out in one place.  I didn’t know where to smell or look first.  My sniffer was definitely on overdrive.   And so many new places to pee!   I got exhausted from lifting my leg so much.  I have a hard time keeping my balance sometimes when I have to go, so there were lots of “face plants” into the dirt while we were gone.  But it was worth it!  Any dog that comes down to the lake after us will know Ringo and I have been there.

I hope (and Ringo does too!) that Mama and Dad will take us on another trip very soon.  We loved it!  It was so cool to see the new sites and to spend extra time with with Mama and Dad.  We had all their undivided attention 24×7.   And we even got some new toys and some new treats while there too!   I was sad to have to come home until I realized CATS!   Yes, the cats were still home waiting for me to chase and torture them.   I guess all good things do have to come to an end, but there is always something just as good waiting in the wings!