Go south my friends!

This is how our big day started - Frank had to snow blow the driveway so we could get the van out!  I really did not want to pack the van by walking through the snow at the top of the driveway.  Luckily, it worked, with such light, fluffy snow, we had no problems driving out. After Frank cleared the driveway that is!

Goodbye cold weather!

Are we there yet?
Squirt stood for hours having no idea we were em-barking on a 23 hour road trip.  She finally laid down late in the afternoon, giving up all hope of reaching any fun destination.  Blaze, well, she's always along for the ride no matter what.
We arrived in Memphis about 7 in the evening, the weather in the teens but at least not 4.  We stayed in a very friendly dog hotel and there were so many dogs, we had to maneuver around so they all got to pee in the limited grassy area.  What a pain to load so much crap in the hotel room, but we brought a lot of food that we didn't want to freeze.  We and the dogs were exhausted after the days drive, and slept pretty good.

Ok, we're getting the hang of this traveling thing, the pups have banded together and shared the same seat calmly.  We found a dog park outside of Chatanooga, TN, and Squirt ran her little butt off.  She needed it!  Having never been through Chatanooga, it's quite hilly and I think Squirt had a bit of car sickness.  I changed seats with her so she could be in the front with the window down some and she seemed to perk up.  Today's goal - Adele, GA, just north of the Florida border.

Our first glimpse of green grass!!!

Our poor van, it's taken the brunt of snow, rain, and salt treatments.  We'll find a carwash once we reach Florida and the temperatures rise about freezing. It's still cold but not as bad as the midwest we left behind.

Day two is no big deal now, get out and pee, sleep.  Sounds like our day too, Frank and I trade off driving every couple of hours to keep sleep at bay.
We finally arrive in Adele, a small out of the way place but quiet.  We can walk to a Sizzler restaurant, our first meal out.  Yes, it was worth bringing the food in the cooler, it lasted until the end of the second day.  I also discover the Hampton Inn has a fenced in area just for dogs.  Fabulous!  I chase the dogs around and make them run.  As it happens, it feels good for me to run too!

OMG, it feels like heaven!  Hello Florida!

Squirt found a better view on top of the suitcases!  She recognizes all the green stuff too!  Are we there yet????

Our Florida home for the next two weeks. Screened in pool in the backyard (well it IS the back yard).  Decor of the house nothing great, but the rooms are large and spacious.  Ok, it's drizzling drain when we arrive, but the temperature is in the 70s so we don't care much.

Sunday!  Our first full day of vacation! It's lovely out, so we take the dogs and walk down the road to our nearest restaurant, and yes, that's a grouper sandwich for Frank!  It tastes fabulous.

This is a great view of a palm tree I see when I manage to look up from stuffing myself with grouper.

Even the dogs are allowed to hang out with us on the outdoor patio where we eat.  They love all the other people milling around and are sure they are only there to get pets.

We brought Blaze's cart, she can't walk long distances anymore, but she sure loves to go!  It's a hard life for this dog :)

Sunday night, we meet Pam & Jane for dinner, and I snarf my first oysters of the trip.  Yum yum.

And then the envy shot, we walk on the beach and watch the sun go down.  No matter how many years or how many sunsets I witness here, I can't get enough.  That's Pam in the shadow, and that's the sunset in all its glorious color in the background.