Steph and I are embarking on yet another "vacation" so I thought I'd get the blog going again. Since our visit to Niue we spent another summer in New Zealand and are now in Thailand about to start a month-ish long trip around Southeast Asia. The plan is Vietnam and Laos. We've never been to either so should be good. First we'll try to catch up.
Before I can do anything else on the blog, I have to put up something about our dog, Ginger. Back in February of this year we got the terrible news that she had cancer and there wasn't much that could be done, so I flew home to be with her for her last few days. You may not have known Ginger or care, but I wanted to write something for her and I couldn't stand to do it on Facebook. If you didn't know her, know this - Ginger was an freaking awesome dog. When I look back on my time with Ginger I am amazed at what a great 8 years she had. Plucked from a cardboard box in a Kroger parking lot on Christmas Eve 2006, I picked the white one with a spot on her nose. What a great choice I made. We've had many a great adventures together and I will be forever thankful to her.
Along the way Ginger has touched many lives. I know of at least 2 families that have dogs now thanks to their time with Ginger. She has been loyal and obedient, but mostly funny, fun-loving, energetic and entertaining. Steph and I used to call her "Play All Day" because that was her life. Oh, she lived a good life. She's hiked, camped, ran, chased, and played for pretty much every day of her life, but easily her favorite thing was swimming and she got to do plenty of it. She'd swim anywhere and everywhere she could, including oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, swimming pools and even decorative fountains. Doesn't matter if there was a thing layer of ice on the lake, she'd break through it and swim in circles in the icy water. One day while on a hike in North Georgia she decided to pick up a rock in her mouth. She carried that thing the remaining 3 miles back to the car and from then on, she freaking loved rocks. I didn't have to buy her tennis balls to chase (though I still did), for all I had to do was pick up a rock off the ground and she'd go nuts. When I threw it in the water, well, that was her favorite. Diving for rocks became one of Ginger's best party tricks and she loved it. She'd do it for hours until her paws were bloody and her teeth were worn to their roots if I let her. Speaking of tricks, she could do all the normal tricks that many dogs know. Sit, turn around, speak, shake, lie down. She wasn't so great at playing dead, but I always kinda liked her half-assed attempt as she kept her head up to stare at the treat. What really made her daddy proud, though, was her commando-style crawl across the floor. I can't even remember how she learned this one, or even why, but she would drag herself across the carpet in a clumsy way like some horror-movie chick trying hopelessly to escape the bad guy. It was my favorite of her tricks.
Ginger was a fierce and formidable foe to all creatures she came across (except dogs and humans of course). She's killed her fair share of squirrels, chipmunks and even the occasional mouse. She's chased off many a cat and has even backed away admirably when the cat wanted a fight, not wanting to maim someone else's pet. She's chased foxes and rabbits, deer, turkeys, even an armadillo. She's sent bears scampering up the nearest tree. She once encountered a skunk and was ready to take a spraying in the face to protect us, but bravely had me hold her back and drag her away. She met a couple of wolves once through a cage, turning her nose up in disinterest as they desperately tried to get to her. This dog even growled and barked at a whale once. A freaking whale. She was that badass.
We thought we lost Ginger twice already. Once, when she went out in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and ran off chasing a cat. By the next morning we'd put flyers up all around the neighborhood only to find her leading some strangers back to our place. She had gotten stuck in a nearby parking garage before some lady found her and cooked her a hamburger for breakfast. It was a good adventure. Another time she snuck out of my parents house while we were out to dinner, jumped the fence and went roaming the neighborhood. We were worried sick until we finally found her at a neighbor's house swimming in their pool with their kids. Another fine adventure.
What I'll miss most about Ginger is her sweet nature (most of the time - if another dog dared annoy her she'd snarl at them like White Fang). I'll miss her enthusiasm for life. I'll miss coming home to her every day after work, with her laying frozen in place until I call her to me. I'll miss her excitement over a new toy. I'll miss our games of hide-and-seek and frisbee golf. I'll miss our walks and hikes and camping and kayaking and paddleboarding and running and biking together. I'll miss everything because she was everything to me when we were together. There's not a thing that won't remind me of Ginger and make me miss her. That's what makes this so painful but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.
When I think about all the things Ginger got to do, she sure was a lucky dog. By my count she's been to over 25 states and 3 Canadian provinces. How many dogs can say that, much less people? She's seen bears and whales in the wild. She's swam in the Atlantic ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and 2 Great Lakes. She's hiked to mountain peaks and played in the snow. She's been to Times Square and Central Park in New York. She's been on boats and buses and even a couple ferries. She even rode an escalator once (and only once). She dutifully trusted me when I put her on a jetski with me for a cruise around the lake. Yes, she got to do all these fun things because we loved her and she loved us. She was my best friend. I will always miss you Ginger.
