Take two

Hi everyone

Yep, it is official: we are back on the roads for another season of traveling. For some time there we had hoped this would be over but André and Sue are determined to go see the West coast. So here we go again with all the shaking and rocking in the fifth wheel while they travel comfortably in the truck. And if that wasn’t enough, Princess the dog gets to enjoy the ride in the car as well. We are the only ones who have to put up with all the being tossed around when we hit a rough spot in the road.

It’s just not fair! On the other hand we have the whole space to ourselves and don’t depend on André and Sue for letting us go to the bathroom or having a drink or a snack. We don’t know how that works for Princess but we are pretty sure that she has much less room and has to put a cork in it until they let her out to relieve herself. And in André and Sue’s defense we have to say that so far they’ve chosen better roads than last year. That trip across Labrador was murder and we sure hope they will never do something as stupid ever again. We were both lucky to get through this without concussions and broken bones.

Maybe it will help a little that Sue stayed with us in the fifth wheel the other day when it was moved around the lot of Sicard RVs in Smithville where they had some warranty work done on it. She got to experience first had what it is like to be in here when the thing is moving and from the look on her face she had not expected all the moving and noises. Let’s just hope, that she will keep that experience in mind when they choose the roads they want to travel in the future.

I sure hope so, too. After all we are looking at yet another several thousand kilometers this summer alone and who knows what they will come up with after that. I mean traveling is nice and we get to see a lot of new places and all but there is something to be said for the comforts of a steady home as well. Until we (maybe) will have one of those again, we just have to make the best of the situation. We will also tell you about our 2013 adventures. So check in with us, with all the kilometers on the road will come more blogs again, too.

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.

Something is going on

Hi everyone

Something is going on in our fifth wheel. The weather is getting even warmer than what it was all winter long and it seems that the season is changing. Spring is in the air and with this come some changes around here. André and Sue seem to get antsy to hit the road again. They have been talking more and more about travel plans for this summer and the other day André washed the whole fifth wheel down while Sue went golfing. She sure took the easy way out there. Anyways, they are getting ready to leave Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park and head North. So far as we can tell, it's still pretty cold in Ontario and so we hope they have enough smarts to take it slow. We don't want to go see snow!

That just might be wishful thinking, though. As you may know by now, André and Sue went off the deep end a couple of weeks ago and adopted a dog! What were they thinking?! And not just any dog. I mean not one of those small ones called one sort of toy breed or another. No! Princess (what's up with that name anyways? Is she going to get the royal treatment while we have to share our space with her?) is a Shepherd/Collie mix and weights in at about 60 lbs. She is huge, I mean like 10 feet tall or so. At least it looks like that from where we stand.

Don't go over board there, buddy. She's no more than 7 feet if you ask me. The good thing about her is that she has all green lights from the vet, all her shots, a micro chip and is spayed. André and Sue got her at the animal shelter in Inverness. An animal shelter is the same as the human society which means she is a rescue dog. André and Sue are all excited about her and claim that she is very well behaved. To us the only thing that really matters is that she leaves us alone for the most part. Even to the point of outright ignoring us. We still don't trust her all the way though and will keep an eye on her for the time being.

I don't think we have anything to say about her living with us. She is here to stay so we better get used to it. Meantime we enjoy that Sue takes us out for walks almost every single day. Must be the bad conscious although we must admit that we got to go outside regularly lately. We'll see how that is going to play out once we're traveling again. So come back and see - we will keep you posted.

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.

We could really get used to this

Hi everyone

Yeah, we really could get used to living the life we're living right now. This is just about the most relaxing  lifestyle we know. We get to sleep whenever we want, eat whenever and as much as we want, get all the treats the heart desires and go for more frequent and longer walks outside. I mean really: what more can one ask for?

I completely agree, Trapper, we have it made down here in Florida. And with André and Sue having nothing more to do than to take care of us, we can't ask for anything more. Except maybe that André and Sue would be around a little bit more. You see, they have developed a lifestyle of their own which means they go out and do stuff without even asking our permission. Just in the last five days for example they have constantly been doing fun stuff. Last Saturday they went for lunch then had a golf lesson. Sunday of course they had to rest and, from what I gather, recover from being a little sore from Saturday's activities. I never quiet get how humans enjoy things that make them feel sore and not just once but repeatedly.

