Usually, when I go to Florida, it’s either beaches, Harry Potterworld, or Disney. And I go to lots of seafood restaurants. On this visit, I saw more of the inner parts of the state, but I did make drives to the beaches on most days, and still ate more than my fair share of seafood.
Our plans changed and our trip was delayed because we got our Covid vaccines, a happy reason to reschedule. But because of that, I couldn’t book the best camp spots we wanted and had to make the best of it since the reservations were last minute.
We accidentally stayed AN HOUR from the beach in Bradenton. It was a great KOA, but much further away from the water than I wanted to be.
We were in the heartland, and the campground felt almost like we were back home in Kansas. I guess I didn’t realize just how large Bradenton was, and only thought of it as a gulf town. (Maybe I should’ve looked at the map, huh?)
Hunsader Farms had a lot to offer, even if it wasn’t what I had thought I was getting. I have to admit, that I was a tad bit cranky when I realized exactly how isolated the place was when we arrived. But after hanging out, it grew on me.
There was a U Pick Em zinnia field and strawberry patch, and I not only got to eat juicy berries to my hearts content, and fill the camper with fresh flowers, I was able to walk the dogs to the colorful field and get some portraits of them.
It really was pretty there. Once I let myself enjoy it and stop being resentful about my booking mistake, I was glad to be there.
We even found a seafood tiki bar nearby on the water.
It was a lake, not my beloved ocean, but the place was delicious and fun.
Plus an hour to get to Point of Rocks at Siesta Key is much better than 20 hours from Kansas.
And we weren’t any further from one of the best off leash dog beaches I’d ever been to.
We visited quite a few beaches on our trip. Sadly, we did not get to camp at any, our RV campsites were a bit of a drive, but worth the effort. At each beach we walked, I was lucky enough to find seashell hearts. My eyes are drawn to finding possible fairy parts and hearts as I walk the shores. I rarely look for perfect, intact shells, I like the shapes worn by the waves.
Maybe I identify with life’s rough spots and aging honing me into who I have become over time.
On the way back from Florida, we made multiple stops to see family. One was in Indiana and I got to see not only my own fam, but Sugar’s baby too. She lives with my niece, JoRenda.
At first, I tried to get a selfie with her.
This is about the best one, it was windy, she was wiggly.
So, I handed my camera over to someone else, and kinda got a pic of us together, but that girl was curious about her doggie family and they were all ready to play, so we let them run together.
After they tired themselves out, we tried again.
It took a few snaps…
Then, ta-dah! All mostly posed. But all were very pretty, even though it’s hard to get a picture of a black dog in a shadow.
Lighter ones are easier. Which is too bad, because I think it hurts the sales of the black pups, even though in person, they are gorgeous dogs and people stop me on the street to tell me how striking Shuggie is.
Sometimes, when the lighting is right, you can see her pretty face in a photo.
Mostly, she just seems to be a black blob.
Her daughter, Ryder, is a pretty girl too. She still has her fluffy, puppy hair, and it was as soft as it was when she was tiny. And she is every bit as sweet as she was then. At just a few weeks old, she was a dog who didn’t care for humans much. But when you get one like that, you need to reassure them that human touch means LOVE. I gave her so much extra attention, and carried her in a sling with me as I swept floors. It seems to have paid off, she is a cuddler, and a very loving girl.
While the dogs over took most of our vacation, it wasn’t 100% about them, like they thought it was. Having sister time was sooo nice.
Isn’t this oyster shell the perfect little pinafore dress for this sprite? It even has a pocket! And I was so happy to find the striped booties, ready to be slipped onto her tiny feet.
We were able to drive on the sand, and could haul a day’s worth of tents, dog kennels, chairs, etc. so we had everything we needed with us.
With three dogs, we couldn’t have carried it all and managed them too. At other beaches we chose to take the pups for long walks then leave. Being able to have a vehicle near where we wanted to hang for the day completely changed how we could spend the days.
Oh, those dogs still got plenty of walking, too. And we had all the comforts and shade we needed to enjoy our books in the sea air. We had lots of time for relaxing and making seashell fairies!
Especially the puppy. The off leash parks are the faves of all of us.
Of course I have never met a beach I didn’t like. But I have to admit that Jupiter’s off leash beach is ranked up there with Siesta Key as a perfect destination. The seashell fairy ingredients are abundant!
Was our cross country trip to pass out puppies only four nights? So many miles, so many places, so many happenings, all in just a few days? Days were long in the car, but between audio books, This American Life podcasts, and naps, it wasn’t bad. We stopped every couple of hours for the pups to stretch their legs, and they all travelled well. They peed on command and mostly slept while driving. Each day we tried to get as far as we could towards our next meet up location and the puppy owners were kind enough to be flexible along with us.
