Dogs Are Everywhere

Last week, there was a dog show here.  It was right in the park!  We could see the agility course from our rig.  Dogs were everywhere!  Mom said I was overstimulated.  I have to admit that after my walks, I was ready to go inside where it was quiet and no dog smells. 

It was funny because most people assumed I was in the competition.  I think they thought I did agility.  Some people asked, but other people didn't say a word but they sure did check me out.  Mom thought it was funny how they looked me over and whispered to each other.  We noticed that dogs in the show did not mingle. Everyone stayed away from each other.  Mom was fine with that.  No little dogs were running up to me.  Most of the people didn't have flexi-leashed but one lady had three dogs and they were on flexi-leashes. She had no control. 

On Friday, Mom attended the dog show where different breeds compete.  She wanted to see the greyhounds the most.  She also did some shopping, but she didn't buy anything.  She said something about the Jeep and the rental car breaking our budget.

Getting signed up.

The white one in the front is the one that won.

In the ring.

Mom liked this family.  The dogs are a mom, dad and son. The son is the one in the back.  He is bigger than his folks.

On Saturday, Mom spent the whole day watching dogs find rats in the hay and watching agility.

Dog searching for rats.

Agility

Mom really enjoyed the agility.  She said it was funnier than what she has seen on TV.  There was a Golden who stopped on the A-Frame just to look around.  He liked it so much that he climbed up on it again and sat down.  Mom started laughing really loud.  BOL  There were also dogs who decided to make their own course.  It was frustrating for the owners, but it was funny to see.  She spent six hours just watching other dogs.  Crazy, I know.

This rig was parked in front of us.  We thought they had Goldens, but they didn't. They had five dogs, but no Goldens.

We enjoyed the dog show, but it was nice to get the park back to normal. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Glad That He Is Retired And Doesn't Have To Compete

We Lost, But There Is Always Next Year

As I am sure most of you have heard, the Cardinals lost to the Cubs. While we are sad that the Cardinals are out of it now, we are happy that the Cubs have a chance at winning the World Series.  Don't blow it, Cubs.  This is your chance!  We would love to see you in the World Series.

We moved to our new location on Sunday.  Since we have a rental car, Mom had to drive it. It couldn't be attached to the motor home like the Jeep can.  The motor home had to carry Buddy.  I rode with Dad in the motor home.  It took us about an hour and a half to make the drive.   Mom had a cold, so she wasn't thrilled about the drive, but she made it.

We are now staying at the fairgrounds.  We are lucky because our site has grass.  It is not lush, but it is not asphalt like most of the other sites. 

Well, it doesn't look like grass here, but there is dirt.  Dad put me to sleep with a massage. I love that guy.

We are located right next to an RV dealership.  We think it may come in handy.  Sunday night, we heard a BOOM, BANG, BOOM.  Our bedroom AC died.  The next morning, Dad walked over to the dealership and asked if they could work on it.  It sounds like it is going to happen and they may even do some other warranty work that we need done.  The guy came over yesterday and looked at everything on our list.  He was supposed to call Dad back, but didn't.  He may be talking with our manufacturer again before scheduling it.  We hope.  It is really hot here.  I am talking mid-90's.  What is up with that?  We are doing fine though with just the two AC units because it cools off to the 50's at night.  It would be nice to get everything fixed while we are here though.

Here is the front of us and see the campers in the background?  That is the dealership.

Here is our site.

Strange tree

There are two large fields outside of the campground. We are allowed to walk around there.  I thought it might be boring, but there are cats.  I am even more excited because they use big wagons to haul the trash dumpsters away.  That makes a lot of noise and I find that very exciting.  I love to watch it.

I am watching a cat here.

We are located right in town and Mom can ride Buddy around.  She was excited yesterday because she wen out without me or Dad with her.  I don't know why she likes to go without me sometimes, but she does.  :-(

There is a big dog show here this weekend.  The campground is sold out.  There are 1,500 dogs at the show.  Some of them are staying in the campground.  A few people have asked if I am in the show.  :::blushing:::  Nope, I am a retired athlete.  Mom is going to check out the dog show.  It starts on Friday.

We haven't decided for sure if we are going to see if we can extend our stay here, but I decided to earn us some brownie points with the staff just in case.  They wanted to pet me, so I let them and then I just laid down on the rug in front of the door.  They all thought that was cute.  Yep, they like me here. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Knows How To Be Charming

Cardinals Vs. Cubs

The Cardinals and the Cubs are rivals.  It is a fun rivalry.  It's not like we call them "Pond Scum".  Pond Scum is reserved for the Mets.  BOL!   In the 80's that was a big thing.  I guess the Cards and Cubs are rivals because the teams are only about 4 or 5 hours apart and fans can drive to see their teams play against each other.

The Cards and the Cubs are facing each other in post season play for the very first time ever.  Very exciting!  We wish were in St. Louis, but we will be watching it on TV.  We will always be Cardinal fans as well as St. Louis Blues fans no matter where we are living.

I am ready for the action.  Mom made me a collar and a bandana to show my team spirit.  No one has said a word to me about my Cardinals items. I think because the Giants didn't make the playoffs this year and they are ignoring baseball now.  :::snicker:::

Go Cards!

