From Here To There, From There To Here... Funny Things Are Everywhere!

Well, what a week it has been! Though our family had initially planned a nice little camping trip for this past week, life has a funny way of throwing curve-balls. Curve-balls that mean you leave the camper at home, but have a chance to see a lot more of nature... and human nature... and...

If you recognize the picture above, you might be a redneck... or a Texan. Last winter, my father-in-law moved from Georgia to Texas. Unfortunately his health has been declining and it was recently suggested to us that we come visit... soon. The trek from VA to TX is a long one at about 1,152 miles... but I think that number doubles for each child in the car. (Am I wrong?) If it weren't for the DVD players (yeah - that's plural) and the dog, it would have seemed even longer than that.

And right now you're probably saying to yourself, "You traveled 1,152 miles with 3 kids and A DOG? What, are you nuts?"

Yes I am! Obviously we should have left the kids with someone!

The dog was a saving grace! As some of you may know, I put our Olde Victorian Bulldogge through Service Dog training. The picture above is her, crashed out in a very crazy-busy Tennessee McDonalds in the PlayLand area where we were allowing the 2 youngest of our brood to play off some energy. Not only does our dog not beg or drool when she smells Big Mac-luciousness, but if you drop food on the floor next to her, she pretends she doesn't even see it.

What service does Brandy Ann provide? Well, Iraq (who has Asperger syndrome) often becomes very over-stimulated - especially in busy, noisy, colorful places... like in a McDonald's play land.We can see the tell-tale signs. First she plays like all the other kids. Then, her play starts becoming a little wild and loud. Then louder... Then... she begins trying to find a private, quiet place within the giant habitrail-like plastic tubes. (Good luck with that, kiddo!) She resembles a feral cat as she slinks and hides when anyone comes near her or if we try to call to her. Once we are able to GET HER OUT... a task that is usually far easier said than done... she goes into full, non-verbal melt-down mode. As we pull her away from the multi-colored maze of plastic, the shrieking will begin and the limbs stop working.

Without the dog, we may stay in melt-down mode anywhere from 10 minutes to some giant indefinite number of minutes. As if it's not bad enough that I am having to subdue a shrieking, flailing child, it's usually at these cherished moments when I am bequeathed with dagger-stares from other parents. (My favorite part of any meltdown!)

With the dog? Well, the moment she is placed next to Brandy Ann, the shrieks stop immediately. She puts her arms around the dog's neck and buries her face in her neck. In about 5 minutes, she has calmed down completely and asks politely if she can go back and play.

Yes - - the dog DOES help!

So how was Texas, you ask?

 

Yup - that about sums it up! Not only was it hot, but the state is experiencing its worst drought since Texans started keeping records... so like, before the Alamo and all that. It was so hot and dry in fact that we all spontaneously combusted the moment we stepped out of the car.

Anywhoo... We are very thankful that we got to see Pawpaw. The kids will have some very nice memories of time shared with him... except for The Skink who would get no closer than about two feet from him. (So it's been a while since she last saw him.) Iraq and Broadway got snuggely for a picture.

And we got to see cousins... however I think poor Pawpaw may have gotten just a liiiiitttlllle overwhelmed...

We even took Pawpaw to the aquarium in Grapevine, TX...

And we got to see an old friend just for a few minutes. Cyndi was one of The Skink's favorite nurses during her (rather loooonng) stay in the NICU, 5 years ago.

After 3 very short days in Texas enjoying Pawpaw, we headed to Louisiana to further torture ourselves by adding humidity to the unbearable heat and to visit my sister. On the way, we got stuck in a traffic jam, (due to a brush fire obviously caused by spontaneously combusting swamp-grass... or possibly by some moron throwing a cigarette out a car window - my vote is for the spontaneous combustion thing) but it allowed us to see one of the funniest scenes ever. Some cars were using the median to turn around and avoid the jam. Well... a motorcycle cop saw the cars driving through the median and made them turn around, drive back through the median and get back in line! Go LA police - you tell 'em!

The offending white car takes the drive of shame back to her place in line... ROFLMAO!

Eventually we did get to my sister's house un-charred and in one piece so that Broadway could get some good chicken cuddles from Chick-A-Doodee. What? Doesn't everybody have a pet chicken?

Iraq got to ride Aunt Kate's new mare, Jelly Belly, all by herself. We later found out that the belly isn't due to jelly at all! The vet came out and confirmed that in a few weeks Jelly Belly will be a mommy! My poor sister hyperventilated on the spot!

I got to ride too for the first time in way too long! (On one of the non-pregnant geldings.) Yeah - couldn't suppress that big ol' silly grin!

And while New Orleans is not exactly on the rout back home, hearing that Hurricane Irene was bearing down on our home state, we thought there would be a certain amount of fun in the irony of taking refuge in that fine city! At least long enough for lunch and some window shopping.

 

We did discover one little over-sight in NOLA, however. It became VERY clear that prior to our next summer trip to a city notoriously as hot as... someplace even further south... we will have to invest in some doggy booties! Heat-resistant doggie booties! Poor Brandy minced over each hot patch of brick sidewalk until she reached the next shady portion where she slowed waaaaaayyyyy down to cool her poor feet. Smart dog!

And what would a road trip be without a blown tire in Nowheresville, Mississippi? Yeah... and I'm not even going to mention getting pegged by another car in NOLA (their fault) and getting some retread thrown under our front end by an 18 wheeler, causing further unnecessary vehicular damage. (Oops - I mentioned it.)

We saw the inside of far too many McDonalds' in the duration of our trip. We also saw tons of caravans of tree removal trucks and line-repair trucks coming from LA and MS toward the areas targeted by Irene. I don't know why I chose this particular caravan of about 10 trucks to photograph, but we saw them again a few hours later - just 2 hours from our home  :(    Oops!