Before I can do anything else on the blog, I have to put up something about our dog, Ginger. Back in February of this year we got the terrible news that she had cancer and there wasn't much that could be done, so I flew home to be with her for her last few days. You may not have known Ginger or care, but I wanted to write something for her and I couldn't stand to do it on Facebook. If you didn't know her, know this - Ginger was an freaking awesome dog. When I look back on my time with Ginger I am amazed at what a great 8 years she had. Plucked from a cardboard box in a Kroger parking lot on Christmas Eve 2006, I picked the white one with a spot on her nose. What a great choice I made. We've had many a great adventures together and I will be forever thankful to her.
Along the way Ginger has touched many lives. I know of at least 2 families that have dogs now thanks to their time with Ginger. She has been loyal and obedient, but mostly funny, fun-loving, energetic and entertaining. Steph and I used to call her "Play All Day" because that was her life. Oh, she lived a good life. She's hiked, camped, ran, chased, and played for pretty much every day of her life, but easily her favorite thing was swimming and she got to do plenty of it. She'd swim anywhere and everywhere she could, including oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, swimming pools and even decorative fountains. Doesn't matter if there was a thing layer of ice on the lake, she'd break through it and swim in circles in the icy water. One day while on a hike in North Georgia she decided to pick up a rock in her mouth. She carried that thing the remaining 3 miles back to the car and from then on, she freaking loved rocks. I didn't have to buy her tennis balls to chase (though I still did), for all I had to do was pick up a rock off the ground and she'd go nuts. When I threw it in the water, well, that was her favorite. Diving for rocks became one of Ginger's best party tricks and she loved it. She'd do it for hours until her paws were bloody and her teeth were worn to their roots if I let her. Speaking of tricks, she could do all the normal tricks that many dogs know. Sit, turn around, speak, shake, lie down. She wasn't so great at playing dead, but I always kinda liked her half-assed attempt as she kept her head up to stare at the treat. What really made her daddy proud, though, was her commando-style crawl across the floor. I can't even remember how she learned this one, or even why, but she would drag herself across the carpet in a clumsy way like some horror-movie chick trying hopelessly to escape the bad guy. It was my favorite of her tricks.
Ginger was a fierce and formidable foe to all creatures she came across (except dogs and humans of course). She's killed her fair share of squirrels, chipmunks and even the occasional mouse. She's chased off many a cat and has even backed away admirably when the cat wanted a fight, not wanting to maim someone else's pet. She's chased foxes and rabbits, deer, turkeys, even an armadillo. She's sent bears scampering up the nearest tree. She once encountered a skunk and was ready to take a spraying in the face to protect us, but bravely had me hold her back and drag her away. She met a couple of wolves once through a cage, turning her nose up in disinterest as they desperately tried to get to her. This dog even growled and barked at a whale once. A freaking whale. She was that badass.
We thought we lost Ginger twice already. Once, when she went out in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and ran off chasing a cat. By the next morning we'd put flyers up all around the neighborhood only to find her leading some strangers back to our place. She had gotten stuck in a nearby parking garage before some lady found her and cooked her a hamburger for breakfast. It was a good adventure. Another time she snuck out of my parents house while we were out to dinner, jumped the fence and went roaming the neighborhood. We were worried sick until we finally found her at a neighbor's house swimming in their pool with their kids. Another fine adventure.
What I'll miss most about Ginger is her sweet nature (most of the time - if another dog dared annoy her she'd snarl at them like White Fang). I'll miss her enthusiasm for life. I'll miss coming home to her every day after work, with her laying frozen in place until I call her to me. I'll miss her excitement over a new toy. I'll miss our games of hide-and-seek and frisbee golf. I'll miss our walks and hikes and camping and kayaking and paddleboarding and running and biking together. I'll miss everything because she was everything to me when we were together. There's not a thing that won't remind me of Ginger and make me miss her. That's what makes this so painful but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.
When I think about all the things Ginger got to do, she sure was a lucky dog. By my count she's been to over 25 states and 3 Canadian provinces. How many dogs can say that, much less people? She's seen bears and whales in the wild. She's swam in the Atlantic ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and 2 Great Lakes. She's hiked to mountain peaks and played in the snow. She's been to Times Square and Central Park in New York. She's been on boats and buses and even a couple ferries. She even rode an escalator once (and only once). She dutifully trusted me when I put her on a jetski with me for a cruise around the lake. Yes, she got to do all these fun things because we loved her and she loved us. She was my best friend. I will always miss you Ginger.
It's been really hard for us losing Ginger, but we'll move on with the blogging. Next post should come very soon about our summer in New Zealand.
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