Walter's First Week Here

He was so shy when I first saw him. He barely moved laying flat on the floor. By the time we finished the hour and fifteen minute drive home, he walked in the front door like he had lived here his whole 9 week old life. He did not sniff the area as much as a bloodhound or basset hound puppy would and almost instantly made a left turn to head down the hallway to the bedroom where Heidi was sleeping. She didn't realize just how much her world would change, when he tapped his flat nose against hers, waking her up.

Stella was more than curious who this creature might be and proceeded to identify what this ball of fat was moving all over the floor and under her legs. It did not take long for her to approve of him and they have been almost inseparable since that first 15 minute introduction.

Everywhere Stella went, Walter followed.

He showed no hesitation drinking out of the water bowl shared by Heidi and Stella. I knew then he was going to be able to hold his own in the house with two larger hounds.

While Stella tried to escape from him there was only one thing that stopped Walter in his tracks. He caught his reflection in the oven door window. He didn't move then started a small growl as if he was about to attack that other small dog he was looking at.

Once he realized that Stella wasn't around, he took off for the living room to see if she would play.

Remember the last time Stella played was with Sadie and that had to be almost three years ago. Plus I had not had a puppy this young since I had bought Sadie in 2008. I accepted the fact before I bought Walter that I'd be getting up in the middle of the night to let him out. (that proved to be wrong) I was getting up a few times in the night to let Heidi out so that would not be a big deal.

Stella was pretty tolerant of his sharp puppy teeth, pulling her tail or her jowls. Her ears took a beating by him hanging from them, really ... all 16 pounds of him would hang in mid air by her ears if she was standing. This was not the reason I bought Walter but it was good to see that Stella was wanting to play.

By the next day it was like they were lifelong friends.

We get up at sunrise, they have breakfast while I fix coffee then head to the computer. From that first morning Walter has always played or tormented Stella until around 7am where he either goes outside by himself to soak up some sun or falls asleep in the doorway of the computer room partially on the tiled floor.

I wondered at the time if he would grow into all those wrinkles. I honestly didn't know since he is my first english bulldog.

Anything within reach he drags out and into the computer room behind my chair. As the days passed I started taking stuff off the bottom shelves of everything and moving it to higher ground.

When the Arizona mandate told us to "social distance" ... they all seemed to figure out what they were talking about. Nothing like some early morning sunbathing before it gets really hot in April.

One morning I didn't hear Walter playing inside, no barking or growling at himself. I walked to the patio and looked around the corner to see this. He doesn't fit on that block anymore but it use to be one of his favorite places to sit in the sun those first few weeks.

He is growling at his bone here but still enjoying some of that SE Arizona sunshine.

He was introduced to his first pizza that first week. He caught on very quickly what was going on but I didn't give him any of the crust like I normally give Heidi and Stella.

Heidi gradually warmed up to him and actually let him sleep with her on her bed for a couple of nights. He later decided my sleeping bag was more comfortable. He basically acted like this house was his house with very little adjustment to his new home.

I thought I'd cover more time in this post but I had already downloaded 28 photos and the date was only a week after he came home. I might have to do more of a highlight of photos for the rest of his time here to catch up to current time. 

He has been a surprise puppy to train. He does not have to go outside to pee in the middle of the night but will first thing in the morning. He knows and follows Stella outside right after their breakfast and lunch. He comes and goes as he pleases because I leave the backdoor open until it gets really hot outside. When the door is closed he has always gone to the door to be let outside. I wish puppies would stay that same 8-10 week old size.

He has raised the level of energy around here but will take time to rest. Quite a different breed from a basset hound or a bloodhound ... a lot of snorting and snoring. LOL

Miller - Brown & San Pedro House ALL Open !!!

Sunday afternoon I heard a familiar dog barking. They leave their lab and doberman puppy in their backyard when they are gone. This is Diesel, same age as Walter and Walter's best friend besides Stella. We let them get together sometimes in their yard to play when their kids want Walter "to come over".

Only Walter wasn't in the mood for any talking or playing. He sat hidden on the patio just barely glancing around the corner at his friend. I couldn't help but notice the fantastic sky show going on so I went outside to take some photos.

Mule mountains to the left, mountain in Mexico and I can't ever remember the name of it.

Coronado NF to the left, Miller Peak and Carr Peak in that order. With all of that sky activity you would have thought rain was seconds away but not a drop here.

