Rapping it up

Hi everyone

Well, here we are with quiet a change to our plans. After telling you that we were considering to make Princess a partner in this blog, we have bad news for you: our lifes have once again settled into a comfortable routine and the same goes for our dog. We are currently in Florida where we will spend the winter and while we do greatly enjoy the nice weather and temperatures here, nothing much is happening outside that routine. André and Sue are telling people that their traveling time is coming to an end and they just rapped up their travel blog. This of course means that we, too, will be staying put more often and for longer periods of time than tramping the world and you know what that means.

Yep, we will settle down, retire if you will. We all have a pretty good life and kind of like the idea of not being thrown around in our fifth wheel anymore while on the road. This hopefully will only happen twice a year from now on. In spring when we head home for Ontario and in fall when it's off to the south for the winter. This is André's and Sue's plan anyway and we will have to wait and see if it comes together as they wish. Of course they didn't ask us (again) but we would have agreed with them this time anyways. So just like their travel blog ours will come to an end, too.

We both agree on that, only Princess was not too happy about this. She had gotten it into her head that she would soon become a famous writer and now that will not happen. It took us some time to make her understand that with a quiet and comfortable routine in one's life there also comes a lack of new and exciting things to write about. There are always two sides to each medal and while we like to see things slow down there simply will not be as many adventures in our future - or hers. Not enough of them to justify a blog, keeping our fans' hopes of a new story up and then disappoint them. We rather quit at the highpoint  of our game. Even Princess had to agree to that after some convincing her.


So this it then, our friends, we take a bow and let you go on your ways. It's been a great pleasure letting you share our lifes for a while and we hope you enjoyed the ride.

So long and thanks for coming back to read about our adventures time and again.

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

Our dog turns out ok

Hi everyone

We have to tell you, after having had Princess for about 20 weeks it turns out our dog is not half bad. I mean we put all our trust in André and Sue when they picked her out at the shelter but they did a good job choosing our new pet. Princess doesn't bother us a lot and we kind of got the rules laid down by now.

True, she still tries to play with Trapper here but she makes sure not to hurt him. When she jumps on him for example, she makes sure her paws land on either side of him and not on Trapper himself. He only gets scared a bit when she tries to grab on to one of his paws and pull him off the couch. Yeah, she is gentle when she gets a treat from André or Sue and so far she's never bitten Trapper, at least he's never screamed. But he does not like it a bit when she tries to get a hold of him by grabbing on to him.

Well, how would you feel if she would tray to drag you off the couch? I bet you would hiss and growl at her to let go. As a matter of fact you do that anyways to keep her at a distance. Then again Sue caught you on camera laying there on the floor next to her and all was well. No fighting or anything. Admit it, you are curious about her as much as I am. I've seen you sneak up to her and sniff her and you walk by her as if you two had known each other for a long time and settled into some kind of relationship.

Yeah, you got me there. I don't like to admit it and hiss and growl at her when André and Sue are watching but when they're not, I get along with Princess ok. It's not that she does much for us. I mean she's not serving us or something and she gets to go out with André and Sue a lot. It's is a mixed bag with her really. On one side she takes up space in our fifth wheel and she gets to go places with André and Sue all the time. They have gone out for hours or even days at a time a lot lately and she always got to go along while we had to stay home. On the other hand who wants to drive around in the car just to see stuff? Not me! I actually prefer to stay here and snooze away and I know you do, too. Princess going with André and Sue means that we have the fifth wheel to ourselves and can do whatever we want.

Right. And you just said it: André and Sue are going out all the time lately and we used to be a little concerned about them. What if they didn't find their way back home or something happened to them? Who would take care of us? From what we hear Princess has become somewhat protective of them. Now we have to worry a little less. She's gotten into the habit of trying to chase big animals away when they come too close to André and Sue. Just yesterday for example she barked furiously at some wild buffaloes in Yellowstone National Park. They came to within a few feet of the two and Princess decided this was close enough and tried to chase them away. Not bad if you consider how big those beast are! So even if she doesn't do anything for us directly, she at least tries to make sure our servants are save. That's one of the benefits of having a dog and we are pleased that we didn't get her for nothing. Now if only she would learn to take our food dish and drop it in front of André or Sue to make them fill it like she does with her own, that would be a nice touch.

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

Why?

Hi everyone

Guys, we need some help here. We are somewhat confused about several things and just can't figure them out. Maybe you can help us.

Yes, it all started in Florida. We had a great time down there but it was so different from what we used to know. First of all it was supposed to be winter but it was warm all the time and we didn't get to see snow. Not a single flake worth! Still our winter fur did grow in and so we figured that maybe winter in Florida was coming latter. So we waited and waited and waited but no snow was coming. And now we're shedding our winter coat and our summer fur is growing. I mean, we don't mind the warm weather but what if now that we soon will have our lighter coat the cold will arrive? We will be freezing! Does this have anything to do with climate change? People make a big fuss over that and now it has us worried, too!

