View Point Inn

The day before I left Bethy and I went to the Viewpoint Inn for my belated birthday brunch. We're Twilight freaks, and of course this is where the prom scene was filmed. The scenery is gorgeous, and the food is amazing. You can see the hail hitting us in this top picture. We had such a good time. I miss home!

Lilers!

I thought this was just about the cutest thing I'd seen (until I saw her sleeping with a storage bin lid over her head tonight, which I did not get a picture of)... Lily in the corgi basket hiding her face.

I have so much blogging to catch up on. Pics from the trip, updates from Texas, and I am almost ready to post pics of the house. My blogging time has been taken up with painting. It's finally starting to look like normal people with taste live here.

Stormy Weather

No, not Windshyre's Stormy Weather, Phoebe....

Today we had a nice welcome to Texas thunder and lightning storm, and got to see what our yard does when it pours down rain for half an hour straight:

Front of house

Backyard swimming pool!

Gutters overflowing. Jeff says this sometimes happens here.

I have no idea what this spout thing is coming off our patio covering. It happens on both sides.

Poop bucket floating away...

I was really worried it was going to come into the house. I guess we're built for storms like this, though.

Day 6

Well, the trip is winding down... thank goodness!

Today we got to San Antonio. The trip didn't go as quickly as it did yesterday, but we got here. We went to Market Square for Mexican food (I had a poblano pepper for the first time in over a year!!!) and I think everyone actually had a good time. Yay! Market Square is very festive, so it's hard not to have a good time.

Tomorrow the guys are going to the Alamo while I do laundry. A couple of my dogs trip out when I leave them alone in a strange place (not naming names, ahem, Cosmo and Lily), so I decided to stay at the Motel 6 with them and do laundry so we all have clean clothes. I've been to the Alamo a few times, and my sole purpose for going this time would be to get a "You can all go to hell and I will go to Texas" t-shirt... which I probably have no business wearing at my age even if it IS a historical quote : )

Tomorrow we drive to Houston! Wahoo! It's been a little surreal thinking about moving to Houston permanently, but tomorrow we close on the house, and my brother flies in, and Wednesday we move in. So it's the real deal. Yay!

Another highlight of tomorrow will be bbq-ing at Howard and Diane's. Yay! They are Jeff's parents for those of you who don't know. Diane makes the best dinners (and breakfasts, and cheesecakes... she has mad cooking skills)... and no I am not just saying that because she is my blog follower and soon to be mother in law : ) I haven't seen them in over a year now, so I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't even seen the house since they redecorated. Gasp! Should be fun.

Side note- the motel 6 in downtown San Antonio is downright posh (well, on the inside). They've decorated it very modern. Think Ikea gone wild. Complete with a wall mounted flat screen. It's actually very, very nice! Of course the outside is full on Motel 6-ish. Only one more night of motel-ing it with the dogs then we'll have our house and yard. Can't wait. I hope Jeff has time to show me the house tomorrow!!!

Goodnight for now, blogger friends. My 3 bed dogs and I need sleepy sleep time.

Road Trip Day 5: The 8 dog hike and making it to Texas

I am soooo glad Traci blogged about our hike and posted pics, because I am dead tired! Traci, you totally have to email me the pics when you have time.

We met up with Traci and crew today for a nice hike. We didn't actually get very far because it was so hot, but we had a great time! I am so glad we got to see each other before I left Phoenix. We had 8 dogs, and at one point a toddler came past and asked us very earnestly, "Why do you have so many dogs?" Traci and I answered back in unison, "Because we're crazy!" Too funny!

I am in love with my little grandpuppy. I wouldn't mind having a little Sedona/Phoebe puppy someday when my dog numbers are more normal. She is so beautiful, just like her mother, with the sweetest disposition. Absolutely loved her! She even has that unique, fine Phoebe coat that is so nice.

I will put up pics when I get them. Traci took a few I want to steal from her, and she doesn't know I got pictures of the "Got Corgi" mobile as I followed her out. After seeing how much room she has in the back, I WANT to join the Element crew! I tried to get her to trade me so we'd be more comfortable the rest of the trip, but had no luck with that!

We made awesome time out of Phoenix and crossed into Texas finally. Yay! We went straight through El Paso, and ended up in a town called... um... nevermind, can't remember. It got us a couple hours closer to destination San Antonio for tomorrow, though, so it was good.

