Tuesday morning in Kalispell, Montana

Good Morning, friends known and yet to be known,

Oh my, it sure is good to be back among the connected!! I don't know how good my memory is going to be so I may have to backtrack a lot, but here goes!! We followed Uncle Bob's directions to where they were going to meet us and have us follow them down to the Smith River and their cabin. No problem. It was an easy route and Daddy is so good at following directions.....except when Mommy gives them....but I digress......

When we got there, Mom went with Aunt Lynette in her truck, and Daddy took Uncle Bob in our truck....with ME, of course!! The deal was that when Mommy and Aunt Lynette got to the locked gate, they would stop, unlock it, and wait for us. Well, it sorta happened like that....only a little different.....See, when the girls (minus me) got going, they were far ahead of us. Then they stopped to take some pictures of the countryside and antelope, when a red truck went whizzing by them, pedal to the floor, kickin' up a huge duststorm! Mom said, "Look at those hot-doggers, d......mn fools!!" Both girls thought it was our truck, so when they got to the locked gate, they unlocked it, went through, and locked it up again. However, when they got to the cabin, the red truck wasn't there!! Oh dear....musta been a different truck. So, Aunt Lynette dropped Mom off because it was a sure bet SHE wasn't goin' up that road again....and I have pictures to show you why.....drove up to the gate, and there we were!! Waitin' to get in! 'Cause Aunt Lynette had the only key!! We all had a good laugh over that......well, maybe some of us didn't think it was so funny, but we girls sure did! Just another little adventure on our trip west!

OK, so we got all unpacked and settled in and went for a short walk until it began to rain. Then we had supper and went to bed. The cabin is wonderful.......and I really liked the fireplace 'cause it was all warm and everything. I was such a good girl and I behaved myself. I'm getting so good at just casing the joint, putting my toys where I want them, going out to do my business when I need to, and letting everyone pet me as much as they want. You just couldn't ask for a better puppy.

The next day, cousin Kyle arrived with his friend, Cash. Cash is about my age and is a really handsome Springer Spaniel. He's a little hyper, but once we got to know each other, we had a great time. He's such fun to chase!! Cousin Kyle is 30....was I suppose to tell, Cousin??.....and a really nice man. Mom loves to tease him because he gets all embarrassed and red in the face. Later on, Cousins Brooke, Justin, and Baby Quin arrived. Cousin Brooke is Aunt Lynette's daughter, Justin is her husband, and Baby Quin, who is almost three, is their little girl. Oh, was she a lot of fun!! She would throw my ball and I would catch it or chase it, depending on where she threw it, and we had a wonderful time. I was so good with her, so gentle, so I've decided I really like little people. Oh, how could I forget!! Cousin Brooke has a little wantabe dog....Daisy. She's a miniature dachshound and she's cute, and all, but she really didn't want to play with me. She spent most of her time on Uncle Bob's shoulder or lap......woosie dog. Mom loved her and now she wants one!! I don't know........I'm not sure I could stand it......

It rained most of Saturday and Sunday, so we had to spend a lot of time inside, but Mom and Aunt Lynette did manage to take a couple of walks. It was so pretty down there, but I couldn't go swimming in the river because it was too high and fast. Uncle Bob says it gets better later in the summer, but we won't be here then. Lots of people run the river in rafts, and fish on it. It's a catch and release river.......but when Daddy caught a rainbow trout, Uncle Bob said he could keep it so they had it as a horse's ovary just before supper. I don't know what a horse's ovary is, but I'm sure that's what they called it.

Anyhow, Cousins Brooke, Justin, and Quin went home Sat. night, but Cousin Kyle stayed overnight. He made everyone breakfast Sunday morning and then he and Cash left. I missed Cash and Daisy when they left.......no one to chase anymore......sigh.... All those cousins live near Helena, which was a couple of hours drive away.

Rained all day Sunday, but Monday morning it was gorgeous!! Mom and Aunt Lynette and I went for a short walk before we left and I desperately wanted to go swimming, buy Mom wouldn't let me. She told me there was a lake near Kalispell, so we might be able to swim there. We got on the road about 10:30 am, drove the hour and a half to Great Falls to pick up our trailer that was at Uncle Gale and Aunt Sue's, chit-chatted with them for a few minutes, and headed north to Kalispell. I went with Dad and Uncle Bob, while Mom and Aunt Lynette drove together. They seem to have an awful lot to talk about.....gets boring for the rest of us after awhile, but they just go on and on and on....the Gale jabber-gene, I guess. Most of you don't know what that means, but Lynette and Mom have their roots in the Gale family from Stowe, Vermont, and they all talk/ed a lot.

It took about four hours to get to Kalispell, but it sure is pretty here. You can see the Rocky Mountains all around and there is still snow on the tops of some of them. So, we have our own space in the basement.......and a big bed, and a bathroom, and a TV, and when everyone is upstairs, I go down, get my toys and bring them up! If Mommy and Daddy are downstairs, I go up and get my toys and bring them down. Just before we left the cabin, when everyone was getting their stuff ready, I got all my toys, one at a time, and put them right by the couch so we wouldn't forget them. I was so helpful! See what a good girl I am? Smart, too.

Anyhow, here we are. Mom is doing some laundry this morning, and then they're going to go sight-seeing. Uncle Bob had to tell Daddy about this big sports store in town, and you know he has to go find that!! Not a problem. I'll probably stay here in the kennel....people in Montana don't like dogs left in the car and might call the police who might get nasty, so I'll just stay here. They won't be gone long.

OK, I think I'm all caught up now except for the pictures. Those will come on separate posts, so enjoy!! I'll be back later, for sure. Love to all, Juni