While in Birmingham, we discovered a wonderful dog park in the city of Alabaster. This dog park was the 2nd Beneful Dream Park created in the nation. The Beneful company held a contest to submit your idea for a dream dog park. Jenny Wilson, of Alabaster, entered the contest and won the $500,000 park for the city! The park has artificial turf, splash pad, tunnels, hoops, and a miniature football field. Trooper and Mattie had a blast during our visit. The coolest part was meeting all the different dogs and owners. One gentleman was excited to see two brittanys arrive for a morning of play with his own brittanys. We can’t wait to return! Be sure to scroll down and watch the video of Trooper.
Over the past few months, Bobbi and the fur kids have been able to tag along on several business trips to the great state of Alabama. While Charlie is off at work, the rest of us check out the local dog parks or enjoy the scenery of the campground. In Scottsboro, we camp on beautiful Lake Guntersville. There is no need to find a dog park as the campsite is our playground. Here are a few snapshots from our recent visit.
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- Pretty campsite by Lake Guntersville!
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- Mattie is enjoying the scenery.
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- Come back ducks…let’s play!
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- This photo perfectly explains our entertainment choices when outdoors. Trooper plays ball and Mattie keeps an eye out for critters.
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- The shade and gravel under the RV feels so nice!
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- I see you, birdie! Click on the photo to see the end of the dock!
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- Where’s that bird? Are you hiding under the dock?
Travels took us to Florida this summer. This trip included many “firsts” for our family. We experienced our first Airbnb stay in a cottage on a farm outside of St. Augustine. On the farm we encountered many critters, the first of which was a guinea hen Mattie spotted the moment she jumped from the car. Turkeys, rabbits, birds, and ducks made this a spectacular sensory experience for Trooper and Mattie. The most fun we had was on the first morning when the dogs were ready for their walk at 5:30. Greeting us in the dark, as we exited the screened in porch, was one of the free-roaming donkeys on the farm. Other adventures on this trip included a visit to the Fountain of Youth, strolling shops, a visit to the Spanish Military Muesum, a trip to the beach, and many dining experiences. St. Augustine is the most dog friendly town we’ve ever visited. Bringfido.com is a wonderful site for researching dog-friendly places in any city you wish to visit. Please check out some of the most memorable photos from our trip. Click on each thumbnail photo to see the entire photograph.
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- Good Morning, Donkey!
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- First Beach Trip!
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- Beach time!
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- Come on….Finish eating so we can get to the beach!
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- Fountain of Pooch at the Fountain of Youth!
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- The indoor planetarium at The Fountain of Youth. Yes, air conditioning!
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- We were chilling during the cannon demonstration.
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- I love grass!
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- Most birds take flight when they see us coming!
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- This is how we like to ride in the RV.
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- Do you see what I see?
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- The sandhill cranes love camping, too!
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- I see you!
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- Our favorite shop could count on us to empty their water bowl!
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- Lots of fun exercise equipment in the dog walk area at John Prince Campground, Lake Worth, FL
Summer school is in session! Since retirement, Bobbi has been keeping her teaching skills tuned with daily lessons for Mattie and Trooper. During one of our bark and walk sessions this week, Trooper discovered a friend in our driveway. After a nice visit, we said our goodbyes and continued on our discovery walk. Mattie isn’t too interested in turtles; however, she does love birds! Do you see the nest she found? We felt the sun’s warmth and learned to never look directly at the sun. In addition to science lessons, we’ve focused on other important skills. Both Mattie and Trooper will earn an A+ in driveway safety on their next report card. Always stop 40 feet from the roadway!
Each day, we take walks up the driveway, to the field, and back through the woods to home. If we run enough, we’ll take a nice nap. Today, our toy pheasant took a nap with us!
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- We found something!
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- Break Time!
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- We are getting ready to explore the woods.
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- Resting after a hard run. Mr. Pheasant decided to join us!
2016 Forrest River Forrester 2401WS MBS!
Since retirement, Bobbi has been experimenting with some new recipes in the kitchen. Guess who seems to always be on hand as official taste testers?
This summer, we had a huge camping adventure. We traveled to New Hampshire to visit Bobbi’s sister and her family. The dogs had a blast chasing balls with their cousin Cooper and splashing around in the lake. The best part for Bobbi was trying out the kayak. Trooper didn’t love it and wanted to get back to chasing balls. On the other hand, Mattie loved the experience! She was very calm and took in the scenery. We can’t wait to kayak again!
In June, Mattie and Trooper were able to visit their favorite camp, No Place Like Home, while Bobbi and Charlie attended an academic competition in Washington, D.C. Looks like everyone had a terrific vacation!
One of our favorite activities is hunting. We may hunt a chipmunk hiding in the firewood pile, a squirrel we see up in the tree, or some other little critter which has burrowed down into the ground. Can you tell what kind of hunting we were doing today? Don’t forget to click on the pictures to see us up close. Thanks!
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- Digger 1
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- Digger 2
We both posed for closeups after our baths. Aren’t we cute?
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- Clean Mattie!
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- Clean Trooper!