It doesn’t get much better than this!

JODIE: I think that the girls and I have hit the jackpot here in Mexico. Most of you know that we’ve been swimming all over North America, but this place is Dog Heaven.

COCO: Yup, it’s heaven and there sure are a LOT of dogs here. Most of the dogs run free and there are no fights.

SANDY: Well, there is that little black dog that barks at us and the little brown one that bares his teeth………

JODIE: That was when we first got here, but they know us now and we all seem to get along. Some of them have been here a long time and we are new to them. Once we were introduced (sniffed) we all became friends.

SANDY: And the beach here is about as nice as a beach could be…

COCO: And the surf is….is…..fantastico! How do you like that little Mexican flair, fantastico?

JODIE: I think you’re losing it, Coco. If you think about it, we can hear English, Spanish, French, and German spoken by the people here. However, we three and all the other dogs here only speak Woof.

SANDY: Only speak Woof? How can you say that? I understand Mom and Dad when they say “cookie”, or “come”, or especially “supper”. Would we understand them if they spoke one of the other languages? They NEVER say “woof”.

COCO: Sandy has you there, Jodie. You are pretty smart, but sometimes you try to be too smart and you actually look stupid.

JODIE: OK, OK you two. I was trying to slip that one through. The truth is I do understand Mom and Dad, but I don’t understand Nicole, the French lady next door. I also don’t understand Deiter, the German guy two campers away. But I do understand what I’m supposed to. Now lets get back to the beach.

Here we are crashing through the surf!

And this is Jodi body surfing. Can you imagine what she could do on a surfboard?

And what is really great is that we will have at least another month of this. We wish all our friends, Riggs, Patch, Sadie, Tucker, and all the rest could be here with us. There is enough beach here for all of us, and then some. Woof at ya again.

We know it’s been awhile

JODIE: Yes, it HAS been a while since we last posted and it has been VERY difficult for the three of us. After Isla Aguada, where we had a SWELL time, our swimming opportunities just dried up.

COCO: Dried up? Our swimming stopped completely! Our next stop was Progreso, Yucatan. We were in a campground just two blocks from the beach and yet we never got to see the water.

SANDY: That’s not true, Coco. We could see the water from the camper window as we approached the coast.

COCO: Would you like a couple of fat lips? You know what I mean. We never got to the beach to swim and play ball.

SANDY: Heck, Coco, don’t get so insulted. I was only pulling your leg.

JODIE: Oh, I thought you were pulling all four of ‘em.

COCO: Make fun of me if you want, but the truth is that we didn’t get to a beach or lake in a long time. I would languish (like that word?) in the motorhome, pining for a day at the beach. I had to settle for a walk from time to time and that was all.

JODIE: I heard Mom and Dad talking about it. When Dad went into town to get something, Mom took a walk to the beach with Robb and Percilla. She told Dad that the beach was no place to take us because of all the rocks and broken glass. They actually look out for us, you know!

SANDY: Well, I don’t want any cut feet or broken bones. I love the beach, but I don’t want to get hurt.

COCO: Yeah, I know, but I get cabin fever if I spend two much time alone with you two. We spent almost a week in Progreso and never got to swim. Then we went to Chicken Pizza and we didn’t get to go swimming there either, but Mom put on her bathing suit and came home wet.

JODIE: Yes, Coco, I noticed that too and I was waiting for her to take us someplace to swim, but it didn’t happen, Oh, by the way, the place is Chichen Itza. It’s a famous old Mayan ruins.

SANDY: Well, it’s all in the past. We’re camped near Cancun and we’ve been to the beach twice. A couple of days ago and again today.

COCO: Yes, wasn’t it an odd day today? I saw Mom gathering towels and our leashes, and Dad getting our water dish and a cooler. He opened the back of the Jeep and in we went. As he started up the street I KNEW that we were headed for that same beautiful beach.

JODIE: Sure, but your wild, out-of-control, ear shattering whine almost had Dad turn back. That noise is not making it any easier for Dad to take us somewhere.

SANDY: And we didn’t even go to the beach, at least not then. Dad drove into a parking lot near the water, but there was a fence between us and the water. In a little while a man motioned for Dad to drive forward and he DID! Right onto a BOAT. There were other cars and some trucks and some men in uniforms and we waited on the boat for a while.