Exactly. Would you believe that they went back to the golf course on Monday to shoot some balls on the driving range? One would think they've learned their lesson, but nooooo! Right back at it they go. Tuesday they decided it was too hot for more golfing and went to the pool instead. Obviously they met some nice people to talk to there because they seemed to take forever to come back home. And today they even did both. Or at least Sue did. She went golfing with some other ladies and after she came back, she and André went to the pool again. We had a really hard time getting her to write this blog for us.

In their defense we have to say though that they are not just all fun and no work, they also do their chores such as taking care of us, doing dishes and bringing out the garbage. André goes shopping and cooks and once in a while Sue cleans up a little and does the laundry. Still I'm wondering if they too are getting used to this new lifestyle. I for one wouldn't mind if we just kept going like this forever. What about you, Trapper?

Oh yeah, bring it on. I could go like this for the rest of my life but I think that's not going to happen. André and Sue are talking about the coming summer and from what I hear, they plan on traveling again. Well, as long as they don't go back to the Trans-Labrador Highway, I guess we can live with that, too.

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.

Sorry

Where Hunter and Trapper have been just a second ago

Ok, we apologize to all the parents who now have to explain to their children that while they are turning one year older each day, they can not have a party and presents every day. As much as we would like to help you with that - you're on your own.

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.

Living THE life

Hi everyone

We have to give it to André and Sue: they learn and they follow instructions pretty well. Well, most of the time anyways. I mean they took their sweet time to take us to our chosen winter destination. After we spent two weeks back in North Bay we had almost given up on our dream of a warm, sunny climate, palm trees and endless beaches but they finally came around and headed south. It was about time, too you know. In North Bay we had to cope with cold and nasty weather and we even saw some snow. No thanks, we've had enough of that in past years.

Yeah, especially now that we live in "Escargot", our fifth wheel. In the house it was not too bad. There we had a good furnace which kept us warm. But here it kind of stayed a bit nippy even when André and Sue turned the heat on. I even had to find something to cover me when I wanted to take a nap. Really not our idea of comfortable retirement. So we were very happy when we finally drove south and the climate improved by the day. This is more like it. We enjoy temperatures in the mid to high 20s and all the new sights. Sue has not taken us out as much as we would like lately but this will hopefully change soon, too. We're working on her.

Trapper is right. Florida is a great place to spend the winter. We can lay by the open window or look out the open door (too bad they always close the screen door, though) and feel as if we were on vacation. The days go by leisurely, we snooze whenever the mood hits, get lots of treats (I think Sue has a bad conscience about not going out with us), we even got a new food which tastes sooooo good. On the campground we are right now there is also another cat. She is roaming free and was very interested when she saw us. Must be a female, they just can't withstand our good looks and charm. So she actually walked towards us but then Sue closed the door and ever since we can only see her (the cat) through the window. Who knows, maybe one of these days we'll get to meet her.

Now we have some more traveling ahead of us and then we will go to our destination for the winter. We are curious to see what it will be like there but first we expect company. André's mom is coming to visit and we will do our best to make her feel welcome. Like visiting her in her bed in the middle of the night, sleeping on her cloths and letting her give us lots of treats so she will feel like a member of the family. Company sounds like a lot of fun! We'll let you know how that turns out.

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.

Fall is coming

Hi everyone

We have settled so well into our new life that we actually do what we had planned for André and Sue: relax and live one day at the time. Well, you might think, isn't that what cats do anyways? Maybe some or kittens who don't know any better or old cats who think they've seen it all. But not us. We are at the prime of our lifes and have a lot to see yet. So we have a lot of thinking to do. I mean not only do we have to make all those important decisions but we also have to constantly figure out how to get André and Sue to do what we want done or to go where we want to go. So an unscheduled stop like the one at the truck stop where our car broke down, really poses a serious problem.

