We Are On Vacation!

Today is our first day of vacation. You know what?  Not one single person has said, "Hey, Joey where ya goin' on vacation?"  So, I guess we will just leave you guessing.  Yep, that is what we are going to do.  BOL!

We left our campground in Houston at 7 a.m.  We arrived here around 4:20 p.m.  It was a long day of driving. We have had longer driving days, but today seemed really long.  We wanted to save some time, so we took a "short-cut" which meant we were not on the big interstate.  This is good and bad.  There is less traffic, so that is good.  The bad is that there are fewer places to stop.  We had one stretch that was about three hours between stops and that is too long.  We went through some rain, but nothing severe.

This guy greeted us at our first gas station stop about 30 minutes from Houston.

We crossed the state line at 1:30 p.m.

We finally arrived at our campground.  We are in North Little Rock.  We have been excited about camping here.  Why?  Look at our view!  Okay, don't look at the rain, but just look!

We are right on the river!

We stayed at the river a few other times in West Memphis.  We really enjoyed it there, so decided to try it here.  We are near downtown.  It is so cool!

Mom fixed lasagna roll-ups for dinner.  Actually, she fixed it last night in the Instant Pot and made enough for tonight.  All she had to do was reheat it.

After dinner, we walked over this bridge.

I loved walking across the bridge!  I had to climb steps to get to it, but it was easy.

Can you see our RV?  It is the 2nd one nearest the river.

  

See us now?  2nd one.

The bridge leads to President Clinton's Library.

 The main reason we stayed here is because it is near President Clinton's library.  This will make 12 out of the 13 presidential libraries that the folks have visited. They really regret not going to Ford's when we were near Michigan last year.

Flowers on the bridge.

Here comes a barge!

Another view from our window.

The library is the building behind the bridge.  

The bridges light up at night, so we will try and take photos if the weather clears up.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Going To Bed Now

Grocery Shopping

I am still hanging out in Houston.  BOL!

Mom loves grocery shopping now that she has a car.  She goes through the ads on Tuesdays and plans her route.  She loves Randalls which is a grocery store here.  They always have something good to get you in the door like eggs for $.29 or chicken breasts for $.99 a pound.  She buys what is on sale and then she moves on.  We also have Kroger and H-E-B.  Kroger is good, but she prefers Randalls.  She has turned into an Aldi's nut.  She likes their produce but also buys canned goods and other items there.  She doesn't like their cheese and has found that meat is usually better priced elsewhere.  Aldi's has turned into quite a popular place to shop these days because they have organic items and also they carry low-calorie items.  There are tons of YouTube videos of people showing what they have bought.  BOL! The folks discovered Sprouts about a month ago.  Sprouts is kind of like a farmers market, but they also sell frozen items as well as meat.  Mom thought it would be high priced, but they have good sales.  Today, she bought fresh pork chops and chicken breasts at $1.99 a pound.  Finally, she goes to Wal-mart to finish off her shopping.  

Aldi and Sprouts are pretty opposite in looks.  Our Aldi's is being remodeled and expanded!  They will be closed for a month to complete the remodel.  Thank goodness we will be gone for two weeks of that time.  BOL! 

Last night, we had a really pretty rainbow here.

Mom gave her potted flowers to a neighbor today.  Mom had planned on taking them with us but then decided that would be a real pain.  Basically, she figured that if the flowers had bugs on them, we would have bugs in the RV. She didn't want to toss them in the trash or ask anyone to take care of them, so she offered them to a neighbor. The neighbor offered to take care of them, but Mom told her if we move to a condo, we can't have them.  The condo doesn't allow plants on the balcony because they could blow off. The lady was happy to take them. She said she has been thinking of getting a plant.  Her husband is here for chemotherapy.  We think they brightened up their place.  

They have been full-timing in this little Airstream for a few months now.

Mom heard back from the condo in Galveston yesterday.  They do allow big dogs after all.  We still haven't booked a place to rent though.  We are seeing if the place that is for sale will allow us to rent it before buying. They are currently renting it to someone else.  If that doesn't work out, we have a few more options.

If you are wondering, Mom still loves her Instant Pot.  She uses it several times a week.  She is planning on making lasagna rolls tomorrow and reheating them on our first night of travel. She hasn't tried reheating food in it yet, but she has been told that it does a great job.  

Tomorrow is the last day for the Dog Days of Summer auction.  Dog Days of Summer Auction

I will be posting from the road.  WooHoo!

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Hopes The Weather Is Cooler On The Road

It is Almost Vacation Time!

It is almost time to hit the road again.  We will be gone for two weeks.  This vacation is a little sad though.  It is our last vacation in our motor home.  Yes, you read that correctly.  After we return from our vacation, we are going to sell our motor home.  Why?  Well, it is just too expensive to let sit.  We could justify the expense when we were still traveling, but now that we are parked, it is a big waste of money.

