Travel Plans ...

Next week I'll attend both my high school and college reunions, one more trip to doggie beach (to keep Sadie happy), and one more camp out.

Then it's off to Phoenix, Tucson, The Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Carlsbad Caverns, Dallas and Houston. After a couple of weeks in Houston I'll head back north to the I-40 corridor and then east toward home.

Sadie has decided that she doesn't much care for sleeping in a tent, no matter how big. I think she figures if she is going to be roughing it she ought to be able to see the wilderness around her. Far be it from me to deny a dog her pleasures, so Sadie now has her own see through tent with plenty of room and a view. I mean, if a guy can't bend to please a lady... what's the use?

Assuming I keep to my schedule, I should be back home in Florida by mid November. Ahhh, but you know what they say about assuming anything. Still... I do sorta miss The Briars, so I'll not likely make too many more changes or delays.

... and so it goes.

Discovering Shopping

They say lady's love shopping. Sadie proved to be no exception. She discovered PetSmart today and wasted little time buying bounty.




New collars, a name tag, her own car seat and various treats to get her through her busy days topped her shopping list. Sadie made it clear she will return to this doggie wonderland of shopping.

...and so it goes.

Back off.... he's my man

I started preparing Sadie for our trip to the Grand Canyon and camping. I told her there were many ferocious animals in the wilderness and she needed to practice her growling skills to scare them off.Like I said... she's a quick study and is ready to stand her ground.





This little pup is not worried; but I'll keep her close anyway, lest she discover the mountain lions won't be as impressed as I am....and so it goes.


Today I kicked back and enjoyed the company of my brother and sister-in-law. I also spent one of my rare occasions in the kitchen and cooked up a special dinner for them.

Thursday it's off to the L.A. County Fair. Might even indulge in some junk food.... including cotton candy.

Friday night it's off to a high school football game at my alma mater. Saturday I'll attend a reunion picnic.

I venture off on these trips frequently, but usually I am gone no more than a couple of weeks. It's week 5 now and while I'm having a great time, I am missing Florida a little. That itch to start my drive east is nagging me. With all the stops planned between here (California) and back home in Florida, It's looking like mid November before I get back to the Briars.


Along with the Grand Canyon trip, Sadie and I will visit Painted Desert in Arizona and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

... and so it goes.

Sally Mae (nickname: Sadie) is a real Lady

Sadie is a quick study. She loves wrestling around with George (my brother's dog) and she is learning the in's and out's of a dog's life from him.

After a hard day of fun and play, she heads for the tub and waits for someone to come give her a bath. No left-over daily dirt for this gal.

George (named after George Burns) is going to miss her when I leave... as much as she missed Gracie after she past on.

...and so it goes.

She Stole My Heart

I told myself after my last dog past on that I would never have another. Probably it was her big floppy ears... or her sad eyes when we found her.

Meet Sally Mae.

Sally was abondoned. Left on the streets to fend for herself. Her coat was overgrown and matted and she was half starved. She found her way to my brother's home. He searched for an owner and discovered that they had lost their home, moved away and left her behind to experience her own homelessness. After a bath, a trip to the groomer's and a good meal, Sally decided she'd found a new home at my brother's... so I adopted her. I'll take her to the vet this week for a complete checkup. She will become my travel companion and return with me to Florida when I end my roadtrip.

It's in what Country? Southern California Cutural War ...

Probably the biggest change I have seen in Southern California, since I grew up here, and left,... is how the area is slowly and methodically reverting back to Mexico; where it once belonged. While I continue to witness California resident's dismay... politically they seem to be succumbing to the conversion.

I was driving down Carminita Road and pulled into a little tienda ( store ), named El Burrito Loco, to get a bottle of Mountain Dew to quence my thirst. An argument was in progress between an American and a Mexican (American-?). He was speaking in spanish... she in english. Niether seemed to understand what the other was saying. He was telling her she needed to learn spanish. She was scolding him for not speaking english. It was a stalemate. I was both amused and perplexed. Eventually, she just left her purchases on the counter and walked out.

"No sé cuál es su problema" ( I don't know what her problem is ), he said to me. "Ella dijo que ésta es América y usted necesita hablar inglés" (She said this is America and you need to speak english ), I replied. "Porque no hablar inglé?" ( Why don't you speak english, I asked him). He vivido aquí solamente dos meses ( I have only lived here for 2 months ), he answered.
It's not the first time I've seen this type of confrontation going on since I've been visiting the area.

I tend to not get caught up in these cultural exchanges. In Florida, I seldom go down south.... across the simulated Cuban border. But I do think that Americans have a point. Toss all the languages into our melting pot and they should come out sounding something like english. It is our country's language. My heritage is hispanic ( Puerto Rico ); and while I take pride in my heritage, I was born on the mainland and my language of choice is english. When I visit Puerto Rico I have no problem converting to the island's chosen language of spanish.

As for that Mountain Dew? They didn't have any. Their main beverage was Jarritos. It comes in many flavors: pineapple, lime, mandarin, mango, guava, and tamarind among them. I went looking for a 7-11. They may be foreign owned but they carry Mountain Dew.

...and so it goes.

Getting Acclaimated

I've been out here in California for a few weeks now and I'm still not adjusted to the time change, or the shopping habits. Here it is, almost 4 a.m. (7:00 back in Florida) and I'm ready to start my day. Back in Florida we would expect that to not be much a problem in a big state like California. I mean... surely with such large population centers life goes on 24/7, right? Not!

Back home at The Briars, local population 15,000... I can wake up any time of day or night and get a quick cup of coffee at any of two dozen places within a few miles. If I feel like shopping at 3:00 a.m., I can go to one of three Super Wal-Marts within 9 miles of home; or even to a local Target, although I don't do Target Stores. It's a matter of principle thing with me.

Anyway... here in "the Springs" (Santa Fe Springs, CA), a scant 15 miles outside Los Angeles and surrounded by myriad well populated towns, like Whittier, Norwalk, Downey, and others... packed with a combined half million people in an area one-third the size of all Hernando County, life is shut down at 3:00 a.m.; including Wal-Mart. Go figure!?

All a body can do is browse the T.V. in any of a half dozen languages and hope for something more interesting than infomercials.

I'm used to rising early and jogging, 2 miles, up to the donut shop for my quick fix of coffee and sweet fried dough. Dunkin Donuts, at home, is open 24 hours. Here, I don't have to jog real far. There are 2 donut shops within a few blocks; both are closed. I ask you.... is that anyway to live? I mean... if a body can't get a jelly donut, or a banana split, at 3:00 a.m, what's the sense in living in a place? Surely that's reason enough to pack up and move.

It's no wonder all these California streets and freeways are jammed with bumper to bumper traffic all day long... as the population struggles to get their donuts between 8 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

.... and so it goes!

Progress or Backstepping?

A full moon bouncing of the water is a beautiful sight, although... in this case I'm not so sure the accompanying offshore oil rigs compliment the scene. These rigs are off the coast of Newport Beach (California) and they pepper the Pacific landscape at least as far north as Santa Barbara county.

Personally, I find them to be an eye-sore. We continue to fight their installation along the west coast of Florida. It's no secret that we have alternative energy sources. It's also no secret that politics and greed are main ingredients in the formula that oil companies use to get these monsters installed, and delay the implementation of that alternative energy.