The Last Legs Home

Sorry all, but I needed to catch my (bad) breath, before I could complete this epic story. Ok, where were we????? OH yeah, we woke up in Eagle, CO....picture this, cold, no snow, but it could of but didn't. I got walked around the neighborhood on a short leash, because Lisa, our hostess, mentioned that there are "bears and bobcats" in the neighborhood....WHAT THE HECK???so I stayed close to dad and did my duty as quickly as possible. We had a peanut butter and toast breakfast, took some pictures of the now observable mountains that surround the Hammond's abode, the New York MT range, to be exact, and left with some elk jerky that Dave Hammond had hunted, cleaned and prepared (it tastes like steak au poivre).

Mom decided to go through the car wash, so we could start out fresh and shiny. NICE,we got on the highway, adjusted our eyes to the truly amazing views that are abundant in Colorado, the steep hills, mountains framed by millions of pine trees, and snow capped peaks!!!!HHMMMMMMMMMMMM....So it wasn't surprising, no it was a little shocking actually when we hit, about 30 miles out, near Vail, a roaring snow storm..windy, fairly good visibility though.....but the clean shiny car was history, as was high altitude, beautiful sights, nice friends, and lastly Colorado.

Now we knew, that the next phase of the trip, Nebraska, was a long way, about 662 miles from Eagle to Omaha, or about 9 hours 7 minutes. From a dog's point of view, this drive was borrrrrring. Same old cornfields mile after mile, and then it started to rain, until it hit the windshield at an alarming rate and a pounding sound, rattling the car, and you all know me, that I hate that exact sound and I start to tremble and usually need a beer or pina colada. Well I toughed it out folks! The rain is the only thing that stood out in Nebraska, as this was the first time we weren't driving in sunshine the whole trip, our first dreary day. We didn't make it all the way to Omaha, but managed to plow as far as Lincoln, the state capital, find a hotel, and search for a good steak dinner, this our last night away, before we arrived home. Ma and Pa found a steak house all right, they made good Maker's Mark Old Fashions, and the remains of the filet and rib eye became my dinner for the next two days. I love Nebraska!

Back on I-80E, headed for home, a mere 560 some miles to go, the trek through Iowa was equally uneventful....we were tempted to seek out the sights of Madison County, you know, those bridges..in Winterset, where Meryl and Clint had that fling while her family was at the state fair....we passed it up 'cause we had a bee in our bonnet for a Steak and Shake lunch that was advertised on a few billboards, just as our stomachs told us it was time for something "bad". Dad had NEVER been to a S&S before, but mom had and it peaked his interest considerably. I got left in the car again and watched them trot into the gates of grease and heavenly shakes..you gotta try the Caramel and Apple Shake, it's the BOMB!!!! The burgers ain't bad either. They came back for me and to my surprise, we walked to the Petsmart for a toothbrush and Breathe Spray since mom couldn't take it anymore....at least I got a chance to unwind in the long stretch of parking lot before I was tortured by mom in the car, she actually brushed my teeth and squirted breath spray at me until I couldn't stand it anymore!

Then it was clear sailing from then on, across the Mighty Mississippi River, through central Illinois, missing Chicago rush hour, and cruising onto I-94 into Michigan. This ended a trip that included eighteen states total, over 5500 miles and alot of gas, ten different hotel-motels, no-tels, 3 car washes, countless rest stops/areas, lots of truly gorgeous natural terrain, and not once in that 17 day span did we see another Michigan license plate until we got back to Chicago. Well now we all can cross this trip out West and back, off our bucket list. Hope you all got a chuckle or two from the adventures of the road warriors, as Brandon called us, early on. Next on the agenda will be a list of Worst and Best of trip, stay tuned for that tomorrow.

Love to all,
Barclay and J&J

I'm so happy to be back home, as is mom...dad wishes he were still cruising the Interstate...so nice to come back to our bountiful little garden, still brimming with tomatoes and peppers and fragrant herbs, Grandma took good care of it along with a few others...we really appreciated your time and effort, thank you so much. As for me, I can't wait to get back to my routine of walking along Lake Boulevard, getting groomed every two weeks and riding in the car with dad for short rides.

Saturday in the City, Sunday on the Ocean, Monday in the Car

Mom and dad got up early and decided that their walk would be to Mitch's so that they could say good mornin' to me and Mitch, but mainly to walk me. We had a great walk around the park that's situated in front of Mitch's apt building on Eddy Street. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was happy to see them after our first night being separated..I slept on Mitch's big king-sized bed...I think he's crazy about me though. They left me again so they could shop, they hit Macy's and Banana Republic....there was talk that I was going to be sent home FedEx, due to the lack of room in the car. Some reorganizing was done and I'm still in like Flynn!

