Meet Charlie

Charlie is getting a tad crooked.  He's losing the symmetry of youth.  Grey face, a tendency to eat cat's toys--leading to the inevitable bowel obstruction--and, most recently, prone to large masses on the spleen...resulting in more major surgery. Yet he manages a bounce in his step, keeps a good appetite, and rarely ever complains.  Good dog.

For the past few years, Rebecca and I have tossed about the idea of an extended trip here at home.  There are a number of good reasons for such a trip: we can drive our own car, the camping's pretty good in America, the country is big enough to provide warmth in the south when it's snowing up north and, crucially, we needn't say goodbye to our family pet.

Part of our inspiration came from the writer John Steinbeck, who searched for the heart of this country in the company of his pet Standard Poodle, Charley.  His book, Travels with Charley, documents their adventures and Steinbeck's observations. (The dog, technically, doesn't contribute.)

We'll leave in early February.  Charlie and I will head south from Marquette, working our way to Charleston, South Carolina, where we'll meet Rebecca, whose flying up from Florida and the Caribbean. Then on to adventures in the south and west, which we'll share on this blog.