This morning I knew I was going to have to get out of the house and do something to keep my sanity. That announcement I posted on last nights blog was a little confusing to me. By the title it sounded as if the whole park was closed yet I knew the fire was stopped on the other side of the highway of the San Pedro River house. I had also seen the past few weeks from comments made by mountain bikers on the Cochise Cycling group that Brown Canyon was closed but that didn't seem right either ... so this morning I headed out to the San Pedro House, then Brown Canyon and Miller Canyon to see if any of them were closed.

Any photos you see with my truck in the road, I have stopped the vehicle before taking the photos.

The photo above this one was the entrance to the San Pedro House which includes many different hiking trails and some that parallel the river. High on the hill on the highway I saw nothing but green trees and green fields on the south side of the road. So why wouldn't that part of the park be open. As I pulled into the parking lot I thought about taking a short hike over to the river but realized I had forgotten the most important thing. I had my camera but forgot my water and at least one trekking pole.

From there I headed out to Ramsey Canyon Rd, the one I bike up when I ride, to Brown Canyon and saw three forest ranger trucks in the parking lot, and an open gate. Did they just decide to open Brown Canyon??? Due to my covid laziness I didn't drive the two miles to the house, nor did I park here for free and walk the two miles to the Brown Canyon Ranch House. I turned around and headed south once I got back to the highway ... to Miller Canyon.

Just one reason that I don't bring the hounds and Walter with me on my trips. The other is, it's hot and if I found some place I wanted to explore it would be too hot even with the windows partially opened to leave them in the FJ or truck. Plus Heidi prefers her air conditioning and doesn't like the rocky bouncy roads we encounter at times. Stella always sleeps most of the trips and Walter is an unknown.

This sign is common here and as I go up Montezuma Pass in the Coronado NF. Miller Canyon though is not a bad drive. Not quite two miles to the top where it dead ends. I made it today in 2WD in my truck. People are not out though like you would see under normal conditions. I did not see one person bicycling in areas that I ride, and only saw 3 hikers finishing their trek as I pulled into the lower parking lot.

That view never gets old.

The last time I was up here, there were so many cars and trucks parked that not only were there no spaces available but they stretched out into that road where I could barely get by to come back down the mountain. Not today though ... only five cars were parked and even more spaces available.

I had been wanting to stop at The Diner for lunch. The last time I tried they had one waitress that was way behind where me and another couple waited and waited to be seated. I turned and left. But today a little past 11am I was escorted to my seat, order taken immediately and the hottest chili this side of the Rocky Mts was put in front of me. That small cup with make you sweat under your eyeballs and beg for anything to drink. I ordered it every time I stop in.

Normal cheeseburger. Notice the individual packets of ketchup ... that's a covid rule now. Salt and pepper also came in individual packets. It was hot and the quality of the burger was fantastic.

This was not as good as the first time I had it ... not the taste of it ... the size. I had a bigger piece of pie and two scoops of ice cream on top of the pie. Today it came this way but it was as good as always. Sometimes the body needs fuel and I was tired of walking around all day hungry and not seeing good enough results on the scales. There might be a tab of Tums later and/or a siesta but that will be worth it.

Walter was on fire this morning after he was fed. No photos are here for proof so you will just have to believe these next few stories. When I am at my computer having my first cups of coffee of the day I can usually tell where he is by the certain kind of noises I am hearing. The first one I heard was nothing I had heard before. I LOUD explosive type of sound that came from the kitchen. I walk out quietly and peek around the corner to see what he is doing.

Evidently he wanted more food. He had stood up with his front paws on the locked dog food container and tipped it over onto the tile floor. By the time I caught him he was staring at the container with his left front paw raised up on the edge of the locked lid. When he saw me, he walked over to me like nothing was going on.  :)

The only way to keep Stella and Walter from destroying my vertical blinds, my living room rug or anything in the bedroom is to crate both of them when I am gone. I have tried other options in their favor before this last resort. Long story short ... I have no other choice. I also have to use small Binks padlock on both crates or they can get out ... how do I know that ... because they have when not locked properly.

So this morning I hear a familiar sound of Walter playing inside the crates because they have the hard plastic floor. A lot of times I catch him running in and out of either crate either taking his bone in or taking his bones out before barking at them. Today I got up to see if he had accidentally shut himself in one because of the sounds I was hearing. He was standing out in front of them looking at me with the guiltiest face you could imagine. Right off the bat I saw the three padlocks I leave hanging unlocked on the top edge of Stella's crate were gone!!!