Ready to collapse from lack of sustenance, Bonnie and Clyde (store robbers) headed down to the Fisherman's Wharf to meet up with Rob and Goran for some late lunch,. They ended up at The Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant that dad especially likes. The foursome said their goodbyes and mom and dad walked back up the steep street of California which mom captured on video in between huffs and puffs, it's like mountain climbing.....it's one of the hardest streets to walk up. Then dad came to walk me again, I thought he forgot me, Mitch went to work, and I was all alone. Both dad and I fell asleep on the bed. Dad needed to rest as he and the boys were planning to partake of some more cocktails tonite. AND they did, but not as many. Mom stayed at the hotel and got some much-needed rest.

We all got up bright and early, said goodbye to Mitch and and left our beloved San Francisco behind and started off down the coast towards our next destination - San Simeon and the Hearst Castle. The route got very interesting as soon as we departed from I-5 South and headed into another winding, scary ride up and down mountains, while gazing down at fog shrouded valleys. We started weaving in and out from the ocean until we got almost into Monterey and spotted surfers suiting up and pulled up to watch, but no one got in the water and surfed??!?!??!We continued to drive into town which literally wraps itself along the ocean, and found an inviting hotel restaurant that had some killer seafood dishes and had some crab, salmon, shrimp, and oysters, all served by a cute Siberian waitress who won dad and mom over with her personality, she speaks three languages for god's sake! Dragging themselves to the car they finally walked me and we traveled down to Carmel to sniff out Doris Day, who we heard still lives down there. We didn't find DD but we stumbled upon some sweet ocean side compounds that mom drooled over , dad too! Big Sur was wavy and sunny and then we were almost totally engulfed in fog as we motored mere inches from the certain death we'd have experienced if the car swerved to the right. The craggy, rocky shore line was right below and I'm glad mom was driving(she was too).

We' almost arrived in San Simeon, when we spotted a bunch of, what looked like big, grayish logs, they weren't, they were elephant sea lions, god knows we had to stop and gaze at them along with dozens of other car loads of people.

We arrived at a "Bates Hotel" looking place across the street from the ocean and went out to buy a delicious BBQ chicken and rib dinner and settled in to watch the emmys. Next morning mom and dad went through the drab, foggy, and cold streets to find the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. They watched a 45 minute IMAX movie retelling the story of William Randolph Hearst and waited for the tour bus to deliver them at the castle steps after a 5 mile winding and panoramic drive up the mountain. The mansion, castle, whatever you want to call it....is truly a magnificent creation. The luxe of the luxe in every way, just the building and the hauling of materials up this steep mountain boggles the mind! The tour included the pool(s), the dressing rooms and private apartments that dignitaries and movie stars alike shared, the dining room, with the longest table EVER and the billiard room, the humongous living room, statues galore and stories to go with each of the features.....it was quite an experience, never to be forgotten.And while it was foggy and cold at sea level, the mt top was sunny and quite hot, in the high 80's.

Back at the "Bates"....I was fetched and we headed out across the Southern California wine country, think "Sideways", and as we climbed the mountain, the temperature did too, into the high 90's, it was sweltering all the way to Las Vegas, where we ventured our way to a Holiday Inn that David Moy had reserved for us, actually in Henderson.
It had been a very long, hot, tough day, especially for mom, who stated she "was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed." So no dinner and no ride along Las Vegas Blvd to see the STRIP. We did glimpse the hotels the next morning and waved good bye, had breakfast at the Omelet House and chatted with our TMI waitress and tooled it out of there and decided the next stop would be Eagle, Colorado, the home of Grandma Schrubba's late best friend, Mary Ann Norton Johnson Morris' daughter Lisa Mary Johnson Hammond and her husband, Dave. When we called them that morning to say we were on our way, Lisa was giddy with excitement, we were excited to see her as well since it had been 16 years or so since we'd last laid eyes on her . Mom and dad grew up with her and used to babysit Lisa and her younger brother Kenny.

