01 Sept 2009

Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to me....
Happy Birthday to meeee-eeee....
Happy Birthday to me....

I am one year old today.  And it is Daisy's birthday too.  It was a very special day.  Dad gave Daisy and I each a birthday present, a really BIG Bully-stick.  Do you know what Bully Sticks are MADE FROM?  They are really yummy.  Dad gave a smaller piece of Bully Stick to my dog-mom Sammy, then one each to Uncle Justin and Grandma Quiver.  Everyone had a good time.  The only sad part about the whole day was that I wished Uncle Parker could have been here too.  I would have gladly given my Bully Stick to Uncle Parker.

A little later dad and mom took Daisy and I for a ride in the Dog Show Van.  We went to Pets-mart.  Dad weighed me, I was 135 pounds.  Wow - I am still growing.  Daisy was 122 pounds - so she is a Great Dane now too.  Congratulations Daisy, and Happy Birthday.  Dad let me sniff around the store.  I always go to look at the cats first.  Sometimes there is a friendly cat and I can sniff it.  But most of the time they are just mean old cats.  I know my purpose in life is to make dad happy.  I wonder what purpose in life cats have?  When I got bored with the cats I pulled dad over to the birds and rodents.  The birds are interesting.  They fly around a lot when they see me coming.  So I stand near the cage and watch them fly.  After a while they get tired of flying, and I get tired of watching them, so we go to the other side where the rodents live.  They are funny too.  They do not act scared when they see me.  They stand up and sniff at me while I sniff at them.  After a while mom and Daisy caught up with us, and we had to hurry home.

When we got home, everyone got run outside really quickly, then everyone got put in their dog-beds again.  I didn't mind, I had my Bully Stick.  Mom and dad left us and drove away in the little blue Toyota.  I heard mom saying something about going to a TEA PARTY.  Gee mom - you could make some really good tea right here at home and we could all have a party.  But if you want to go out for tea - then have a good time.  Mom and dad were gone for a few hours - but when they came back dad spent the rest of the evening with me.  It was a very happy birthday.  I wish we could do that every day.

05 Sept 2009

This morning was one of those days when dad was supposed to stay in bed.  I snuck into bed with dad, and he rubbed my belly and whispered to me a little, but after a bit dad got up and got dressed.  Dad started getting things ready in the dog-show van.  But it wasn't dog show stuff.  I watched carefully like Uncle Parker told me to do.  Pretty soon I saw it - YUP... my green training bag got loaded up.  Whatever was going on, I was going along.  I'm a lucky dog - a lucky lucky dog..... I get to go along.  But.... where are we going.  Pretty soon dad was finished, so he got dressed in some nicer clothes.  When he was finished dressing, dad went outside to move the Toyota.  Mom put Daisy and I in the dog-show van.  HEY - WAIT!  What about breakfast?  We didn't get our breakfast!!!   Oh-well... pretty soon we were on the road.  We made a quick stop and some radio guy named Sean-KD6CUB got into the dog-show van.  Reiner-AE5RJ and Paul-N5QJK were there in Reiner's car too.  Then we drove a long long time - at least 1-1/2 hours.  When we stopped we were at some place where there were lots of old radios.  Dad took me to something like this once before in Las Cruces called a Bean feed.  Today it was called the Alamogordo Hamfest. Curious - I didn't see any ham there.   All of my friends were there, it was Reiner and Paul, mom and dad, and that new Sean guy.  Then Martin and the other Paul they call FAZ were there too.  Dad told me to be a nice doggie, then he took me inside.  I got to meet lots of new people, and they were all nice to me.  There are lots of old radios and radio parts for sale inside.  Dad traded some of that green money paper for the parts he needed.  Then he took the parts out to the dog-show van.  Dad, I wish you would trade some of that green money paper for some doggie-breakfasts.  Daisy and I are HUNGRY!  But that didn't happen.

When dad had enough radio parts, we loaded up in the dog-show van again.  Mom and dad made a quick stop at a Sonic Burger with everyone else.  Hey - how come they get to eat and we don't?  We got left in the van while they all sat on the patio eating.  They left the back door open so we could watch them eat.  I am a sad sad puppy, and I am hungry too.  When they were done eating in front of us everyone loaded up and we were on the road again.  We drove another hour or so.  Dad was driving now, and as he drove we went higher and slower, and the road got twistier and bumpier.  Then dad stopped the dog-show van.  When dad opened the back door the sights and smells were sooooo cool!  We were somewhere on top of a mountain and in a forest.  I heard Martin call it Benson Ridge.  Dad let Daisy and I out.  We got to run and sniff and run and sniff and run and sniff.  It was all so wonderful I forgot to be hungry.  Dad was busy for a little bit.  He was cleaning up some stuff in a little building full of radio stuff.  I would stick my head in the door to check on dad, but dad said I should stay out.  Mom took Daisy and I exploring. We played around all over the place.  Then we really got lucky.  There were COWS.  Daisy wanted to rush them, but mom grabbed her.  Then mom called me.  I am a good puppy, so I came to mom.  Mom grabbed my collar too.  Daisy was barking and barking, and she must have scared the cows, because they left.  Dad was finished doing his part of the radio work, so he came to play with me.  The cows were gone now, and we were let loose again.  Dad took me for a walk on the trail.  I got to sniff a lot of stuff - and it was all great fun.  I'm a happy dog - a happy happy dog - I am hiking with my dad in a huge forest.  This is as much fun as we had on the Sandia Crest Trail at the Albuquerque Dog Show.  After a bit, dad loaded me and Daisy into the dog-show van, and we all took another ride down the road.

