Lincoln, NE, Day 3

Just a little morning update because Mom has some ‘down’ time; Uncle Charlie is doing something to the car (personally, I don’t think he’s happy unless he’s doing something to the car – this is why some people like prepared cars, and other people like Mom want a stock car where they can do ‘warranty racing’ (i.e. if something breaks, it’s probably under warranty)) and Dad is watching tennis.

Yesterday afternoon Mom and Dad and Uncle Charlie took “The Grenade” (as they affectionately call the car) out for zoomies. And since no one got pictures of Mom, here are some pictures of Dad and Uncle Charlie.

And Mom took pictures of other cars, as well.

This one in particular (below). She LOVES this car. Even though she is swearing off prepared cars, she would make an exception. Note from Fi’s Mom: actually, I still wouldn’t make an exception. This is a COOL car, and it is wicked fast, but, NO. No. No. No. Seriously. Look a few pictures down. They’ve got 3 sets of springs for this thing. Three!!! And they were swapping them out to find the best set. No thanks. But it is still A Way Cool Car. And FAST.

Later that same day…

Mom took dictation in the morning, and then went off to do her afternoon zoomies with Dad and Uncle Charlie, and all three came back smiling, so I gather it went well.

Anyway, back to yesterday. Yesterday evening, there was a very pretty sunset. And I think Mom makes a good frontispiece for the sunset.

And Dad decided to play football with me. Which was great!!!

Except that that surface here is pretty rough. Good for cars and ‘grippage’, but not so good on us ‘tenderfeet’ who prefer nice soft grass. So while I got airborne a few times, I also got sore paws. So I’ve been kicking back today. Mom says she is going to go to the Hoosier tire people and explain that I am a P Mod (I am a modified poodle, and ‘modified’ is a certain type of cars raced…), and that I need some new rubber. She’s hoping to get me a new set of tires for my paws! Her argument is that while I don’t have a lot of “horse power” (absolutely NO horses here, BTW… I haven’t figured out this horsepower thing yet), I got A LOT of torque, and I corner like no one’s business. The only downside is that I would have to wear Hoosier stickers on me….

I’m going airborne here so my delicate foot pads don’t get roughed up!

Now I’m resting my tootsies!

So before Mom’s zoomies today she went walking around to get some pictures of all the different cars. And WOW. There are so many different kinds of cars.

And so many doggies! I guess I’m not the only autocross doggie. But I get the sense from Mom, who has talked to other doggie parents that I’m the only one who attended Nationals at 9 weeks old! So I’m a veteran!

Some look like cars.

And some look like race cars.

Flames! There are FLAMES on my car! (Dennis, I challenge you on that quote. I will donate $25 to the charity of your choice if you correctly identify the movie. And I’ll even give you a hint. Ed Begley, Jr. was in it. Many years ago. Actually, if Dennis doesn’t want to play or someone else comes up with the answer first I’ll give $25 to your charity, as well. So $50 up for grabs, kids ($25 to Dennis’ charity and $25 to someone else if they get there first)! And no, Granny and Grandpa – you aren’t allowed to play. Because you KNOW the answer.)

And speaking of flames. Heh.

Normal C Prepared. Especially since it is on jack stands. Pretty much typical for a CP…. But look at those jack stands!!!!

Mom talked to these people just based on their jack stands. With flames!!!! Turns out they have a Bichon (who, apparently, is rather vicious – I don’t want to tangle with little dogs, so I won’t find out if he lives up to his reputation), and came out of the Utah Region a million years ago. And, the car that is pictured above was once owned by Mom’s first instructor when she was learning to autocross (before she had a driver’s license). So yes, it IS a small world.

And some look. Well, I’m not sure what this is, except that it looks FAST. Note from Fi’s Mom: this is an A Mod car – they are (theoretically) the fastest “cars” on the course. If I understand it correctly (and I probably don’t as I’m really not a car person), they’ve got snowmobile engines in them and weigh next to nothing. They’ve got all the wings on them so they don’t take off. Or explode.

And then there are other cars. These are “G Prepared”. Don’t ask me (or Mom) for the technical explanation of what makes a prepared car versus a modified car. All I know is that any car that isn’t stock probably has all of its guts ripped out and things done to it. Some are street legal, but most aren’t. G Prepared seems to be the class for people who want to pour a lot of money into an old car that was pretty slow to begin with and not make it much faster but have it break more. Last year at Nationals these G Prepared cars ran in the same run group as Dad and Uncle Charlie, and more than one car spilled its guts (literally, with fluids and parts and things ending up on the ground, which, in autocross speak is Not Good) while they were trying to race. Anyway, they seem to have a small but die-hard following. (Which you’d have to be if your car was breaking all the time. Oh wait. So does ours…. But at least ours Goes Fast!!!)

