Abby is now officially an Autocross Dog!

This weekend we were off to the historic Wendover Airfield for the first autocross out there of the season. The Utah Region is hosting a couple of National level events in May, and Mom and Dad (and Uncle Charlie and Aunt Linda) want to be prepared for them. Because Wendover is 130 miles away, Mom and Dad decided to go out Friday night (Mom and Dad aren't exactly morning people...). Friday didn't start off as a particularly promising day; we had snow. We sent Abby out to make sure that it was real snow... Heehee!


But, by the time we were leaving Park City, the weather was starting to lift.

We picked up the car trailer in Salt Lake and were off to Wendover. Abby took my napping spot (again) so I got to sit with Mom. Abby thinks that she's got the best spot, but I think I've got the best spot! Which, now that I think about it, means that we're both happy. As for Mom? I hope she realizes how lucky she is to have me as a lap dog! Heehee!

I wanted to stop on the way out there to see my buddy Clive, but Mom and Dad wanted to get to Wendover before dark.

Clive! I didn't know you were So Close! And you are so important that you've got your own freeway exit!

Oh. Mom says that's a different Clive. Gosh darn it. I was so excited to see you! I guess I'll have to wait until Air Fiona is operational again before I can come visit.

We arrived at Wendover before the sun set, and Abby got her first sight of the hangar where the Enola Gay was housed stateside during WWII.

Mom says that for those of you who have asked about the House With Wheels, when we tow the trailer, we are 64.5 feet long. (The legal limit in most western states is 65 feet...)

When the sun set, we settled in to relax for the night.
This way we could be up bright and early the next morning. We all slept well (well, except for Mom, because Abby has decided that she should be a pillow dog like me, and I guess there isn't quite as much pillow room in the bed in the House With Wheels) and were raring to go the next morning!


Unlike some autocross events where we are parked so I can sit and look out the window at Mom driving the Big Yellow Car, at this event, we were parked a fair distance away from the course, but still close to all the cars and people in the paddock. Abby took to the whole autocross business fairly quickly, and was pulling her 'cute face', suckering people left and right.

I swear, this girl has no shame sometimes!

Anyhoo, after a late start, Mom and Dad spent the day dashing back and forth to the House With Wheels to let us out on walks, in between racing and working. Notice how Dad is scattering the course workers here!

Dad at the start.
When they were done, Mom and Dad took us on a long walk, so we could check out the sights of the historic airfield.
We got to see the old barracks

(Mom says that every time she sees these buildings her brain automatically plays footage of a nuclear bomb going off. I have no idea what she's talking about...)

And bits of airplanes.
A most excellent walk in a most historic place!

The next day, Mom and Aunt Linda drove the Big Yellow Car, while Dad and Uncle Charlie drove the little silver and black thing.

Mom and Dad both had a great time, and Mom apparently made great strides on Sunday (but we don't have any pictures of anyone driving on Sunday - Mom and Dad were too busy working and driving to get any pictures), so it was a good weekend; I know Mom seemed really happy with how she drove on Sunday - I think Dad was happy, too, but I think he was too tired to be really excited!

Sunday was kind of a long day, though, because Mom and Dad didn't finish driving until 5pm or so, and then they had to load up cars and get the House(s) With Wheels packed up and ready to go, and then we had to drive back to Salt Lake and drop the trailer and then drop the motorhome in Park City and go home. We didn't even get home until 10pm! And then after Mom and Dad were all exhausted, Abby decided to get under the bed (she barely fits!) and bark incessantly for like 10 minutes. For No Good Reason, other than that she's a puppy. Like that's an excuse. *sheesh*

Today was a bit of a recovery day; Mom and Dad had spent a lot of yesterday running around (literally!) when they weren't driving (not to mention Dad driving us all safely home after such a long day!), and so they were pretty worn out today. Me? I was happy to kick back and keep Dad company, but Abby had to have a serious case of puppy-itis, so Mom took her to Petco to wear her out a bit! And Mom saw Jessi, the lady who is training Mom to give us turkey hotdogs, and Mom says that we will be going back to school for more education. I totally blame Abby for this continuing education. Unless it involves more turkey hotdogs, in which case it will all be okay. I guess.

Mom wants to add a few gratuitous racing photos, so you can see what this autocross is all about.



Oh, and I should mention that Abby is totally cool with the autocross - my little sister is becoming more and more of a real dog every day! (And yes, she is getting BIG! I would be nervous about her getting so big, but I know that I can run faster, corner better, and change directions quicker than she will ever be able to, so I'm not too worried - she won't ever be able to catch me!)

Heehee!