Later...

PS blogger friends..

Thank you, everyone who has asked. Lily is doing MUCH better! Since her fluid injections and antibiotics started she's been drinking lots of water and even some gatorade (found a website that said pedialite, and figured gatorade would work, too) and she is also keeping her food down. She ate a little of Cosmo's bland dog food yesterday, then she ate the leftovers of a bowl of white rice I had for lunch. Now we just need to get some weight on her, because we are embarassed to walk her. She looks like one of those skin and bones dogs the SPCA confiscates on Animal Cops. She's a skinny minny to begin with, so any weight loss is veeeery noticeable. You can even see the 2 little bones above her butt right now :(

The Roadie, Day 4

By far the best day of the trip! On the way to Phoenix we stopped at a rest stop on I10 and ran into another Cardigan family taking their dogs out for a pee! I had to text Mandy and brag about having the "eye" now, because I spotted these dogs and knew somehow there was a common relationship with our little crew from Oregon. We got to talking, and it turns out they are Carbon grandkids (or great grandkids... the lady was a pet owner and not super up on her cardi family tree but she knew Carbon had a fairly close relationship and was fairly certain they were grandkids). I wish I knew who else was in them for comparison's sake, because it wasn't so much that they looked Carbon-y that caught my eye. They were from Debbie Burnette (sp?) and named Dexter and Piper, if anyone in our small little world knows them. They do agility.

Our trip to Phoenix was nice and short, and we checked into our ghetto (can't win them all) Motel 6 in Phoenix. Last night we met up with one of my best friends since childhood, Janiene, her awesome husband Marvin, and Marvin's mom (who is also visiting). We went out for dinner and didn't roll back into the Motel 6 until about 1am. It was a lot of fun.

Now we're about to get up and eat at Ihop, then meet up with Traci and crew (including grandpuppy Sedona!) for a nice hike. Then I think we'll head off towards El Paso and see how far we get. We should hit Houston Tuesday morning.

Is it really day 3?

And the morning started with a phone call... at 8:30 in the morning realtor Barbrena's cute southern accent is a bit grating. "Sorry to call so early!" The next 2 hours were spent trying to get stuff finalized for closing. We lost about 2 hours this morning with me talking on the phone.

We left BFE California at noon and headed straight to the emergency vet in Bakersfield because Lily was clearly not making it to Phoenix without some fluids. When we got there and I described her symptoms (not keeping anything down, refusing water), they thought she had Parvo and made us wait in the parking lot in 80 degree heat while they cleared the waiting room. Turns out after blood tests that Lily does not have Parvo or anything else- blood work came back totally normal. They pumped her full of fluids for about half an hour, which clearly made her feel better, and gave us some antibiotics just in case. I am going to try to introduce food tomorrow and see how she does. The main thing is to make sure she stays hydrated. She went dry on me SO FAST, and refusing water really freaked me out.

We had a long trip after that. Drove and drove and drove. Weren't quite tired enough in Palm Springs to stop (though I was hoping we would be) but couldn't make it to Phoenix, so unfortunately we're still in California. The highlight of the day was seeing tons and tons of windmills as we went over the mountains. They were so cool! Now I am in bed with the Corgis laughing at my cousins watching a Bollywood movie. They've never seen one and don't understand that it is SUPPOSED to be cheesy!

Night all!

Roadie to Texas, Day 2

After very little sleep because Lily got up about 3 times in the middle of the night with the runs (guess who got to rush her outside!), the morning started out nicely with a visit from Carolyn and Phoebe at the Motel 6!

Phoebe is so itty bitty compared to her sons, and even to Marcy (who is a bit rotund due to the recent dog food change). It was awesome to see her after these past few years away. She is most definitely Carolyn's dog! I am glad, and am so happy to have Marcy and to have gotten Cosmo my pillow pal from her. I think we managed to get some pictures of her and Cosmo, even though they were wiggle worming around. Good to see you Carolyn, and Phoebe, too!

Day 2 was a bit better. Carolyn reminded me that you can actually jam a pill down a dog's throat, so I got the immodium into Lily. It seemed to help for the day.

We busted through California and made pretty good time. We were supposed to get to Barstow, but ended up staying in Lamar. I am a big fan of Motel 6. Both of the ones we've stayed at so far have been really nice and clean. I've never stayed in one before this trip. I will definitely do it again, especially with dogs!

