Roadtrip Updates
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| Book Two, Travels with Maggie and Henry. How wonderful to start with Chewie and the rest of the Minnesota gang! Looking forward to more stories and pictures. susan |
| Sounds like your having a wonderful time Lisa and Frankie |
 soo glad things are going well. Can't wait to hear more!!! |
| Have a blast!!! *cough* pics *cough* |
| WooHoo!! Your trip has begun finally. |
| How fun! You get to meet up with forum people. Pics will be great!!! |
I'd like to post all the pics on oes.org but it is too complicated a procedure for right now. So here's a teaser and you can see lots more here.   |
| Nice pics. Those certainly were some dirty dogs when they were done playing. |
| We met another sheepdog at the Weston Dog Park near Wasau Michigan! You can tell from the slope that this dog park was built over a landfill but there's no smell and the dogs love it. Here's Oxford:  |
Valerie wrote: We met another sheepdog at the Weston Dog Park near Wasau Michigan! You can tell from the slope that this dog park was built over a landfill but there's no smell and the dogs love it. Here's Oxford: Wisconsin! (not michigan - menomonie is Wi too) - I'm sure these states are all blurring together! Fun pictures  Chewie had a great time - and Travis only had minor complaints for riding to LeAnne's graduation with a pond water smelling dog in the back seat w/him....lolThe picture with all 4 running is priceless! They weren't dirty afterwards - just a bit wet. They took a dip in at the end and we walked them out through the sand area - worked OK and 1 towel was OK...thank goodness. I'm soooooo glad we were able to meet and that the weather cooperated so nicely. I hope you and Lucia(sp?) are having a good time with the rest of the weekend I can see that Maggie and Henry are! |
| Such great photos. Looks like they were all having a blast. |
| Oh right -- Weston Wisconsin. Very nice place. We were impressed that Wausau seems to have escaped the recession. And the farms of Wisconsin are really beautiful. We were driving on county routes which are incredibly pretty. Are there Amish/Mennonites in this part of the country? We saw a bunch of boys riding in short white shirt-sleeves. They looked so old-fashioned and earnest. Yes, there are two Menominies. Menominie is in Wisconsin but Menominee is in Michigan -- very cute, right on Lake Michigan. We are having so much fun. Seeing you and Chewie got us started and we keep finding great places and meeting great people. Finding a tick in the car freaked me out yesterday. I had packed frontline but it is up in the cargo carrier which took me 20 minutes to get closed and I am afraid to open it but I think they need it. . . |
Cool!  I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip, sounds like so much fun |
| mmmm...I think I was in Omaha, NE on Thursday...on my way home to Quebec for part of the summer. Didn't have any OES with me...(driving a Smart Car so the only ones in the car were me, dd and Josie(papilion) and Gidget (chihuahua)) I was so glad to stop....road trips are only nice when you are doing something along the way....driving, driving, driving...not my "cuppa". Good to hear you are on your way! |
| It has been really interesting travelling across portions of Canada. I hope I am not offending anyone, but I was underwhelmed by Western Ontario (Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury in particular). Those were places that made me want to keep driving. When I got to North Bay, I was pleasantly surprised to find a cute town that looks like it is putting some money into tourism by developing its really pretty waterfront with beaches, flowers, and really lovely walking paths. I was also happy to find a clean, modern, new Holiday Inn Express that welcomes dogs. The drive from North Bay to Ottawa was pretty -- on an older 2 lane highway with mostly woods or fields alongside and occasional gas stations. Ottawa is beautiful! It is a city where people are all out walking or on bikes and it is amazingly dog friendly. One amazing thing was that even with congested city streets, I only heard a car horn once. The Ottawa dog park finder tool is almost overwhelming because of the sheer number of places where dogs are allowed off-leash. Ottawa has the two largest, most beautiful dog parks I have ever seen (and I have seen MANY). I loved the convenience and friendliness of Conroy Pit dog park:  I was completely blown away by the size and beauty of Bruce Pit dog park. I also could not believe how many people were out with their dogs slowly promenading on a weekday mid-morning. All of these pictures were taken at the same dog park. It is gorgeous and the dogs are all beautiful, happy and friendly -- and many of them are rescues -- way to go Ottawa! It took us about an hour to do the main loop around the park and there were so many trails and offshoots that we did not take. The pics aren't great but they demonstrate the beauty of this park:       Seriously -- those are all from one park. It is really a gem. We then drove to Quebec City, which was a lovely drive. Quebec City is astonishingly beautiful and so clean and friendly. We are staying in a super-cute, very quaint hotel in the old (touristy) section of town (inside the wall).  It is surprising to me that such a quaint hotel would allow dogs. Apparently, they only do in the rooms with the darker carpets (smart). Maggie was a bit tired of or stressed out by the travel and was very tense from the loud construction noise in Ottawa and took a while to calm back down here in Quebec City (which is much quieter). She was snappy at a couple of people that kind of crowded up to greet her so I've had to be careful that she not get too overwhelmed. Dogs here seem to be more of a novelty. I've only seen a few and I have marched all over this section and driven around larger areas. My web searching revealed only one dog park in the entire city and talking to people there, they confirmed it is the only one. It is a sand/gravel lot in the Ste-Foy area:  With only one little pup Leo there when we arrived, Maggie and Henry still managed to have some fun:   Henry and Leo spent about 20 minutes chasing each other around this table:  I spent the rest of the day walking with the dogs around the fortified wall of the old city.  They seem really exhausted from the adventure. And Maggie seems to have relaxed a bit from all of the exercise and greater familiarity with the area. We are heading to Maine tomorrow but I will look forward to visiting Quebec City again. I am amazed at what a beautiful city it is. It is the kind that makes you dream of having a different kind of life. It is sort of like a combination of Paris' architecture and streetscapes but San Francisco's gorgeous water views. And the people are all really nice and seem really relaxed -- like they are living good lives. I wonder what the winters are like. That's the only thing I can think of as to why everyone doesn't want to live here. I am so glad to have been here. |
