April 19, 2016.

The Smoky Mountains are aptly named for the foggish smoke that rises from the valleys; it can come and go within minutes.

When we arrived home to Bear Creek today we heard that our RV neighbor and friend Chris is a new Grandpa.  He is so happy and Mom and baby are doing well. Congrats to all!
A new bundle of joy!

We were away for a couple of days.  Driving through the Dupont Forest yesterday we walked a fabulous forest trail; Zuma loved it.  I just wish so much we could let her off leash as she needs to gallop but we can’t let her go (too many rules, too much wildlife and there are bear warnings everywhere) and she doesn’t listen well about coming back to us.  Still, we had two lovely strolls in waterfall land and covered a couple of hilly miles; there are 250 waterfalls in the area we learned.  We saw Hooker Falls:

Triple Falls:

and Looking Glass Falls:

All are absolutely beautiful and serene.  The photos are nice but they cannot capture the natural beauty, the soft sound of the cascading water.  We went early in the morning and there were no crowds.  Doug and Zuma explored a small waterfall on one of our hikes.  Zuma doesn’t like to get her feet wet but she enjoyed this quiet few moments with Doug.  Z won’t even trudge through a puddle (Come on Zu, there’s water and snow in Denmark) but she humored us by checking this out:

April 17th, 2016.

When we were on Tybee Island in Georgia, there was a morning bird visitor in the tree by our bedroom window.  I commented to Doug several times about the bird’s expansive repertoire.  It could sound like a Cardinal one minute, then, 4 bars later, another bird song was sung and so on for 5 or 6 varying tunes.  I spent some time scoping out who was putting on this amazing avian concert.  Doug installed a “bird app” on my ‘phone as we both love feeding and watching birds at home in Maine and there are so many different types of birds here.  My learning curve is straight up.  I love it.  Researching keeps me alive.  If you are not constantly learning, you’re not growing.

Now we’re in WNC (Western North Carolina) we are seeing a whole new slew of birds and this humble-looking grayish bird wakes me up every morning; he is very entertaining and makes me awake with a smile.  With a flagging tail and modest outfit, it turns out this is a Mockingbird, Tennessee’s State bird, and while it is a talented imitator, it is a bit of a problem.  The Mockingbird has the nasty habit of laying it’s eggs in the nests of other birds.  Once hatched and fed lovingly by other naiive birds, the baby Mockingbirds are known to gobble up all the food they can from the unsuspecting parents, then these infants instinctively kick the legitimate babies out of the nest and fledge.

I love their songs, even if they are the douche bags of the bird world.  Apparently, they can imitate other sounds like car horns, etc.  I’ll try and post a pic but while they are LOUD and expansive in their songs (they didn’t buy the single, they own the long-playing edition and mimic it) they are not into portraiture.  They perch near our car most of the day and serenade us, but they are camera shy.

Yesterday, the 16th, we went to the Asheville Artisan Bread Festival “celebrating local farmers, millers and bakers”.  Seriously, it was a complete madhouse, everything I hate from scrambling for parking to jostling shoulder to shoulder with rabid shoppers.  Too many loaf hungry people for me, held in a very small venue, not well organized, ugh.  I don’t do well with that. Crowds are unappealing to me and I don’t need carbs and we are totally loyal to Simple Breads, a local couple who make whole grain breads with LOTS of  WHOLE GRAINS. We tried a few cubes of bread at the event but nothing matches Simple Breads.  So we departed without buying a crumb.  My largest regret is I didn’t have the space to take a photo of a priest in his humble long black gown hugging a warm loaf.  It was a fantastic moment.  Let them break bread.  I’m still smiling thinking about it.

We cruised the Asheville Market on the 16th and bought some nice produce.  Then we had Zuma’s nails trimmed at The Soapy Dog and booked her in for a bath to battle her skin allergies.

You can bathe your dog here (no, but thank you) or have the lovely groomer do it for you.  She did a fantastic job; Z was really happy and it only took an hour.

Zuma just doesn’t fit in the shower in the RV Hula Girl and we’re not allowed to bathe dogs in the bath/shower rooms here.  We’re so glad there is this nice grooming place nearby and Zuma loves going there because the staff are so sincere and kind to her. Which gave Doug and I time to explore a part of Asheville we hadn’t been to and we had a yummy date at a Latino restaurant with delicious paella and fajitas; this is the calamari appetizer we shared:

It was fantastic.  The lunch entrees were so generous we shared mine for dinner.