Dad drove about 30 minutes.  He was talking to Martin and the other guys on the radio.  I heard Martin say over the radio that we were going to the James Canyon BBQ dinner.  When they all finally stopped it sure smelled really good.  Somebody was cooking something - that was for sure.  Mom and dad and Sean got out, but they told us puppies we needed to stay in the van.  Awww dad - I am hungry!  But I am tired too, so I will wait.  Dad left the back door open so we could watch.  But everyone was eating inside the big building, so we could only smell it, not see it.  After a while it got boring, so Daisy and I took a nap.  When mom and dad were done eating, they got into the dog-show van with Sean, and we started driving again.  Dad wanted to see the rangers about something, but the ranger station was closed, so dad kept driving.  Dad made two other stops.  One was to buy mom some wine and nuts at the bottom of the hill.  The second stop was to let Sean check out the White Sands National Monument.  Both stops were short, then we were on the way home.  Dad and Sean talked about radio stuff all the way back until dad let Sean out where he got picked up at this morning.

When we got home, mom made a really really good dinner for everyone.  After dinner it was bed-time.  It was another fine doggie-day.

07 Sept 2009

Another day started just like the 5th started.  I could tell something was up,  Dad loaded up the dog-show van again.  I saw dad load my green training bag.  But then the phone thing was ringing again.  Dad got changed into his work clothes, then packed his other clothes into the van too.  I guess dad has to go to work.  But mom loaded me and Daisy into the van, and we took off.  First mom drove dad to work.  Dad left us all in the van while he checked on whatever the problem was.  I guess dad worked on the problem for about a hour.  When he was almost done, he came and told mom he just had to wait for something called a calibration to finish, then we could go.  Then dad took me for a walk around his work.  It was hot and noisy, with lots of strange smells.  I was a little scared.  But dad talked to me and told me it was OK.  He took me to a place called the CONTROL ROOM.  I got to meet some really friendly people there.  Dad kept watching some lights on the wall.  When the lights went out, dad said we could go.  We said good-bye to the nice control room people, then went down to dad's office.  Dad typed on that computer thing some, then got changed.  When he was done, we loaded up in the van and left.

Mom drove us to some place called Hatch.  When we got there mom and dad went inside for a few moments.  Then dad came out and got a big cooler from the van.  He carried it away, then came back for me.  Oh-goodie - I get to go out with dad.  I'm a happy dog - a happy happy dog...... so dad took me to a patio with a shady roof over it.  I watched a guy take these green plants and burn them.  Yup - he would pour a big bag of those green plants into a big screen drum.  Then he would turn on the fire, spin the drum, and burn the green plants.  It sure smelled good.  Mom got Daisy out, and we watched the guy burning the good-smelling plants.  When they were burnt good enough, the guy took the burnt plants and put them in a plastic bag, then put that bag into a bucket of ice water.  After a few minutes, he took the bag out and gave it to dad.  Dad put the bag into the cooler, then carried it to the car.  Mom took out one of the burnt green plants and tasted it.  Mmmmmm - mom said they were good chillis this year.

We loaded up in the dog-show van again.  Mom drove us to some new place called Percha Dam State Park.  Dad got out at the gate and talked to a lady who let us in for free.  Dad said we were only going to stay a short time.  Dad got back in, and mom drove us to some water.  It was part of the Rio Grande.  Dad took me out, and we started exploring right away.  Mom took Daisy out, but Daisy was so scared she didn't want to come play.  Dad called Daisy, and Daisy would come to dad, but I could tell she was scared.  Don't worry Daisy, it will be OK.  Some people were calling to dad and I - they wanted to meet me.  So dad walked me over to them.  They had some really little skin-puppies.  Dad made me get down and be still so the nice people could get some photos of the skin-puppies and me.  I was a good puppy and did what dad asked me to do.  Then dad learned the man was a soldier from Fort Bliss.  So we sat a while and they talked about soldier things.  i think dad was once a soldier - and would be one again if he could.  Pretty soon mom said it was time to go home again.  
We loaded up in the dog-show van and mom started driving.  Mom took the back-roads all the way to Leesburg Dam.  Dad wanted to check on some camping place, but the sign said camping was closed until next year.  So mom got us on the freeway for a quick trip home.

When we got home, mom and dad packed those burnt green plants into little plastic bags, then dad put them in the freezer.  Mom kept a few out, and they ate them with cheese and on the steaks mom made.  Mom made us dogs a really big dinner too.  After dinner, I went to my doggie-bed in dad's radio room, and I napped there while dad worked on some radio stuff.

It was another fine doggie-day.  Thank you Uncle Parker for letting me have such a great life.  I'm a lucky dog - a lucky lucky dog.... and I won't forget that you Uncle Parker helped me find this life.