July 9: The devil said, "Oh Sh*t, She's Up!"

Today’s post is dedicated to Jean-Luc and Bobby, my constant companions. What day they had. They’ve become good friends and they have listened to every song I’ve sung, every swear word I’ve uttered, screamed, or whispered, every cry for Ben, and every lonely sob. They’ve endured countless photo ops without complaining and they’ve protected me from every stray dog alive, on TV, and on the sides of rented campers. Also, the humans who look like they may be suspicious - that’s every human who approaches me. :0)

“I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source.” Doris Day

“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” Unknown

Before I tell you about my day, I’d like to describe some signs that I’ve seen since entering New York. These are in no particular order, I just write them down on a scratch piece of paper when I see them. If you’re bored you can sort them in any way that you choose.

1. Jerry’s Fire Department and Rodeo (Really!)

2. Detour at 60 (I think that one was just for me.)

3. Blind People Area (This is where we let them loose.)

4. Camp Gross (Where no one wants to spend their summer.)

5. Gary’s Stump Grinding (Geez Gary)

6. Beware Deaf Child (Like a sign from Children of the Corn.

7. Laser Wash (Is this where you get your laser washed?)

Okay so today I awoke at the Holiday Inn Express. I should say I was awoken by two dogs who had to go potty at 7:30. I quickly got dressed, oh wait, I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday because I still couldn’t get in the camper. I brushed my teeth with my finger and toothpaste from the hotel, popped in a piece of gum, washed my face, packed my backpack and my paper sack and left with the dogs to walk and water them and set off on the road again. When I was packing the car I realized something important was missing. It was my butterfly plant, which I named Ben. I quickly ran back into the hotel and there he was waiting right where I’d left him when I was checking in yesterday - on the counter. Today I am feeling more like myself again. Yesterday was one of those days when missing Ben is just more than I can bear. But I have to keep moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other. I don’t like it, but life goes on and as I like to say - How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I am taking it one day at a time and some days I am taking it one moment at a time.

I google mapped an RV repair shop and found Colton RV in North Tonawanda, just 11 miles from the hotel and they opened at 8:00. When I got there I was greeted by a very nice lady, Victoria Prinze. They really chose the right person to be their first face to the public. Helpful and upbeat. The people at Colton RV removed the awning - let me get my medication out of my fridge and they stored it for me in their fridge while I waited for them to check my power jack that was also not working. Turns out I had a faulty wire and my batteries had no water. So they were fried. I had to purchase two new ones, which they installed and rewired. Dave, the mechanic said that you periodically have to fill your batteries with distilled water - no one told me that! Dave said, “Yeah, I don’t know why they don’t tell people that they need to do that?” After spending two hours at Colton RV the dogs had made friends or enemies of everyone working there - except this one guy who was moving different RVs from here to there, etc. Whenever he came by Jean-Luc would just grumble and shake his head. It was kind of funny. Yay for me - only $600.

You know what they say about Murphy’s law, well my phone kept dying and the car kept telling me I wasn’t plugged in, so I had to find a Target or a Walmart to see if it was my cord or my phone - Thank goodness, just need a new cord. Got a Starbucks Refresher Trenta for me and a breakfast sandwich for the boys. On to Niagara Falls. The last time I was at the falls I was very young, but I do remember it. It’s changed a lot for the better. The shuttle pass is a steal at $3.00 for adults because you can ride it all day even with dogs. We went to the gift shop and we even rode the Maid of the Mist. The boys were so good. The rumbling of the boat motor was a bit freaky for them and poor Bobby was shaking because it was cold, but overall it was an awesome experience. Everyone is wearing these blue rain parkas (pink on the Canadian side) and getting drenched, but oohing and aahing, and laughing. It’s a round trip literally and you can see the Canadian falls and they can see the US falls. Pretty cool. We also went out on the observation deck, which was freaky for me. I don’t like heights. Finally we went and saw the Horseshoe Falls because the trolley driver said, “If you haven’t seen the Horseshoe Falls from above, you haven’t really been to Niagara Falls.” Then it was time to go. The boys were tired of behaving and we were all hungry.

Our next stop was the Jell-O museum in LeRoy, but we got there at 5:00 and they closed at 4:00. So I googled campgrounds and found the Jam at the Ridge. A super folksy campground run by a sweet family. She runs the restaurant called, The Ridge and he runs the RV Campgrounds and schedules and hosts the entertainment. Travis Tritt was there in June. Their teenagers help with everything and their friends have come along for the summer to pitch in. I could see my Alec and his wife Stephanie doing this. They would love it and they would do it very well.