Making Himself Comfortable

Dex liked to have his breakfast in the comfiest spot in the house - Gunker's chair.

Gunker was gracious enough to let him sit there and didn't even get upset when Dex left pop-tart crumbs behind.

Adventures on the Dam

Dexy loved running along the dam with Gunker and the dogs.

 My Bologna did lots of sniffing of interesting smells.

 Drake took a dip in the lake and...

 My Bologna (tentatively) followed suit.

 Running free.

Looking for animal tracks with Gunker.

Crazy Texas Pit Stop

We took the Arkansas route back to Mississippi, spending the night at a dump near Pine Bluff. On the way, we stopped for lunch at a Texas roadhouse off the highway, in the middle of nowhere. We had some awesome BBQ brisket and saw...

a woman taking a selfie with the Elvis impersonator who was singing Willie Nelson songs outside of the roadhouse,

 a painted long horn steer,

and a shut-down store/arcade shaped like a spaceship.

Austin Shows Love to Musicians

Because we only had one day in Austin (the day I was presenting) and because we had done so much driving to get there, Ben and I spent most of our "free" time sleeping and watching reality tv on cable. But Ben's eye lit up when he saw the musician loading zone signs all over the place.

Dexter's Adventures with Grandma and Gunker

After Ben and I had a restful night's sleep at Grandma and Gunker's, we headed off alone to Austin, TX where I had to present at a conference two days later. We stopped in Shreveport, LA for the night and then made it to Austin in time for dinner.

During our absence, Dex kept Grandma and Gunker very busy. Grandma took Dexy shopping for jammies and a cuddly toy for sleeping (Ben was in charge of packing for Dexter and somehow jammies and Quackers, Dexy's stuffed animal for sleeping, slipped his mind). Gunker took Dexy to check out the replacement boat they ordered after Sweetwater was destroyed by a fallen tree. The deck hadn't been repaired yet so they couldn't deliver the boat but Dex enjoyed making sure that it had everything that Gunker had ordered for it! They also took Dex to the Memphis Zoo where he got to ride the carousel and a real camel. Dex asked Gunker to ride the camel with him but Gunker told him that adults weren't allowed. When Dex got on the camel, they could hear him saying to the camel handler, "I don't understand this rule about no adults allowed!" Grandma and Gunker also took Dex to Chuck E Cheese and made a special Easter Egg Hunt for him with a Grumpy Birds basket and lots of goodies. Dex loved playing "egg store" afterwards, filling eggs with different treats for everyone.

We can't thank Grandma and Gunker enough for being so kind to Dex and My Bologna while we were gone. 

Drake's Buddy

Dex was so excited to play with Drake. I'm not sure how excited Drake was to have the added excitement of Dexy and My Bologna, but he was very gracious sharing treats, dog beds, and attention from Grandma and Gunker with the intruders.

Dex was very careful to take care of My Bologna, making sure he didn't go out the gate.

 Dex played catch with Drakey Boy.

My Bologna eventually got used to the doggie door (with a little help from Drake).

First Things First

Grandma knew exactly what everyone would need after a long car ride to Mississippi - treats! Dexter got chocolate ice cream.

God knows what My Bologna and Drake got but I'm sure it was yummy!

Rest Stopping

There was no rest at our favorite rest stop...

 But there was see-saw...

 ...and more see-saw

...and greeting fellow travelers while see-sawing

...and no hands on the see-saw!

Excellent Riders

Despite the 10 hour drive to Mississippi, we all found ways of passing the time and making the trip an enjoyable experience.

The two-CD mix of Dexter's favorite hits that we made for last year's trip stood the test of time. Dexy was clapping along

 and singing (in this case, the woo woo back up vocals to the Rolling Stones).

My Bologna was super chill.