After I finished the novel of our trip back to Ohio for Memorial Day, it dawned on Mommy B and I that I left out a couple noteworthy things. I didn't want to make the story any longer than it already was - but anyone who has ever come in contact with my family knows that we tend to be long-winded with our stories. But here are a couple things that should make you smile, shake your head and think, "I'm never traveling with an infant and dog... ever."
My parent's house sits on 4 acres and backs up against some very dense woods. When I was a kid, we cut some trails wide enough to ride our ATV through. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time as kids roaming around the countless acres of woods exploring anything and everything. It's probably been about 10 years or so since my siblings and I spent any time riding back there, so the trails have grown over and the wildlife is creeping back in. My parents now spend their evenings watching a family of deer emerge from the woods to graze and a family of foxes play around in the yard.
Followers of This Space know good and well how much our beloved Scarlett enjoys bolting out the front door (or garage) if someone makes the mistake of leaving it open enough for her to fit through. Excitable Golden Retriever + 4 acres of open space + countless acres of woods with infinite wildlife that she's never seen before = Scarlett on a leash at all times when going outside. Mommy B and I knew that if Scarlett got free it would be a recipe for disaster. Not so much because we were afraid to lose her in the woods, but we were more afraid that she would head for the street - which is much more dangerous than our cul-de-sac here in Chucktown.
Well, Sunday morning our fears manifested. We took Scarlett out on my parent's deck to enjoy some sunshine with us while Mommy B slept. I took my attention off her for a second and she managed to squeeze herself through the slats in the railing and took off like a bullet being shot out of a gun. Mama G and Papa Rob know what I'm talking about. She too had spent the previous evenings watching the deer emerge from the woods, and she has a good memory.
Off into the woods she went, down the hill and across the creek - she was hell-bent on finding those deer. I slid on the closest pair of shoes I could find and went sprinting after her. My dad took off in the opposite direction to steer her away from the road. I thought my memory of the trails would help me catch up to the Golden Flash, but everything had grown in and I was lost after about 2 minutes of running. I ran to the back of the property to make sure she didn't take off into the neighborhood behind us, otherwise we'd never get her back. I started combing forward, thinking maybe she slipped by me somewhere.
Just then I heard my dad yell from the other side of the property that she was coming towards me. I intercepted (not something I'm known for, har har har) her as she came around the bend and chased her back up the hill towards the house. After some corralling in the yard, I was able to finally trap her. I promptly drug her around the house and hosed her off. Other than a few scrapes from tree limbs and blisters from the shoes, it was a lovely morning run for both of us... note my sarcasm there. My dad informed me later that he had two deer go running by him as if he wasn't even there... shortly followed by Stubby Scarlett trying to catch up to them. Mommy B woke up right as I was coming back inside and asked "What the heck happened to you??" I just smiled and shook my head as I headed for the shower.
And Scarlett's antics didn't end there. After we stopped in Dayton Sunday afternoon to visit our friends from college, she did it again. She slipped out the back door of our friend's house and decided to visit some of the neighbors at a full sprint. So off I went again (this time with a few friends as reinforcement) to get our dog back. Luckily she wasn't gone long and I think it was too hot for her liking outside - so she came back to us to go inside. I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have taken her running all those times as a puppy... because this shiz is getting old. It's a good thing I keep in decent shape and I can keep up with her, otherwise she could be in Nebraska by now.
Another note about the trip - I'm not exaggerating on the number of people who got sick after we came in contact with them. Here's the body count: Alli (kind of), Dad-E, Mommy B, Grandma C (Brit's mom), Tatsy (my mom), Brit's grandmother, Brit's father and stepmother. We felt like the traveling plague - leaving a trail of destruction behind us as we canvased I-75. Luckily everyone has since recovered, but I'm not sure how many will be inviting us back anytime soon.
All in all, it was an... interesting trip. Mommy B and I learned a lot about ourselves and little Alli - most notably how she handles being away from the homestead for an extended period of time. We have some smaller trips coming up in the coming months, so it was good to get one trip under our belt beforehand. I mean, she'll be older and will probably have all her teeth by then - so what could go wrong??
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