This is the boat and all those cars are coming off to make room for us. We were heading for Isla Mujeres and the beautiful beaches there! You know how I am about noises, well after a while the whole boat started to tremble and shake, and so did I. I would have liked to be under Dad’s legs, but that wasn’t going to happen.

JODIE: And soon we were at the island. Now, we could see the water and the island is very small, so Dad started driving down one side of the island looking for the beautiful beaches. We didn’t see any as all the land between the road and the water was privately owned by people or hotels or resorts. Dad came to the end of the island and headed up the other coast.

COCO: JOY!!! The waves were breaking as big waves washed to shore. At first there was no place to park and then Dad pulled over and Mom went down to check the water. She said NO!!! Too dangerous for the dogs! Jagged coral rocks that would tear our feet and break our bones.

 

SANDY: Ooh, the thought of torn feet and broken bones scares me. I’d hate to get hurt on vacation.

COCO: Big deal, you’re afraid of almost everything anyway. But to continue, Dad drove up this coast and all of it was the same, rocks, rocks ,rocks. He got to the north end of the island, but it was not easy. There were a bunch of roads that showed up on his navigation thingy, but we would suddenly come to a dead end. But we got as far as we could and started back done the first coast again. We saw some AWESOME beaches, but they were for people only. Can you imagine? They could have a LOT more fun playing with a dog.

JODIE: Long story,short, we ended up back at  the boat which I believe they call a ferry. It was supposed to have already returned to the mainland, but had been delayed for some reason. Dad turned into the lot and asked an hombre (that’s Mexican for man) if there was still time and he said yes. So we were back on the ferry and having another ocean voyage.

COCO: Here comes the good part. When we got off the boat, Dad didn’t turn to go back to the campground, but turned the OTHER way. I was puzzled at first because we were a bit forlorn at not going to a beach, but soon I recognized the road.

SANDY: Yes, she certainly did, and she started again with the whines and squeaks of a mad dog .  If there was another dog on or near the road, Coco would raise such a ruckus!!! Mom and Dad were becoming angry and Jodie and I were becoming deaf. When she gets into that mind set, she is OUT OF CONTROL!

JODIE: In spite of Coco’s lunacy, we got to the beach OK, and we did have a marvelous time.

So, you can see that we were having a marvelous time. Finally we were worn out, me more than the other two. We went back to the camper and got an after ocean bath and were towel dried. After we had supper, we were three zonked girls. I think that the dry spell for swimming is over as I think our route in the foreseeable future is down the coast staying at ocean front campgrounds.

SANDY: I think you’re right. We should be seeing more frequent swimming, but Coco is in hyper mode at the beach and she gets sore in her back end, so if we have a busy day, like today, we probably will not be visiting a beach tomorrow.

JODIE: That suits me just fine. I’m not a spring puppy anymore.

SANDY: Well, I’m the mother of nine, so I’m not a spring puppy either!

COCO: Ugh…….wimps!

 

More and more of the same

COCO: Yup, same ole, same ole, different day. It’s getting so…………..

JODIE: What in the world are you having Dad write now? Same ole? What same ole?

COCO: Well, you know, we ride and ride and then were walked and walked and then more ride. It gets old after a while.

JODIE: Are you nuts? Has someone been slipping something in with your cookies? Sandy, do you hear the line of bull Coco is trying to pass by Dad?

SANDY: Yes, I heard her, but I thought she was having Dad write down some fictional story that she thought up. It SURE hasn’t been the same ole, same ole. The rides the last few days have been bumpy with some areas of sheer terror. That’s when I was trying to hide under Dad’s legs.

JODIE: I can agree with you on that. Mexico has some of the worst roads we’ve ever been on, but you can’t hide under Dad’s legs, He’s driving. What if he needed to hit the brakes and you were in the way? Did you happen to look out and see the cliffs that we were near? Brrr! No way I would interfere with the driver.

SANDY: Yes, but that was only part of what Coco had in mind. Certainly she’s can’t be thinking same ole, same ole when were camped 20 feet from a beautiful beach that we have to ourselves.

COCO: Private beach…phooey!  Where’s the surf?. It’s not much of a beach without surf. Last year we stayed at TWO campgrounds by the ocean. OK, we weren’t 20 feet from the water, but when we got to the water we had SURF, beautiful surf, surf to run into, surf to chase sticks in, surf that breaks over my head. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

JODIE: The picture above doesn’t show a dog pining for the fun of surf. She’s kicking up a wake, chasing the ball.