On the 17th, we headed for  Little Switzerland, a mountain town with a fabulous general store and cafe.  Service is fantastic and so is the food.  They are written up in many websites and magazines.

We heard that Oprah  had a very positive shout out about the place Fresh, innovative and delicious food.  Delightful waiter. Five Stars from us.  We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is breathtaking.  Here’s a pic of me and Z at the Green Knob overlook:

I’m sparing you the large photo version so you don’t have to see my flying squirrel arms, lol!  I’ve lost a lot of weight (necessary for health reasons) and now I’m working on getting “toned”.  I’m working on the flying squirrel arms. Thank you Kelly for the lunch lady tip, lol. You always make me laff.  Seriously, is it too late to work on the lunch lady arms?  Kelly is our friend from Tybee and she’s coming here in mid June for a week.

We met a lovely dog named Millie who hangs out in a great store in Asheville.  The owners held a birthday party for her, complete with cake and party favors for dogs.

It would have possibly been disastrous taking Zuma in there; with her 4 foot tail swath I could imagine the table being cleared.  We stopped by to wish Millie everything good, she is adorable.

We love how Asheville people celebrate their canines.

April 14, 2016 

Oops.  I posted the April 15th blog ahead of this one, sorry.

I’m trying to catch up on blogging (I’m new to this, ya’ll) but we’ve been traveling a lot and I find it a challenge to write in the evenings when I’m tired.  So this week I’m catching up on posting photos and typing my hand-written notes.  Doug is back in Maine for a week; he works daily from here, both on his cell and via the computer but he needs to return to the office regularly for a complete catch up.

So, on the 14th, we tossed our bags into the car and loaded up Zuma and headed for The Smoky Mountains.  Driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway is glorious.  We passed through Maggie Valley.  Once home to a large amusement park created in the 1960s by a lady named Maggie, it was known as The Ghost Town in The Sky and thrived as a popular tourist attraction for decades. However, it fell upon hard times our tour book advised us and closed in 2009.  Still, the area honors old Maggie and everybody in WNC knows about this place; it’s on the way to Tennessee and a lovely scenic route with wild mountain flowers in the woods and the budding trees bursting with green.  

We drove on and arrived at our first destination, Cherokee.  This charming town is the central hub of the Cherokee Reservation (56,000 acres).  It’s really touristy, with a Living History Village, A fantastic Museum and a ginormous super elaborate Casino. We toured the Museum and were very impressed.  New, modern and housing authentic Cherokee artifacts, pottery, stone and all mediums.  We learned a LOT about the Cherokee people; when gold was discovered they were run out of their lands and shooed onto The Trail of Tears to Oklahoma.  The Cherokee, like all native tribes, used herbal medicine and discovered a natural form of Aspirin far before the white man.  They were hunters and gatherers and incredibly talented artists, creating both masterful and primitive works; many examples are displayed in the museum.  

We toured the gift shops but they were really touristy.  I wanted to purchase a pair of moccasins or something practical and handmade by the Cherokee people but all the stores carried footwear bearing Made in China labels so, feeling somewhat deflated, we moved on. 

As we were departing, we met Wild Cat.  He is a Cherokee and very proud of his heritage.  He was dressed in ceremonial dress, complete with bells on his legs.  I never do the touristy thing but I had to get a photo with him:

Doug sent our friend Kelly a text with this photo telling her that I had left him for Wild Cat.  I think we make a cute couple!  
Nice guy.  He put on his head dress voluntarily which really meant a lot to me.  Later, I found a real leather and beaded Dream Catcher at a shop near Asheville to send to my cousin in Wales; she loves Native culture in all countries and especially yearns to meet real Native Americans so Sue, this photo is for you!  

The winding road through the foothills led us up and up and we saw a sign for Clingmans Dome.  At 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   It is the highest point in Tennessee and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. If I could bottle up the clean pure mountain air, I’d add it to this blog.  

This is an amazing place.  These are some of the vistas of the top of Clingmans Dome.  No apostrophe, sorry fellow English Language Majors, this is how they spell it so suck it up.

There were wildlife spottings:

Doug and Zuma and I are going back there.  Soon.  It’s like time stands still up there. Must be the altitude.  Standing there taking in the views, it’s so calming and you really get in touch with yourself, how magnificent the earth is.