It was going to be a 662 mile drive to Eagle, and the drive was exceptional as we dived into Arizona for a while then Utah with its towering sculpted rocks and gorgeous colors. The sky was as dazzling as the scenery so thank god the time passed in as pleasurable a way as possible. It took a shorter time driving than Lisa and Dave thought it would(dad likes to drive around 90 when mom dozes off.)We arrived about 8:30pm in Eagle, it was cold and dark and our GPS lady gave us the wrong side of the street as we wound around the hillside where Dave Hammond had built a big, beautiful home high above Eagle. Well we couldn't locate the address we had so mom got out and asked a neighbor who actually taught English to the Hammond's daughter, so we found them!
It was like mom and dad at the door when we saw them. We all had a wonderful reunion, Lisa prepared some cheese and crackers and ELK jerky..it was yummy! While Dave poured wine , we chatted ,until one by one, just Lisa and dad and me were left chatting about old times until about 2:00am....that Lisa sure has some hum dingers!!!!!!!!
Dad is so tired he's going to finish the rest of the trip tomorrow, adios amigos.
Love to all,
Barclay,J&J
XOXOXOXOXOXOO

I Found My Heart in San Francisco ...arf arf arf arf!!!

Friday we arose to cool temps but by the time we packed up and hit the road in less than 2 hours later, it was in the 90s again. Apparently we hadn't hit every winery that mom and dad had planned to visit so about 3 minutes after we left El Bonita, our honeymoon hotel, we stopped again at the Sattui Vineyards ......to shop at the cute little deli/wine store and to take adorable pictures of me walking amongst the wisteria and fountains....and if I say so myself, I'm pretty photogenic!

Just when I thought it was safe to lie down and get comfy we stopped again!! It was just across the street at the Dean and Deluca store which turned out to be good for me....Dad loaded up on some choice desserts, including a Chocolate Babka that weighs about 5 pounds, some Spanish chorizo, some Fleur de Sel Caramels, Black Truffle BBQ sauce , and some Argentinian Dulce de leche. Mom was the smart one who won my heart when she bought prepared foods like salmon and edemame with a sesame peanut sauce. That salmon sure hit the spot later in the car when mom shared it with me. We had an hour on the road until we hit San Francisco. Sf Is dad's favorite place besides NYC and he was driving and very excited to be going to his second hometown. As soon as we could make out the skyline of SF mom started taking pictures and as we crossed the Bay Bridge she got some amazing photos....watch out Annie Liebowitz!

We zoomed into town and zoned in to 1090 Eddy Street and Gough where a scene from Vertigo was filmed in the 60s and also the residence of our good friend and Uncle, Mitch Bendel. Mitch was trimming the hedges as we drove up and that's when I met him for the very first time. We parked our car in his garage and took his to Cafe Flore where we sat outside in the sun and had a lunch and I was used as bait to draw in all the millionaires that might walk by and be my step-daddy.

After lunch, Mitch drove us around the city for a bit as is his tradition, then we headed out over the Golden Gate Bridge and into the headlands so we could take pictures of me and all of us together. It was a glorious day and we all took in the incredible view of the bridge and the very clearly defined skyline of SF.

It was finally time for mom and dad to check into their hotel , The Intercontinental, Mark Hopkins, the home of the famous bar, the Top of the Mark. Our friend David Moy, graciously secured a couple of nights at the SF landmark so we could enjoy luxurious accommodations, well that is two of us. NO DOGS ALLOWED...can you believe that? The joint is very well appointed and we got a upgrade to a corner room overlooking the entire city with ocean and bridge views. I unfortunately had to stay at Uncle Mitch's which ain't so bad either. His apartment is perched in the Western Addition on Jefferson Park overlooking City Hall and most of the city, plus he has very good taste and the place rocks with exceptional decoration and lots of green plants. Plus Mitch seemed to dote on me more than mom and dad, so all that attention I got was very much appreciated.

