Hello Friends,
Yesterday was the first day of Autumn, and you know what that means!? We are busy packing up and getting ready to head south, like any sensible retired person would do! We have had a busy, but not too busy summer and are anxious to get back home.
The big news this summer is that Ben got his wishes granted, and now has two (count 'em....TWO) new Dachshund puppies. Gus is the typical Black and Tan like we've had in the past, and Frankie is what we hope will be a Silkie. He's a cross between long hair and wire haired dachshunds. The coat is very soft, and right now, he's smaller than Gus, so usually loses the fights! They are both adorable, but Ben is finding out that it is a LOT of work. These are his pups, and he is doing the majority of the maintenance, including vet visits. I have taken Gus for several short walks, and he may be trained to go with me on my beach walks in a month or so. Here you go... a new era of Purkey pups, Gus and Frankie!
We spent time in the Willamette Valley visiting friends and relatives, mostly in July and early August, when we picked up Gus. I found some nice ripe blackberries, and I also canned peaches for the first time in over 20 years. They will be going home to Baja with us, and I'm looking forward to having those as breakfast fruit. Yum! I did the canning while we were house/dog sitting for our friends the Sackingers, who were on an Alaska cruise. Gus got trained very well by their full size Poodle, Sandy!
We enjoyed Sackinger's garden produce while there, too, including boundless zucchini, blueberries, green beans and tomatoes.
In late August, we went camping with the Telecks at Crooked River near Prineville. While there, I spotted a wild Mountain Goat on the cliffs across the river from our campsite. What a sight! He was very big and healthy looking, and spent a lot of time roaming back and forth across the face of the cliff, and then down for a quick drink at the river, then up again. I was thankful for my "good" camera, because my phone's zoom just didn't cut it!
Here's the view from our campsite with my phone camera at maximum zoom. Do you see him??
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| Dinner at Diamond Hotel included Tomato Pie! |
After the Steens camping trip, we headed north to the Pendleton Roundup, which is always a treat. As usual, we parked our trailer at my niece Anne's house. Gus really enjoyed her big yard (it was a little scary the first day with that BIG DOG, but the next day he was doing fine!) We met up with cousins Tom and Karan Malpass and watched the parade together, and did lunch and dinners, too. Lots of fun.
After the Roundup, we headed back to Bend, where we are packing up and trying to get organized for the trip back south. We are also getting some last minute things done, like flu shots, vet visits, and truck and trailer maintenance. We will go to Fort Rock on Friday and spend a couple days putting the trailer to bed.... and visiting with Mel and Katie. Oh yeah, and we got another puppy!
I must admit, there are a few advantages to having two dogs. Frankie slept a whole lot better than Gus did from the first night here. And, there are disadvantages. This guy is not close to being potty trained. Rugs are picked up, mop is out!! He does pretty well riding in the truck, at least for several hours at a time. We'll see how he does (or maybe how we do!) on the long ride home!
We plan to leave Fort Rock October 1, and be home by October 6. I'll probably post a daily progress report on Facebook if you want to follow along. Time for another appointment now!!
Albums of our summer adventures are here:
We have several guests already signed up to come visit us in Baja this season. Don't wait too long to add your name to the list!
Until the next post,
Your amigos from Baja
Harriet, Ben, Gus (Gustavo) and Frankie (Francisco)
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