Coasting Along on a Saturday

 

Terry and I had nothing planned for the weekend, really. I had worked running deliveries for the past three days and Terry had his usual tasks at the VA. Friday was a busy day and I was exhausted when I got home from delivering various items. But out of the blue, sweet man asked if I felt like going to the coast on Saturday. 

Moi? Have we met? Me? You had to ask me if I want to go to the beach? Um, of course. Sure. Yes. Without a doubt. I would move to the beach if I had my way, literally living in the water.

Terry messaged Mallory to see if she would like to go and of course her reply was yes. Old Town Florence, here we come!

We packed the car, put Togo in the back, and headed toward Mallory's house. It was right along the way, so we chose to go there this time. She was ready, climbed in, and off we drove. It's almost two hours to drive to Florence from Roseburg. 

The drive was smooth. We all climbed out and went straight for the Bucks along the boardwalk in Florence, even though I hate using them. Florence will typically host vendors who come in and set up their tents to show their wares. Today was one of those days. Florence was packed with out of town visitors and locals. 

We walked along the two rows of tables, looking at jewelry, suncatchers, purses, scarves, potted plants, and many other items. It was all beautiful and fun to look through the various creations the vendors were offering. 

Of course Togo took it upon himself to go up to everyone so they could see how perfect he is. He loves people and especially children. They, in return would comment on how gorgeous he is, pet him, and leave a wake of hair blowing in the wind or on their clothes. Lovely. 

Walking through the two rows of covered vendor tables, we decided to go further into town to see what sort of trouble we could get into there. There were a couple of shops that piqued our interest, so we took a stroll in to see what we might want to take home that we really shouldn't spend money on today. 

We did well. Terry purchased me a ring with the om symbol as the focal of the piece. It's a nice silver ring. If you don't know, ohm is a spiritual symbol used in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. 

The symbol is widely known, even outside of the spiritual beliefs listed above and is seen as more of a new age design now. Anyway, love the ring. Love that sweet man bought it for me. This was our only purchase, as our house doesn't need a bunch of items added to the chaotic disarray it is already in. In no uncertain terms did I need any more jewelry either, but the ohm symbol is important to me. What's one more ring, right? 

We walked further along the Old Town Florence sidewalks to head into The Firehouse. The Firehouse is a wonderful restaurant where we had some of the best food (in our humble opinions), during our honeymoon. I had macaroni and cheese topped with pulled pork. Terry had the meatball marina dish. Both of us enjoyed the restaurant so much so that we chose to go there today as well. This time, all was the same for Terry, but the macaroni and cheese dish was also offered as being topped with tri tip. That's how I roll! So good!

Mallory enjoyed a B.L.A.T., or a bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato sandwich that came with fries. That sandwich is great too! I've tried it at one point while at the coast. 

In a garbled manner, they have flags and plaques and posters from firehouses all over the country. Interesting, but gives off a feel as if you're in a biker bar. Love this place though, so don't get me wrong. 

It's fun to see the various firehouses from all over while eating the delicious dishes they create. 

The Firehouse does have seating outdoors, where they have bowls of water for fur babies. Today, we sat Togo down beside a large dog named Big Mo and big he was! Very large, fluffy Great Pyrenees and newfoundland mix. Huge dog. Very laid back. All black with beautiful brown eyes. He had very soft, loving eyes that made you want to cuddle. He was, I believe they said 110 pounds. Put the smoother coat of the newfoundland on the great Pyrenees and you have Big Mo. 

The mix was between these two pups. Big Mo was definitely large in size, but he carried it well. Getting up from a lying position was a bit of a feat, especially when he was wedged beside a table and Togo, our baby. Not much room for a boy that size to move around.  

Not only did they have this big boy laying by their table, but also a beautiful tri-colored English setter. Of course, Big Mo stood out, as it is difficult to ignore the big guy. The picture below is a tri-colored English setter. 

I do apologize for hardly any photos this time. I was simply enjoying the day the way it unfolded, trying to be in the moment and without the phone. It was all done unconsciously, but it was there. That's the way it should be, I guess, when experiencing life events, although when you're doing a blog post, it's probably best to focus on the camera at least a little bit. On the way home I realized how few photos I took.

We were sitting at an outside table where Togo could enjoy his new friends.

Because of my ankle and the pain it tends to share, always in reminder of my fall, I did some sitting. Terry and Mallory ventured into various stores while I enjoyed the beautiful blend of flowers along the way. Togo and I were happy just sitting and being. 