Where will we live?  We don't know.  BOL!  At first, we were just going to buy a cheap, used fifth wheel and park it here.  The problem with that is that we don't have a truck to move it so we would have to hire a driver every time we want to move.  We would most likely just stay here for the next five years.  The other problem is that Mom doesn't think I can do the steps to get into it.  She would like Dad to build a small porch and maybe a ramp for me.  There are rules here about that sort of thing though, so that would be an issue.  I think the folks decided to throw that plan out the window.

Another option is buying a condo in Galveston.  Dad really likes that idea because he would like to rent it out after he retires.  His plan after retirement is to buy a small motor home and he and Mom will travel the country in the summer and live in the condo in the winter.  Tourist season in Galveston is during the summer. The plan was for us to rent a condo this winter to see if we even liked living there.  We have hit a major snag in that though.  Most of the condos do not allow large dogs.  The folks looked at one and Mom wasn't thrilled with it.  We then learned that a new ruling said no large dogs in that building, but now we heard they may allow older large dogs after all. They voted on it last weekend, but we haven't heard the results.  It has been a roller coaster ride for sure.  We had a place that we might be able to lease with an option to buy, but that is the place that had the change about big dogs.   That is also the building that Mom isn't thrilled about.  We would be living on the eighth floor and if the elevator went out, guess who would be going up and down eight flights of steps?  Mom also said she doesn't know if she would feel safe at night if nature called me outside.  She would also no longer have her own washer and dryer.  The best thing about the place is the view.  I guess we will have to see what comes of all of this.

This could be my view soon.

Possible new home. Everyone has a view of the beach.

The third option is renting an apartment near here.  The folks looked at one this past weekend.  Mom loved it.  We would be on the ground level, so no steps.  It is a gated community.  They are very pet-friendly and have a fenced dog park. They allow dogs inside all the buildings.  They even have a dog spa.  I am not sure what that is, but Dad said I wouldn't like it.  Mom said I would be allowed to walk the entire property. Nothing is off limits to me.  It sounds pretty cool to me.  Mom said we would be much safer there during storms and we could probably even stay during hurricanes.

Dad was totally against the apartment at first but financially it makes more sense than the fifth wheel.  He is still really hoping that Galveston works out.  It would be fun to live there.  The beaches are all dog-friendly.  There is a lot more to do there than here.  It would be fun to watch people from my balcony.  We will just have to wait and see what happens when we get back from our vacation. Mom had hoped to have something lined up before we left, but people in Galveston take "island time" very seriously and getting answers is slow going. Mom heard back from a rental agent today that she contacted last Friday. Yep, island time moves at a much slower pace.

Don't forget to check out this auction: Dogs Days of Summer   This is the group that Jack, Scout and I came from and that helped me so much with my leg.  The track in Mobile, AL is closing and they are hoping to bring in some of those dogs.  They really need money in order to do that. There are several items that still don't have bids yet.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Might Become A Beach Hound

Do You Like Greyhound Items? Check Out This Auction!

The greyhound group that my folks adopted me, Jack and Scout from is currently holding an online auction.  They are a small group with HUGE hearts. I am forever grateful for the help that they gave me when I needed my leg repaired soon after I was adopted.  The auction raises money so that they can help other greyhounds find their forever homes.

This is me the day I came home from the hospital.  Look how young I look!

Here I am at the greyhound reunion showing off my cast.  Several people signed it.

Mom is really excited about this auction.  She has already placed her bid on several items.  I know that there are a few that she really hopes that she wins.

Here is the link: Greyhound Companions Of Missouri Auction

Good luck!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes Every Greyhound Finds Their Forever Home

The Vet Made My Eyes Get Big!

Two weeks ago, I had to go to the vet.  I couldn't believe what she did to me.  I would like to get graphic, but Mom doesn't want us to get kicked off of Blogger.  Let's just say that just stuck her fingers where I didn't think they should go.  It turned out that I had Anal Sac Disease.  Yep, that is the official name of it.  I guess you can figure out from that where she put her fingers.  The doctor put me on antibiotics for two weeks.

Here I am asking Mom why she took me to that doctor.

Waiting to tell Dad what the vet did to me.  Guys need to stick together, right?

The best thing that came from the vet visit was that the vet said that it was okay for me to chew on bully sticks and other chews.  Mom wouldn't let me have them after I cut my tongue two years ago.

I am a happy boy!

This morning, Mom said that I had to go back for a re-check.

Mom decided to brush me.

I lost a lot of hair.  I used to not shed a lot, but we think it is because it is so hot here.  We hope that is the cause.

Mom and I visited the vet and Ms. Vet stuck her fingers where they don't belong again.  I was a good boy though and didn't say a word. Ms. Vet said that some greyhounds scream when touched, but not me.  My eyes just get big.  I am all better.  No more medicine.  I will miss the medicine.  Mom puts it in peanut butter.

I have to go back at the end of next month for a blood test because I have to have a dental.  Mom is really dreading it.  I am not looking forward to it either, but I keep telling her it will be fine.  This vet really knows greyhounds and they are giving me the best vet they have for dentals.  It will take about two hours because I have some bad teeth.

We are going on vacation in a few weeks, so I will actually have something to blog about.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Resting After A Busy Morning