Beyond Hope...

... Arkansas, that is. We were greeted by a herd of cattle just outside of Prescott and Hudson now thinks he's a cow whisperer. They seem to follow him whever he goes so there may just be something to that.

Though the pic's a tad blurry, that's my first tick of the trip (NOTE - this is my CALF not my CRACK. Jeez, some people...) YBD's not afraid of much anymore but these little parasites can carry dozens of different diseases, few of them easily treatable. Just read this recent CNN article about a woman's ten year battle with Lyme disease. The good news is if you catch em early enough and get the head, chances of transmission are fairly low.

This is a photo of the pink puffy blossomed Mimosa set against Arkansas' state tree, the loblolly pine. Right now the Mimosa, Magnolias, and Crape Myrtles are all in full bloom. It sure is gorgeous here and it's of no wonder they call it the natural state. Perhaps the only complaint I have is that few of their highway bridges have shoulders. I've been able to manage it since most have been pretty short but they're getting longer and longer like the one at the Little Missouri River (can't wait to meet the big brother - heh!). The only thing that makes it passable is you have visibility for miles and traffic's not too heavy. We're about to come to one that's not - it's arch shaped and so oncoming vehicles won't be able to see me making it too risky for Hudson. I'll go it alone.

The events at Little Rock were awesome! Two TV stations came out to interview us and we were happy to get coverage for the BoxAR rescue group. They have desperately been trying to get traction with the media for years. Unfortunately, the links to the archived video aren't working for some odd reason (we've contacted them but it still hasn't been fixed... ) We have some cool photos of the boys in their red, white, and blue bandanas which I hope will get posted soon.

Lori and Silas drove all the way up from Edom TX to join in the day's festivities and left is a pic of them with Murphy winding down afterwards. They've been helping us tremendously and they're part of the family now. Thanks guys - see you in Memphis!!!


Since Hudson and Murphy snubbed me for them, YBD found himself a mate to snuggle with. Meet Mac, a handsome brendal Boxer, asleep atop YBD. Man can he saw some logs. I could barely hear the television. Do all Boxers snore that seriously?

I wanted to add something to my previous post about volunteering at the Humane Society of Clark County. My experience was great and I had a ton of fun. Your Big Dog must admit he was afraid of getting his heart broken there but it was nothing like that at all. Alyssa had me mending kennels in the morning and that gave me the chance to meet their dogs and boy did they have some beauties: Daisy and Smiley, Duchess' three puppies, Ladybug just to name a few.

In my previous post I neglected to open up about the experience but I was doing some serious introspection. You see, ever since Malcolm, I've always considered myself a hardcore dog lover yet until this trip, I had never spent even a second in a shelter. So personally now, I don't feel one can truly call themselves a cat or dog lover until and unless they help the ones most in need.

So Git off yer butts & volunteer! Ever so lovingly, your big dog