Zuma could not have cared less about the views.  She just wanted to hang out with the many other dogs up there.

On the descent, we marveled at the mountain flowers:  There all kinds of patches of Trilliums, all sorts of small purple, blue and yellow flowers, Wisteria draping from the trees, budding rhododendrons.  Then, we ran into a traffic jam.  Doug casually said, “It’s likely a bear” and I snapped my head around saying “How could you be so casual about that?”  Well, it WAS a bear.  A mother bear and her three cubs.  The crazy thing was that tourists were climbing over rocks with cameras in hand for  a closer view. OMG! This is the most dangerous creature in the forest!  I handed Doug my camera and he snapped a quick shot from the driver’s window and we carried on, seeing the third little guy ambling on in the rear afterwards.  “We’ll hear about these people in the news tonight” I quipped, but apparently they all were spared as there was nothing on the tv. What a fantastic thing seeing a female black bear with triplets!

We drove slowly to Pigeon Forge, Dolly Parton’s home town.  Oh!  It is so touristy, she has a HUGE Amusement Park there called Dollywood.  The most fascinating part for us was that there was a car show and sale going on.  The GPS said we’d be at our hotel in Sevierville in 15 minutes but it took us over an hour as the traffic was so thick.  Everybody was oogling the antique and vintage cars lined up on both sides of the highway for miles.  I was going to hop out and get a photo but you cannot even fathom the amount of vehicles all lined up in a row.  The entire main drag was like a huge parking lot.  Doug spoke with the receptionist at the hotel and he said “This is just set up day, it’s not even busy yet. The show’s on for the next three days and it’ll take all of two hours to get through there, they’re expecting 7,000 pre-registered cars”! Apparently they used to hold this show and sale once a year, then the demand was so high they upped it to twice a year and now it’s so popular it’s held four times a year!  Every kind of car from Model T Fords to souped up muscle cars was exhibited, several rusted old treasures but mostly gleaming well spiffed up vehicles.  Lawn chairs of every description lined the sidewalks and proud owners and auto dealers were sipping on beverages in the sunshine (when they weren’t busy explaining what a great deal they were providing to potential clients).  It was fun driving past listening to the sales pitches of used car dealers.

We had planned to return the next morning but decided against it; sitting in the car for two hours and then perusing miles of cars was not going to be good for Zuma so we took an alternate route back home to Asheville.  

April 16, 2016

April 15, 2016.

Wow!  It’s hard to believe today is our 22nd Anniversary!  We’ve been together for 27 years as of May this year, but we were married on this day 22 years ago.  At age 55, I’ve spent nearly half my life with Doug!  And we’re still going strong, the bumps behind us, looking ahead to the fun-filled years of travel and adventure.  Emma is grown up and independent with two jobs (one is her own business) as well as taking care of the farm.  Doug and I are able to work from here.  It’s just the best time of our lives.

The Smoky Mountains are just incredible.  We drove through them today and into Cherokee National Forest with perfect weather accompanying us.  If only the mountain air could be posted with these photos.  Craving a coffee, we stopped into a tiny roadside mountain store in Big Creek.  The young lady at the counter said she would make us a cuppa as so few people go by at this time of year she doesn’t have a pot on the go.  It was delicious and the store was quaint and full of fun old items.

Next, we took a side road to Cataloochie.  We were forewarned that there are two routes:  one that was pretty easy and the other that was “not for the faint of heart and we don’t recommend it for people prone to car sickness”.  So, we decided upon the latter. What the heck.  It was a rough crazy roller coaster of a drive with twists and turns and hills and switchbacks and NO guard rails, the gravel road bumpy and edging on ravines the whole way.  It was fantastic. Again, my photos don’t show the terror we experienced but believe me when I tell you, it was pretty crazy at times and my fingernails may still be embedded in the dashboard. I will take more pix next time we go there.  Rhododendrons line the narrow, harrowing road, rivers and creeks and bridges pop up at every turn, the scenic vistas are outstanding.

Ooh, I don’t think I’d fare well on this “bridge”.