COCO: I was just making the best of a ho-hum situation. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

SANDY: I do believe that you are a little addled. You were enjoying yourself as much as we were. Oh, I like the surf, too, but I’ve had a grand time at this beach. I get to roll on my back and wiggle back and forth getting  the coarse sand well into my coat. It sure feels good, though Mom has a hard time getting it all out when we’re washed.

JODIE: You younger girls may not have noticed, but there has been a male around here the last couple of nights. I’ve noticed and even Dad noticed. I smelled a male! Dad complained that some male had “marked all the tires on the Jeep and motorhome”.

SANDY: So, we’re had two days in a row at the beach with no riding in between and you’re complaining.

COCO: OK, sometimes I just like the attention. Can we drop it now?

JODIE: OK, we’ll drop it. I’m just going to have Dad add a few pictures.

That’s all until later. Dad says this can’t actually go out until we have the internet again. What does that mean?

Barkin’ at ya from Cholula

SANDY: I thought I’d start this blog from a place that’s supposed to be a small city in Mexico. It may be a small city here, but it’s HUGE compared to Inverness. The folks have been doin’ a bit of sight seein’, but I’m not sure what they’ve actually seen. There have been no foreign objects brought back to the camper.

COCO: We have been three lucky pooches in the campgrounds that the folks have found. We are in a campground that is like a central courtyard with buildings and walls all around it. The only way in is through a gate and it’s closed at night. The best part is that we can spend so much time here off leash and get to play a lot of fetch, and we all love that!

This us the back part of the campground. LOTS of room to play fetch.

JODIE: I have to agree that we’ve been having a great time. Most of the campgrounds have allowed us to run off leash. Do you have any idea how hard it is to play fetch with a leash on? If it’s Mom, it’s not too bad and I can drag her right along, but chubby old Dad is an anchor!

COCO: Oh, come on! We never play fetch while we are on a leash.

JODIE: Hold your Frisbee, Coco. it was only a joke.

COCO: It didn’t sound like a joke to me!!!

SANDY: You guys don’t think I’m too bright, but I knew it was a joke. Ha Ha Just the thought of dragging Dad around makes me laugh.

COCO: Well, brain of the pack, you were not with us one time in Canada when Dad walked me and Jodie on the leashes. We saw a long eared bunny and both of us took off like a flash, pulling Dad behind us until he fell. Then without him dragging us down, we really tore after that rascally rabbit.

JODIE: Oh, we took after that rabbit all right. He just made fools of us. He zigged and zagged through the woods until you got all tangled up in the trees.

COCO: Yeah, I remember. It’s a good thing the collar slipped over my head, or I’d still be in the wood yelping my tail off.

SANDY: So you guys had some cool adventures before I joined the pack.

JODIE: THAT is a fact, Sandy, and we’re still having adventures. Remember last year in Mexico when we spent so much time at the beach? Or the trip last summer when we went to Massachusetts and swam in the ponds there? How about DOG BEACH in Pensacola? Together, the three of us always seem to have a great time.

COCO: Except that when we play fetch, Sandy always gets the first two balls because she has such a BIG mouth.

Here’s the picture to prove it.

JODIE: Actually Coco, at home in the pool you OFTEN have two balls in your mouth and then you have one more along the side of the pool trying to make it three.

COCO: What can I say? I’m good!

Here we are playing the fetchin’ game the way it should be played.

And here’s Mom trying to pry the second ball out of Sandy’s throat.

SANDY: Not my throat, stupid, my mouth! Mom INSISTS on taking the two balls at one time, but I can keep one in my mouth and still fetch another.

JODIE: Actually, Sandy, you DO kind of hog the balls. Just because you’re younger and faster than we are and you have such a BIG mouth, you try to do all of the fetchin’

COCO: Yeah, but Mom’s cool. She throws one ball one way and while Sandy is chasing that one she throws another the other way just for me.

JODIE: Well, what about me?

COCO: I really didn’t want to go there, but what you do is fetch ONE ball and keep it in your mouth. Then, as I try to fetch you keep bumping my side trying to keep me from getting the ball’

JODIE: That’s because I don’t really like to play fetch, I like to play keep-away and I want you to try to get the ball away from me, like we do with sticks.

SANDY: Seems to me that we’ve got to play the game we’re given. If it’s chasing balls in a yard, then it’s fetch. If we’re all going after one stick in the surf, then its keep-away.