*kissey face*
-Fiona

Of Turkey Hotdogs and Cars and Things

Yay! Finally another update! If Mom weren’t so busy, I’d get at the computer more, but, I guess I should be happy that she doesn’t just sit around and watch Law and Order re-runs all day. Oh wait. Sometimes she does do that! Teehee! Kidding, Mom!

I think when I last got to the computer, Mom and Dad had just finished their first autocross of the season, but Mom hadn’t brought the camera, so she didn’t get any pictures. Now, they have finished their second autocross, and Mom and Dad both got some pictures.

But before I get to the last autocross (which I didn’t get to go to again because the House With Wheels is still down south), hmmm. I’m not sure if I did anything too exciting. Mom and Dad have been taking me and the Little Monster (Little Monster and me? And I? Since I didn’t go to Puppy Class, I never learned these things…) on lots of walks – it is good for Dad to get up and moving around a bit, so we generally get to go on two walks a day, which is pretty cool. And Mom and Dad have decided to start walking us together (we were walking with Mom about 20 yards behind Dad so Abby didn’t get distracted, but now we walk together and it’s me who gets distracted by Abby…), and that’s fun. Mom hasn’t taken any pictures of the walks, though, because she’s too busy making sure Abby “pays attention”. I’m not sure what this “paying attention” thing means, but I’m sure it’s something that puppies must do.

Since we have no walkie pictures, I'll give you a gratuitous tug-of-war picture...


So, on to the autocross. Even though I didn’t go, Mom told me all about it, and so I can relay all the excitement. For those of you who don’t know what autocross is, it is like Agilities for Humans in Cars; they set up a bunch of cones in a parking lot or airport tarmac, or anyplace that has a lot of open paved space, and they try to get their cars through the pattern of cones (which varies for every event) as fast as possible without hitting cones; every cone is a two second penalty. Mom hits a lot of cones, but apparently has fun anyway.

Uncle Charlie and family brought down the Big Yellow Car so all Mom and Dad had to do was show up. Here’s the car when it was all nice and clean (and before Mom it a bunch of cones with it!)


And Mom was very happy when she saw these two cars parked near them (because there is a tiny part of Mom’s heart that wants a “muscle car” – even though she LOVES the Big Yellow Car, and she knows it has more horsepower, and it out-performs either of these ‘tanks’ and she even likes the way is goes “vroom”, but she says there is “just something” – I think it’s a kink in her DNA…)


The course way very challenging; they raced at a place called the “E Center” don’t ask me why which has a pretty hilly surface for a parking lot and is very slippery. Which meant that Mom (and Aunt Linda) spent a lot of time going sideways in the car. Or, in Mom’s case, spinning it. Twice. In Mom’s defense, so did Aunt Linda… Mom also hit A LOT of cones; 7 on one run, I’m told. Which is like a world record, I think!

Here's Mom trying to keep the car going straight...

Here's Mom in the start line; this is one of her favorite pictures just because of the angle of the car.

And here's Dad:


When it was all said and done, Mom said she had a lot of fun, even if she didn’t go as fast as she would have liked, and she hit more cones that she wanted to; she said she ‘learned stuff’ which is good, I think. Maybe one day she’ll learn to not spin the car…. Heehee.

And while Mom and Dad were gone all day, Jessi, (who Mom calls The Greatest Dog Trainer Ever – me? I call her the Greatest Human Trainer Ever, as she taught Mom to feed us turkey hotdogs!) came by the house three times, and took us outside and played with us, and took care of TaiChi, and Abby.

Oh. Yeah. Abby has a bladder infection – very late Saturday night, when Mom was trying to sleep for the autocross, Abby got up and peed. And then got Mom up an hour later, and an hour after that, and on and one. When Mom got up the second time, she caught on, and gave Abby some of TaiChi’s antibiotics. Because Mom started Abby on antibiotics, and because a bladder infection isn’t life-threatening, and because it was a Sunday, Mom figured that it wasn’t urgent enough to take Abby to emergency care. Jessi, along with her Amazing Hotdog Skills, is also a holistic dog healer, and gave Mom some advice as to how to help Abby feel better along with the antibiotics. As an update, Mom took Abby to the vet today and got her on some other antibiotics (because Abby is now a whopping 28 lbs, where TaiChi is 11 lbs (maybe) and TaiChi’s aren’t strong enough). She should be feeling much better in a couple of days. In the meantime, she’s loving the peanut butter that “hides” her pills. Who knew cranberry extract came in a pill? Anyhoo, the Little Monster is doing better.

So while it would have been fun to be with Mom and Dad at the autocross, the next best thing was having Jessi come by. Can anyone say “turkey hotdogs”? Heehee.