Then we arrived at our destination, Cataloochie.  It was once the largest settlement in the area and now there are only a handful of barns and homes left as the Park bought the farming settlers out decades ago. What was once a fertile valley filled with farming families and a thriving community is now part of the Park.  We had heard that there are Elk there and we found fresh scat from them but didn’t spot any of these beautiful animals.  We drove to the end of the road and met some people from Iowa who were camping there and they said they’d seen 25 Elk the day before at 3 p.m.  We had to leave but we’ll go back and hopefully see some.  They said they watched the herd come out of the hills and graze, then headed back to their campsite and within 5 feet of their vehicle there were to magnificent males; they showed us their photos.  Unfortunately, because of bears, bobcats, elk and other wild animals, dogs are not allowed on the trails.  However, horses are and we met a group. What a fabulous place to ride!

The Elk were reintroduced to the area by the Park in the early 2000s and they are thriving so they are left alone to do their Elk thing and so far it’s going well.  We’re looking forward to a return trip to see if we can search for these magnificent animals.

March 31st, 2016

This is a really cool city.  A breath of fresh air.  I need it.

As much as I love Savannah and Tybee, this place is something totally off the charts for me.  There is a raw appeal, a freshness of imagination.  The Dogwoods are in full bloom, Wisteria grows wild along the roadsides, Azaleas are everywhere.

There, we met some fun young people with dogs. The seating is casual, and “meet your neighbor” is the name of the game.  Lots of picnic table units lined up so you have to get sociable.  Asheville is very dog-friendly and, if you obey the rules, dogs are welcome on patios (but not inside, health regulations).

After our first trip to WEDGE, a brewery located in an old brick warehouse, we decided to tour around the area and were lured to check out the other aged buildings beside the railway tracks. Long abandoned, these funky old structures have become a living palette for graffiti artists. Focus on artists.  The art work is outstanding, even if the subject matter isn’t my preference, it’s still very good.

My photos do it no justice.  I’m not a fan of destructive graffiti but this stuff is amazing, creative and clever. These are true artists exhibiting their talents on the expansive canvases of dilapidated long-ignored buildings.

It’s the other side of the tracks.  And they’ve made it a colorful inventive part of the outer city.

Doug was catching up on business on his cell while Zuma and I were perusing the somewhat eerie site; she and I met a young 20-something guy who was hoisting a battered skateboard into his creaky old car. Feeling secure with big ole ferocious  Zuma The Man Killer at my side, I had to comment to him how cool this place is. The young guy was touched, clearly pleased that I was impressed.  He informed me that the community and a group of skateboard dudes had put it together. Doug I agreed we’d never seen anything like it in our lives.

There are rules.  No profanity, no explicit sexual illustrations, etc. There’s a big sign that lays it all out.  The young guy invited us to the skateboard park at the dead end of the site.  On the other side of the tracks (seriously, the still-operational freight train is in the background).

No way would I have ventured back there without Doug but these were cool guys.  I hailed Doug who was still on the ‘phone doing business; we jumped at the opportunity.  This was a once in a lifetime invitation.  Cool young guy invites old lady with mammoth black dog to check out his skateboard park.  Oh ok!  I’m in!
Come on, Doug!

Beside the train tracks, these guys have created their own skateboard Shangri La.  Doug said to them, “This is just great” and he really meant it because it is great.  One of the guys said,”Yeh.
This is PARADISE“.  And he meant it too.

While a subtle waft of pot smoke sifted through the air, l couldn’t help but feel, here we are, touring America.  No b.s.  No pretense. Not covering up.  Not apologizing. Just BEING.

Asheville.  Gorgeous shops, incredible friendly and open hearted people, outstanding music both in the clubs and on street corners, dreadlocks, gorgeous views of the mountains which surround the entire city, single men and women trekking solo with a banjo and a backpack, clearly stopping by whilst en route to healthily hiking The Appalachian Trail, just doing their thing, not requesting any claim to fame, gay couples holding hands openly strolling along the sidewalks, in love, inviting mouth-watering creative menus at every corner, hot dog stands, coin laundries, sunrises and sunsets that are so vivid in color they simply defy description, chilly mountain nights, hotter than hot days, warm mountain breezes, fancy gelato stands, high-end boutiques, farmer’s markets with emphasis on organic produce. This is America.  I love it.

You couldn’t pull this off in Camden, Maine.  The Good Ole Boys and Women would halt all of this freedom.  Remember Peyton Place?  Yeh. it was filmed in Camden.  For good reason.  Well done, casting people.

