Another swimmin story

Hey, Y'all. Coco here and me and Jodie are still having a great time in Alaska. Even getting in some more swimming.

Uh.... Coco......We were actually not in Alaska the last two times we went swimming.

NOT ALASKA???? What do you mean?

Actually, we were in British Columbia in Canada.

Well, ..... when did we leave Alaska?

The day before yesterday, while you were sleeping.

Oh.....you mean the pictures I am going to show are in British Columbia?

Yes!

OK, we did some swimmin the last couple of days in beautiful British Columbia. As we were driving along some highway, we could see a lot of lakes and rivers along the road and being the alert lookout that I am, I whimpered a few times to let my people know that the water had my attention.

Whimper??? Is that your word for whining?

Phooey to you! .....As I was saying.....finally the folks pulled into a rest area right beside a pond. A beautiful pond with clear water. Best of all, the water was MUCH WARMER that we found in Haines.

We had a great time fetching the balls. I was even dropping the ball so I could fetch it again. I usually keep one ball in my mouth and try to have Coco chase me. This was a time, I guess, where I craved the exercise.

We did get a lot of exercise. I don't know what I like more, the swimmin or the towel rub down after.

Yeah, the rub down is a real treat. What ever it was, the swimmin or towlin, but we slept like logs that night. We were camped in a rest area near a river. The sound of the water rushing through the rocks is what lulled me to sleep.

And.....in the morning we got to have a swim in the river. WHAT A BLAST!!!!

There were rapids and a nice pool where the current wasn't too bad. The folks would throw a piece of wood into the current and Coco would bring it back. She's drop the stick so she could shake the water off, and I'd grab the stick and have her chase me. What fun!

That's true, Jodie can be so sleazy. She just waits for me to come ashore and then she grabs the wood. The folks and I have to chase her down to get it back so they can throw it again. Still we had a glorious time in the river.

Coco is right about the fast water. I love it when the water is moving. I love the river, I love the rapids, and I like surf. We had quite a workout and it had an interesting effect. Usually I'm pretty uptight when we travel and the bumpier the road, the more uptight I get. After this morning workout I wasn't as nervous on the trip yesterday.

Gawd, Jodie. The ride doesn't get much better than riding in a motorhome. The air suspension under our camper makes it easy for me to snooze whenever I want.

Blah, blah, blah. I'm just a more sensitive lady.

Whatever. I'm going to have the folks get me some doggy boots, cause it's getting deep in here.

Drat.

Catching up!

A few days ago Coco and I had an unusual experience. Of course, you realize that we spend too much time in the motorhome. And what do we do in the motorhome, sleep, eat, and ride. Well, we were in the motorhome, but we did more than just ride.

I know! I know! We went in a cave!!!

Don't listen to Stupid. We went on a ship. The side of the ship opened up and Dad just drove the motorhome in. Our camper was packed with a lot of others like dog bones in a box, each one almost touching the one in front and the ones on the side. There were people walking around and it was pretty hectic and noisy.

And I barked at almost everyone that passed by, didn't I Jodie?

Yes, you did. You gave me a head ache.

And it was like a cave. All we could see out front was the back of another camper. And all we could see out of the sides were another camper on one side and a wall on the other. And when all the people went away, it got very quiet.

Yes it did Coco, it got very quiet, but the lights never went out so at least we could see a little bit.

And then everything started to rumble and shake. And I wondered what was happening.

What was happening was that the ship was getting underway. Sorry folks, Coco has had a life of limited experiences. The ship got underway and we rumbled for about an hour before getting to Skagway. There, the rumbling stopped and we started hearing other noises. People were starting to appear and there came DAD!!!!! Boy were we glad to see him.

We didn't get to see Mom though.

That's true, we didn't. That's because Mom was with the Jeep. Dad had to drive the motorhome on and off the ship and Mom had to drive the Jeep.

It was a long time before we saw Mom.

