Back to work??

It is amazing to me how much a dog can appear to forget during a two week vacation!  For instance, Ty and Buster seem to have completely forgotten how to walk on a leash without pulling me down the street!  Buster also apparently forgot that other people live in the city, because he’s barking at everyone he doesn’t recognize.

 

Perhaps it is just that they transition from “vacation mode” to the “normal routine” mode more slowly than people.  It is even possible that they are onto something – maybe they are resisting going back to the normal routine.  I have to admit, I like being in vacation mode better too!  As a matter of fact, I’m resisting being at work – in a passive-aggressive way – by writing this entry rather than catching up on my e-mail.  Is it possible that, once again, I have more to learn from my dogs than I have to teach them??

 

So, why is it that going back to work after a vacation feels like jamming your feet into the most uncomfortable pair of shoes you have and running a marathon?  It’s extremely uncomfortable and it feels like it will never end.  And daunting!!  Most of us have 50 weeks of work to look forward to until we get to go on another two-week vacation.  It seems like there must be a better way to do this!  I’ll put the dogs to work on figuring that out.  In the meantime, we have decided to prolong our “vacation mode” by taking the dogs to New York for the weekend. We’re leaving tomorrow – thank you, Ty and Buster, for the inspiration!

The last days of road-trip 2008.

Visiting with my family was nice and the dogs had a great time!  My parents live in the country, so the dogs spent the three days we were in Wisconsin off-leash, playing with their toys in the massive front yard.  We were really lucky with the weather – it was in the 80’s and sunny all three days.  We didn’t think it could get much better….and then we left for Chicago.

 

A short note on measuring friendship:  About a month ago our friend, Mark, was in Philly on business.  We convinced him to stay for a few days and he went with us up to our house in the Poconos (meaning he spent four days in our 1,400 square foot home with us and our dogs).  This did not stop Mark from inviting us to stay with him when our road-trip took us through Chicago – he even gave us his bedroom!  Someone that welcomes you and your crazy dogs into his house – NOW, THAT’S A FRIEND!!

 

Mark recently completed a landscaping project in his backyard, and it is beautiful!!  He had comfy chairs with ottomans, lounge chairs, a loveseat, a great grill and a fantastic outdoor television (with DVD player).  To top it off, the whole yard is fenced, so the dogs could run around inspecting everything!  We were enjoying ourselves so much that we extended the trip by a day and spent another night with Mark.

 

On Friday morning we pried ourselves off the outdoor furniture and got back in the car.  It was a pretty uneventful day.  We arrived in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio at around 4pm.  The Sheraton Suites here is really nice, although they do require an extra form at check-in for the dogs.  The Cuyahoga River runs directly behind the hotel and the waterfalls are very pretty.  We took the dogs for a long walk around town – there was not a lot to see within walking distance of the hotel.  I chose this place because there is a national park nearby, but, as it turns out, we were not in the mood for hiking, so we didn’t go to the park.

 

Saturday morning we left for home.  We did make one great discovery along the way:  The Du Bois Diner in Du Bois, PA.  It’s about two miles south of Highway 80 and has a lot of character!  They also have outdoor seating and were very friendly about us having the dogs there.  Right behind the diner is a big park, so we took the dogs over for a bit after lunch to chase the tennis balls.  From there it was only a couple hour drive home.

 

On Sunday we were still in vacation mode, so we took the dogs on a hike at Hickory Run State Park.  We hadn’t checked out the boulder field before – Rod and I thought it was cool, but the dogs hated walking on the boulders.  We ended up on some of the other trails for a couple hours.

 

A view of the river.

It was raining when we left Duluth, so we weren’t able to take the dogs back out to the Lakewalk.  Rod and I got our breakfast from Starbucks and we headed south toward my parents’ house.  We pulled off of Highway 53 just south of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  I could hardly believe my eyes, but this gas station had a DOG PARK!!  

Dog park at gas station - only in Wisconsin!

 

Buster playing in the sprinkler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It also had one of those really big Leinenkugel chairs.

 

 

 

We checked into the Grandview Motel in Ferryville, Wisconsin.  What a great place!  The room had a kitchenette, a living room area and two double beds.  The bathroom was a little small, but the room was really clean, and the view was spectacular – the hotel sits up on the bluff and overlooks the Mississippi River.

 

For the next couple of days we’ll be visiting family in the area.