The grown ups were going out for cocktails and dinner Friday nite as is their usual ritual on the first their night, you know, to kind of warn the town that their back and to get out of the way. They were joined by dad and Mitch's friend Wes, a Texan from San Antonio. He has a slight drawl , is very tall and liked me too, I think..we later fell asleep on the couch together. Well after much deliberation and cruising the Streets of San Francisco, hmmmmm, great name for a TV show.....the frolicking foursome went to a favorite, 2223 Market and had a round of cocktails and later some apps and later still some more cocktails and then they all came to see me cause I needed to get out and do my thing, that's when Wes and I fell asleep on the couch.....we woke up and they left me again, this time they went back for more drinking at Martuni's where Mitch is known to sing "Strangers in the Night " and other ditties from yesteryear. Our friends Rob and Goran, who live in the East Bay joined us for another drink and the evening continued to spin...Mom got tired, after all she drove over 600 miles, so they dropped her off at the hotel and the boys went to pick up another funster, Arnold Greenfield, an old friend of dad's and Mitch's. They try to keep up with him, he's only going on 89 years old, so it"s a big order. Arnold has probably seen every Broadway play and musical in NYC since the 60's or maybe even the 50's......Arnold I'm sure you'll let us know. WELL.....the car went down the steep street of Gough back to Martuni's where more cocktails were downed....how DO they do it? After closing down the bar the four horsemen of SF, Mitch, Arnold, Wes, and Dad scurried off to The Grub Steak another diner that featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" Mitch and Arnold have been going there almost every weekend since Mitch was in diapers!!!! They had their laughs,(that's when the crazies come in SF) and FINALLY came home to walk me, it was late, isn't 2:30am LATE?

It was great to back in the city that Tony Bennett helped to promote with his song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco.

Love you all out there, more tomorrow,

Love,

Barclay, J&J

Dad and me in front of the Golden Gate Bridge! (yawn). Can I just take a nap?

We Love This Place (NAPA VALLEY)

dog gone it! so sorry there were several typos in the last "unfinished " post. My big ole paws hit publish before I had a chance to edit or finish. I'll try to do better.

Well, where were we....ahhh let me try to pick up the scent.....oh yeah toothbrush, bad breath....Good Boy!

Turning off I-5, we took the road to the Napa Valley and what a wild ride it turned out to be!!!!!!!!!!!We started the climb up the beautiful mountain, with it's sheer cliffs and roadways cutting a swath into solid rock....THEN, oh boy..the roller coaster ride begin with the cries of mommy telling daddy (A.J. Foyt Jr) to slow down, mainly because she didn't have a bottle of wine at the ready when we started our descent down into Calistoga. Every turn was 45 degree downward angles, with squealing wheels, er...maybe that was mommy, anyhoo...around every turn, just like the car commercials where they show the tire turning sharply on steep hills and canyons....actually this, according to our friend Mitch in SF, is where they film and shoot the footage. Every open space down the mt was better than the one before, giving us glimpses of vineyards and wide fields framed by the towering pines that hugged the road that guided us downward into the NAPA VALLEY.

We rolled into the quaint, folksy town of Calistoga, cruised it a bit, parked and we all walked around checking out the stores and numerous B & Bs that dotted the town.
Mom had her heart set on getting a mud bath so we made appointments for the next am.
Now all we had to do was get something to eat and find a place to sleep that night...the sun was setting fast folks.....food won out, of course, as dad had HIS heart set on going to Taylor's Automatic Refresher. He's been going on about it since he saw it featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives", a Food Network Show. The anticipation was thick as we drove up and saw the crowd of hungry, growling, people clustered around this cute little drive-in with bikes of all shapes and sizes on top of the place. Picnic tables surrounded the joint and mom and dad rushed up to get in line, mouths watering, and ordered 1)an ahi burger, piled high with Asian Slaw, ginger wasabi mayo, seared rare on a toasted egg bun 2)Fish Tacos, which were Mahi Mahi in a spicy taco marinade, Mexican slaw, salsa, and jalapeno-cilantro sour cream 3) sweet potato fries, dusted in chili spice and a half bottle of wine.

An hour later, totally sated and ready to collapse we had to find a place to stay, its hard to find a dog friendly place in this little corner of the world. But the travel Gods were on our side as we rolled into a little motel called El Bonita, just down the road from the drive-in. Dad walked in a found out that the only room they had left was the Honeymoon Suite........usually priced at $259.00 a night, for us, $100.00.....with a catch,natch....no a/c. Did I tell you yet that the temperature was about 92 degrees? We were desperate, so we took it, lugged 50 suitcases up to the 3rd floor and opened all the windows, jumped in the pool, cooled off and congratulated ourselves on our great find. It soon cooled off and was a perfect ending to a great 10 hour driving trip.