Our hotel stops weren’t planned very far in advance, but we got lucky in finding ideal places with ground floor rooms. Although, I am afraid that I didn’t take advantage of that in the middle of the night. Instead, I was so tired that I lazily sat pups on their peepads instead of leashing them for a walk at 3am. This resort in Tarrytown, NY was our favorite stop. Ruby’s family lived in Manhattan, and obliged us by driving a half hour to meet outside of the city to get her. She is a lucky pup who will live on Central Park.
The hotel was an old estate on a hill overlooking the Hudson transformed into a resort. I would’ve loved to stay longer and explore, but we had a mission. I felt a little like Santa, flying across country to bring joy.
We did get in to Tarrytown early enough for a delicious room service, Asian meal. Restaurants were out due to not only Covid, but to having a passel of pups with us.
Ruby’s family brought us fresh, NY bagels! We got up early to let the babies frolic on the expansive lawns and figured we’d eat a granola bar in the car after Ruby left. These were a magnificent surprise!
And the world’s most delicious bagel. So was the cream cheese. It was so Rich, that it was almost an ivory tone. Do they mix it with butter there?
Delicious!
Driving across country during a pandemic can be eerie. We were extra careful, but it was disconcerting to see so many people with no masks (mostly in Missouri and Indiana) unlike the area we live in. I doubled up and wore a face shield too.
We listened to the news reports of the cases soaring, and swore to be even more careful than planned. We couldn’t do typical tourist stuff, or explore much. We wanted to get back home safely and quickly.
Our first stop in Indiana at my sister’s was much too fleeting, and our first night with the pups was stressful at the hotel.
But finding this mansion estate (under $200, including pet fees) turned our trip around.
We decided then, that we were going to try local foods as we drove cross country and upgrade our hotels along the way. We spent more, but it made the trip feel like a get away, not a chore.
We had a car picnic at a really nice seafood restaurant in Mendon, MA after dropping off a Teddy. (In the two litters, we had three Teddies and one Freddy)
That lucky boy lives in a wonderful home by a lake now.
That night, we stayed in Buffalo at a Hyatt Place. Not a mansion, but a perfect hotel for puppies. There wasn’t as much for them to get into there, those rooms are streamlined. Other places had dangling cords or other temptations. I think Hyatt Place is ready for pets nationwide and most other chains just accommodate animals on an individual basis.
We’ve always been fans of this brand anyway, it’s a well run, comfortable place to stay. I wish we had chosen one on our first night on the road, but that was before we decided to not be on a tight budget and to enjoy the trip.
The puppies are supposed to be a business for me, but they are so much more than that. So, why should I try to be frugal and make a profit on the drive to get them to their homes? We figured it was much more pleasant to treat this adventure as a getaway, because there aren’t very many of those in this day and age.
After getting another Teddy (the poor boy whose previous family didn’t want him) to his Wisconsin family who met us in Chicago, we drove around to sight see and stopped at Portillo's, to get a Chicago style dinner to go.
Local foods made our trip so much more interesting than typical drive thrus would have. And the change of attitude did too. But the best part of the trip? We came home with Molasses, “Molly”. I kept thinking we should try to sell her too, and had many offers. She came with us on the drive as kind of an interview process to see if we were keeping her.
While she was a perfect pup, and quite mellow, I was still iffy.
People asked us if we were keeping her, I answered maybe, Rich always answered yes. I was still getting emails from interested buyers and just couldn’t commit.
Finally, he made me see that she was already family. And now that we are home, tearing down the puppy corrals, packing up supplies, I am so glad that she is here. It is the six month anniversary of Ryan’s death, and I don’t think I could handle losing all sixteen puppies on top of that.
This girl has sweet Angel wings on her chest, that make me think she was sent to me from Ryan to give me someone who loves hugs as much as he always did.
You know who else was glad we kept her? These two mamas were overwhelmed with joy when we got back!
Our cross country adventure with four dogs unexpectedly turned into five dogs instead.
This guy needed to be picked up in Nebraska the night before we left for NY. My husband was my hero, Rich sped off to get the Butterball on a moment’s notice after his new owners decided that his puppyness was a bit much for him.
I stayed behind to get this Sugar Baby sent off with his new family.
It looks like he is happy at his home with a forever best friend.
I’d also made an airport drop off for this baby to go to her mom who was arriving from California.
Plus, we were in the midst of a too short visit from Dewdrop and her daddy. A drive to Nebraska wasn’t in our plans the night before we headed out on a cross country jaunt.
But- No Man Left Behind! We were not leaving him where he was not wanted, so he hit the road with us.
Good thing that he came along, or he would have missed the joys of exploring a hotel room. The puppies were completely mesmerized by the toilet.
They were actually pretty good in the rooms for the most part. Their excitement of being out of the car led to some noise control problems, but overall, they were well behaved.
I am soooooooo happy I trained them to use potty pads as well as to go outside. Being mostly housebroken really helped.
Our first stop was Indiana, where the pups could stretch their legs in Sissy’s pretty, custom fence.
We left Ryder there with Jo Jo.