After all our adventures, we got home very late - and very tired! It was an adventure for sure, but there's no place like home, is there?

  *Disclaimer: We do not live in a white picket fence, but in a house that happens to have one.

*

Don't forget to check out my new book on Kindle - and you don't even need a Kindle to read it!

*
Don't have a Kindle? Click Here for other ways to read the book!








*

Campinig With Kids - Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge

On Thursday we packed up and left for Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge. We have been itching to try out our new-to-us pop-up camper, but we've had some reservations about camping with Iraq and The Skink. Dealing with Down syndrome and autism at home is one thing, but managing them at a campground... is another.

We had a BLAST!

Yup - all of us. We knew Broadway would love it, but Iraq was the one who ended up being the hardest to get into the car for the ride home. Sure, we had our hands full keeping up with The Skink, but then... we always have our hands full keeping up with her energy and fun-loving spirit.

We ended up having rather brisk weather this weekend. The air smelled like fresh, damp cedar mixed with undertones of smoke from the campfires. Iraq, The Skink, Brandy Ann and I went down to the playground while the guys set up our camper. It didn't take them long at all, and then we set about finding kindling.

You know? Food just tastes better when cooked over a campfire and eaten at a graying, wood picnic table under trees covered in new spring leaves!

After dinner we had some drinks and played some cards (and made stuff out of Play-Doh).

On Saturday we headed over to see the Natural Bridge. It's pretty amazing in person and quite beautiful. Walking up the path, one's ears are filled with the sound of rushing water. Small waterfalls trickle down the rock walls on either side. The roots of old trees wrap around the rocks. Midway up the path, a replica of a Native American settlement greets visitors with the sights and smells of yesteryear.

We took Brandy Ann along to help out with the kids. She earned her place, both helping me with The Skink while in the large gift shop, and soothing Iraq's rattled nerves when she became overstimulated from all the new sensory input along the path. (Yes - Iraq's medication is making a huge difference with her meltdowns, but she does still have major sensory issues. Her reaction to becoming overstimulated is just different now, and far easier for us to handle.) We even took Brandy into the cafe and she sat just as politely as you please as we ate our lunch. No begging, no wandering, nothing but exemplary behavior and only minimal drooling (hey - she could smell the food, and it smelled good!).

No - that's not drool. Brandy got to enjoy her own taste of nature along the path!

One of the best things about Jellystone Park was the number of other children there. Iraq found herself a large pack of children when ever she went to play or collect caterpillars (ewww).

We spent even more time around the campfire on Saturday evening, knowing the dawn of Sunday morning meant packing up to leave.

 

If you want to see more pictures from our adventure, please enjoy the slide show below!

Adasperdown Camping Trip 04 11 - slideshow dvd

We are already planning our next camping trip, and there is a high likelihood we will be returning to Jellystone park quite soon!

 Enjoy this blog? Let me know by voting on TopMommyBlogs! 

Follow the link and scroll down until you find Adasperdown Town.

*

CapaBull - Training My Service Dog Blog

**Update (01/08/2012) Was I successful in training a bulldog to be a service dog? You bet! Brandy has been everywhere with us and has proved to be a priceless asset to our family - especially my middle child who is in the autism spectrum. Here is a link with a few pictures of Brandy in action.**

Original Post:

Who would have thought my big, silly-looking bulldog would do this well in Service Dog training? I suppose if I had thought it, I might have tried training her a long time ago. Bulldogs simply aren't known for their trainability or their intelligence, but then again, Brandy is an Olde Victorian Bulldogge (OVB)... not sure if that is really supposed to make a big difference.

OVBs were created combining English Bulldog, American Bulldog, German Boxer, Staffordshire Terrier and Olde Bulldogges - perhaps Brandy's surprising trainability comes from the influence of fine, German engineering? This far down the autobahn, we can only speculate. 

So to date, the biggest hurdle we've had is the "down" command. She sits, she stays, she takes one step at a time, she ignores lawnmowers and strangers, but she does not like to lay down. It's understandable, really. Who wants to be told to lay down on a filthy sidewalk? That, and having a sore shoulder doesn't help. 


I've added glucosamine to her diet, and I may have to add some aspirin or something just to help out a bit. I mean... the poor dog is 7! Not exactly a spring chicken. It's like telling Grandma to just make herself comfortable on the concrete between the green glob of gum and the bird crap.


At any rate, I took Brandy out today, worked her for a bit, and then gave her the "down" command. She made a face (she can make the funniest faces when she isn't really happy about something) and then lay down! I praised her, I gave her treats... and then I learned what her true currency is! Belly Rubs!!


After I gave her some hearty belly rubs, she lay down for me consistently for the rest of the training. Of course when giving belly rubs, it is imperative to rub briskly and firmly while saying "Who's da bestest puppy in da whoooooooooooollle world? Who? Who is it? YOU da bestest doggie! You is! Oh yes you IS!" Brandy got so excited each time, she wiggled back and forth on her back with her upper lips thrown back, exposing the pink underside of her face and her giant, bully teeth. SO CUTE! 


Of course after reviewing what I just wrote, I'm starting to think I should keep an eye out for Brandy's blog... "How To Train Your Human." If I find it, I'll be sure to pass along the link!


At this point I have the Service Dog patches, harness and other fun stuff, but I haven't quite gotten around to sewing the patches ON to the harness... which would allow Brandy to go pretty much anywhere with us. Where did I put those stupid sewing needles??  


Oh, LOOK! Super Glue!

Update - 01/08/2012:

*