Lily had some rice and another immodium at a truck stop. A couple hours later at the motel she is having the craps again. I am really getting worried about her. I can see her ribs and back bone and she can't seem to keep anything inside of her. She had a bout of energy this morning, but is lethargic again. Even worse, Cosmo threw up water when we got to the motel. I really hope we don't have anything contagious going on. If she is not better by Phoenix tomorrow we may need to find a vet to check in with. She drinks/she squirts... she eats/she squirts. I can tell she is dehydrating. I really don't want to run her to the vet, but it is pretty obvious frm her bones showing that she's been going through this a few days now. Damn boarding place just ignored it, apparently.

Jimmy is saying goodnight to Marcy and Lucy, his travel pals. Lucy's crate sits beside him buckled in on the Uhaul seat, and Marcy has her dog bed set up on the spacious floor. I guess she goes between sleeping, and propping her chin up on the edge of the bed to watch him. They all love each other now and they have been very much "his girls" the last couple days! They are doing very well, and my 3 backseat dogs are lethargic. Really worried....

Off to bed now. Brent and I took pictures today on the road. Will post later when I'm not blogging from my super cool cell phone : )

The Ill Fated Move, Day 1

Bethy wants to know if anything is going to go right with this move. So far, we have a negative!

Picked up the big dogs from boarding today just before we were ready to leave, and when I was rounding them up, found that Bud had a deep gash just below his eye. He was shaking and crying and it would not stop bleeding! We went straight to the emergency vet. They cleaned it out and gave him antibiotics and pain meds, and decided it could go without stitches.

On the way back to Aunty Gail's house, Lily exploded with the craps. I thought she looked a bit thin and she was pretty mellow when I picked her up (mellow does not exist in Lily's world normally). I am so mad at this boarding place I went to!

We left 3 hours late and only made it to Medford, which is great because I'll get to meet up with Carolyn tomorrow. We just got to our hotel room and Lily is still having the runs horribly. She also cannot get enough water to drink. I don't know what to do for her. Lucy is foaming at the mouth. Bud has tried to bolt several times. This is horrible! I was going to ship a couple dogs, but the boarding kennels are full in Houston because of spring break this week. Anyway, stressed people, stressed and sick dogs (except the Corgis who are perfect as usual). The cousins are at the store buying lysol to mask the Lily aroma right now.

Signing off to get some sleep after a horrible Day 1 of travel. If anyone knows what to do with Lily, let me know. She hasn't even eaten today so she should be running dry by now. She JUST had her shots renewed for the move, so I can't imagine what she could have caught there.

The Last Few Days

Thursday, Friday and Saturday we moved out of the house. The storage PODS were abandoned when it became clear that a) they were not structurally sound, and b) they would not hold everything. I got a 26 foot Uhaul instead, and my cousin's husband is driving it down for me. You know, I have gotten so many perks out of being from a family of truckers. My mouth (at times) and my ability to roar with laughter at crude jokes are possibly not among them... but I've had many a road trip taken care of for me!

I am staying at my Aunty Gail's with Cosmo, Bunny and Lucy. Bud and Lily are boarding back up in La Center.

Yesterday Bethy and I had brunch at the View Point Inn in Corbett. She'd gotten me a gift certificate there for my birthday and we never got to use it. We had the most wondeful brunch overlooking the Gorge. I had wild salmon over an english muffin with hollandaise sauce, hot chocolate, and creme brulee for dessert! It was such an amazing view. If I could get married at home that is hands down where the wedding would be. Stunning. I wanted to stay there forever.

Speaking of weddings, the invitations have not even gone out yet, and I am wishing I could just change he whole thing. We found out the other day that my aunt most likely will not be able to travel because she is having surgery on her spine. She won't have the surgery until the end of April or early May, so she will be recovering during the wedding. If I had known this, I would have planned it in Oregon so she could come. Not to be drama, but the day is pretty much ruined now. My mom can't be there unless I want to pin a corsage to her box and set it in the front row (lol)... and if my aunt can't be there, either, then what the heck is the point of having a big party? Family attendance on both sides is dropping off drastically. It just really ruins the day for us both.

