Scout Really Could Be A Mule

Mama was disappointed that Dad had to work late on Friday night.  They normally do their grocery shopping on Friday nights.  She needed to pick up a prescription and buy some soda, so that had to be done first thing on Saturday morning. Dad didn't get home until 10:30 p.m. on Friday.  We drove Mama crazy because we were whining about Dad being late.

Saturday, they went grocery shopping early to get that done.  They brought some treats home for us.  We were completely out!

The folks then drove to LaSalle, IL to take a ride on a canal boat. It is pulled by a mule.  That is how they used to do it in the 1800's.  The canal was hand dug.  People traveled from LaSalle to Chicago via the canal.

This is Larry and his handler.  Larry pulled the boat.

This is the boat.

Close up of Larry.

Learning about Larry, mules and the canal.

 Scout is like a mule because when mules get tired or don't want to work, they just stop.  They will not work themselves to exhaustion like a horse will.  We all know that when Scout doesn't want to walk any more, she just stops.  When she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't.  Yep, Scout is part mule.  What Mama?  I am  like a mule too?  Well, it's just because you want to walk the wrong way.  We need to walk around the lake like it's a race track.  It's just not right to go the opposite way.

Larry at work.  There is another mule named Moe who shares the duties and a goat named Curly.

Larry pulling the boat.

Going down the canal.

The canal actually crosses over the river. 

The river below the canal.  It is quite low due to drought.

View of boat from the bridge.

 The folks said the ride was really smooth.  They enjoyed spending an hour on the canal.  The towpath that the mule walked on is used by walkers and bikers.  Mama said it was nice and shady and would be a great place to walk.

After the folks left LaSalle, they went to Starved Rock State Park. We will tell you about that tomorrow.  Yep, a mini cliff hanger.  LOL

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Not Stubborn Like A Mule, But He Knows What He Wants

Feeling Fine Friday - #3

It's another Feeling Fine Friday here in Joliet. We have had three walks, vacuumed, printed out our Emeals grocery list and finished the laundry. Doing laundry here is not fun.  There is a high level of iron in the water.  There are signs that say your whites could turn yellow.  Mama has to add special stuff to the water to try and keep Dad's shirts white. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. Last week, the water was yellow.  Yuck!  On the bright side, I won't be getting a bath here because Mama doesn't want me turning yellow.  Anyway, now the work is done and we can kick up our paws and relax!

I sure look handsome here.

Pretty view of the paddle boats.

Cub fans are everywhere!

Mama would like to put a Cardinals logo on this guy.  Last year, the Cardinals (baseball) had a rally squirrel.  It sure would look nice next to their Cubs dog.  LOL

Okay, we have a fun question for you.   Do you know what a "honey wagon" is in a campground? Mama saw that they offered it in their brochure and thought at first it might be a "welcome wagon" or a food truck.  They charge $15 for it to visit your site.

Are you ready?

HoneyWagon

Still don't know what it is?  LOL  It is used to empty your tanks if you don't have a sewer hook up.  We see the "pig man" driving it around all day long.  Maybe that is why he has such an attitude. LOL

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Changed Out Of His Rams' Collar Since He Is Deep In Bear Country

Bass Pro & Islamorada Fish Co

Scout and I were quite tired after our adventure on Sunday.  Yes, she did pee on my face.  I was quite upset by it.  Sure, I have peed on her, but she is a brindle. You can't see it on her. I am white.  I had yellow on my face.  I was really humiliated.  Mama brought me home and cleaned me up and Dad laughed at me.  I'm so glad we had the hiking trip to take my mind off of it.

After we got home from our hike, Mom and Dad left for dinner.  I was fine with that because I needed to recharge my batteries. They ate at a place that Dad loves.  Mama had never been there before.  They have a "rule" that they can't eat at chain restaurants they know while on this adventure, but Dad said they don't have that restaurant at home and Mama hasn't never been there, so it wasn't breaking the rule.  The place is called Islamorada Fish Co.  Mama said it was pretty inside.  There was a huge salt water tank.

Saltwater tank

Inside restaurant

 Mama decided to have the Country Fried Ribeye.   She didn't know if it would be good or not, but she regretted not trying it in Texas.  It came with mashed potatoes.  She ordered a side salad.  The waitress thought Mama had a choice of her sides, but the menu said she didn't.  Mama said if she could substitute a side salad for the veggies, that would be great.  Regardless, she wanted the side salad and the mashed potatoes.  The plate came out without the mashed potatoes.  LOL  The waitress said the chef was confused, but the folks think the waitress was new and confused.  They heard her mess up another order.  She was very nice though and it all came out fine.

