Furry Friday – Home at Last!

February has gone by in a blur as my husband and I spent fifteen days of this shortest month on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. My father is a Vietnam era Marine veteran and qualifies for a discounted rate at a military resort, plus he can sponsor a guest during his stay. We happily accepted his sponsorship to spend two weeks in paradise.

_{Free-range chickens are everywhere on the island.}

Hawaii is breathtakingly beautiful. Of course, there are an endless number of tourist attractions, but I prefer the natural beauty of the island and I imagine how pristine those shores must have been when they were still sacred ground instead of a vacation destination. We explored the mountains and the beaches, driving the circumference of the island. We also journeyed into the rainforest covered mountains at its center.

_{Sunrise over Diamond Head}

_{View from the Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail}

While we vacationed, Gidget McFidget and Bruce Wayne stayed with friends and family. Due to their unique personalities, they must go to separate locations. Bruce is rambunctious and creates chaos wherever he goes, so he stayed with our friend Kris, a dog trainer who also dog sits in her home. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Bruce alone in a boarding kennel. At her house, he has the option to sleep in her bed or on the sofa, just like he does at home. She has dogs of her own, and Bruce likes to curl up and nap with her female dog, much like he does with Gidget.

_{Bruce likes big mutts and he cannot lie!}

Gidget requires extra care in finding someone to watch her. Her reaction to people is quite binary. You are either friend or foe. If you are her friend, she will shower you with kisses from her tiny tongue and glue herself to your side on the couch or in the bed. If you are not her friend then you are by necessity her foe, and she wants to hug you with her teeth. Lucky for us, she loves our son and his girlfriend and sticks to her best behavior while visiting them.

_{Gidget is lying on top of me to make sure I don’t leave.}

After a grueling plane trip home, with altered flight plans and layovers, we retrieved them from their individual sitters after being awake for thirty-three hours. Gidget and Bruce were overjoyed to be reunited with each other as well as with their Mama and Daddy. After the dancing and wagging subsided, they were content to have a snack and settle down for a long nap with Mama. Normal life has resumed with our return to a cold Michigan winter while they bask in front of the fireplace or guard the house and neighborhood from their perch in the front window. It’s good to have the four of us together again.

_{Bruce climbed into my lap and wouldn’t leave once he got into the car.}

_{Gidget has resumed her position in front of the fireplace, but she is not taking her eyes off her Mama.}