Her name is after my Ryan, who is JoRenda’s cousin. Ryder has already had her first photo shoot, and she is a talented model. That girl loves to show off her sitting up skills.
We missed her, but I have to admit that five dogs on a road trip is a lot.
On our first pit stop, I struggled to attach leashes on the waterfall of puppies pouring out of their crate, and thought I’d walk them all while Rich grabbed coffee.
It didn’t occur to me that five little babies together added up to over 70lbs and i was very quickly overwhelmed. They wove their leashes in and out and around my legs, then drug me down into a ditch that I couldn’t escape from. I had to holler for Rich to unwrap me and pull me up from the pit I’d been tugged into.
Did I mention there was a dead raccoon in the ditch that they desperately wanted to get to and I desperately wanted to keep them away from?
We made a quick trip to Asheville to take Sugarwings to be with her dad and sissy before school started.
Both girls are doing virtual school, which can be done from any place with WiFi. Which means more possible trips during the school year.
It seemed smart to let them get settled into the new classes before doing that, though. We wanted to have a visit, and be home before school began.
It was good for them to be together, and play outside. They made three foot high bubbles with a giant wand and modeled for each other with a rainbow light. There was hiking, waterfalls, and a walk through a bamboo forest.
Honestly, between losing Ryan, and trying to cope with the pandemic, we have been failing as grandparents. Sugarwings has had a lonely summer when staying with us, besides a few boat outings, and trips, we are dull on a daily basis.
I usually make efforts to take the grand fairies out during summer break. A typical (non 2020) week would have included daily crafts, one outing to a zoo or discovery zone type place, one afternoon at a movie, and one project. Plus screen viewing breaks for biking, walks in the woods, or some other outdoor activity.
But in this summer?
There has been a scarcity of guidelines about screen time.
In the past, they were expected to craft while watching the iPad or tv. And to watch a TedEd or nature show on breaks from their regular shows.
This summer?
ha!
Half hearted rules were attempted, but as each week went by, this poor kid was going deeper and deeper into TicTok videos and YouTube, without any interference from me.
Time outdoors, without iPads was just what she needed.
And sister time, was even more necessary.
My husband and I were missing our far away family. Loading up the camper to go see them again meant a lot.
Our son has a new home on an acreage that holds an organic farm.
While it is hard for me to have Adam and Dewdrop so far away, I was comforted by seeing how he lives.
He loves his green building job. And lives in a beautiful place.
I miss them terribly, but knowing he is happy makes me happy for him.
Pulling our camper makes it easier to visit, and thanks to Ryan, we can do that. We purchased the new trailer with Ryan’s insurance check and I consider it his last gift to me. We can travel away from home, but always feel like we have Ry Guy near us.
He loved giving me gifts and was always so excited about them that he had a hard time waiting til it was time to pass them out. He preferred giving them to me before the rest of the family came for holidays, because he was such a private person.
The wind chimes he bought for Mother’s Day will always be treasured because they meant so much to him. He and I used to walk around the yard, trying them out in different spots until we found the exact place that got the most breeze for the prettiest sound.
I can just imagine his pride in knowing that he had gifted us with such a nice camper. I hear his voice and feel his love every time we use it.
I’d like to craft a sign to hang in it, in honor of him. For now, there is a photo of him hidden inside the refrigerator door panel. When we purchased the trailer, the fridge doors weren’t complete yet. I taped his picture to the liner of the door and had the technician leave it there when he added the permanent doors.
We also want to bring some wind chimes on our trips, along with some of Ryan’s ashes to sprinkle by the camper each time. He will always be with us when we are on the road.
Asheville, NC is home to some kick ass waterfalls, and while visiting, we trekked down to the base of one and spent some time playing in the water.
That place was over crowded, as I feared many Labor Day vacation spots might be, so I was extra cautious and had the family mask up, even outdoors, when strangers got too near. And did my best to constantly scoot away from people encroaching upon my space as I gathered shiny, quartz rocks to make a fairy to leave by the falls.
Since others simply didn’t seem to understand social distance guidelines, I left the pools at the bottom of the falls and found a cozy, mossy bed away from traffic for this sprite to make her home.
She is in a shady area, so you don’t see how the crystal sparkles in the photo. But she is entirely made of glittery bits and pieces. And look at the itty-bitty, fingertip sized crystal heart that I found for her to hold!
It was the first part I found when I stepped into the clear water, and I created the fairy around that heart.
You can tell how beautiful the water is here. And the rocks shining through were either frosted with mica or crystal. Each was a sparkling treasure.
I didn’t keep any from there, since it was a park. But, I was so tempted. Instead, I left my fairy as a thank you for nature’s blessings to me.
She sits at the end of the trail, right by the first boulders of the pools, so I hope some kids find her there.
Being with my boy, and his daughters in such a magical place was good for my husband and I. Some days are harder than others without Ryan, but no days are easy.
Being in a tranquil spot with loved ones was much needed.