And if that was not bad enough, we simply can't figure out what's happening with our walks. Again it started in Florida. Sue would take us out on a regular basis, almost every day to tell the truth, and we did enjoy that. Over time she became more and more reliable about it, too. Then she and André adopted Princess and we got the feeling that our frequent walks were kind of a bribe to make up for that. Though we are getting used to the dog, we still much prefer not to have one. Problem is, there is nothing we can do about it. Princess is here to stay. So we thought that maybe this would mean continuous daily walks and we sure would take those. I mean take a little, give a little, right? Less space for us in the fifth wheel, more time outdoors. Not as good as having no dog but still not a bad deal I would say. But in the last week that did not happen anymore either! What is going on here? The dog gets to spend a lot of time outside, tied up to a small tree and on at least two long walks per day and we are stuck inside except for a couple of times a week. It just isn't fair!

Sue says it's because the ticks are out and she doesn't want us to catch any. As if she ever let us catch anything! If it moves, she hightails it. Especially if it's a snake or a big spider. But we are very worried that the ticks are just an excuse. Maybe she is too tired to walk with us because she does that with Princess now. Then again we think she would be fair enough to let us have some fun times outdoors as well, wouldn't she? But why then make such a fuss over ticks. We don't even know what those are. Could somebody please explain that to us or better yet, talk some sense into her? We really like the outdoors and don't want to be stuck in our fifth wheel forever! Please help us!

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

To be or not to be

Hi everyone

That really is the question here, isn't it? You heard that right, genius here is going philosophical on me. When he realized that a few hours ago a new year has started, he asked me if that meant to be or not to be a year older. I wonder where he go that idea from and so he tried to explain it to me. In his logic 2013 minus the year he was born in equals one more than 2012 minus the year of his birth. So, he concluded, we both just turned a year older. Ooooook or as dear old Shakespeare would say: no, duh! But then Trapper made a very good point and now I am the one wondering if he isn't right - kind of.

Don't take it that hard, Hunter, I know you're good at literature but I'm good at math and logic. So far nobody has explained that specific question to me or finished it for that matter. To be or not to be WHAT? It could be any number of things, right? My math adds up and so I can't be far off except if I accept your reasoning that one turns a year older every 365 or 366 days after ones birthday, depending on whether or not we have a leap year. Then again I say: today I am exactly one year older than on January 1, 2012. So we both are right, are we?

Yeah, I guess we are. Why do humans have to make things so confusing? I for one don't feel any different than what I did yesterday or the day before. I think they just make that stuff up to confuse us and try to make us think they are so much smarter than we are. They have no idea! We, that is you and I Trapper, just found the answer to the question everyone has been asking for over 400 years. The correct answer to "to be or not to be" is "depends on how you look at it".

With that thought (and added wisdom) we wish you all a happy 2013.

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

Pets and their humans

As you know from our last post, animals can get along just fine among each other - at least in some cases. But they almost always get along with humans just so long as the humans treat them with respect, provide for the animal and give them a little love. A prime example of that is the Human Society.

As you know that's where both of us come from and we just have to give those guys our respect and love! It is amazing what they do with whatever means they have. They take in abandoned and even abused animals and nurture them back to health if they can. In some cases, when an animal is too hurt or sick or has reached the point where it can no longer trust humans because of bad experiences, that poor animal has to be put to sleep. This is very, very sad! You see, once you have a pet you are responsible for it and that means more than just giving it a name. It means to provide food, water, shelter, medical care, play time and love. Animals have feelings too and you should treat them with respect and love. If you do so, you will be rewarded with lots of fun and love in return. In our house it works this way.

In most cases the Human Society is able to bring an animal back to the point where it can be adopted out to a loving home - just like Hunter and I. As we already said: they do a fantastic job and try so hard to find a home for every single one of us. This is not easy as long as there are pet owners who don't see the value of neutering/spaying their cat or dog. But that is another story for another day.

Anyway, we want to thank the people at the Human Society from the bottom of our hearts for the love and great care they gave us and give to all the other animals they try to help. We hope that all our friends have already or soon will find loving homes.

So, if you consider getting yourself a cat or dog, go to the Human Society. You sure will find a new companion there and we are convinced that you will be rewarded greatly by your new friend if you provide a loving home and the basic necessities. But always remember: once you have a pet, you are responsible for it and its well being and adopting a four legged pal is a long term commitment.

Cheers and see you around.

hunter and trapper