Things are getting tidied up around here and it looks like we’re getting ready to head out. The last month on land has been pretty sweet. Lots of long naps without that pesky water splashing all over. I got to see lots of my old friends. It was good to see Aunt Sher and she gave me lots of treats. We drove a long time and finally got to Oklahoma where my kids and friends live. I got to play a lot with Little Ick and ran all over the back yard with Maggie.

Laurin carried me around all the time. Jake just chased me.

I was sad to see us leave but we needed to keep going so we took another long car ride this time stopping in Memphis. I rested in the hotel while mom and dad went out to do their thing. When they go to all these places to eat they sure come back smelling good.

Next stop was my dad’s sister’s house in east Tennessee. I sure was intimidated when all these dogs came running and barking at me.

I thought Dru (the big black dog) was gonna eat me but we soon became best of friends.

I liked it there. There was lots of room to run and plenty of neat things to explore but we had to go again. We stopped to see Larry at their gallery in Asheville and went to lunch. The first place we stopped said I had to be outside the fence if the people were gonna eat there. Dad sat outside with me but they said he couldn’t eat outside the fence. He told them to put something somewhere and we left. The next place was much nicer. Not only could we all eat together but I got a big bowl of water. If I had thumbs they would be up for you guys.

We left there and went for a nice drive in the mountains. I got to get out and run at every stop and that was often.

The place we stopped wouldn’t let me sleep in the room (some stupid anti-dog law) so I had to stay in the car. Didn’t like that a bit! I pouted most of the day.

We got back to Cheryl’s in Solomons late at night and I’ve been resting up since. We left the dock today and are currently anchored near Cheryl’s in Mill Creek. We might leave tomorrow or the next day.

We’re visiting Oklahoma and I’m having so much fun. Little Ick is my cat. He was around when I was just a pup and he always kicked my butt! Well, now I’m a little bigger and I’m taking this opportunity to exact a little revenge.

Dad added a whole bunch of cute pictures of me.  Check them out!

Once mom left to go help Aunt Sher, it hasn’t been all that much fun. It seems we are going someplace all the time. I get up, go potty on deck and then sleep till it’s dark and time to go to sleep some more.

I did get to stop in Vero Beach and run in the dog park a bit. That’s one of my favorite places.  We went through a big stinky cloud of smoke one day. Not cool! It seemed like forever before we got to land again, but not before we went offshore. Those are tough. We went so long that I didn’t even get to go down below and sleep. I had to sit up all night and keep dad from falling asleep.  This is us the next morning.

I don’t usually go below when we’re traveling but when we got to the inlet that day it was blowing so hard I thought I was gonna fall out of the cockpit.  Dad was working real hard to keep the boat going straight and we were heeled over to where I could see water.  Too scary for me so I went below and hid till it was over.  I got to get out at a real friendly marina called the Boat Shed.  Will, the guy who ran it, let me run wherever I wanted.  He was pretty cool.  For the next couple of days we stopped at places where I could get off and stretch.  Barefoot Landing was ok but Southport had too many big birds.  For the next four or five days I never got a chance to get off the boat.  It’s gotten a little colder and wetter.  Here I’m keeping watch.

Well we eventually got to Portsmouth, VA which is just about the end of the ICW (mile 0).  We stayed at a free dock and I’ve been able to run and play a whole bunch.  I met lots of nice people.  These people are from Richmond …

and this is Marine, my new best friend.  She’s from Nova Scotia.  Her family is on the boat next to us.  She runs me all over.  I wore her out!

Their adventures can be found here.

It was sad to see Marathon disappear as we headed east towards Miami. I sure am glad my people decided to go on the flat ocean rather than the bumpy one. When that happens, I chill. It’s what I do. We traveled for several days before we stopped somewhere I could actually stretch my legs, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Nothing good ever lasts! They didn’t stay in the smooth ocean. At Miami (they tell me these things) we went out into the choppy stuff. It was a long and uncomfortable ride. When the clouds got real dark and the lightening started to flash I started to worry. Never fear, we made it into Lake Worth before it got bad.

Just as I thought we were in for the night I noticed that my mom was packing stuff. It seems my dear Aunt Sher is sick and mom is gonna go see her. Bummer. I miss my mom. They got into the dinghy and left me behind. It was starting to rain when I heard the dinghy coming back but it was only dad. Seems mom forgot something and he was looking all over for it. He was saying all sorts of things young puppies shouldn’t hear. He was also getting everything all wet. It was raining real hard now. He found whatever iot was and tore off in the dinghy again. By now it was raining real hard! He was gone a long time. The lightning and thunder was crashing all around. The wind was tipping the boat over. I was so scared! I thought I’d been left here by myself but at long last I heard the dinghy coming. Boy was he wet! I was still glad to see him. We went to bed but the wind and rain made it hard to sleep (sort of)

I love Thursdays. It’s the day my best friend Andy comes by to pump out the boat. I’m not totally sure what that means but it’s a smelly job.

He gives me a treat for doing nothing but being me. I like that. I don’t bark at him, he’s my friend. I sure am gonna miss him.

We’re leaving Marathon today. It sure has been fun.

Sitting here for almost three months has been a little boring for me. My people are always running off somewhere and coming home at all hours of the night so I’ve taken up a new vocation. Guard dog extraordinaire!!!

Here I’m warding off these pesky pelicans. They sure are goofy looking! They hang out whenever dad is cleaning fish.

I also like to bark and frighten away all the dinghies that pass by constantly. I can tell by the look on their faces that they are very afraid.

A lot of water has passed by my paws since the last post. I’ll try to catch up. I got pretty sick just before Christmas. Boy were my people worried. I felt like twisted caca!!! Not sure what I got into but I couldn’t keep anything down. I wanted to curl up and die but dad and mom wouldn’t let me. I never thought Gatorade could be a lifesaver but it got me over the hump. Of course I was rewarded for feeling better by a nice sail out in the ocean. Yuck!

Marathon is pretty cool. Lots of dogs and most places let me come into their stores. I met some of my old friends I met along the way and have made some new ones. Murphy is a big Rottweiler. He’s pretty cool for a BIGGGGG dog! Cricket has been here but left to go back to Canada yesterday. Cricket is a German Long Haired Pointer.

They went to the Boat Show in Miami last weekend and I got to go to … JAIL! What a deal. They have all the fun. They took me for a long walk and a boat ride as compensation. My favorite place so far is Sombero Beach. I get to run in the sand and get all messy. Very coool.

Not much else.

Woof for now.

Finally something for me!!!

I usually get left on the boat when the fun starts but these cruisers are ok by me. As part of the Thanksgiving festivities they organized a Doggy Gam (a get together, I had to look it up, too). We went ashore in my favorite boat, the dink, and walked in the park. We must have been early cuz there were no other dogs there. We thought maybe we had misunderstood the time but pretty soon there were dogs everywhere. I made a note in my blackberry that it is fashionable to be late.

Most of the dogs were BIG! What’s up with that.

I hardly have room under the covers for me. Some of these people have more than one dog on board and they’re big, too.

I finally found someone my size but he wasn’t too friendly. Check out those eyes!!! I think he was totally stunned by my regal nature. Go figure. I had a blast, got to sniff a bunch of butts, tinkled a hundred times, all in all … a perfect day.

This place has been fun. I get out quite often and go for long walks. It’s pretty cold so I try to do my business as quickly as possible. This is a big oyster place so there’s shells everywhere. They use them to cover the ground in their plant beds. Since this is where I do “my business” I’ve come up with, “poop on the half shell”!

I also got a new harness to replace my collar. Now when I pull my people around it doesn’t choke me so bad. I’m gonna miss this place.