Mom's Retirement

To everyone who's attending Mom's Retirement on 31 Oct at 1:30pm - you'll have to stop at the Visitor's Center to pick up your Base Pass. Unfortunately, we didn't get them in time to mail them out. If you didn't RSVP, please do so, or you won't be on the access list!

Take Exit 125 from the Freeway (the signs say "McChord AFB") on to Bridgeport (if you're coming from the North, take a left over the Freeway) and get in the left-hand lane. Go straight through the next stop light and you'll be headed into the base. Take a left into the parking lot and park - someone will be there with a Base Pass for you. You'll also need some form of Government issued ID, such as a Driver's License, for everyone in the car. Once you get your base pass, you'll follow the map that was sent - we'll have extras there.

Of course, I, Daphne the Itchy Dog, the most important person in this pack, won't be there, because "pets" aren't allowed in government buildings. I'm not a pet, I'm a pack member! Stupid rules!

Hiking in the North Cascades

Mom said she's been trying to get up to the North Cascades since we got here, but we just haven't had the time - I have plenty of time, I don't know what she does all day - so we went for a couple of days this last week. We stayed in this tiny little den at a place called Clark's Skagit River Resort in Marblemount - they had bunnies everywhere, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let me chase them :-(

We went hiking - we were supposed to hike the Pacific Crest Trail at Rainy Pass, but there was about 6 inches of snow there, so we backtracked to Easy Pass instead - and we hit the snow just before the treeline. We didn't make it all the way to the Pass, which is just to the left of Dad's head in the picture, because we've never hiked there before and we weren't exactly sure where the trail was. Well, Mom and Dad weren't - I know where it is, but I have four-paw traction and they don't.

On the next day, we drove and drove and drove - Mom said it was the eastern half of the Cascade Highway loop - and finally made it back to our den. Mom and Dad said it was really pretty with the all the leaves turning colors, but I slept pretty much the whole day.

Dad's home all the time!

Mom & Dad keep talking about new dens. They said we sold the den in Colorado, and bought one in Montana, and that we'd be moving there pretty soon. I've never been to Colorado, but I liked Montana when we stayed in a little cabin and I got to play with the pack there. Mom and Dad also keep going through all the boxes of papers and putting them in piles, and going through their removable furs and putting those in bags and taking them all away someplace.

Dad's now at home with me all day - which is great, 'cause Dad's my hero - and today Mom stayed home too, and took me running this morning. Running is almost as much fun as the dog park, but more tiring - Mom's gotten faster over the last year. Dad says Mom is retiring soon, and she won't be wearing the funny one-piece fur with the patches that make ripping sounds anymore. Mom says she's tired and ready to retire - the "politics" are too much. I don't know what that means, but if she takes me running, I don't care!