The end

From Jose

We spent a few great days in Prescott Valley with Donna.  She cooks the coolest pumpkin pancakes that are delicious and healthy. Yummy! We all wanted mostly to relax so there's not much exciting to report.

From Donna's we drove straight through to my daughter's near LA, about 330 miles.  This is where the trip "officially" started on March 24, 2013 so I guess the trip is "officially"  finished.  We are both so ready to get on our lives.

It was nice to see my daughter and her family again.  The biggest change was with my grandson. He was 5 when I started the trip.  He is 6 and in first grade now.  His vocabulary is greatly expanded and it's cool to see his reasoning and analytical mind.

I plan to depart my daughter's tomorrow and drive straight to Kanab, about 440 miles. I will probably take about a week to unwind and catch my breath. One of the first missions when I get back will be to get a companion, the 4-legged kind.

I will post at least one more update to recap the trip.

Stay tuned

Trenton

From Jose

Our next stop was Weeki Wachee Spring. They have a very cool mermaid show. The audience sits in an underwater theater with glass panels looking into the spring while the mermaids perform underwater. I had been there many years ago but Diane had no idea this place existed. They also have a training camp where young women can train to become mermaids. Diane's niece Mariah likes Weeki Wachee very much and would like to attend the camp. I got my picture taken with a mermaid. Diane and I asked her some technical questions about the diving and the mermaid answered in a very thorough but simple way. She seemed to enjoy her "work"  and be genuinely friendly.

From Weeki Wachee we went to Clearwater to visit another friend. That visit did not work out but fortunately the purpose of the trip is to travel and see the US so coming to Clearwater was not a total waste. We did have some trouble finding a place to stay.  All the campgrounds were booked  or did not allow dogs. Finally the people at Lee's RV Park  made an exception to their 20 pound dog limit (Abe is 43 lb) and allowed us in. Apparently Abe did not understand that these nice people were doing him a big favor because he darted out the door again and went for a fast sprint all over the campground, as mentioned a few blog entries back. This is where I made the decision to return Abe to his shelter. So we backtracked to DeLand and to the Southeastern Border Collie Rescue before heading to Trenton to see Diane's friend MaryBeth.

MaryBeth and her husband Bruce live on a 5-acre farm with MaryBeth's mom Mary, Bruce' sister Jan, 9 dogs, 3 cows, 2 miniature horses and 1 goat. It sounds very hectic but in reality is a very peaceful and healing place. I made great strides in healing from the loss of my beloved Matilda. All the humans were so friendly and the animals, with their adventurous shyness, made it feel like being home. Bruce needed help putting up a fence in the horses' pasture and he asked us to stay a couple of extra days to help with that project. I'm not sure how much I actually helped but I was glad to be outdoors, breathing the fresh air, moving around.

As I have mentioned earlier, the trip is not the same without Matilda, so from Trenton we fast forwarded West towards Donna in Prescott, Arizona. Up to that point in the trip we averaged 50 miles per day but after Trenton we averaged about 200. I just want to get home.

Stay tuned

Orlando

From José

We finally arrived in the Orlando area. I lived in
Oviedo for about 20 years, and my brother Rick moved to Oviedo also, not far from my house. I parked the RV in Rick's driveway and was able to connect my extension cord to his electric outlet. While staying at Rick's I made some side trips to visit other friends. First side trip was to see Dianne. She was a nurse who helped me a lot during my parents' final years. I met her when she worked at a nursing home where my parents spent some time.  After my parents left her nursing home I often asked her about symptoms, medicines, etc.  Her advise helped me be a better caregiver for my parents.

I also made a short trip to meet Mary, a former running partner, at a nearby park. When I joined the Orlando Runners Club many years ago Mary took the time to show me the ropes and make me feel welcome. I always remember her kindness. Mary knows Rick, they met at Toastmasters, so she followed me to his house. We ordered pizza and stayed up "late" chatting.

After we left Rick's I drove by the house where I lived in Oviedo. It's still the same. The trees lining the street have grown bigger and meet with trees from the other side, making a tunnel.

I also visited my dad's niece, Dolly and her husband Felipe. I had not seen either for many years. Dolly is an excellent storyteller and has even written some historical articles. I could have listened to her stories for a long time. I also asked her some questions about my genealogy which she answered beautifully, in her unique storytelling style.

We then went to downtown Orlando and met Diane's niece Mitra. She lives right smack in downtown Orlando near Lake Eola, where many of the races I participated in as runner or photographer took place. Mitra works so it was a very short visit during lunch. But while Diane and Mitra chatted I took a quick walk around Lake Eola.

We also took a quick drive to Track Shack, the people that organized the races I participated in as runner or photographer. They not only remembered me but we're happy see me.  As a memento of the visit they gave me a long-sleeved T-shirt with their logo. I promised I will send them a picture of me wearing that shirt in some famous place .

From there we went to DeBary to visit Diane's other niece Mariah. DeBary is a cute town near Lake Monroe and the St Johns river. We stayed at Lake Monroe County Park, close to the water. Diane did a lot of catching up with Mariah and would have liked to stay longer.

Next we visited my cousin Juan and his wife Josselin, west of Orlando. They got their first grandson not long ago and are very proud grandparents. He and I went to school together, from first grade to graduating from college, both electrical engineers. Then he went in the Air Force and I went in the Army. They showed us some cool pictures of Air Force planes and of Puerto Rico.