That is so true! While we were stranded there we got bored because André and Sue were not around most of the time. They had abandoned us for the comfort of a motel room. It's understandable in one way. There was no electricity in the fifth wheel and hardly any water in the fresh water tank. For some reason they had come into the habit of traveling "light" in that respect. A couple of batteries for emergencies, minimum of fresh water and empty waste water tanks. Saves on gas but has its drawbacks as we came to realize. Anyhow, when they were around Sue wouldn't even take us out for a stroll. She was afraid that all those big trucks constantly coming and going would spook us. And she might have been right. They are huge and loud and we are so small. How would the drivers have seen us?

Though it probably was saver this way, it was boring as Hunter here just said. One can watch those big rigs only for so long before that, too looses some. So we were condemned to sleeping, hanging around and hoping that André and Sue would come spend at least a little time with us. You can understand that we were extremely excited when we finally hit the road again. Now we are back in the old routine and just drifting along in life. A couple of nights here and there, the usual inspection of a new place, making sure we get our treats and taking it easy in general. With fall the days are growing shorter and temperatures are dropping and we enjoy the comfort of the fifth wheel. Looking out the window we can observe the changing colours on the trees and when we go out for a walk there are now different smells in the air. Soon it will be colder even and we have to plan for the winter. Should we change fur or would it be better to somehow get André and Sue to drive south rather than north (as they do now) and keep the warm-weather fur on?

We like the warmth and therefore would prefer the second. We would also like to travel further and see more. This means that we are currently working hard on getting André and Sue to understand that the south is the place to be in winter. Florida maybe or some place like it. Just as long as we get to go along which excludes destinations where one has to fly. Flying would be horror for us. So we are happy to see that the two have been looking at maps of the southern US lately. We will find out soon. From what we gather, we will go back to North Bay in the next few days but will stay there only two or three weeks. After that we will find out whether or not André and Sue got the message and are headed in the right direction.

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.

Caution: candles!

We don't know what it is but as soon as it gets a bit colder in fall we start seeing some white stuff falling from the skies. André and Sue call it snow. And as soon as that stuff turns up, things start to change in our house, too. André turns the heater on - which is really nice - and also puts candles up everywhere! Soon other items will follow and in a couple of weeks or so a big tree will stand in the living room. It will smell of freshly backed cookies and Sue will turn on those funny penguins singing a Christmas song with a snowman every so often. The whole house will look differently for a few weeks until everything goes back into boxes and disappears until the next year.

Now here is what we think of this phenomenon: we love the heater! It's a pellet stove so it has a real fire inside which looks very nice and also gives up this terrific heat. When it comes on we can lay in front of it bathing in the warm air coming out. Trapper sometimes even jumps on top of the stove and takes a nap right there. It's so cozy. The decorations are fine too. They look a little bit different each year and we don't know if that's because Sue can't remember how she did it the previous year or if she does that on purpose for us. You see, decorations have to be checked out and so we get to walk around the house and find things we can smell or even play with! This, of course, also goes for the ornaments on the tree. Lots of fun grabbing them and then trying to drag them away. We even tried to climb the tree to get to the stuff higher up a couple of times.

The singing penguins are more fun for Sue than for the song. Sure it looks funny when they shake their wings with the little bell attached to them but the real fun is in watching Sue when she waits for us to go after the bells. Which we don't do as long as she's around but only when she is looking the other way. It's like watching a kid waiting for Santa.

All this stuff is not in place just yet this year except for the candles. You see, André and Sue love candles and so there are a tone of them all over the place. They look fine and smell good but they are hazardous to cats! It is very tempting to go look what the thing at the very top is. The one that moves with every breeze of air. But no matter how careful we approach it, we can get in trouble when getting too close. This thing is hot!! It almost burned our noses when we tried to sniff it. André and Sue let us do that in hopes that we would stay away in the future. Learn our lesson, they said. But it's just too intriguing. And sometimes we don't even think about the candles when we move around. Like when Trapper jumped on the tea table and before anyone had a chance to react he felt this heat on his belly and something began to stink: he had jumped right over top of a wooden bar with several tea candles burning and stood there, front legs on one side, hind legs on the other. Or when Hunter sat on the same tea table, back to the candles and swishing his tail over the flames.

Bottom line is: candles are hazardous to cats (and dogs too we assume) so please keep an eye on them and your pet. We sometimes just forget and appreciate you're watching out for us.

We will keep you posted on the situation at our house as the season progresses. Until next week

hunter and trapper