Terry finished his shopping and came to sit with us. Mallory was enjoying some of the little shops and I'm glad she was. I've been to the shops along the Old Town area so many times in my life that sometimes I enjoy the outdoors more than being indoors viewing the products displayed once again. The shops do carry unique items though and it is interesting, but sometimes you just want fresh ocean air to inhale. 

Shopping completed. One more stop before we went in the direction of our car. BJ's Ice Cream is a must. Terry had a double scoop of tasty rocky road ice cream in a waffle cone. Mallory had a dish of butter brickle and I had a sugar free strawberry shake. Even though we were full, it sure hit the spot on a warm day. 

Once we fulfilled our sweet tooth's desire, off we went to the beach. It was a very short time spent on the beach. Mallory took Togo down to the ocean for a quick sniff and then back up to the car. I was worried about walking on sand with my ankle. She brought him back up, we loaded up the car again, and off we went. Lovely day. Great time with Terry and Mallory, and who doesn't love visiting Old Town Florence? 

Tomorrow? Mallory and I are taking the big lug in to bathe him. No, not Terry. Terry has his baths at home. My husband doesn't shed, so he's allowed to bathe in the tub. Togo will be the star of this spa day.

 We are visiting the Tractor Supply store in Sutherlin where they provide large tubs to bathe fur babies. They offer as much shampoo as you want, plus conditioner, flea dips, etc., and for the final touch, he will be "blown." 

That coat, for once, will be slammed with a large blow dryer of sorts that will blow his excess fur off his body. Less hair on that beautiful boy to fall in my living room and all over the couches. This may become a monthly event should we accept the mission. This blog post will self destruct after reading.  

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Mallory told me about the Tractor Supply store, offering this wonderful gift to those of us who have pups we can't bathe at home. I'm not going to bathe him in the tub or it would be clogged within moments. So, off we go!

Togo was so excited to arrive at a store where he could go in! Immediate tail wagging commenced. He wanted everyone to love him and knew they would want to devote their entire day to fulfill their desire. Upon his nose sniff, he found some people didn't want t a large hairy animal on them. I paid for the bathing privileges, then off to the pup room we went. 

It was a small room, containing two blow drying stations and two bathing areas. The tubs were fairly large, with doors across the front allowing pups to climb in. There were bars with short leashes to keep the dog from jumping out. This was definitely not Togo's favorite feature. 

We leashed Togo to the tub and ultimately he knew then he didn't like this store as well as he thought he would. Stores weren't supposed to come with bathing areas. Not fair. 

He examined his situation carefully and figured out there was no escaping the wrath of the bath. Shampoos of all kinds sat on the shelf beside him. Sniffing each one, he clearly understood what was about to unfold in this nasty little room with silver tubs. Not cool mom and Aunt Mallory. Not cool. Don't you people have jobs? 

After a clear complaint was made to the administration, he was sprayed with water, washing away his hopes and dreams of being released. He knew then that his attempts at revolt would not snag the attention of anyone who cared. The water was sprayed under his belly, as happens to some protestors with fire hoses. Ugh. His protesting fell on deaf ears. The humiliation of it all. 

How dare we do this to him? He's a citizen. He has rights.

He squirmed and wiggled, trying to break free of the chains that bind him. 

Mom and Aunt Mallory discussed how nice this place was, bringing him more angst. At that moment, he realized he despised the tractor store. 

The washing and blow drying had ended, finally, leaving his coat soft, smelling wonderful, and we had one sad, pouting half of a Siberian husky. He lost at least half of the fur that he once had on his body. This was not his thing. He was so beautiful though. Still shedding, but buckets of fur were not falling now. 

I was disappointed in the blow dryers. They weren't as strong as we thought they might be, but it did drop a lot of fur out of his coat. I will definitely take him back next month for another wash and blow however. It's only $9.99 for him to be all clean and pretty. I will be bathing little man (Jasper) at home, in the kitchen sink. That's the nice thing about chihuahuas. Easy peasy spa days. 

Now it's nail and hair between the toes that needs to be clipped. We brought the big guy home where he could pout in peace. Although, the bath day wasn't quite over yet. Mallory sat and brushed him for a while. He flopped from side to side, pouting every moment. But, we now have one great smelling, clean, beautiful boy! My couch may not smell like nasty dog butt for a while. Very nice. 

Leaving this week here. We are back to our normal work, normal nights of watching our regular show on TV, and happy for the ability to do so. Blessings are bountiful! Although if you ask the husky, not so much. 

Take care of yourselves! Hugs and hope you join us next weekend! And, out of kindness, hug an abused husky. All that abusive bathing their parents put them through. It's the humane thing to do. Poor babies.