Orlando now has overpasses in some of the most crowded and dangerous intersections, which has reduced traffic congestion considerably. I also noticed that growth has been managed carefully and the city remains clean and beautiful.

From there we left the Orlando area. On our next stop I got my picture taken with a very enchanting creature, but you'll have to wait for my next entry to find out what it is.

Stay tuned

Titusville

From Jose

As you all know, Matilda's loss has occupied my mind for the past month or so, and this blog has reflected that. Thank you all for your fantastic support during this difficult time. Matilda will always be in a very special place in my heart. But I need to get back to writing about the trip. The show must go on, it's just not going to be the same show as before. I was very tempted to cancel the remainder of the trip and head straight to Kanab. But I finally decided to to contntine with an abbreviated trip, not stopping as much or staying as long in any one place.

After I picked up Matilda's ashes I continued North, retracing our steps. This gave us a chance to visit my friend Patty one more time.  As you might recall when we left Patty she was going into the hospice home.  She was there about a week and now she was back home. They adjusted her meds in such a way that now she was feeling much better. She was smiling, laughing and being the Patty I remembered. We did not stay long this time and left happier than last time, knowing that Patty was feeling a lot better.

From Sebring we headed to the Titusville area where many of my former colleagues still live. Swinging near St Cloud we stopped to say hello to Diane Smith, my brother Cris' friend. Even on short notice she prepared us a delicious lunch and then we hung out in her warm and cozy home, arching up on the latest news in her life.  She recently retired from Disney and is adjusting to retired live very nicely.

We then went to the Titusville area to visit my former coworker Beth and her dogs Murphee,  Patch and Zack.  Murphee is almost 17 years old. All 3 dogs are very smart Border Collies and Beth is very good at training them. We stayed at Beth's for a few days. While there we made a side trip to visit Cheryl and her two daughters Tasha and Hannah.

Last time I saw Hannah she was 9 years old, now she is 16. Big difference. She has a good head on her shoulders and a good study plan for high school and college. She wants to be a nurse and I'm sure she'll will go far. Tasha just got a great job in Atlanta doing research. A dream job. Two successful young ladies and one proud mama.

I also took another side trip to meet Dori, another coworker. I used to photograph Dori's daughters when they played soccer in school. Both daughters are all grown up.

Beth took us to DeLand, FL to see the Southeastern Border Collie Rescue.  As you might remember that is where I got Abe. He was the subject of the last two entries and I  not going to repeat that. After we left Titusville we headed for the Orlando area. That is a whole other story.

Stay tuned

A tough decision

From Jose

I thought I was ready for a new dog in my life and Abe thought he was ready to be in a home. We both had different ideas of what that meant so it ended up an imperfect fit, and over the last two weeks we struggled with communicating with each other. Abe is a smart loving dog but also very stubborn. I worry for his safety and after two weeks and two escapes from the RV and me unable to run after him, our trust in one another was not strong enough to weather another month of RV living.

Could I have changed this relationship when we got back to Kanab ? Possibly. But it was unfair to put him in a stressful situation and let him continue with his bad habits while in the meantime we all were affected by the stress. In the beginning I really had high hopes for the relationship but then Maguire and Abe had some spats because of close quarters. Abe had learned to sit, stay and follow some direction but his focus was very inconsistent; he never answered to his name and was not food or treat motivated which made it difficult to attract his attention and more importantly distract him from focusing on the wrong things.

Whenever I ignore the little voice in my head in  situations and try to look at the positive, it often backfires. This time the little voice was telling me to bring Abe back to the rescue, and this time I listened as it became persistent and louder. I made the hard decision to take him back to his rescue hoping that at least Abe learned something from me that will help him in a forever perfect home. Believe me this is not a decision I have taken lightly. I really like Abe. We didn't bond as much as I had hoped. I really wanted him to be a companion.

When we drove to the rescue, as soon as we turned the corner he recognized his home and was very excited. As soon as we were in the yard and his caregiver unleashed him, Abe took off running and never looked back.

Abe

No dog will ever take Matilda's place in my heart, but now there is room for another passenger in the RV. Say hello to Abe. Formerly residing at the Southeastern Border Collie Rescue League in Deland, FL. Now and forever residing right next to me.

Stay tuned

Carmel Junction

From Jose

A few blog entries back I related some stories about Matilda. I asked my awesome brother Cris to share a story of him and Matilda. This is what he wrote:

------------------------------

It is my pleasure to write a little note about a wonderful dog that won our hearts with her dynamism and playfulness.

One afternoon camping at the Junction I started climbing a hill with many trees. Matilda followed me and checked on me occasionally. As I went up I didn't see Matilda for a while so I called her a few times without response. I wondered where she was.To my surprise I looked to the top of the hill and... There she was wiggling her tail welcoming me, making my climb more interesting.

I have never had pets, but now I know how one can fall in love with one of these selfless four legged companions! Thanks Matilda for the memories.

------------------------------
Back to Jose

The picture has a story also.  I sent this picture to my niece, Cris' daughter, who I got Matilda from. When she first saw the picture she thought it was strange that Matilda was behind my brother.  Then she looked carefully and noticed that they were coming down and Matilda is in front, which is more like Matilda.

Thanks Cris for the cool story. And thanks Maria for giving me five fantastic years with  my doggie soulmate.