Home Away From Home

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I've had enough car rides for a while.  Shocked?  I'm kind of surprised myself.  I spent a grand total of six hours in the car on Saturday and Sunday; three hours each day!  And where did I go?  Let me tell you.

I knew something was about to happen as soon as I got up on Saturday morning (okay, as soon as Pa woke me up...I was comfortably lounging in Sister's air conditioning at the time).  Everyone was rushing around and packing large boxes of cleaning materials into Ma's car.  I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to be invited on the trip (my plan, if left behind, was to jump up on the dining room table, grab the newspaper, and shred the sports section all over the living room floor then grab the toilet paper from the bathroom and throw that on top), but then I noticed Sister packing my alternate water dish and a Tupperware container of dog cookies.  "Whoo hoo!" I thought as Pa attached my leash to my collar, "I'm going for a ride in the car!"

After what seemed like forever, we all piled into Ma's car--Pa was driving, Ma was riding shotgun, and Sister and I were in the back seat--and pulled out of the driveway.  But where were we going?  At first, I thought that perhaps we were going to Sands Point to go swimming, but we turned left out of the driveway instead of right.  Then I thought that maybe I was being taken to the vet's office, but remembering that I hadn't ripped out another nail and wasn't bleeding all over the place I figured that that wasn't where we were going either.  About twenty minutes from home, I suddenly smelled the familiar scent of Belmont Lake State Park wafting through the air conditioning, but alas, we didn't stop there.  Instead, we continued driving.  We drove for such a long time that I even attempted to take a quick nap.  Sadly, however, I couldn't fall asleep because I couldn't find a comfortable spot (Sister, for some reason, demanded that she get 1/3 of the back seat for herself...what nerve).  Anyway, after nearly an hour and a half of driving, Pa pulled into a driveway and turned off the car.  "We're here!" Ma said, "It's your new vacation home, Rigby!"  Sister opened the door and we all got out.

Without a moment's hesitation, I dragged Sister up the driveway of the house, onto the porch, straight to the front door, and, as soon as Pa unlocked the door, into the house.  In and out of the rooms I skidded (tile and wood floors are not conducive to running) sniffing every single inch of every single room.  It didn't take me long, however, to discover that this house had two really cool qualities:  central air (finally) and windows.  Now, I know what you're thinking:  "The central air thing makes sense, but how exciting can windows be to a handsome dog such as yourself?"  Well, first of all, stop before you make me blush and second, these weren't just any windows.  Nearly every window in the living room and each one in the dining room was low enough so that I could look out without having to jump up on them (I'm yelled at at home when I jump up on the windowsills even though I'm just trying to keep up my part of the neighborhood watch).  Pretty cool, huh?

My yard--can you see me?

After investigating the inside of my new house, Pa put my leash on me (Ma and Pa have to build a fence before I can go out without a leash) and took me outside to check out the rest of the property.  I sniffed all along the perimeter and then each and every one of my trees (and let me tell you, there were a lot of trees!).   I smelled smells I've never smelled before!  Pa said that he saw a bunny while we were walking, but I did not.  He said it was just as well that I didn't see it though.  He said that this wasn't like scrawny little Henry at home.  Nope.  This Suffolk County bunny could have beat me up.

Pa and I check out a tree.

I spent the rest of the day checking out my new house; clicking my way across the tiled basement floor, sticking my head in the fireplace, looking out the window, and periodically going outside to sniff trees.  My humans were far less productive; they spent the entire day cleaning.  Then, when I had had enough, we all got back into the car and drove home.  I slept the whole way.

Sunday started much like Saturday did.  Lots and lots of boxes of cleaning supplies were loaded into the car followed by me and my family.  This time I was smart.  I slept on Sister's lap the entire way so that when we got there I was all bright eyed and bushy tailed (which is a strange expression Sister uses--my tail is naturally bushy).  Once again, I dragged Sister into the house and spent a fair portion of the day napping in the sunny living room, barking out the window (the empty house created a wonderful echo which really allowed my barks to reverberate), and exploring the back yard.

Ken leg!

Nice and chewy!

It was while exploring the backyard that I had one of my biggest thrills.  I found the disembodied leg from a Ken doll.  Now, I don't know if it was left by the family that used to live in my house or from one of the neighbor kids, but, you know the saying:  "Finders keepers, losers weepers."  It was mine!  I grabbed it and immediately flopped down in the cool grass to chew on it.  It was perfect; just the right amount of chewiness.  I'm ashamed to say that I then got a bit carried away and started rolling on my back.  Sure, it was embarrassing, but I think it was well worth it.

Welcome home!

Thanks Pa and Ma for buying me this great vacation home.  I can't wait to spend long summer days lounging in the central air and playing on the nearby beach, brisk fall evenings chewing on my Ken doll's leg (I stashed it in the garden for later use--hopefully the kid who dropped it won't go looking for it), snowy winter days staring out the windows, and sweet smelling spring mornings chasing after squirrels, bunnies, and perhaps deer in my yard (and hopefully I won't crash into one of the trees--they have a habit of sneaking up on me).