Yes, it's true. Since Mom was one of the first to drive on the ship, she was one of the last to leave. and since we were among the last to get on the ship, we were one of the first to leave. So Dad drove the camper off the ship and up the ramps to shore and pulled over to the side of the road as soon as he could.

And it's a good this he did. I was so nervous with all the rumbling that I really had to go BAD!!!

So Dad pulled to the side and got us ready to be walked. He was going to take me first and clipped my collar to the leash. He opened the door and told Coco to stay. Coco just jumped right past him and dashed away.

I REALLY had to go!!!!

Anyway, Coco was out the door in a heartbeat and was running free. She did her business in just a few seconds, as did I, and Dad wanted us back in the camper. Of course I was on the leash and I was no problem, but Coco was running free and wouldn't come when called. She can be such a bitch.

I was free and I was excited and after being pent up on the ship it felt good to run around.

Oh, I'm sure. She wouldn't come when called, but being a little slow to catch on, she fell for the oldest trick in the book. Dad yelled "SUPPER", and she was at the camper steps in a second. Dad opened the door and in she went.

Yeah, I guess that was a little silly of me. 5:00 Am and I was expecting supper? It was too early for breakfast. What bothers me is that it's worked before and it worked again. You'd think I'd learn.

It all went well. Mom was there in a few minutes and we moved to a location where we could stay awhile. Mom cooked breakfast and we had a couple of eggs. Then we all settled in for a snooze.

And I didn't bark anymore.

No, and we all could sleep. Now say Good night, Coco.

OK, Good night Coco.

COCO Calling in!

Hi Friends and people. I have to say something about my relationship with Jodie. She makes sure that I treat her like the Alpha female. I try to assert myself, but when I do she growls and sometime snaps at me. She is the great mighty Lab and I am a lesser specimen, at least in her eyes.

Well, truth be known, Jodie is a scaredy cat when it comes to riding in the motorhome. The worse the road is, the more frightened she becomes and the Alaska Highway south of Alaska is REALLY bad. Sometimes we'll hit a bump that wakes me up. The same bump will drive Jodie onto Mom's lap, which doesn't work because Mom says "NO" and means it. So what does Jodie do???? See below.



I was asleep on the couch, which is allowed, (check out the cover). We hit a bump and suddenly Jodie was trying to sit in MY LAP!!!! Well, I don't have a lap, so she just jumped between me and the back of the couch. Alpha Female, my tail! I don't have any problem riding in anything and wonder about Riggs, Annie, and Max.

Swimmin in Valdez

The folks have been playing tricks on us, and I think it's mean. You see, Coco and I can recognize the sound of the car, so when they come home, we hear them and are waiting eagerly at the door.

Yeah, I was sleeping quietly on the couch and suddenly the door opened and there was Dad. I didn't know what to do.

I know exactly what you mean. I didn't hear the car or hear him come in. He caught me lying behind his bed. I didn't know what to do, so I growled. At least we didn't get into any trouble over it.

No, in fact, we got to go swimming this afternoon. Have you noticed that all the lakes we swim in have airplanes in them? I never see that in Florida.

Stupid! We never get to swim in the lakes in Florida because of the alligators.

Oh, you're right. Alligators, I forgot. Doesn't it seem like a dog's age since we've thought of alligators?

No, I never think of alligators. We swim in a pool remember? No alligators. No snakes. No bugs.

Duh, you've got me again. How about the swimmin pictures?

OK. The first one is at Robe Lake, just outside Valdez.



Here you are, Jodie, actually retrieving a ball.



And here you are, Coco, the only way to keep your mouth closed.



Mom took the opportunity to give us a quick shampoo.



By the way, Coco, what this I hear about you barking at a wooden cut out?

It was an honest mistake. coming into Valdez they have a cut out of a moose and I thought it was real. You can't fault me for that.

When did you realize your mistake?

First of all, Mom and Dad started laughing instead of yelling at me. Then, as we drove on, I could see the edge of the cut out and realized it was only a half inch thick. Then it didn't look like a moose, it looked like a stick.

Another day in the life of stupid.