Do you remember Back To The Future II?  Well, it shows the Cubs winning the World Series in 2015.  It's not like we want that to happen since we are Cards fans, but it would be something if it happened. 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Remains a Cardinals Fan No Matter Where He Is Parked

Santa Cruz Boardwalk & Wharf

Monday was a busy day.  Dad had to take the Jeep to the hospital and he has to stay for an operation. Jeepy needs a new transmission.  He is supposed to be released on Tuesday, but we hope it is sooner.  We have a rental car until then.

The folks went exploring and found our new campground. We move there on Sunday.  I will have a new place to patrol.

On their way back home, they stopped off at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  Mom had never heard of it and she didn't have her camera. She did have her phone, but the battery was running low. She was able to get a few pictures.

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk opened in 1907.  It is basically an amusement park on the beach.  The carousel has been there since 1911. The roller coaster opened in 1924.

The rides were not running while they were there.  Most of the shops and restaurants were closed, but there were a few that were open.  There were quite a few people exploring the boardwalk even though most things were closed.

Mom could hear the barking of seals and she thought it was coming from the wharf, so they got in the car and headed to the wharf.

They missed their turn, so they drove on to a parking area that had some great views.

There were signs telling people not to climb on the rocks and there was a memorial to someone who had died there, but I guess the people on the rocks didn't think the signs applied to them.

The folks drove back to wharf and sure enough they saw the seals.

Can you see the seals under the wharf?

Mom was scared she would drop her phone leaning over to get the photos.

This guy is marked with numbers for some reason.

There were several restaurants on the wharf, so the folks looked at all the menus and finally chose Firefish Grill.

This was their view.

 Mom ordered the Beef Pasta Saute' and said it was best pasta she has ever had. This is the description from the menu:  Tender top sirloin strips sauteed in garlic butter, capers and fettuccine finished in a cream sherry sauce.

Dad ordered crab cakes and prawns.  He said it was okay.  He just came from Baltimore though and ate their crab cakes, so I don't think it was fair to compare.

Mom enjoyed their last minute trip to the boardwalk. She said it was a lot of fun.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Goes Crazy When The Workers Come By In Their Golf Carts With Wagons Because It Reminds Him Of His Days On The Farm

Our California Campground

While our campground is really pretty and I love patrolling the entire campground several times a day, Mom is not in love with this place.  We are paying $65 a day and we have a 30 amp site.  We are making it fine, but Mom has to pay attention that she doesn't go over the 30 amp.  Luckily, it is cool here and if we run an air conditioner, it is just one.  It would be a real juggling act if we were running two and trying to fix dinner. Our electric would be going off and it would not be fun.  Also, making a phone call is quite a challenge as the cell service is terrible.  We usually have one bar.  Mom can text, but don't send her a photo because she will never get it downloaded.  BOL!  Also, the free Wi-Fi is supposed to only be used for checking email, but Mom cannot even get signed in for that.  We have a Verizon Mi-Fi and normally, we can get connected, but the signal is not strong.  There are 50 amp sites available Sunday - Thursday, but we would have to move on the weekends.  It is a pain to move, so we have just stayed put.

We have to leave here on Sunday because they are sold out on the next two weekends.  Mom asked to be put on a waiting list, but they said there are a hundred people ahead of us.  I guess they would rather give it to people who will spend two days with them instead of us who would stay 14 days.  It is their loss. Why would we want to stay here when we are not that happy?  1) We really hate to move and 2) Dad's drive to work is not that bad.  We found another place yesterday and if it works out, we will not be returning here as scheduled in two weeks. The cost is the same and we will have everything we want and it is in town.  It is not pretty like here, but Mom would rather have the modern conveniences than pretty.  It is even closer to Dad's work.  We are not sure how traffic will be, but he thinks he will be going the opposite way as the traffic.  We will see next Tuesday as he is off on Mondays.  It is a fairground and they said we have to leave for one night after 14 days, but the more Mom talked to them, they said if they were not booked up, we might be able to stay without leaving. 

Last Saturday, this place was crazy!  Kids were everywhere.  They had a parade with drums at 9 a.m.  It was loud.  Remember how bored we were at the park in Maryland?  This park is far from boring.  A motorized train comes by our site about six times a day loaded with families.  Apparently, one of the cars came unhooked on Saturday.  We heard about it in the office, but didn't see it.  We don't know if anyone was injured.  It is back to running now.

We enjoy sitting outside here as we have a site where we don't roll down the hill like the one in Maryland.

Okay, so are you ready for some photos?

Our site

Water feature.  Hummingbirds love the flowers.

That is the train that goes around the park.  It has tires, so it goes on the road.

There are two dog parks which are located next to each other.

Me and Dad at our site.

Huge tree. We don't know what kind.

Another view of the water feature.

Train station

One of the many cabins.  This kind does not have plumbing.

The beach area of the park.

Entering the beach area. The dog parks are in here.

More of the beach area.  The jumping pad is beyond the umbrellas.

The dog wash.  I almost got a bath here, but the water is not heated.  Mom says it is too cold for me.  ;-)

Airstreams can be rented here.

There are 10 Airstreams that are rented out. They were full over the weekend.

More cabins.

 This place is huge!  The guests are nice and people talk to me all the time.  One guy asked me if I had a lot of parking tickets because I had a boot on my foot. Dad said I should have told him that it wasn't parking tickets, but speeding tickets. BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Does Not Take Short Cuts When It Comes To Patrolling His Campground