Trick-or-Treat

I can do tricks. I can sit, stay, roll over, lay down, shake, high five, jump, dance, catch a frisbee, sit up, swim...I can even do obstacle courses...

I like treats. Bacon, bones, pupperoni, snausages, jerky, cheese, peanut butter, apples...NOT carrots, cookies, ice cream, pizza...

So I thought 'trick-or-treating' would be awesome!!! I don't mind doing the tricks just so long as I get a treat when I'm done. I had no idea that Halloween and 'trick-or-treating' involved dressing up.

Are you kidding me?? Absolutely not. No way. Forget it. Not going to happen. Never, ever in a million dog years (which is like seven million people years).

This has been the most humiliating experience of my life. I hate Halloween. My people said that I don't get any treats unless I wear a costume. Damn.

There's No Place Like Home *People Notes*

Hooray! Made it back to the cabin just in time for the gorgeous fall colors and fantastic weather. We were not planning to be gone for such a long time, but the cabin survived just fine without us. With the exception of the jungle overgrowth covering the entire driveway and some impressive cobwebs, all was well.

Paul 'Bunyan' spent a few days tackling the forest, overgrowth and taking out some dead trees that were endagering the cabin roof and power lines, then he planted some blue spruce and hemlock to eventually fill in the gaps. In a single afternoon he built a most impressive picnic table from scrap wood. And on the seventh day he rested...I'm pretty sure he is still resting!

I couldn't get to the barn and hit the trails fast enough. Good friends, good trails, good horses... Climbing back into the saddle on the gentle giant Ben was a bit intimidating at first - was he this big and tall last year? Sure is nice to be back out riding with my 2-legged friends (Sandy & Darlene) and my 4-legged friends (Ben, Penny, Sheba, and Stella).

Ahhh...there's no place like home! Here is the view from the top of English Mountain overlooking Smoky Mountain National Park. We live 'jus down tha road uh piece frum hare' as they say in Appalachia!

There's No Place Like Home...there's no place like home...

FINALLY!!! We made it back home to the cabin in Tennessee. That was one long road trip! I am not exactly sure why my people refer to this as home because I (Odie) only spent a couple of weeks here last fall when my people rescued me. Then they told me we were going for a ride in the car. That was some kind of long car ride! We have been gone for 10 months, logged thousands of miles in the car, crossed deserts and mountains, lived in several different cities & states, visited people, dogs, little people and even cats ...but now we are back here and I gotta tell you - this place is pretty cool.

I assume this is my bed...what? It isn't? Well my memory failed me on that one!

Love the porch swing...just 'hanging around' (ha ha - get it? 'hanging around'! Ha! I crack me up!) watching the leaves turn colors! 'Yawn'...sooooo tired.

Play ball? Anybody? Hello?? People? Throw the ball. Throw the ball. Throw the ball. Hello?

This thing I found behind the cabin looked promising at first, but as it turned out - not so much fun. Wouldn't play, wouldn't bark, wouldn't play ball, wouldn't do anything...BORING! Stupid turtle.

'Yawn...' hmmm, looks like I have to take another nap out here in the autumn sun. Damn!

Sweet Home Alabama

Our visit in Dallas was a lot of fun even tho there was a hurricane, more birthday parties (not mine!), and CATS!! I especially enjoyed seeing my cousins Ginny and Eddie, and meeting my new cousin Sir Wallee. I always like hanging out with little people - they are fun. I am sad that I didn't get a chance to play with my cousin Berklee...my people did because I smelled her all over them when they came home one night. They told me that they were going to dinner with the Cartwrights, but they didn't tell me that Berklee lives there now since Erik & Katy moved to New York. I pouted for several hours over that. I think Berklee is almost as cute as Ginny. My people also snuck out one other night and had dinner with Terri and didn't include me. Terri is the best dog-loving person in the whole world - she always has toys and treats and gets down on the floor to play. Maybe next time!

Pack, load, and back on the road again. For the record, the scenery in East Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama is beyond boring but still better than Kansas! We landed in Madison, Alabama where David, Jennifer, Ryan and Matthew live. Woohoo! I remember this place - the little people here have more toys than anyplace I have ever been (even tho most of the toys taste like plastic...blech), and they run and jump and play and take me on tons of walks.

We went to soccer practice. We went to soccer games. We played at the playgrounds. We played sword fights. We went to more soccer games. (*The little people are WAY better at soccer than the big people!) We played on the monkey bars. We played at the park. We played in the yard. We played, and played, and played...and played some more.

I discoverd teeter-totters...learned how to do that! It was FUN!

After a few days I was exhausted and ready to make the final leg of our journey home. I missed home. Wait, what? We don't live in Alabama? But I named this post 'sweet home Alabama'. Seriously - we live in Tennessee?? Oops! Damn.