Day 11 ~ Visiting Family

A Friend to Creatures

After the events of the morning, is it any wonder why I would be attracted to St. Francis?  My sister-in-law's, Kerry's, garden is filled with flowers and artistic sculptures. I missed the Iris in bloom but managed to get one that seemingly held on for me. 

We had a fantastic day visiting with Scott's family.  The weather has cooperated past our expectations in that it's mild, sunny, with gorgeous skies above.  It's been fun spending a lot of our visiting time on patios and porches, at baseball diamonds and parks, on the dunes and the lakes, and even eating outside. 

The entire family was not here today and they were certainly missed. Talked about, too!!!  :)  One thing we've learned over the years is, when planning a visit, it's impossible to wait until everyone might be available.  If we did that, we would likely never make it to Michigan at all.  So, we've learned to go when it's a good time for us, even if it means missing some this time around.  We've also learned that planning a year in advance might be a good idea!

Bella started feeling better and even got to play a bit with Mia, the Pug wonderdog.  Of course, after we got back "home", I discovered I had hardly taken any photos, but that is what happens when visiting family.  We get so caught up in catching up with the past, that the present waits patiently on the back burner.  That's what happens after two years of not seeing family!

Late Iris

Bella Emergency

Lainey and Bella at the Beach

How could it be possible for Bella to be doing this on Tuesday, and by the time she went to bed that night being in so much pain that she whimpered when we touched her?  By morning, she could not walk and I'm not exaggerating.  Scott called the veterinarian who opened the earliest and got an appointment for 9:20am.  By 7:45am, he wanted to go just wait in the office.  I suggested we wait until 8:30, but by 8:15, she seemed to be getting worse so off we went.  They took us right away when we arrived. 

Scott and I were scared.  Bella has become an important being in our life.  When I "rescued" her from the pet store, I honestly thought that I would have all the responsibilities of her care since Scott was used to huge dogs.  You know the kind.... a man's dog!  I couldn't have been more wrong.  We are both in it 100% for this little dog, and "attached" seems not a big enough word to describe our feelings for her.

Yesterday morning was scary and emotional.  Bella could not move her back legs.  She could not even get into a sitting position as we neared our appointment time.  If she tried to move, she yelped and whimpered.  The day before we had gone to the dunes and the beach, which didn't seen any more difficult than climbing mountain trails or our ocean beach.  She has hiked seven miles, walking the entire way.  She's a pro.  Which is why we were at a loss for what might have happened.  

Scott began to think that she might have ingested something and it was effecting her nervous system.  That was frightening because we had no clue as to what it might have been, if it were true.  We did have the presence of mind to retrieve her last stool sample out of the trash for testing.  

Not finding anything is difficult since then the only treatment is to manage the symptoms, which in Bella's case was pain.  There seemed to be no broken bones, nothing showed up in her stool sample, the ecg showed that her irregular heartbeat was because of the pain she was experiencing.  Our instructions were to give her a pill and keep her quiet.  I wasn't sure how the quiet part would go since she is such an active little thing, but because of the amount of pain, she hardly moved.....

....for a while.

By the time we got to our next destination (Scott's family), she was perking up.  We parked in the shade  with the windows down and let her rest for a couple of hours.  Scott took her out for a break and it was like a miracle had occurred.  She saw a bird and ran after it!  Mind over matter?  Miracle pill?  It was as if she had never had a problem at all.  By the time we left there, she was pretty much back to her normal self.

The reasons are a mystery, but one thing that is no mystery is how important this fluffy, black ball of energy is to us!

Day 10 ~ The Big Lake & Baseball

Many times when I mention that I'm from Michigan, people wince because they think only of the winters that can be harsh.  But, there are eight other months of weather and when it's good, it's very good.  Like today...  it was perfect, with the bluest sky, and the fluffiest of white clouds.  Perfect for a trip to Saugatuck for a long walk on the beach.

After a nice lunch at Coral Gables, it was time to get ready for some action at Corbin's baseball game.  I've been going to these since he was just a little guy and now he's nearly 13.  It's amazing how fast time goes by, but the proof is right here as Corbin runs to first!

Life is busy here and almost non-stop.  I'm already thinking about the vacation I'm going to need when I get home.

Day 9 ~ Rest & Relaxation

A beautiful, quiet morning at the lake, some time for quiet refection, followed by coffee and muffins with my sister and brother-in-law.  Sound ideal?  It was!  Some busy days ahead, and now I'm ready.

Day 8 ~ Made it to Michigan

Robin & Kayla ready to sail

The last day of a long journey and we finally arrived at the intended destination.  Already in progress was a family gathering.  I had told two of my sisters that we would be there, but would arrive late.  Somehow, even under the influence of wine, they managed to keep the secret and my mom was totally surprised at our arrival.  It was a great time seeing people again after a years time, and we even got to meet the newest members of the family, Ethan and Emma.  The weather could not have been more perfect and food was outrageously delicious.  Staying the night at the lake gave me the best night's sleep since we left California

Michigan in June presents in beautiful shades of greens and flowers popping up all over the place.  The mosquitos have not yet come to life, and the humidity hasn't set in.  This and October are my favorite times to be here.  Good thing I still remember the winters, or I might be renting a u-haul!

Day 7 ~ Another Long Day

Today we drove from Hayes, KS to Walcott, Iowa (close to Davenport).  We did very little stopping except for gas and food.  We did take time out to enjoy lunch in Atchison, KS, birthplace of Amelia Earhart.  Independence Park runs along the Missouri River and had a great grassy area for Bella to run wild for awhile.

Bella has been the World's Best Traveling Dog in my opinion.  She's just easy.  Being only six months old when we took her on her first across the country vacation probably played a part in how she has adapted to long periods in the car.  The only time we hear from her is is she has to "go" before we've made a stop or if we are parked and someone walks by with a hat on.  Her traveling demeanor is part of the reason I just can't leave her at a doggy hotel.  That and the fact that we spend most days side-by-side.  Can't believe I'm THAT kind of dog person!  I guess there are worse things.

Get it, Bella!!!

Memorial at Independence Park

Day 6 ~ Onward to Hayes, Kansas

When we left Taos, we didn't know where we would end up.  The goal was to get in the car and drive until we couldn't drive any longer.  We accomplished that, however, probably could have gotten further had we not stopped along the way.

We weren't even on the road for an hour when we came into San Luis, the Oldest Town in Colorado.  It's tiny and I was surprised to see an Expresso Bar in a rustic building right on the main street.  Scott took Bella for a walk while I went inside for coffee.  There was, indeed, a small coffee bar in there, but there was also a workshop.  I asked the guy serving coffee what the area in the back was used for and he told me a most amazing story.  

The schools in the area were losing funding for the arts, so some people in the community came together to make a place for emerging and established artists.  It is funded by donations, coffee sales and special events.   Run by volunteers, it is an impressive endeavor to say the least.

As we drove into town, we had spotted an interesting building on top of a hill.  I saw a painting of it inside the coffee shop so asked what it was.  It had the look of a temple, but found it was the Sangre de Cristo Catholic Church.  Of course, I was intrigued.  We were given the secret way in, which was the road.  The other option was to park and climb up the steep hill.  Looking down on the town later, I was incredibly thankful for those directions.

So, our day of putting miles on, got slowed a little, but we came away with a feeling of inspiration and peacefulness that lasted throughout the day and into the evening when we stopped along side a country road to photograph the best sunset of the trip so far.  Even with all the stopping we pushed through to Hayes, Kansas, which left about 16 hours to our destination in Michigan.  Almost there!