And then there was this car. Mom couldn’t stop laughing. They’ve got this one perfect, down to the seats, headlights, and required stickers!

And no, Mom isn’t the least bit subtle in her desire for a Shelby Mustang…

Before they ran today Uncle Charlie did some work on the car today because he was concerned about the condition of the timing belt. Problem? What problem? I thought they were supposed to be see-through!

Mom was worried that Uncle Charlie had given up in frustration and stabbed the engine with a screw driver, sort of like a stake through Dracula’s heart! Apparently he was just using the screw driver to measure something. Or so he says.

Heh.

And here’s Dad doing getting ready to do his zoomies!

Now it’s time to eat dinner and go to bed. Because I’m tired!

More from Lincoln tomorrow!

*kissey face*
-Fiona, the Autocross Dog!

Lincoln, NE, Day 2

We made it to Lincoln, Nebraska yesterday afternoon. Finally! I mean, when we got up yesterday morning we were still in Wyoming. We had to drive 100 miles (!!!) before we even got to Nebraska.

And the bug splatter? Most impressive. This was taken the night before when we stopped in Wyoming.

Anyway, we finally make it to Nebraska, and then we had to drive 400 miles (yes, that would be Four Hundred) through Nebraska to get to Lincoln. Hello?!? Could this state be Any Bigger? Well, actually, Nebraska keeps going, but we stopped. I mean, enough is enough.

Me, watching the miles go by. Shortly after this picture was taken I went to take a nap.

I must, say, after driving through Kansas last year, and then Nebraska this year, that Nebraska is Much Prettier. It’s still Really Flat. And there is A Lot of Corn. But there seems to be more water or something. Maybe it was just the route we took through Kansas. And no offense to anyone in either state, but, uh, there is still a Whole Lot of Flat Nothing in both states.

Although there was this bridge/monument/thing. I have no idea what it is, but it broke up the flat horizon, so I had Mom take a picture.

Anyway. We finally made it to the place where they are holding the races, and got the trailer unhooked, and the motorhome set up, and we settled in for the night.

And Mr. Bufus decided to model his latest hat for us. (Heehee!) BTW, he felt MUCH better yesterday, and has settled in just fine – but thanks for your concerns! And yes, that is a paper dish on his head!

Then, today, we woke up and it was all froggy ah, foggy. (I like the sound of ‘froggy’ better, but it implies that we have been struck by one of the Pharonic Plagues…) Anyway, I dragged Mom through all the dewy grass (we’ve got parking spot that is Very Close to a grass area – much to the pleasure of TaiChi and myself), and then Uncle Charlie showed up, and everyone got registered. I think it’s like getting licensed, but I could be wrong. They came back with a bunch of paperwork and bags and stuff. No dog cookies, though. Boo!

After that, Uncle Charlie got the car out while Mom and Dad got their bye-sickles ready. This place is So Big that they need bye-sickles to get around. But big is good – it means long walks for me in the evenings!!!

Uncle Charlie has been futzing around with the car, and Dad has been playing his guitar, and Mom has been checking out the ‘Test and Tune’ – where people practice, and make sure their cars work. Mom, Dad and Uncle Charlie are all going to practice this afternoon.

But Mom went out to look at some of the other cars running. Despite her expressed desire to run a ‘stock’ car for ever after, she still likes looking at the C Prepared cars – the Mustangs and Camaros and other big cars that have really big tires and even bigger engines. And break even more than our car does! Although Mom says ALL ‘prepared’ cars break – that’s why they are called ‘prepared’ : “be prepared for it to break”! But Mom still likes watching these monsters run.

Heehee. Look at those TIRES!!!

But I KNOW she’s got her heart set on a Shelby Mustang at some point in her life! (You’ll be able to tell this by the number of pictures of them she takes over the course of the next few days!)

More later from Lincoln.

*kissey face*
-Fiona, the Autocross Dog

The Road To Lincoln, Nebraska, Day 1

Mom is typing this as we are driving through the wilds of Wyoming. She tried to get some pictures of the, erm, scenery, but she hasn’t taken them off the camera yet, so I don’t know what they look like.

We started off getting the trailed hooked up to the House With Wheels. We are 64.5 feet long – a whisker under the legal length limit.