JODIE: For a dumb blond, that was a most intelligent statement. I think we’ll end on that note.

WOOFS to all from Las Tres Perras en Mexico

We’re on the Road Again!!!

COCO: Yup, it’s true. We’ve been on the road over a week now and all is still going well. We were in some nice campgrounds and we NEVER raised a ruckus.

JODIE: You and Sandy seem to have a good time, but I don’t like riding that far. I don’t even like long drives in the car.

COCO: I’d think that you’d be used to it by now. You’ve been to Alaska, Newfoundland/Labrador, Florida Keys. and the Pacific shore of Mexico. How bad can it be??

JODIE: Oh, I LOVED all those places, I just don’t like driving there. We had a ball in all those places, swimming in new waters and enjoying a whole range of new smells. I could smell animals that I can’t even recognize.

SANDY: What’s that about Alaska, and those other places? I only know about the dog park in Palm Bay, Florida and the trip to Mexico last year.

COCO: Well, that was all before you came into the pack, Sandy. The fact is that Jodie and I have been EVERYWHERE!!!! We’ve snagged fowl things off the plains of Yellowstone National Park and dried stinky fish off the shores of Labrador. Heck, we’ve rolled in things you haven’t even seen.

JODIE: Oh, yeah! Coco, remember that fish camp in Prince Edward Island, where we found the rotten fish?

COCO: Of course, that was one of my greatest triumphs. It wasn’t all fun though. I remember being tied to a picnic table outside until they could heat water to wash us with. I never shivered so much.

JODIE: Yeah, about as much as Sandy shivers when she hears fireworks or loud noises.

SANDY: I’m just sensitive. You don’t know where I came from and how frightening loud noises were.

JODIE: Oh…..boo …hoo.

SANDY: Laugh if you want, both of you, but I am what I am. And what about you Jodie, panting like crazy all the time were on the road. You weren’t complaining or laughing when I was trying to calm you down yesterday.

JODIE: I’m sorry, Sandy, you’re right and I thank you for helping me out during the trip yesterday. I just couldn’t handle another day of riding. At least we’ve been in the same spot two days in a row, and that feels good.

COCO: OK, is this cuddle fest over?? Remember, we’ll be on the road again tomorrow, so don’t get too comfortable.

JODIE: I feel well rested now. I can take another days ride. Beside I heard that there is a possibility of spending two, three, or possibly more days at the next stop.

SANDY: Then we’re ready to roll.

JODIE: I guess that’s all for now, but now that we’re actually doing something we should have more to write. WOOF TO ALL.

 

We’re Back!!

JODIE:Hello all! Jodie here finally getting a chance to update our blog. Dad moans and groans about helping us with our blog, but it doesn’t hold water with me. He has PLENTY of time to do his crossword puzzles and computer games. He spends HOURS checking weather, Facebook, emails, and other peoples’ blogs, yet he complains that he’s TIRED. Bah!!!

COCO: I’m with you, Jodie. I got to him last month only because I looked so bad and he had to humor me.

SANDY: In fact, Jodie and I never got to comment about your……..er…..condition. We couldn’t even make fun of you wearing that blue lamp shade.

COCO: You’re pushing your luck, dopey.

JODIE: No fighting between us, we have a lot to talk about so lets not squabble. First, much of the summer at home has been spent in the pool and it has been grand!!! You know we all love the water and will get in the pool every chance we get. Unfortunately, Coco has had her share of woes, actually, more than her share and when she can’t go in the pool, we can’t either. So it hurts me to see Coco in such distress, but more so because we can’t go in the pool either. In fact, yesterday and today, Dad spent his time covering the pool for the winter. September 21st and the pool is covered for the winter, how fair is that.

SANDY: I think Dad’s reason is that since Coco can’t use the pool we shouldn’t as it would only torment her. Besides, he and Mom are gearing up for another trip south of the border.

JODIE: I know, I know. So, Coco, how are you doing?

COCO: This has been a miserable summer for me. I LOVE the water and I am the MOST water loving dog in the family. I run, I swim, I dive, I  fetch off the bottom and I’m the ONLY one who can do that. Come to think of it, that may be part of my problem. Since my head is sometimes four feet underwater, I constantly get water in my ears. Then when I come up, I shake my head VERY vigorously to get the water out. I think that’s how I originally got that fat ear flap. Mom says a blood vessel burst and filled my ear with fluid. You guys know I was at the Vets for an operation, but I don’t remember much. They took me in and gave me a shot. Later I woke up a little dizzy with my ear shaved and sewn together. What’s with that? Then I come home and Dad put that damn lamp shade on my head. Try as I might, I couldn’t scratch that itch.