Speaking of things going wrong (man this is turning into a gripe fest fast) this whole move is a nightmare. I had to be out of my house so fast, and the house in Houston was supposed to be ready on the 16th and is now not going to be ready until the 18th. I really got the shaft on both ends of this real estate deal. I had to pay to change my brother's plane ticket tonight... he was supposed to go out on the 15th but there was no place for him to go so he has to fly on the 17th now. At least he has a place to stay here with family. This whole thing is ridiculous. I am sure I'll feel betteronce we are there. Seriously, though, I am almost wishing I could just sleep on Aunty Gail's couch forever. We have great conversations, watch old lady comedy, and I have 3 corgis, a wood stove in my room, and a skylight with huge evergreens up above it. Not bad if you ask me!

Alright, complaining over. Pictures to come. Aunty Gail's internet is painfully slow and I have no patience for it. I got some awesome pics of the viewpoint I want to post!

Just so everyone knows, moving PODS for a long distance move are a horrible idea. You spend all your time trying to pack your crap "just so" and it is an absolutely ridiculous waste of time. After spending 2 days packing and realizing I have to leave half my household behind, I am abandoning PODs tomorrow and running my tired ass down to Uhaul to rent a good old reliable truck, and my cousin's husband Jimmy is going to drive it for me. Storage pods are bullcrap. I actually have much more colorful things to say about storage pods at 3am, but I won't hurt the eyes of my gentle readers. Back to packing. The cleaning ladies are coming in 6 hours and I am pretty sure empty rooms would help their cause.

Ha! Gotcha, dogs : )

I say "Ha!" because I picked up the super fancy version of this bad boy today at Petsmart (I know I can get it cheaper and nicer at Foster's and Smith but was in a pinch with my drive coming up and no address to ship to) and I will no longer have to endure the following while driving:


I will no longer have to endure Bunny jumping onto the floor and then giving me the sad dog look while I am on the freeway and she knows full well I have to come to a complete stop in order to put her back up on the seat.

I will not longer have to endure Cosmo hair in my back seat cup holder. Or on my seats at all. I will also never have to come out of a gas station again and see Cosmo in the driver's seat ready for a roadie.

I will no longer have to endure Bud's car sick puke in the back seat cup holder... or on the floor... or mashed into the seat.

I will no longer have to endure Lily. Peeing on the seats and wrecking them... jumping into the front seat to sit in my lap like she is a toy breed... or generally being an annoying car rider.

This thing is shear awesomeness! It has pockets for leashes, came with a free water bottle, and is WATERPROOF (aka: pee washes off).

Road trip ready!

Bunny and Moving

Taking a little moving break. Just wanted to show Bunny in her new bed that she loves and adores. Our neighbor, Bob, actually brought it over for her- Bunny is very popular in our neighborhood! Oddly, his Doxie received multiple dog beds from his family for Christmas. He had too many, and thought of Bunny. He's the nicest guy... I am really going to miss our neighbors. Anyway, he set it down on our floor and she dove right into it! These are the types of things I don't buy because around our house they either get peed to death or eaten, but so far it has been doing well. I am feeling a little guilty for never getting her one now. She is ALWAYS in it!

And, pictures below... the storage pods arrived!

Back to packing...

Way too tired to blog, but thought I would tell everyone that the house closes on thursday and I have to be moved out on Saturday morning. Yikes!

Food Suggestions for Allergies?

I am loving on Cosmo as we speak and just realized that his mouth and chin are pink and raw. Poor boy! I switched him from crap dog food (reads "salmon" on the label, but when reading the ingredients it was mostly filler and corn) to Nutro recently. I know my mom had encountered allergies with him before and settled on the "salmon" dog food. The lamb and rice, she thought, gave him problems. Long story... there was no rash before that I recall... but some odd pee issues. Seems odd because lamb and rice is so bland. Anyway, I looked for salmon dog food in a more quality brand at the grocery store and couldn't find anything, so I did get the lamb and rice. He apparently IS allergic after all. I am going to give him a chicken breast in the morning and try to start cleaning out his system. Any suggestions for a quality salmon based food and where to get it? I have shyed away from raw due to the expense of feeding so many dogs, though I know it's great for them having seen our dogs flourish on it before. It I could find an lazy girl bagged food that would be great. If not, I may be forced to go raw for Cosmo to give him something a bit more natural. Any ideas, guys? Cosmo's little rashy face will thank you!