Sniffy and Donut

Back on the Summer of Murphy Tour last year we stayed at the home of Rob and Rhondda, the wonderful folks leading the Puppy Up! charge in Las Vegas and their young son, Owen or Cap'n Jack Sparrow as I knew him at the time, knighted Hudson and Indiana as Sirs 'Sniffy and Donut' respectively.  

It wasn't the same in the tent this week without 'Itchy Scratchy' and '12 short of a baker's dozen' (I can only guess that's what Owen meant), and I missed them during my fast but I'm back and we're back together and it's time for us to get back on the road.  

Tuesday we'll start making our way up to New England with stops in VA, MD, PA, NY for events and meetings. Stay posted...

YBD's Notes:  Got your card guys and thanks... indeed it is an adventure.  

Winter in the White Mountains

Once the Summer of Murphy Tour reached its conclusion we knew we had to have a stable quiet environment to edit the hundreds of hours of footage and terabytes of data into a documentary.  

And it just so happened we had some friends in one of the Easternmost reaches of the Appalachian Mountains in New Hampshire, Larry and Donna and their two kids, Grettie (a Westie) and Sophie (a Pyr).  

We've set up shop here for the winter months since it typically takes a project of this magnitude four months of editing at a bare minimum. 

And while we've only been up here a few weeks, it hasn't been 'All Work, No Play', the snow has been falling and some kinda fierce today.  Nearby is a pic of the snowball fight with me and Indiana which would've been fair if he minded snowballs in the face.  

Lil Nana thinks I was lobbing love grenades at him, god bless em.  

Hudson's having a ton of fun up here, too, and it's earned him a new moniker.  But that's another story for another time.

Hope the Holidays find you and yours well...

Summer of Murphy Tour II

Part one of the Tour is complete... read about our experiences at the Summer of Murphy Blog

Hand on Balls

Some of you know I have a thing about heights and it's been put to the test countless times on our travels - bridges, gorges canyons, ravines, and even skyscrapers (Top of the Rock when we were in NYC for the Today Show).  But the South Rim took em all.

I won't waste your time with descriptors about the Grand Canyon... no writer should.  Either you've been there or you haven't and neither words nor pictures will do it justice.  It was my first time and an unscheduled detour between Albuquerque and Las Vegas.

Back to my acrophobia.  It's my only fear and by fear I mean holy effin sh*t scared I am of heights.  And it's nothing I can control.  It's a physical and physiological reaction that's non-negotiable and down and outright absolute.

For reasons completely unknown to me, it starts in my private region and radiates outward.  And NOT in a good way.  When I was a boy, I tried to describe it to my father in, well, childlike terminology.  I said, "Dad, my Popo tingles".

Coming in from the Flagstaff side of the Canyon you're kinda caught off guard.  It's a pleasant enough drive with scenic vistas and then it's like you're ten feet from a 2,000 foot drop off and certain death.

But it's strange that the 'Popo Tingling' isn't just limited to me.  Tish was taking photos near the edge and vicariously, I felt the danger in my loins.  But the Murphy Mobile was a safe place for me and it was there I found my 'safe' word or words.

Hand on balls

If you're anxious, just say it and you'll feel better.  Even if you don't even have em.

Hand on balls

Summer of Murphy Tour Trailer and News

Tomorrow, Hudson & Indiana and I are setting out on an adventurous two month, 25 city, 6,000 mile tour in the Murphy Mobile. Watch the nearby trailer...

 

For tour dates, events, stories, and updates, the website is www.SummerofMurphy.org

Summer of Murphy Tour is ON

The Fuzzybutts and I are taking a couple of weeks off and the tour will pick back up after Labor Day in Memphis TN and here are the other 22 cities on the tour and approximate dates.  

09.06. Little Rock  AR

09.07 Denison TX

09.08 Belton TX

09.09 - 09.10 San Antonio TX

09.11-09.13. Austin TX

09.12 - Presenting at the Pet Sitter's International Conference in Austin

09.14 Albuquerque NM

09.16 - 09.21 Las Vegas NV

09.20 First Annual Puppy Up Charity Golf Tournament in Las Vegas

09.22 - 09.25 Denver CO

09.26 Garden City KS

09.28 Liberty MO

09.29 Chicago IL

10.03 Indianapolis IN

10.05 Cincinnati OH

10.07 Fairborn OH

10.08 Columbus OH

10.10 Pittsburgh PA

10.12 New Castle PA

10.13 Monessen PA for their Puppy Up Walk

10.15 Clinton NJ

10.16 Jersey City, NJ

10.18 New Milford CT

10.20 Madison CT

Stay posted here as we schedule event dates and time in each city.  

In Famous

This past week we saw Indy's birthday party on the 16th, Father's Day on the 17th, the 2nd anniversary of the Final Mile in Boston on the 19th, the Toyota competition on the 20th, and today one year since Murphy was given rest.  

What an exhausting roller coaster of emotions week it's been.  

But will it be remembered as infamous or in famous? Reminds me of a scene from the Three Amigos.  

I started to write a serious blog tonite but I don't think he really wanted me to.  Murphy never took things too seriously (xcpt for food and pyr paw and snuggle snuggles). 

Like the DH Lawrence poem, Murphy was a wild thing, never sorry for himself.  

That we didn't win the Toyota competition was disappointing but we've crossed this bridge before countless of times on our travels.  Having faith is momentary.  Keeping it isn't.  

The Summer of Murphy Tour starts in September and as it stands will include the following states: Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

In the spirit of Murphy, it'll be a celebratory tour thanking all of our supporters, making new friends, and showing the world that cancer will never keep us down.  There's much much more in store and we'll post exact dates and cities in the coming weeks.

Maybe we should call it Murphy's In Famous Tour?

A Father's Fathers Day Wish

Late December 2010 when it became evident that Murphy's initial course of radiation had not only failed but a new tumor, a sarcoma, had developed I knew his time was running out.  And even though I made the hard decision for a radical second round of radiation, my mind was already planning one final farewell tour:  To the cities we had not walked through and for those who hadn't met Murphy and witnessed his indomitable spirit.  

The handful of my confidants, who were in on the early discussions about the tour, were resoundingly against it for they feared the stress would compromise his already battered body.  Although I fought fiercely for it, within a few weeks his health deteriorated and I knew they were right and the tour was canceled.  

Almost equally painful than resigning yourself to the inevitability of losing your child and the absolute sense of helplessness was the sad realization that Murphy would never directly touch lives like the thousands he had on our walk.  

I saved this blog for Father's Day because as a father you do everything you can to save the life of your child and when that fails you do everything you can to carry their memory and beauty forward.  

On the eve of the first anniversary of his passing, we have the possibility of fulfilling that dream.  We are planning a 20 city Summer of Murphy tour and the Toyota 100 Cars for Good has given us the chance to realize it.  

The Murphy Mobile, as it will be christened, will be a beacon of hope and belief at every stop it makes for everyone and anyone who has been touched by cancer.  It'll be both a place of celebration and remembrance and a reminder that our work is not done.  

I wish I could have saved my boy.  I wish I could bring him back.  But I hope and pray I can keep his legacy alive. This is my Father's Day wish.

And to do so, I need your help.  Please vote for 2 Million Dogs to win a Murphy Mobile. Even though voting doesn't begin until 10AM EST on the 20th, right now you can go to www.100carsforgood.com, type 2 Million Dogs in the search box and click on 'Remind Me' and an email reminder will be sent to you.

Keep the Faith, Puppy Up, & Happy Father's day.