I’m so glad we live in Hope, a small the rural area outside of Camden.  I like saying “We live in Hope”.  It’s pretty, private and the people are amazing.  Often, we receive a basket of warm cookies, a casserole, a genuine friendly visit from our neighbors. People are sweet, children come over to play with Zuma and brush the horses at our farm and walk on the trails through the woods. Our neighbors like to be neighborly; they are kind-hearted and generous.  We are all enthusiastic about maintaining the watershed and the woods.  We share our land.  It’s a wonderful place to live.

March 25 – 29, 2016

The drive to Asheville was easy and straightforward even though we were on the interstate and I was waaaay out of my comfort zone with tractor trailers whizzing beside me.  But I did it!  Zuma was with Doug so she would have room to move about more.  She was totally chilled out on the drive, happy to get out at Rest Areas and easy going about arriving at our new “home”.

A couple of times en route I lost Doug due to lights and traffic but we worked it out. Before entering the city, we stopped into the Visitor Center and gathered up a melange of glossy tourist literature.  Gorgeous stuff. Tons of information.  This gorgeous quilted wall hanging adorns a main wall in the NC Visitors Welcome Center.

When we arrived at Bear Creek Campground (just outside of Asheville) we were given the choice of two campsites.

Doug granted me the decision and I picked a site that has an extra green space on one side for Zuma to stretch out in, with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and basically no neighbors.
It’s working out really well.

After unpacking, we could hardly wait to get out and explore the area so we walked Zuma and set up Hula Girl and then visited the local outdoor market.  It’s a gigantic wholesale market for local restaurants where produce is available in bulk, combined with a retail section.  Next, we drove around an area known as West Side Asheville.  Perfect.  Bohemian.  Fun.  Funky shops, cafes, restaurants.

Returning to the campsite, I dove into the glossy literature and went online to learn more about Asheville.  There’s so much to the city and so much to learn.  I LOVE researching!  It turns out Asheville is a hot spot for music which is Doug and Emma’s love.  We looked up Top Cities in the USA in various categories and Asheville makes every list.  It is a fantastic hub for artists of all mediums, potters (good red clay here) and photographers, theatre and of course, music.

Doug had to leave today (29th) for England and Holland.  He needed to meet up with his business partner in Holland and then go on to England.

Last Summer Doug was asked to accompany his friend Peter on a trip to sail Peter’s boat home to Maine from Bermuda.  What began as a smooth sailing trip turned into a hell ride.  Peter and Doug wrote an article for a Maine magazine Ocean Navigator.  Here is the link to the story:

http://www.oceannavigator.com/Web-Exclusives-2016/Delivery-leads-to-OCC-Rambler-Medal/

Almost immediately, the article attracted international attention and now both sailors have been invited to England to receive a coveted medal in a ceremony this weekend!  I’m so excited for them both! During their sailing trip, Peter’s wife Peggy and I kept in touch; Doug’s e.mails were short and I knew things were not good.  They had terrible weather, they had a knock down, a cabin fire and lost all communication.  Being too far out and without communication, they had no chance of being saved by the Coast Guard.  I am forever grateful to have had contact with Peggy as she assured me the boat is safe and reliable.  But oh, the sea is unforgiving.  Somehow we all survived that week.

So, now Doug is en route to the ceremony at Henley-on-Thames near London to receive their medals.  Peter was unable to make the trip so Doug will accept Peter’s medal for him.  Way to go, Boys! Now stay close to the dock, please!

March 24th, 2016

We decided to take it easy and stick to smaller roads to get to our destination today (halfway or so between Tybee, GA and Asheville, NC).  Doug drove Hula Girl and I drove the car.  Did I mention I hate driving?  Yuh.  Shaking in my boots.  BUT I DID IT!  The GPS said it would take 3 hours but it took 5 hours with minimal stops.  We could have driven to Montreal from Maine (something I’ve done in years gone by but will never do again).

However, it was all worth the drive as we cruised past many acres of cotton fields and the seemingly endless straight road and flat farmland of rural South Carolina.  It was like a movie, we stopped only for Zuma to relieve herself and to rest my eyeballs and for all of us to stretch.  Allergies to pollen really affected both Zuma and I while on Tybee and in Savannah.  My Dr. gave me allergy eye drops and they really work.

Never in my life have we experienced as many signs for Pawn Shops and Flea Markets.  Someone said to Doug:  “There must be a lot of fleas here, haha”.  Seriously, in my other life, this would be so much fun to cruise around these places.