We got up and departed for Calistoga for the mud bath experience at Dr. Wilkenson's Mudd Baths. Here's what happens, for all you novices out there. You get totally naked and you lower yourself into a rectangular shaped pit, brimming with black, stinking mud. Then the attendant pushes more mud on your chest as you lie back and rest your head back on a little pillow, while cucumber slices are placed over your eyes and a facial goop is smeared on your face. At least that smells nice. Then you just lie there suspended in MUD...for about 30 minutes,its very blissful in a way if you can get past the smell and the pressure of a lot of weight sitting on you and its a little claustrophobic as well. You also get a cold wet towel plopped on your forehead. Next comes a shower, followed by a soaking bath with jets for another 30 minutes, then an interlude in the steam bath...until you can't stand it any longer, 15 minutes tops for most.After, you're led to a booth to lie down wrapped in towels waiting for your 30 minute massage....of course you're jelly at this point, but its over and all is well with the world. Except..........you're starved, so we headed back to Taylor's Automatic Refresher and had the ahi burger again and Chinese Chicken Salad and a blueberry shake and a white pistachio shake....dad loves that place!!!!!! as you have guessed by now.

Now the wine tasting begins, so I got locked up in the room and by the way the a/c got fixed. The adults then hit the Clos du Val winery and the Silverado Winery...tasted, tasted, tasted and bought a slew of wines in various colors. It was fun but hot again, (94 degrees) so mom wanted to see the city of Napa so they headed down the road and traversed through Napa, Oakville, Yountville, and finally walked through St. Helena and visited several quaint shops.

Arriving back at the El Bonita, we walked a bit and hit the pool...now its time for bed and Project Runway!

Love to all, next stop, San Francisco to see Uncle Mitch, Zuni Cafe, Muir Woods and god knows what else.
Barclay J&J

Californ...I.....A!!!!!!!!

Hi all,

All dogs need a rest, and I'm no exception. That's why there was a brief respite from the day by day trip experience. OK?............OK.

Tuesday was a girls day for Brooke and Mom, and a solo man-about-town day for dad. Casey worked so we didn't see him, he works for Radio Shack. Mom did some laundry early and worked out while Dad and I slept in as usual. We got up and went for a great long walk along the riverfront. We tried to do this everyday at least twice, and its a long walk so usually I can't keep up, so I ended up on his shoulders more than once...its a better view up there anyway.

The girls were planning a spa day and shopping, but couldn't find a spa with available appointments, so that was ditched and it was full speed ahead for the shopping district....get your full staff ready Banana Republic, SAks, Nordstroms, and Anthropologie, 'cause the gals are primed for plundering all available wares. Brooke had her girls properly sized by the undergarment staff at Nordstroms and she's now walking prouder than ever... Sissie you are the cutest thing ever anyway....xoxoxoxxoxoxo...Mommy bought some cool things as well but we rarely see those until she unveils them at social events. Then the two gorged themselves at an Italian restaurant, polishing off a bottle of red before staggering out into the glaring sunlight and more turning on and taking off of everything in sight, before staggering in and plopping down in the room and not wanting to move. Their last day together until Xmas was fun and memorable.

Dad's day was much simplier and he just took the trolley as far as he dared and walked the way back visiting Saks, and finding a few stylish items at Banana Republic. Starving, he stopped at Pizza Schmizza and had the best Thai slice ever!

We packed up so that would be done as we were leaving at 7:00am and settled in to watch a little telly before bedtime. Jeff watched the Big Brother Finale while Jill tuned in Biggest Loser and plopped down in bed with a half gallon of Chocolate Coffee Bean ice cream....oh the irony of that situation and all it implies....Mary Cooper I hope you're not reading this blog faithfully..Jeff did not have one single spoonful, he had VooDoo donuts instead!

They roused me out of bed at 6:30 am and had a little breakfast and high-tailed it out of the Rose City and headed south down I-5 to California. Apparently it rained all day in Portland, so our timing was perfect. We encountered nothing but blue sunny skies all the way to our next destination, NAPA Valley. We had lovely views of Mt. Hood for miles and miles in Oregon....then we encountered the border of California and every car has to stop and the ranger at the border asks the question, "Do you have any plants or fruit in your car?". Well you know we just packed a huge cooler to the brim with a watermelon, grapes, a peach and some Honey Crisp Apples among other things and Jill, actress that she can be at times, replied "no". Dad kept his mouth shut as he really wanted those apples($3.99 A LB. @ Whole Foods) badly. I guess a little or big white lie won't condem anyone to hell.

The road to Cal. is beautiful and long.It runs like a ribbon through gorgeous mountain groups and we just happened to have the radio on which played a very moving symphony which seemed appros like a movie score that was written especially for the scenes we were witnessing.
******BTW I was a perfect little angel the entire trip today. I didn't try to climb in front with mom and dad and make mom wince when I opened my mouth to pant or yawn or breathe....My breathe isn't the greatest...I think I'm getting an early Xmas present, tooth brush!!!

I'm getting to updating the blog, it's just that I'm worn out from too much walking and too many Pina Colada's. Stay tuned. Mom and Dad are going out to see the Japanese and Chinese Gardens today then a dinner at a Thai resturant. I'm gonna take a nap (no Chimi or Crazy Cookie here today) so I'll post the last 3 days. Love to all! B

Weekend In Portland

First of all sorry for the delay to all my faithful followers. This is the 3rd or 4th time this has been written and we thought it was saved, it wasn't.....dad is pulling his hair out...he is completely bald now...please could we have a moment of silence..........................................................................

Dawg gone it! I had to stay and entertain my south of the border cousins, Cookie(Spaaz) and Chimi(Shyass)while the Fab Four went out for a day of walking in the city guided by Casey and Brooke. The destination was the Pearl, a district in Portland, not unlike Soho in NYC. They walked through downtown and saw many home furnishing stores, Aveda, and Whole Foods, and settled into a hip, cool restaurant for a great lunch and a lot of attitude. Did you know that there is know sales tax in Oregon?? Let the buying begin....hope there's room in the car for my bed.....once those two shopaholics get through...who knows I might be fedEx'd home.

That night the group departed for Bartini, a martini bar in the Alphabet District and sucked down some lucious cocktails before walking around the neighborhood and observing the natives at play. Its a wild bunch and fun to watch.

Sunday was a trip down to the Willamette Valley vineyards for some wine tasting. It's 50 miles south of Portland. The four tasters sampled about five different wines and bought a bottle to enjoy on the balcony with some crackers and cheese. The view was spectacular with the majestic mountains in the background..........

The night ended with a seafood dinner on the river. Dad had fish and chips but not a la Arthur Treacher's, these were crisp and no grease in sight. Needless to say, the kids didn't get a crumb. Everyone went home to a great slumber.

Monday dawned with an overcast sky until we took our walk along the river at mid-morning. I walked a little too slow ,cause after all I'm a dog and a dog sniffs as much territory as possible right? Well I got scooped up by dad and rode on his shoulders for most of the rest of the way home.

When Casey and Brooke arrrived the Road Warriors left for a day visiting the Japanese Gardens that are perched on a hill north of town. This is something that must be experienced by all ....it was the most beautiful, quiet,....peaceful place ever. Moss covered everything, water ran through the landscape, while ferns and gorgeous greenery contributed to keeping the gardens in a Zen-like state. Mom took lots of pictures as she found many ideas that may just find their way to the 1320 Niles Avenue back yard. The drive back into town took our group to Chinatown where a Chinese Garden was visited, showing a marked contrast of the two styles. The neighborhood also yeilded a couple of cool finds. Dad had to see what was in store at the VooDOO dONUT STORE which was featured this month in the Food Network Magazine. They sell huge donuts covered in fruit loops, Capt. Crunch, and a donut frosted black with pretzel needles sticking into her, a voodoo doll. DAD's eating a huge apple/banana/peanutbutter/ fritter as we write. (ITS GOOD!!!!!!)

A day in the city with Brooke and CAsey wouldn't be complete without getting your drink on.......so the culture ladened group headed up 30 stories to a bar/restaurant that featured amazing cocktails and a half-price HAPPY HOUR, they had the BEST calamari, Thai-style, EVER!and the view wasn't bad either.

Everyone came back to the hotel and scooped me up and we headed for Brooke and Casey's apartment in the suburbs of Portland. We sat and watched pictures from their wedding and realized how beautiful a day it was. Now they are living a new chapter in their lives and looking forward to what the future will bring.

Love to all,
Barclay J&J

Weekend In Portland

Finally Sissy's Here!!! OR I''m here and there's Sissy!

We all had a nice restful night in Bozeman,MT, we got up early and decided to have a good breakfast at an IHOP (dad's 1st time, he doesn't eat big breakfasts)It was good cause I got scraps. We decided we want to reach Portland,OR TODAY or Bust! 750 miles.

The road through Montana is breathtaking and winding, the elevation is high, and, we found the best restroom at a highway stop! It was very clean with an attendent and and everyone gets a private room. BUT the scenery in Idado is the best. It's a short jaunt but it's every inch packed with rivers,mts, sunny gorgeous skies, and huckleberries galore.

Then boring Washington...dried up brush, flat brown dirt with no crops,and hot (91).

The drive on Oregon's river highway is consistent...on the edge of a rising mountain and mom's favorite driving condition, glaring, blinding sun, all the way into beautiful, tree-lined streets heralding the Rose city of Portland, Oregon.

We found our hotel through our GPS gal "Bessie" or BITCH depending on how helpful we deem her to be. It's a nice Marriott Residence Inn on the riverwalk in the cool part of town according to the kids. We didn't know! With a balcony and full kitchen, table and chairs, full breakfast, almost as nice as daddy's apt in NYC was, almost.... but no cigar.

Finally.....Brooke opps...SISSSY arrived and I almost peed the floor with excitement!!!!!!!!!!She got her hair cut short and looks adorable as always...She's been working hard and needs a few days off with us so she can recoop. We all took a walk along the river, (a splendent night), and went to an outdoor restaurant and met Casey. Daddy had a big strong...martini, mommy and Brooke a bottle of wine, and Casey some beer, while I had the entire suite to myself and indulged in whatever I could find in the refrigerator.....woo who! Then they walked for a bit and looked at pictures on the computer before taking their swag back, some nice stuff from Brooke's dad...beer, apples, and mom brought skin care items and some orange muffins from Mary Copper.

Then we all hit the bed and slept happily ever after..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Love,
Barclay
J&J
xoxoxooxxoox

Til tomorrow.

AH Wilderness......

Hi all,
We all had a complete immersion into how majestic this country is. We saw so many beautiful scenes in the mountains today...I don't think there are that many kibbles or bits! MOM and DAD decided to take an alternate route through Wyoming from Sheridan,WY to get to Yellowstone, this mind you was the expert advice from the cashier at the grocery store we bought fruit from. She warned there might be road construction and there was, but the route was breathtaking from start to finish. Actually making the journey through Yellowstone anticlimatic,although there were moments.....The climb up the mountains was just so awesome as the air got thinner and our ears poppped we went through numerous hairpin turns (MOM wouldn't let DAD drive without her drinking first)!Yet she was videoing and taking pictures WHILE driving...talk about a control freak. We ran into a couple who we think is Italian, at a gas station in Wisc or MN again on the road at one of the mt pitstops. By the time we got to Cody,WY for lunch we were really reeved up to see the bison and bears at Yellowstone.
If you don't know about Yellowstone, you drive the whole damn way its like 25 miles to one point and 39 to Old Faithful. It was beautiful but almost too much for us after our moiuntain climb drive. MOM spotted a big ole bison or two and an elk was right next to the road but we saw no BEARS- St. Joe or otherwise. The park is just so beautiful and it wasn't crowded due to the timing (after Labor Day). Our goal and mission was to see the freakin' Old Faithfil Geyser and to get there to see the spout spew!!! We were successful and we recorded the entire episode on video with mom and dad jumping for joy at the result, strangely no one else reacted as joyfully as they did...it is quite a sight as you might be able to see if we can figure out how to attache it to this blog!?!?!>!?
We then hightailed it out of the park and wanted to get to a hotel before it got dark or mom lost it, whichever came first. Well both happened because of road construction and slow drivers who apparently don't have time limitations. We found a nice place and figure we have about 10 more hours driving to reach our destination of Portland,OR. We're gonna go for it!!!! Brooke said the weather is supposed to be HOT- high 80's -90's...didn't we luck out? We'll see!
Now I'm so tired I can hardly walk since dad just gave me a foot bath because my paws were Black fron the grounds at Yellowstone National Park.
Love,
Barclay J& J
xoxoxoxoxo ruff ruff

p.s...we didn't get to have dinner again!

What A Day/Night!