And speaking of Jessi. Today was another turkey hotdog receiving day dog class. Mom says this might be the last one for a little while, as she would like to get to southern Utah so we can pick up the House With Wheels, and maybe spend a little time down there while it is mud season up here. However, Mom says that we will DEFINITELY be going back to PetCo for more classes because 1) I need to be “socialized” (um… does that mean I have to move to Canada?), 2) Mom thinks that there is a lot more for us to learn, 3) she thinks Jessi is just the best trainer in the world, and 4) Mom needs to keep practicing her turkey hotdog delivery technique.

But…. Here are a couple of pictures of today’s class.

Here's Abby, totally sucking up to Jessi. Mango, you were right about these little puppies being suck-ups. *sheesh*

This one is out of focus, because we were all moving so fast, but it pretty much shows how things went in play time...

Although Bella (the other dog in the class) wasn't a complete pushover...

School's out!!!


*whew* Long post. I guess that’s what happens when Mom doesn’t let me at the computer for a while!

*kissey face*
-Fiona

PeeEss: Now I'll try to catch up on everyone's bloggies; forgive me if it takes a while!

I'm ba-ack....

Yeah, I know, I've been AWOL for a while. Blame Mom Nature and my complete lack of opposable thumbs. And plain old Mom. Because she's been "busy" and unable to help me type.

First, Mom and Dad had the first car race of the season last Saturday, and we didn't get to go!!! I mean, just because the House with Wheels is still down south, and we'd have had no place to hang out, and there wasn't any place at the venue to park it, is that any excuse not to bring us? Oh, I guess it is. Nevermind. Apparently Mom and Dad had a lot of fun; they drove the Big Yellow Car, and I guess after Mom drove, Dad was a little nervous that he might not be able to beat Mom! (He did end up beating her by a fair amount, but it sounds like Mom drove pretty well, and is very happy that she made Dad nervous, if only for a little while!)

Big Yellow Car at tech; Mom didn't get any action shots. Something about either driving or working. Sounds like a lame excuse to me!

We all stayed home; I got to be Free Range, because I'm Responsible, while Abby was in her crate, because she "can't be trusted" and TaiChi was in her crate because she tends to wander and get stuck in corners if she is left to roam free. We weren't stuck alone all day, though. Mom had arranged for Jessi, the lady who is teaching Mom to feed us turkey hotdogs, to come by a couple of times and let us out and play and feed us and let us drink and pee and stuff. And that was really good. Except that Abby was still mad at Mom and Dad for leaving her alone most of the day, so when Mom and Dad got home, Abby peed on the bed! Way to show 'em, Abby! Heehee!

*ahem*

After the car race, Mom was focused on getting the two of them ready for a big ski race. And yes, they were going to leave us! I know that Jessi would have fed us lots of turkey hotdogs because she was going to stay with us, but still... But Sunday, Dad got hit by a snowboarder, and got hurt enough that he's not going to be able to ski race. He's not hurt super bad, but enough that he can't ski race for a while. And while I'm sorry that Dad got hurt and that he won't have a chance to ski race, I'm very happy that Mom and Dad aren't going anywhere. So are Abby and TaiChi; we'd all much rather have Mom and Dad home!

Mom says that they have another car race (where she'll actually try to get some pictures), and then we are all going to go down south to get the House With Wheels. Yay! Back to the House With Wheels!!! And then we'll be able to go to all the car races with them!!! Mom says that we might be able to spend some time in southern Utah, which means lots of hiking and trips into Zion Nat'l Park (on the ONE trail I can go on), and trips to Wal-Mart to look at the polygamists (or shop, or something).

In the meantime, we got a teeny bit of new snow that we wanted to enjoy before it melts.

Heehee! Lookitme in the corner; I'm over-exposed!

Obligatory cute puppy picture. If you're into that sort of thing.

The little monster is getting bolder. And bigger!

Heehee. Chasing the little monster around the yard!

We've also been doing a bit of bitey face.

And a certain someone has decided that my ear is on her menu...

*sigh*

Oh. And one other thing.... Mom has decided that it is "better" for me (me?!?) for Abby to be in my dog class, so instead of Abby getting her private puppy lessons, she's in the class with me and this other dog named Bella. Mom's going to try to get pictures next week.

*kissey face*
-Fiona

What a Weekend Finale!!!

OMD!!!! What a fun weekend!

