Catching Up With Us

  Wow!  Has it been a month already?!  As my friend Jack Ryan said to me the other day, I left you all in the Redwoods...

Curtis and girls

  After our Redwoods tour the show ran through green lush Oregon for about a week or so.  We had the pleasure of visiting with my uncle by marriage, Curtis Cainan.  Now it has been so long since we've visited that neither one of us could really remember when we saw each other last.  He'd never met Genevieve and was thrilled to see her and to see how Georgia had grown.  He stayed for the show and I told him that my dog act was still a bit of a work in progress as I have a few new dogs and it wasn't the act it had once been.  I was a little nervous to have  Curtis watch seeing as how he's a tremendous dog trainer (if you've seen Trashcan Twyla, he trained that act!!).  But, the act went well and he said I did a good job.  I was glad it met with his approval!  We caught up on each other's lives in a few hours and before I knew it Curtis had to be on his way.  Now that he has a cell phone, I've been keeping up with him a little more via texting.





   We've traversed through Washington state where I played on the shore with my girls, my nephew Noah and their friend Gigi Perez.  The Pacific waters were beautiful and pretty icy but it didn't stop the kids or me from rolling up our pant legs and splashing around for quite some time!  We found shells, various crab shells and pretty rocks to add to Georgia's ever growing collection of unusual rocks.  We also enjoyed the beauty of Mt. Ranier from a distance.  In Westport, WA the lot as right on the shore, we were literally a stone's throw and across the street from the beautiful shore. We could hear crashing waters on the giant rocks all day and all night.  We went shopping up and down the Westport strip and bought various souvenirs to remember one of our favorite towns.  While in Washington state we got to visit with family we hadn't seen in several years.  We all had a good time and caught up on each other's lives...the visit went by far too quickly.  It's one thing to keep up with family on Facebook, but so much better to visit in person!  Sadly, I don't know when we'll all get to see each other again, but that sure doesn't mean we won't stay connected.

Idaho waters

  Next we made a run through Idaho.  It is one of my favorite places to visit.  Though the roads we traveled were windy, they ran along beautiful waters and giant hills for miles.  We stopped a couple of times on turnouts to take a quick break and a few pictures of the breathtaking scenery.  While we were in Idaho we were able to take the day off in Kooskia and stay at an awesome little resort nestled keep in the hills near Three Rivers.  Georgia, Toot and I spent the day with my family and friends in the hot tub and pool.  Others dared to go white water rafting!  Something I'd have loved to try, but just a little unsure how my back would fair the bumps and jumps!  We got to see a video of my niece and her friends on the ten mile river adventure...and it sure did look like fun!!  Toot and I napped for a while before we got dressed for dinner at the resort's restaurant.  We had a relaxing time and were all able to take a breath and recharge. 

  They don't call Montana big sky country for no reason.  As we traveled the long highways and took in the hilly scenery Georgia and I were amazed how this state really does seem to be half sky.  Our time in Montana was limited but we were able to visit the historic Little Big Horn battlefield.  We took a tour where the guide gave us all kinds of interesting details about the battles, grave sites and some of the more notable soldiers and American Indian figures.  (If you get a chance do some research on White Man Runs Him, famous Corporal Noonan and Mrs. Nash.)  We took some incredible pictures as we toured the giant

historic park and unfortunately didn't get to spend too much time in the museum, but we all soaked and bought reminders of our visit.

  As we touched South Dakota I'd hoped we'd get close to the black hills so I could take the girls to see Mt. Rushmore.  I've been there a couple of times before and took Georgia when she was a toddler but I really wanted her to see it now so she could appreciate the massive sculpture.  If you've seen Mt. Rushmore, you know that pictures do not do this Presidential tribute justice.  Hopefully one day we'll manage a trip to that historical part of the country! 

  Our tour is currently taking us through Minnesota.  When Georgia found out we were headed to Minnesota she asked if we'd be anywhere close to the Mall of America!  The last time we were there Georgia was 4 and she remembers it well because she got her ears pierced at their Claire's.  It won't be long till we are a reasonable traveling distance from the giant shopping center.  We've saved some spending money and we plan on hitting the rides, having some lunch and primarily going to the kid stores.  It'll be a full day and a memorable one, I'm sure.

Greasy Grass Ridge Bighorn County MT

  More to come...