The bread has sugar on top.  Very good.

The side salad.

Sportsman's Platter - shrimp and catfish. It was supposed to have alligator bites, but there is an alligator shortage according to the waitress.

Dad had calamari instead of alligator bites.  He said this was a huge serving.

Country Fried Ribeye- tasted better than it looks.  It was very tender.

The mashed potatoes finally made it to the table.

 The food was really good and Mama said that if Dad wants to make a repeat visit, she is willing.  They have a Cajun Pasta that sounds pretty good.


After they ate, they walked to the Bass Pro Store that is connected.  If you don't know what Bass Pro is, it is a store that is full of fishing, hunting, camping items as well as clothing.  Mama likes their sweatshirts and t-shirts.  They didn't have any good sales going on though, so she didn't buy anything.

Inside Bass Pro

Lots of animals call Bass Pro home.

A view from the second floor.

Waterfall

Outside of Islamorada Fish Co

The campground has been a little busier with people coming and going this week. They cut the grass every week and we can't tell a difference, but I guess they can.  The place will be busier tomorrow night with people, but it is not as crazy as the KOA in Ohio was on weekends.

Mama has a chicken in the crock pot today.  We can't wait for dinner tonight! 

Joey,
The Greyhound Who His Being A Good Boy....This Week

An Adventure For Us

The folks were supposed to go to Starved Rock State Park on Saturday, but Mama hasn't been feeling well.  She has endometriosis and it flared up a few weeks ago.  We think it peaked this weekend because she was very cranky.  They decided to stay closer to home and just do the Route 66 thing on Saturday.

Sunday, Dad decided that we should all go all on adventure. Bunny had invited us to go on a boat ride but certain cranky people said that I couldn't handle it. Cranky Mama said that I whine too much when I see other dogs. Dad thought I might jump ship or Mama might throw me overboard. Just kidding....I think.

We loaded into the Jeep and off we went.  We stopped at McDonalds for a chicken sandwich and fries. Fun!

I'm a happy boy!

 Dad took us to Matthiessen State Park.  Oh, boy!  We get to hike!  Unfortunately, we had to go down steps.  There were lots of steps.  Scout does not do steps.  She goes down, but doesn't come back up. She immediately wanted to turn around when she reached the bottom of the steps.  I think she worried the entire time about the steps.  They were pretty steep.

We walked a little while and then we saw more steps.  People told us it wasn't worth going down into the canyon because the waterfall wasn't "working".  We decided to go on the path, but it turns out it wasn't really a trail.  We should have gone down the steps because that is where we needed to go.  We walked and walked and walked.

Pretty view.

Me and Dad - I walk fast!

Scout wanting to go home.

Scout saying she is not stepping over a tree.

Scout getting halfway over and refusing to go the rest of the way.

 

Scout slowly moving along wishing she was on a boat with Bunny instead of hiking with us.

 Mama kept saying that she thought we were going the wrong way.  Dad finally agreed when we reached a sign that said we had to stop because it was a hunting area.  We turned around and Scout was very happy.  She was able to climb over all but one tree on the way back.  We finally reached the area with more steps and we decided to go down them.  Dad said he would carry Scout if he had to. There ended up being way too many steps for us, so Dad went on alone.

This is what Dad saw:

 This is what Scout did.  Several people thought she needed help.  One lady gave her water.  People asked how old she was and when Mama said "six", they laughed.

"Hiking is not for me."

I was on alert, of course.

 When Dad came back, we had to do the steps. Scout started out great and then stopped.  Mama had to boost her up one step at a time, but Scout kept pushing her butt into Mama and Mama thought she might fall backwards. They finally made it up that set of steps.  Then we had to do another one. Dad tried to get Scout to do the steps and she refused.  He carried her.  I think Scout was embarrassed because she did the next flight by herself.  Mama was so happy!  We walked and walked and walked until we came to the steps that lead to the parking lot.  Scout looked very worried.  She refused to do anything.  Dad carried her. People were laughing.  Mama saw there was a path next to the steps. It was steep, but we decided we needed to do it instead of Dad carrying "big-boned" Scout. Finally, we made it to the parking lot. We were all huffing and puffing.

I was so tired that I laid down.  This is rare for me when I am outside.

Thank goodness, we are near the Jeep!

Resting in the Jeep

It was a fun day!

I had the best time!  I would love to do that every day.  We walk around the 24 acre lake three times a day, but I could do it all day and never get tired, I think.  I love to walk. It's hard to believe that last year at this time I was in a cast.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Still Upset With His Sister For Peeing On His Face