Nothing on the floor ... except one key, that is kept in the lock. So I get on my hands and knees to look under the bed ... nothing, look under the pad that Stella's crate sits on, ONE key and a padlock in different locations. So now I am looking for one more key and two more padlocks. I stand and shake out the two blankets of Heidis ... one padlock drops to the floor. Back on my hands and knees and I see the last key under the rubber pad that Stella's crate sits on just like before only this time it's on the back corner almost 4' away. So I am down to one last padlock and I can't see it anywhere.

I stand look around ... nothing ... I check the bathroom floor and shower, under Heidi's bed, under my bed again .... nothing. The only thing I have not checked is the sleeping bag in a pile by the chest of drawers. I lift the bag to see what falls out if anything ... there it is ... the last padlock.

Hours later after I get home I hear a noise I've never heard from Walter. It's his toenails sliding down the bathroom cabinet as he drags my tube of toothpaste off the counter.

He's going to be a lot of fun !!!!  LOL

San Pedro House & Trails Closed

Walter is quite the talker. He will not always do a full bark at me but a mix of a growl and the start of a bark. Here there is NO food involved. Stella is sound to sleep just to the right of me on the floor. Nothing on tv he likes watching and he does watch tv sometimes. No ... he just wanted some attention. His next move after this with no results ... he tries "divebombing" up on my lap but can't quite make it that high. He knows he is a "bulldozer".

Stella doesn't run anymore and didn't the last couple of years in Indiana after she and Stella would chase deer at full speed. Some days she does not want to go on the .62 mile walk. She lays in the sun a lot and sleeps. And sleeps a lot inside. It's good that Walter will give her the time she needs to rest. Just normal activity for an aging bloodhound.

After taking some photos Friday morning at the entrance to the San Pedro House, I got this announcement from a news feed on my Facebook account this morning. Access to the San Pedro House and all their hiking trails are closed until further notice. Here is the announcement: CLOSED DUE TO FIRE

There's times that Walter does my work for me by cleaning not only Heidi's ears but Stella's.

It stayed like this most of the day. Like I said the other day, my activities go with the flow. Spur of the moment decisions on what to do, so today laundry was done and I hand washed the dishes instead of using the dishwasher. I could feel the humidity when I woke up at sunrise. It was windier than normal and a few drops of rain as I stood outside taking this photo. BTW, I've never seen water in the backyard high enough to flow out that one brick they put at the bottom of the fence for drainage many years ago.

Walter decided early this morning that if none of us were going to play with him, then he would drag what bones he could find into the computer room and play alone. Out of that stack, only the small red bone is new ... all the rest were pulled out of the hound locker since Heidi nor Stella were not interested in them ... that is until Walter wanted them.

He is sleeping and snoring loudly after his solo play session ... Stella never moved.

Heidi's dog bed was part of that laundry project. These next three photos are a typical daily afternoon rain or shine.

I was on a plant based diet again from February until just recently. I spent almost every night feeling hungry at 7pm no matter how much food I had eaten that day. I went back to eating fish, like this Pacific wild caught salmon. That amount makes 4-5 meals. I see nothing wrong having fresh salmon in my diet. I also don't see anything wrong with an occasional veggie pizza with cheese. I was cold turkey on the dairy products for months until I had the first container of Ben and Jerry's ice cream then I fell off the plant based diet wagon really hard. My annual bloodwork is scheduled for this December and YES ... I do have a spreadsheet with all of last years numbers to compare with those in 2020.

With all the daily news on this virus and all the examples of people getting sick and some cases dying after they attend a small family dinner or birthday party ... it totally confuses me when I see photos of a family birthday party on the lake and inside a house back in Indiana. No masks were worn in the 17 photos they posted, age range was from 5 years old to over 60 years old. Social distancing was just a rumor to them. They were packed next to each other as close as possible for the group birthday photo .... what am I missing here??? I'd like to know later if anyone of them feels sick and tests positive.

I don't have pictures but I received some handles for my 1964 Panel camping windows. Three were missing and the ones I bought from a member off the Samba forum were made to perfection. I can now open and close those louvered windows with ease. Forum members are 100% in favor of me getting the wheels and bumpers painted instead of the rusty crusty look. Since the body of the bus was already painted, it would only look right to finish the wheels and bumpers.

I'll try to get out this week for some off grid photography. It looks like rain is in the forecast Thursday, Friday and Saturday but that will put our highs in the 80's instead of near 100. I am going to find somewhere to do some hiking with the camera. Most places I've gone in the past locally to hike are closed and gated.

It was a productive day here in the 'wild west', although quiet and calm.