Silent Protest

On glucosamine pills:

Maddox: “I reject the lump of disgust you’ve so rudely heaved into my bowl.”
Sadie: “Can I have hers?”

Snow Gear

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A new meaning of the phrase 'dog shelter'
Keep in mind that we'd only been outside in this 20-degree day for... I dunno... SIX MINUTES. I had shoveled paths around the yard, and apparently they all lead back inside. Where it's WARM.

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I massage Musher's Secret into the pads of their feet to prevent cracking and dryness, salt injury, and wadding of snow in-between Sadie's toes.

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I finally broke down and ordered Sadie a full-body waterproof shell to avoid the snowball-butt woes. For anyone who's interested, this is Hurtta's Slush Combat Suit, size 22".

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Snuggly Maddox

Maddox got scared by the noise of the plow last night, and she was able to calm down only once I wrapped her up under the covers with me.

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Maddox and the Tooth Fairy

No more bones in this house. Time for these kids to have some softer chewy treats.

Dufresne's Christmas Tree

Maddox, Sadie, and Riggins with a decorated tree in the Dufresne Woods.

Mass...

... HOLE!

Neighbors

Sadie's summer haircut

Basking Maddox

Falls

Beach, Pizza, and Daiquiris

We spent more time at the beach this afternoon. It has been so long since I had to worry about getting sunburned. Or wore anything without sleeves. Or thought it reasonable that wet fabric should become dry when hung outside. Now I'm sucking down a daiquiri at Gelsosomo's while I wait for my spinach stuffed pizza to bake.

Lake Michigan

We all went for a dip in the GREAT Lake Michigan this morning. It was cool and refreshing... we may have to go back in the heat of the afternoon, too.

Sadie fetching

Maddox makes sand angels

Good thing Mom packed the eye drops

Back to camp and eating doggie ice cream in the screen room

Sioux Thunder

I got to Sioux Falls around 4 pm yesterday, which gave me enough time to walk around Falls Park with the girls and pick up a burger and onion rings on the way back to camp.

My hopes of getting a good night's sleep before the long drive to Chicago went sideways when thunderstorms rolled in. Three distinct bouts of thunder and lightning had Maddox curling up close to me for protection. Sadie seemed unphased.

Minnesota welcomes me.

Gas tank is full.

David Sedaris audiobooks queued up.

Only 587 miles to go.

Wall Drug

The signs along I-90 start many MANY miles before the exit.

I like to buy my pharmaceuticals and dead animal heads in the same place.

Oh good... I needed a new flask.

Like a small town inside a town.

Water! The famous start to the Wall Drug story.

Girls stare down the beast.

Camping World

I got Maddox tired enough to pass out at Camping World while my fan was getting fixed.

Day 2: Liberty Lake

I decided to make it a two-nighter in Liberty Lake, and got to play on the water with Wendy & her friends. This also means the Camping World shop can get my fridge working first thing Monday morning. Plus, I can use Wendy's wifi to VPN into work and finish my mid-year review (sorry Kreg!). I'll call procrastination an 'opportunity'. 😜

Lake Bagels

Girls play & swim on the inlet... the island is like our own private dog park, complete with a goose-poop buffet

La Buena Vida, indeed:

Diana, Jerry, Wendy, and Jenn:

Dog Wagon

Road-trip ready girls! Maddox has decided that the box behind us is scary, and insisted on sitting in the passenger seat for the first stretch. King County roads are pretty bumpy (sometimes on purpose, like over Snoqualmie Pass), and the trailer causes vibrations to feed right into the frame of my car. Once we got over the pass (at a painful 50 mph), it was smooth sailing.

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