| wow since i can't go anywhere i am living your dream keep the pics coming |
| mmm...guess we aren't meeting up if you've already hit Ottawa...since that is where we are...lol. Glad you found the two best places for a good run...we used to have one here on the Quebec side that was fenced but not enough responsible owners so they took the fence down  Have a safe and wonderful adventure. M |
Carl's wife wrote: mmm...guess we aren't meeting up if you've already hit Ottawa...since that is where we are...lol. Glad you found the two best places for a good run...we used to have one here on the Quebec side that was fenced but not enough responsible owners so they took the fence down Have a safe and wonderful adventure. M Awww man! Did we miss a chance to meet you? I didn't realize you lived there. I think you may live in the most dog-friendly place I've ever been. I really loved Ottawa. I had no idea what to expect and was so pleasantly surprised. Cities with water (rivers, canals, lakes, etc.) can be so nice if done right and Ottawa seems like it knows how to make the best of its geographical features. Perhaps that's why the people are so relaxed and so nice there. I forgot to mention that I passed through the old part of Montreal too but that was way too much city for my noise-sensitive Maggie. Henry is a mellow guy that is ok with anything and everything -- except dogs who spend too much time sniffing him. That ticks him off. |
Loving this tale and pixs but also your other ones of the trip. Does Henry ever get to the stick before Maggie?  |
SheepieBoss wrote: Loving this tale and pixs but also your other ones of the trip. Does Henry ever get to the stick before Maggie? Ummmm, no. But often Maggie overshoots her mark or pounces on a ball and growls and then lets it go past and then Henry (who is always right behind her) looks like "Omigod wait, that thing is here, what am I supposed to do with this Maggie?" He is very clearly the younger brother. I don't think he could actually imagine life without her. The odd thing is that Maggie is actually more nervous traveling with Henry (who is Mr. Mellow) than she was with Chumley (who was super-excited but never nervous). I don't know if it is just something happening as she is getting mature or if she doesn't feel equipped in all situations to be the responsible big sister. Henry's calm in all circumstances is amazing. They are both so exhausted from the long walk today. It is amazing to see them passed out on the floor, breathing deeply. |
| That is quite the dog park! The standard poodles and then the hairy "littles" - cute pictures. That little Leo looked darn happy you got there... Keep the pictures rolling...please! |
Quote: don't know if it is just something happening as she is getting mature or if she doesn't feel equipped in all situations to be the responsible big sister. Yeah, being the older sibling has it's responsibilities. For sure after Chum's near constant barking, I thought Maggie would remain mellow. Hope she doesn't pick up more nervous-ness. Was Otto as chunky as he looked? Big bones? |
SheepieBoss wrote: Quote: don't know if it is just something happening as she is getting mature or if she doesn't feel equipped in all situations to be the responsible big sister. Yeah, being the older sibling has it's responsibilities. For sure after Chum's near constant barking, I thought Maggie would remain mellow. Hope she doesn't pick up more nervous-ness. Was Otto as chunky as he looked? Big bones? Do you mean Oxford in Weston? Yes. Yes he was.  Poor guy. The lady said "oh my, your Maggie is so skinny" and then a few moments later, said "or maybe Oxford could stand to lose some weight" or something like that. He was such a sweet jolly guy.And Yes, Leo in Quebec was thrilled when we got there but he was truly a happy little guy all on his own. He's 5 months old, a bichon yorkie mix. He was adorable and really fast too. Henry loved him and his owner was really nice and not at all worried that Henry would hurt him (by accident) but I was keeping an eye on it. The only other dog was a 7 month old cocker spaniel but Henry didn't like him at all for mysterious reasons. He was supersoft and seemed sweet to me. So Maggie seems better today. She was beyond tense yesterday -- her whole body was taut and her face looked alert/concerned -- but today, I spent the whole day with her walking and she is both exhausted and more familiar with the city so she smiles and looks happy walking around and greeting people. I think the noise of Ottawa really got to her. The dogparks were great but there was alot of construction outside of our hotel so every coming and going really stressed her out. Plus all these days in the car and visiting new places I guess adds up and takes a toll. She is a happy dog tonight, which is a great relief. Walking around Quebec City is so pleasant. I met a young man on our evening walk who said he has a 10 year old OES at home. I asked him whether there were any other dog parks. He didn't even know there was one! I told him where it is but he said his dog is ten and mainly just walks around the neighborhood. But he said he would get another one for sure because they are the best dogs ever. I agreed. |
Just a few pics to show how Maggie and Henry are enjoying being on the coast of Maine. They just run around the yard and the house and up and down to the water. It is so nice to sit on the porch and watch them go (although I hold onto my glass of wine, just in case).    |
| July 06 pictures of Maggie playing in the water.......same location? |
Good memory! Yes, same location. The house has been in our family about 30 years. Here are a few pics from 2006:   My neighbors were able to replace this old dock after alot of wrangling with the town:  Sweet Chumley really enjoyed the grass:   There's a minor downside, however:  |
| I LOVE following your adventures in travel. Keep them coming--- this will be my summer "reading" Don't forget us, when you come this way. We are looking forward to meeting all of you! |
| That looks great, and looks like the weather is cooperating beautifully! |
| Where in Maine is that? It looks lovely! I am an Eadt coast gal myself. But I live way down in New York, Long Island exactly. Maine is about 7 hours a way and I've been there many many times for vacation. The area you were in looks fantastic...where is it? This trip sounds great! Enjoy the rest and safe travelling! |
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