SANDY: That’s why you wear the lamp shade. If you can’t scratch, you can’t make it worse.

COCO: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You should try wearing that darn thing. I try to squeeze through as place and I get caught. I try to sniff something as I run across the yard and I about hang myself. AND…..NO SWIMMING!!!!!

JODIE: So what happened after that. We were in the pool for a while.

COCO: Well it goes back to the same problem. Dive in the water, shake my head, break some blood vessels and it’s back to the Vet. This time he wrapped my ear so it looked like I had a sausage sticking out of my head.

SANDY: To be honest, Coco, you were kind of funny to look at. We, or at least I couldn’t help but snicker and if it bothered you, then I’m sorry. It was still funny, though.

COCO: The sausage wrap wasn’t the end, though. When Mom unwrapped the bandage, the ear was puffing up again. So it was BACK to the Vets…..AGAIN! I got shots…AGAIN. I went to sleep….AGAIN. And this time, when I woke up, my head was wrapped in bandages. Not just my ear, but my WHOLE HEAD!!! Then I come home and Dad gets me again with the lamp shade.

 

SANDY: Golly, you look like you had a fight with a pit bull and came out on the losing end.

JODIE: OK, OK, enough. Coco has had a tough time of it and I certainly don’t envy her, except that I see Dad  slip her an extra cookie from time to time, but we have more  news. We have a guest for a couple of weeks. We have another chocolate lab to keep Coco company. Molly, once known as Freckles when she was here a few years ago with her puppies, is visiting and has resumed her position in the pack, sort of. When she was here in 2009, she was #3, but since then, Sandy has become #3 and Sandy wants to make sure that Molly knows that Molly is #4.

 

MOLLY: May I add a woof or two?

JODIE: Sure, go right ahead.

MOLLY: Fine. I thank you for the hospitality and Sandy has made it plain to me that she is really a permanent pack member and I am only a guest. I enjoy playing with all of you anyway, but find that you are not as……….I’m searching for the right phrase………ACTIVE as I am. You three are more like couch potatoes. I’m used to getting a LOT more exercise and being a LOT more active than you three. Oh, I know that Coco has her problems and I feel bad for her, but you, Jodie, and you, Sandy, should be running more, walking more, chasing more. Oh, I know that I haven’t caught a squirrel either, but I sure get a LOT closer than you two, since Coco isn’t into chasing right now.

JODIE: Well, Molly, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I’m in my mid 60s in people years and I enjoy a more laid-back life style. Oh, I make a show of chasing birds and squirrels, but I have no idea what I’d do if I caught one. I like to swim. I LOVE beaches, especially when there are a lot of waves and I can play there for HOURS. The same seems to be true of Sandy and especially Coco when she’s feeling better. I will admit that Sandy has a lot more energy than I do or Coco does, but she is also a LOT younger. We live a comfortable life and hope to continue. There is little competition between us even when we play fetch. When Mom or Dad throws the first ball, Coco and I wait, because Sandy is so fast that she ALWAYS gets the first ball. When the second ball  is thrown we still wait, because big mouth Sandy gets the second ball, too. I take off with the third ball and Coco waits because Coco can’t run as fast as I can. When that fourth ball goes out, Coco gives it all she has to get to it. Unlike me and Sandy, Coco returns the ball to be thrown over and over until Mom or Dad calls it quits. Coco never gives up.

SANDY: Nope, Coco never gives up, but if she runs too much, she’s sore at night. She had a problem with her ears at one end and her hips at the other end, but I’ll tell you what, if someone should drop a cookie or any morsel of food around us, Coco WILL get to it first, GUARANTEED. She may wait her turn with the ball, but it’s always her turn when food is concerned.

COCO: Ha, ha, you guys are funny. I do my best to get to anything edible before anyone else. What can I say, it’s what I do!

JODIE: And I guess that says it all for the rest of us. We live a mellow life with people we cherish and who cherish us. It really doesn’t get any better than that. So long for now. I probably won’t write again until we have something to say.

Woofs to all!!!

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