And then we were On the Road To Lincoln, Nebraska. TaiChi and I had to make sure that Dad and Uncle Charlie knew where they were going, and that the music was okay.


Then we settled in for the drive.


Here I am, checking out the scenery. Last time we drove to this car race (i.e. last year when I was but a wee bitty puppy), I could only see out the window on the couch if I stood up on my hind legs and perched on the back of the couch. Now? I can sit comfortably on my tuckus and rest my chin on the back of the couch and watch the scenery (or lack thereof…. Wyoming Tourism Bureau?!? You might want to see what you can do about the scenery. Once you get past Green River, it’s, well, um, Really Boring).


TaiChi has taken to traveling quite well; she can sleep anywhere! (But apparently I make a very good pillow!)


Mr. Bufus has had a bit of a rough time, but he usually does on the first day of a trip; he throws up a couple of times, poos in Unapproved places, and then settles down. He has done all of the aforementioned things, and is now napping on Uncle Charlie’s computer bag. Uncle Charlie is hoping that Mr. Bufus is done throwing up…


After a while we ran into a traffic jam, so TaiChi and I took to snoozing.


After what seemed like hours, we finally passed the cause of the delay; a semi truck carrying wine that apparently caught fire and burned to the ground. (It was tough to get a picture as we went driving by. And Mom was sad about the loss of all that wine.)


Finally, the end of road construction. Yay!


And then I thought I’d see if I could sit on the back of the couch. You know, to get a better view! (Not that the scenery is all that exciting...)

How about that?!? I mostly fit!!!

Then, after a zillion miles of nothing other than bugs (I think most of the bugs in Wyoming met a violent farewell on our windshield. Eeesh. But I’ll see if Mom can get a picture of it before Dad cleans the windshield tomorrow morning.), we have stopped in Laramie, Wyoming for the night. So, we’ve got about 100 miles left of Wyoming, and then about 10,000 miles across Nebraska. If you haven’t looked on a map, Nebraska is a VERY long state…. I’ll keep you posted, but sometimes the internet is a little sketchy.

Now it’s time for toys and then a late-night walk and bedtime.

*kissey face*
-Fiona, World Traveler

Packing and Puppy Pictures

Mom has been Really Slow in updating because she busy Making Lists, and Organizing, and Packing. See, her job is to make sure that everything (other than car stuff, which is Uncle Charlie's Problem) is organized and ready to go. And by everything, we are talking foodables for me and TaiChi and Bufus, and medicines for TaiChi and Bufus, and treaties for me (and TaiChi), and toys for me, and foodables for her and Dad and Uncle Charlie. And water. We are "dry camping" (no hookups) so Mom has been packing A LOT of water. And she is anticipating grilling (less dishes to wash), so she's had to get propane. And then there are clothes for her and Dad (and since the weather could be anything, she's got to get clothes for a variety of weather conditions). She also has to get their driving gear packed. And she has to get stuff to clean up the House With Wheels in case anyone (*cough*Bufus*cough*) decides to throw up/poo in Places He Shouldn't. And she has to make sure he's got kitty litter, and little baggies to pick up everyone's poo (yes, Mom gets some really choice jobs!). And, well, it goes on and on, and on.

So she's been busy.

Here's a picture she took with her phone when she was unpacking groceries for the House With Wheels. She says it's only a fraction of everything that is getting packed....

Apparently the real trick is finding space for everything.

But, the Good News is that as soon as the House With Wheels is On The Road, Mom gets to relax. Other than to make sure that I am supplied with toys and chewies and that we have regular bathroom breaks.

So, wish Mom luck in getting us ready. It's a Big Job.

Now, on to other stuff. I think I have mentioned this before, but since Mango has been bemoaning puppies, I feel obligated to mention that Mom is talking about me getting a little sister in December. From my biological Mom and Dad; so she'll be my real sister. Mom and Dad are already talking names, and are really leaning toward Abby. Not after my friend Abby, but after Abby from NCIS. Yes, my Mom and Dad are going to name my little sister after a teevee character. Which is fine, because I am named after a teevee character, too. A lot of people think that I am named after the Fiona from Shrek, but in fact, I am named after Fiona Glenanne from the teevee show Burn Notice. Mom and Dad definite pick names of strong female characters (who just happen to like to blow things up and drink lots of caffeine).

And to get you thinking about Mini Me, here are a few pictures from my puppy days.

Heehee. I'm TOTALLY sacked out! Being a puppy is Hard Work!

Me and my favorite big sister.

With a face like this, how could you NOT want another puppy?!?

*kissey face*
-Fiona