Going Home......Going Home.......

I found my camera. It was in the outside pocket of my purse. I loaded the van on Saturday night, and Sunday morning said goodbye to Brenda over a cup of Starbucks. We will see each other in less than 2 months when Camp rolls around. Still, it is difficult to part ways, and I leave hurriedly.




Our next leg of the trip is northwards to Santa Barbara and my friend and animal communicator Barbara Janelle (see barbarajanelle.com). Barbara comes to Camp each year, and teaches several classes on Tellington Touch and Interspecies Communication. Being in her presence is a great gift, and she was quite generous in inviting me and the boyz up to her place after the stressful week at the Collie Nationals.



Once again, I found myself driving in L.A. traffic, and once again I was able to do it without even a glitch! L.A. drivers (with the exception of various little sports cars who like to dart in and out) are really very polite and knowledgeable. They do not tailgate, leaving a very comfortable distance between each vehicle, and they actually drive the speed limit.



It took me about 2 hours to get to S.Barbara. Do you KNOW the route I took?!!! Highway 101. If I had gone past the guardrail, I woulda gotten WET!!! The Pacific Ocean is just Right There!

I arrived at Barbara’s around 1 pm. She met me at the door with a glass of fresh lemonade, and had crackers and cheese and olives ready to set out on the patio. Her yard was ablaze with flowers of all colors and textures, and then THERE, right in the middle of one of her flowerbeds was a dwarf lemon tree laden to the ground with fruit! That’s where the lemonade had come from! There were oranges on another tree, and apricots on another.

The boyz were Thrilled to be out of the van, and were welcomed into her yard. They knew the rules about flowerbeds and pretty well stayed on the paths and the lawn grass. Boy, were they glad to be able to run without a leash for a little while!



We bunked in a pretty little room right off the back patio. It even had its own entrance door onto the patio, and I set up the crates right beside it. Later that evening I moved them inside as per Barbara’s advice….It seems that there are some wild critters that come out of the Santa Barbara mountains at night and like to prowl their yard, so, just to make sure no one angers a skunk or a coyote…..

That's "my" door on the left.

Dear Husband, Don, prepared a table of snacks for us out on the back patio. It is a beautiful "scene" in the shady corner of the yard.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Barbara told me that there was a wonderful "dog beach" not too far from her house, and asked me if the boyz and I would like to go romp before the sun went down. We loaded up the dogs in my van and took off for the Pacific Ocean!
 
 

Of course, Barbara took James....She's the Founder of his Fan Club.....

 
I wish I had gotten a picture of Prosper when he first saw the ocean waves! He literally lept UPward in surprise!

Of course, after he watched everything a bit, he was More than willing to run and cavort.

And, it's never an issue to James....

There were dogs of all breeds and varieties. ALL were quite friendly, and most were quite busy chasing tennis balls or each other.

And, then, of course, James smoozes every willing human he can smooze. He smoozed a LOT this day....He will NOT allow folks to ignore him....

Prosper liked meeting dogs and folks, but OH! He did so love to RUNNNN!!! I have seveal pictures like this:

And there were several visits out to the rocks...but they are Slippery! Watch out!!!

There are Lots more pictures to share, but I think that this motel's internet is kinda slow, and bogs down a bit. So, for now, I will post this,go pee the dawgs, and get back on the road. Tonight I stayed in Williams, AZ, only about 1200 miles from home. In a quaint (but clean! And they have Wifi) little motel built in the 60's, here on old Route66.   Rob is in Dallas. Baden is in Little Rock. It will be good to get everyone back together again by the end of the week.

The hotel clerk told me there would be a shoot-out by the old train station behind this motel at 9 o'clock this morning, so I'm gonna go ck that out as well as a bead shop I saw on Main Street.