Day in Lancaster County PA

Yesterday we visited the area flea market and picked up a couple of things we wanted for home.  The Green Dragon Flea Market in Ephrata is huge and has just about anything you could want, but is only open on Friday.  As we were waiting in line to get into the flea market this buggy came a long and couldn't resist a picture but made sure it was still far enough so as not to get the driver clearly as they do not like it when tourists take their pictures. It is totally against their religion and I always try to respect that.  From there we went to our favorite Amish market to stock up on my years supply of pickled beets and other bulk goods that I use for cooking.  Back to the campground (we are Staying at Circle M Resort).  Then out to dinner with my brother Tom and SIL Robin for Chinese Buffet.  Very good by the way. 

The boys are having a problem when I get out of their sight.  It seems that they are very female oriented having come from a home with 4 little girls and their mom how was home with them all day.  The couple said when we left them inside the camper yesterday they cried for about 40 minutes then got quiet.  When I go out the door they scratch and cry until I come back in.  Their personalities are coming out now and they are showing us some major differences.  Although Kelsey is smaller in stature he seems to be the most dominate and independent of the two and Duncan has to be near me all the time although he is by no means clingy.  When I sit he has to have his head on my foot or touching me in some way.  They love to play and wrestle then just crash for a nap where ever they are.  We did some one on one leash work today and they are doing well although they like to run their mouths a lot. It is not the high pitched sound that I have been used to with Shelties.  It is almost like the bay of a blood hound.  They have a very big bark for their size, good thing Miss Ripley is deaf and can not hear them.

Today was not a good day for Les so we just hung out here in the camper and will leave here tomorrow to head home.  COPD does make it hard to spend time outside here in the humidity so after working to breath yesterday he was exhausted today.  It has been low humidity, cooler air with a nice breeze but he just didn't have the energy to enjoy it.

Vacation is coming to an end and I am sad to see it, but I know how much work is waiting for me to do when I get back to work on Tues.  Take a week off and have to work twice as hard when I get back, but oh so worth it.

I am sure that Les will be glad to be home as well.  I have a feeling this will be our last long trip together so we will stick close to home from now on just taking long weekends.

Have a good night

Moment to rest and relax.

Have been to tired to post as the past few days have been full of excitement and the wonder of having new puppies in the family.  Duncan and Kelsey have joined our family and are more than we dreamed of.  They are full of energy and love to cuddle.  They have made the trip from their place of birth in the mountains of NC to the farm land of PA without a whimper.  We picked up the boys Duncan on the left and Kelsey on the right on Tues the 18th and took them back to the campground where they were a hit with everyone.  They love everyone they meet.

On Wed the 19th we left the mountains and traveled to Durham for a night with Julio and Terry then started the to wind our way home with a layover in Lancaster, PA.  We arrived at about 6PM last night and will take a break here for a few days before heading home on Sunday the 23rd.

It has been a wonderful trip and I can be sure that my souvenirs from NC this year will definitely not sit around collecting dust.  Our old lady Miss Ripley has not decided whether or not we should keep them and is putting them in their place when they do something she does not think is appropriate.  She will teach them  what she will tolerate from them and what she will not.  She is the leader of the pack under me so it is as it should be. 

Pictures for today of Cherokee Bears

These bears are all over town painted by the Cherokee artists  That's me!  Yup I stand a little less than the height of the bear.  Click on the picture and you can see more detail.  They are really amazing.  We had a wonderful day just checking out the bears and touring the Cherokee Museum with our Son and Daughter-in-law.  They headed home and we just relaxed, napped and listened to the sounds of nature here in the campground.

The letters on this bear are from the Cherokee Alphabet - don't ask I have no idea what the words are.

 

Three generations of Laliberte's  Grand daughter got Grampa's genes,  She definitely has his sense of humor. 













Just a little over 14 hours and we pick up  Duncan and Kelsey from the breeder.  Just so excited to go and get them.    We are taking Miss Ripley with us to get them with the hope that she does better than if we just drop them in her domain.  At least this way she will be with us when we take them to the truck to bring them home.  Our camper is not overly large so running space will be minimal for the puppies and I can see Miss Ripley trying to get away from them.  More pictures tomorrow after we get back to the campground.

More Pictures of Smokey Mountains

Great Smokey Mountain National Park

Amazing views with mountains that seem to go on and on and on.  The haze over the mountains is what gives them their name.  It is absolutely beautiful here.  We have spent two wonderful days here so far and had some special time with our children and grand daughter. Today we plan to visit the Cherokee Indian Museum and Culture Center and also to see the Cherokee painted life size bears around town.  Might even go to the casino for a look see and maybe play the slots for a bit. 

Introducing Duncan II and Kelsey

Our newest fur children Duncan II on the left and Kelsey on the right are long haired Dachshunds and brothers.  They are expected to be about 15 pounds when full grown so will be considered tweeners or small standards.  They join our family in just nine days. 

We are so excited about having puppies in the house again.  We had been searching since January to add just one more to our family until we saw these two together and then the new Papa said, "see if we can get them both", and that was that.  I have a major thing for long hair and long noses.  These boys will be the second and third long haired Doxies I personally will have.  It will be interesting to see how our old lady Miss Ripley, 13 years old, will deal the two active babies.  She has been the leader of a pack for so long that now she is alone she clings to us so I think she will welcome having babies to teach again.  She has been an amazing teacher to all of our little ones so it will be interesting to see what she does.

My first dog as an adult was a LHD that I purchased from a breeder in Germany and brought back to the states.  Mike was a standard size red. What he lacked in size he more than made up for in ego.  He thought he was as big as a great dane and never met a stranger.  My only hope is that these two have the self confidence that he had. 

On May 13th we start the trek to North Carolina to enjoy some time camping with our Son and Daughter-in-law and grand daughters in the Great Smoky Mountains and also to pick up the little ones, so come back and follow us on our trip.  I will try to post pictures and insightful commentaries throughout the trip. 

Until then...............

Another Baby Waiting at the Rainbow Bridge

Three weeks ago we lost our Tinkerbelle to Cushing's Disease.  We spent many years training in agility and then competing as a team.  She was a dog that followed direction to the letter even when I could tell she knew I was wrong.  And believe me I was wrong more than once.   She was amazing until she got to hot or tired then nothing on earth could move her.  She loved the obstacles in the courses except for the teter.  She did not like the loud bang when it came down, but she hated any loud sounds no matter where they came from. She was a dog who could be such a girl and run her mouth until she got what she wanted.  Nothing could dissuade her from the course she was on.  I was with her when she passed over and I will always be grateful   that I had the courage to be there.  She was my partner, an amazing part of a team that could not have been without her.  In the past year and nine months we have lost three of the dearest shelties anyone could ask for.  It has been heart breaking to lose them and although they are gone they will never be forgotten.

In my next post I will introduce you to the new fur children who will be joining our family on May 18, 2010.