Driving through South Dakota is so boring EXCEPT for those crazy home-made looking, folksy road signs announcing some far fetched local attraction. As soon as we left Mitchell,SD for Rapid City (about a four hour drive) we were bombarded with WALL DRUGS...free ice water!...Wall Drugs...fudge ETC,ETC,ETC,...this went on for 100 miles. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO of course we had to stop, in the middle of nowhere, in WALL, SD. Its a little bitty town... with 2 blocks of stores, a soda fountain, a Silver Dollar that looks like the "Buck " in St. Joe before Port 412, boot shops, fudge, figures of saloon type people you can pose with for pictures and the like. That's the entire town! It was started in the 30's by couple to bring business to the town. Those signs along the highway really worked, we weren't the only suckers there, it was packed! We three split a buffalo burger (it was dry) but the fries were the bomb! We were outta there and headed for dad's bucket list item of seeing Mt. Rushmore in Rapid City which was about 2 hours away...oh the anticipation!?!??!?
WELL .......what a site, it was fabulous, and I don't use that term lightly! The winding drive up into the Black Hills, the beautiful monument lined with state flags. It was a site to behold. The presidents carved into the mountain were amazing..it is something NOT to be missed! The only thing was.....I had to stay in the car!!!!!!!!!!NO DOGS ALLOWED, can you believe that, how unfair, oh well I had a good nap in the car. Mom and dad had a grand time walking a path with a ranger who gave us a brief history lesson about the 4 presidents and the sculptor and anything else he could conjure up. It was the best time we've had outdoors all year.Apparently one of the original carvers from 1927-41 was in the bookstore but we didn't see him. We left Rushmore very pleased that we took the time to visit this fine monument....Recommended!!!!!!!!!!!
We were told by our restaurant server Josh that we had to visit the scenic drive in Spearfish, SD. on the Wyo/SD border..it was magnificent! The winding drive through the rocky carved roadway towered up into the sky and was gorgeous, mom thought she saw a lion or something but it turned out to be a LOG
From there we headed out to the highway and were bombarded by some kind of odd bugs that littered and soiled our windshield so bad that the combination of "paintball" bug guts and glaring sun hampered our being able to see the road. We stopped and cleaned the window and headed out into the mountains toward WYOMING, Sheridan to be exact.
I think Mom went an hour too long with out food cuz she was gettin a little cranky. We checked into a really nice hotel and my Dad took me for a walk and the manager of the place was saying stuff to my Dad and my Dad got mad and the next thing I knew we were packin up and went to a different Hotel. I found out that the first hotel didn't like me and was going to make me sleep in the car. Good grief, I would have been so scared and cold. Today we have to get back in the car! What! I thought we were going to go see Sissie and Casey. They live pretty far away I guess. We are going to go to Yellowstone park today. I hope it's fun. I'll let you know. Hopefully we can stay at a Red Roof Inn tonite! Love you all! Barclay, Jill and Jeff P. S. thank you Donna for the chocolate, you saved my Mom's life last nite!

Day 1

Wow! What a day! Mom (Jill) drove the whole 700 miles to Mitchell, SD.....We had perfect weather and now at 10:15pm there's a big thunder/lighting storm blasting us and no beer in sight to calm me down. We had a few amazing highlights as we traversed through the midwest states.....as we left Wisconsin the beauty of the Lacrosse/Mississsippi River valley surrounded by the towering rock formations dazzed us as we were pretty bored by the flat green highway surroundings we thought were ever present from sj to least Wyo. Wow it was cool. Then to all you gourmet cooks...you know who you are!..We came upon the Hormel plant in Austin,MN where the SPAM MUSEUM is located, as soon as we neared the plant off the highway my nose gear kicked in and my tail fanned the car...a smell only a canine can appreciate, mom and dad were gagging, the fumes of the plant caused me to salivate and we continued on to the Spam Museum. What a place, very interactive and an important history lesson to boot! We got lots of pics with me in the parking lot as I wasn't allowed in the museum, for obvious reasons. As we left Spamalot we noticed multiple signs of the "World Famous Corn Palace" in Mitchell, SD , our final destination for the day. Our restaurant server said it was a tacky tourist trap, we skipped it... tomorrow- Rapid City,SD-Mt. Rushmore- and who knows what
bye for now we're bushed and ready to hit the hay
love to all
B & J&J
xoxoxox

I just got my lazy butt out of bed..about 6 hours early! We're all packed up and ready to roll. Mom sure packed a lot of stuff! We're gonna try to drive all the way to South Dakota to spend the night, then drive to Rapid City, SD and see Mt. Rushmore the next day..hopefully about 800 miles, that is unless the Oprah event in Chicago doesn't hold us up in traffic, it will be morning rush hour after all!
If anybody is following this blog, let us know and don't forget to raid the garden and snatch those tomatoes, melons, and herbs/lettuces. We'll miss you all and can't wait to see Brooke and Casey in Portland,OR...
Love ya all,
B J&J
xoxoxoo

Only 4 days before the journey begins, it's pretty hectic around here. I'm packed, just gonna lay around all week-end and wait for the fun to happen. My Mom say's we are going to visit my cousins Chimi and Cookie. And Sissie and Casey. That will be sweet!