Mom and Dad had the Season Finale races for their car racing. Dad has always wanted to set a course, so he volunteered himself, Mom, and Uncle Charlie to “chair” the event. What that means is that they are responsible to get the stuff to the venue, make sure that there are people to do the “core jobs” (registration, tech inspection, safety, set up and timing), and they set the courses. There are a bunch of core workers in our region, so it wasn’t like Mom and Dad had to work hard to get the jobs filled, but they were very lucky to have a guy do the work of bringing out the truck (that carries all the cones) and the trailer (that has all the other stuff that you need to run a race, like a computer, and timing lights, etc., etc.).

Because Mom and Dad (really, mostly Dad – Mom just sort of assisted on occasion) were supposed to set the course, we got out early Friday afternoon, and met up with Uncle Charlie and this other guy, Kyle, who was bringing out the truck and trailer. Which meant that the House With Wheels had a primo parking spot.


Sort of. The first day they raced on a lot that had a building separating the House With Wheels’ parking lot from the racing, so I didn’t get to watch live action racing teevee. I had to watch NCIS, and harass TaiChi, instead…


Oh. And yes, the Starship Enterprise – as Mom and Dad call the House With Wheels - has its license plate. Mom says NCC-1701 was already taken. Whatever that means. I mean, they get a little weird with this whole “Starship Enterprise” thing. Mom keeps calling Dad “Mister Sulu” – which is NOTHING like Dad’s name, and when we are climbing up steep hills (I-80 has a section that is probably an 8% grade, by my practiced eye) she used a fake Scottish accent and keeps saying “I canna give ye’ more power, Captain, the dilithium crystals are going to blow!”. And then, when we hit the part of the road where the speed limit is 75 mph, she tells Dad, “Warp 7, Mister Sulu”. I seriously think Mom is losing it, because I have No Idea what she is talking about. I’m beginning to feel like Dennis!

Anyway, Mom and Dad and Uncle Charlie and Kyle spent the evening setting the course until the sun set. And then I got to spend quality time with Dad.


Including ear scratchies!


TaiChi pretty much napped.


Oh, and Mr. Bufus?!? Mom got some medicine from the vet that was supposed to stop him throwing up while we were driving, and it seems to have worked. At least for the hour drive out there (and back again). I think he was quite happy about not losing his lunch.


And I didn’t get any pictures on Saturday because Mom and Dad were really busy, and I have a tough time using the camera, what with the complete lack of opposable thumbs and all. Even though it rained at one point in the day, Mom and Dad seemed to have a really good time, and it sounded like they both drove really well. But they had worked really hard, and they didn’t sleep very well Friday night (it was warm in the House With Wheels, but when the opened the window it was Very Cold on Mom’s head), so TaiChi and Bufus and I were restless all night, and we kept Mom and Dad up. So, on Saturday night they were both Very Tired, and went to bed Very Early.

They were racing on a different lot (in the same complex) on Sunday, but we didn’t move the House With Wheels Saturday night because there was a “drifting” event Saturday night and a bunch of the contestants were parked right where the House With Wheels was supposed to go. And if you don’t know what drifting is, go watch Fast and Furious. Or, actually, if you don’t know what drifting is, it’s probably just as well! ;-) So, we stayed in our same place. And everybody slept really well, because we kept the window open and Mom just slept in a knit hat! (And I cuddled up next to her to keep her warm!)

So we got up Really Early on Sunday so we could “pull in” the House With Wheels to move to the new lot in time for Dad and Uncle Charlie and Kyle to set the Sunday course.


Dad, working hard!


Our parking place on Sunday was Much Better because I had a front row seat, and had live action racing on my teevee!

Mom didn't get a picture of the view out my window, but this is close:


And TaiChi slept a lot (like usual).


She did decide, however, that she wanted to race, so Mom got her classed and a number. PSL = Poodle Stock Ladies – since she is pure poodle, she is “stock”, and well, she’s a she, hence the Ladies’ Class. And she’s #18, because, well, she’s 18! Heehee! And yes, she won her class. She wasn’t very fast, but she was the only PSL out there, so she won!!!


After Dad set the course again in the morning, and they raced the Big Yellow Car. And apparently Mom and Dad both did REALLY well, because they just looked at the results and were congratulating each other. But, of course, I wasn’t able to get any pictures of them racing, because, well, a) I don’t have opposable thumbs to work the camera, and b) I’m not allowed outside the House With Wheels without Mom or Dad. So maybe someone else got some pictures. If so, I’ll post them, because Mom and Dad had “break through” days this weekend. And I like posting pictures of the Big Yellow Car!

And while I LOVED being out in the House With Wheels, I also loved being home!


Zoom-zoom! Heehee!


Especially since I know that we are going to go live in the House With Wheels for a month, starting in about a week!!!!

*whew* With all that excitement, I’m tired. Sleepy time! I'll catch up on bloggies tomorrow!


*kissey face*

-Fiona