By the time we hit the four-hour mark, we were both all more than ready to take a break so we booked into The Barnyard RV Park in Columbus, NC.  The terrain had been changing all day:  the soil, the trees, the flora.  Dogwoods and Wisteria graced our path, humbly blooming everywhere along the sandy roadsides and in the dusty small towns. Amongst the frequent dilapidated and deserted houses and gas stations, the Spring leaves are urgently starting to bud in the flushing sunshine, turning lime green and chartreuse; the purple, white, buttery lemon and yellows are distracting but kept my eyes focused on the road.  Leaving Tybee, I knew I’d miss the palms and palmettos, the cacti and huge yucca plants, it’s always Summer there in a way.  Seeing the deciduous trees and plants makes me feel like it really is SPRING!

We pulled into The Barnyard RV Park at about 4 p.m.; we scored a great pull-in drive-thru site and set up.  Doug is in charge of all the technical stuff because, as you know, Emma tells me I am “technologically impaired”.  I set up our lawn chairs but forewarned Doug to check they were safe to sit in before he sat down.  It is spotlessly clean Park, we met many friendly people and dogs and gleaned information about the road ahead.  Asheville is clearly a GREAT PLACE.

After a one-night layover, we pulled out early and headed to Asheville, NC.

March 24th, 2016

Doug arrived back at Tybee on the 22nd and Zuma went crazy.
We went out for dinner to Coco’s with Tom (one of the Park Hosts) and his lovely wife Nancy on the 23rd, our last night this year.

It has been really difficult saying goodbyes. In fact, today (the 24th), I was tearing up bidding farewell to our new friends who feel like old friends now.

We had to check out before noon so we were in a bit of a hurry but managed to see many of the people we’ve become close to.

I am sad I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to Dorinda but I did see Gary briefly.  And Peanut came scrambling over to Zuma for a farewell, all 4.5 lbs of him, turf a-flying as he raced over for a lick-fest.

pic of peanut

Thankfully, Frankie pulled up to the Office as we were checking out as I really wanted to give him a hug and say goodbye.  He just got a sweet new puppy.

We managed to grab a neighbor and have some group pix taken of Tom and Nancy and Doug and I. They are off to Wisconsin.  We are off to The Blue Ridge Mountains and The Great Smokey Mountains.

Sadly, we missed Music Night last night.  I’m so happy Doug was able to experience one night there with Kay and Brad and Frankie playing.  It was especially touching when Kay sang Happy Birthday in German to Tom on the 16th.  These are special people.
This is a special place.  These are special times.

I will always remember the scent of wood smoke, the strumming of guitars and soft vocal tones wafting through the warm campground air.

As we drove on to the next leg of our journey, I wiped the tears away and tried to focus on what lies ahead.  But we will always treasure the times on Tybee and in Savannah.  They will forever be in our hearts.  And we’re booked for next year so, God Willin’ and The Creek Don’t Rise, we’ll be back.

March 22 – 24, 2016

We have visited Forsythe Park for the last time this trip.
It is one of our favorite places here:  a superbly maintained, pet and people friendly green space with paved walking paths, a cafe with amenities, beautiful statues, the famous 1858 fountain.  It is a haven for dog-walkers, Moms with strollers, joggers and regular people eager to experience the beauty and peacefulness of a gentle walk within the city of Savannah’s limits.  We love this special place.  We will be back.  We have booked our site at Tybee for January and February 2017.

On Saturdays at Forsythe Park there is a Farmer’s Market, on the weekends there is a tent set up with volunteers offering free coffee and donuts to people in need.  In a city of such such visible wealth and underlying poverty there is much kindness and generosity.

This is one of Zuma’s favorite places on earth.  Within a block she begins to bounce in the back of the car, grabs her leash and tugs it until we launch onto the path.  Then she prances like a cartoon character from 101 Dalmations, smiling and wiggling and exhuberantly oozing glee.

The whole experience melts my heart.

On March 20th, Zuma and I were on a long goodbye walk around the island and discovered an Art Show at the lighthouse.  Yeh, so, we had to stop in.  The artists and vendors were fun and interesting and I found this fun necklace created by a lady named Myrna:

There was a sweet, energetic rescue puppy with a kissing spot on his head, just like Zuma’s.  We were told this is an unusual marking; some call it “God’s Thumbprint”: