Road Trip - times two!

The dog days of summer are often pretty quiet for most people....but it sure hasn't been for us.  We lost my dear sister Jeanne, Mike's BIL Bob, and our beloved old gal, Patch.  I then embarked on a 3600 mile round trip from home in KS to the Maine coast and back.  My co-pilot Tweed and I got a lot accomplished: I delivered 3 of Storm's puppies to wonderful homes, visited with friends in PA, VT and ME, filled up on lobstah fresh off the boat, picked up a Tweed daughter who is joining us for Montana hunting and finally, picked up a few nostalgic pieces from the now-empty family home in northwestern PA.

                  The pups looking a little road weary in their portable pen as we made a stop along the road.

The home gates never looked so good as they did when I finally pulled in last evening.  And yes, despite the heat wave, Mike was outside working when I got home.

But, as a friend recently said about us, moss doesn't grow beneath our feet.  Today and tomorrow is dedicated to loading up the Open Range RV and closing up the house so we can leave Wednesday morning.  We will visit friends along the way but on Friday will arrive in central Montana in time for the Big Sky EB Club wild bird trial.  The trial is hosted and run by great folks who were very welcoming to us last year on our first visit and runs on their terrific grounds and we look forward to renewing acquaintances.  Jack will be running on both Sat and Sun....I wish I could say that I had dedicated time to preparing him because he deserves that, but no matter what the outcome we know the dog that he is and will have a blast with him all fall.
                            On a run last month Jack showed us that quail season should be fun this fall

Monday, Sept 1, is the opener of the Montana bird season opener and it will find us after sharptails and huns - pheasant season doesn't open until mid-October.  If it is warm in the early season we will head to the mountains for awhile and hunt ruffed and dusky grouse. We are full of excitement and can't wait to hit the road.  As usual, I will try to find internet access to occasionally post updates as the season progresses.  Our plan is to hunt a couple/few different areas in Montana over the next couple of months, returning to Kansas in time for the opener here Nov 8.  Happy trails and Happy tails!