My toys

These are some of my favourite toys.

Sometimes it is all about the box!

The candy cane and the elf I got for my first Christmas with Mum and Dad. Sadly I destroyed my elf when I was left alone this past Christmas. I still have the fish and the candy can tho'.





This is my absolute favourite toy. Dad gave this to me the first week I was in my new home - 2 1/2 years ago now. I like the sound that it makes. Sometimes it gets lost (or hidden - according to Mum) under the washing machine, a bookshelf or behind the cellar door. It is great fun watching Mum crawl around looking for my lost ring. She now only brings it out once in a while for me.

or the bag!

Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en is scary - even with Mum holding me :)

Camping season is over

October 4

Well, it looks like the trailer is all packed up for the winter. All the camping equipment has been stored away. Even my little travelling bag has been stored with the rest of the gear.

Can you see me?????

 Fall certain has some advantages. My colouring makes good camouflage.

It is time for rest and relaxation. I am dreaming about all the fun I had this year. I wonder what Mum and Dad have planned for next year.

I will update any new adventures that I have.

Clear Lake Float Fly

Thursday, September 17 to Sunday, September 20

Trailer is all packed up and we are ready to go. Lots of planes - all on floats so we must be going to a lake. This should be fun - lots of walks, trees to climb, and people to visit. Dad got a new battery for the trailer so we should all be toasty and warm at night.

Once we were past the point of no return Mum realised that she had left the stuffing for the potluck dinner in the freezer at home. We had to make a detour into Barrhead to get new fixings. The new  stuffing did turn out better than the batch at home. She had lots of compliments and lots of good laughs! 

Clear Lake Beach. The water level has really dropped since July.

The lake looks really nice but it is quite shallow with lots of weeds. It made flying difficult - hard to get past the weeds for take-off. Plus the motor on the recovery boat was too big. Poor J Q had to use his kayak to rescue the planes that didn't land quite right.

The ducks and geese are gathering. Dad says the geese a practising for their flight south. He says the honking sounds like the cadence chant from his militia days: "left, left, left, right, left".

Where is that squirrel?

The squirrels were very active. Getting ready for winter hibernation. The bold ones got very close to the trailer and my nose! I am pretty fast but not fast enough to catch a squirrel,. Mum says that is a good thing - they bite back.

I think I could climb this one.

Table all set up for the wrap-up dinner.
Deep fried turkey with all the trimmings.

There was a mock wedding ceremony for Cash (a maltese/yorkie cross) and Maddie. They both wore charming outfits. The wedding songs were "Who let the dogs out", "You're nothing but a hound dog" (for Cash) and "They call it puppy love" for Maddie.

R acted as minister and gave a very nice blessing for the meal. One of the company has been in palliative care for the last few weeks and R had special words for her and her family.

According to Mum and Dad supper was excellent. It was a great way to wrap up the flying year. 

What happens at B's stays at B's

Thursday, September 3 to Sunday, September 6

It was a cold and rainy and windy day - oops that sounds like a start to one of Mum's books. Well it was cold and wet but there seemed to be a lot of traffic between the house and trailer. I am not really sure because I was locked in the bedroom! When I was finally allowed out there was planes all set up in the truck - must be we are going on a flying weekend.

All my favourite doggie friends were there - actually all the dogs were there. One of the participants calls these events Rusty and Friends because I am they only cat. Well, there is one other cat but he is shy and stays mostly in his trailer. One of the dogs got really excited about seeing me and needed to be disciplined - a light paw on his forehead brought him into line.

It is a nice place to find lots of hunting spots - the pond, the fields, and the woods. I did manage to get a mouse trapped under the truck but Mum seems to think I need to let my mouse go! But there were still a few dragonflies and grasshoppers to be devoured.

What is in this pond?

This stump gives me a good perspective for mouse hunting.

The woodpile has good potential

 It was a little nippy at night. Sadly our battery was failing. We had enough juice to warm up the trailer at bedtime and and in the morning. Dad drove all the way home to pick up the generator and a new battery. He was able to charge up the battery but the generator failed. Although the rest of the weekend was very wet and rainy we were warm enough in the trailer.

Not much flying was done - too rainy and windy. The campfires were fun. And the wrap-up dinner was scrumptious - according to Mum and Dad. Pets at dinner are prohibited :).

Dad's fleet

J G deep frying turkeys

Tables all set up for the dinner.

Meadow Lake

Monday, August 17 to Thursday, August 20

Gassing up in Bonnyville

It all started on Sunday with lots of toing and froing between the house and the trailer. Somethings was definitely afoot.  I was a little worried until I saw my travel bag with food and toys headed out to the trailer. All is good - I was going somewhere. mmm - there are no planes being loaded into the truck so maybe we are going for some R&R.

We headed out Monday morning. The road was really bumpy so I wasn't comfortable on my usual spot on the console. The back seat was much more comfortable for sleeping.  'Course there were interruptions in my sleep cycle so we could stop for gas!




We got to our camp mid-afternoon.  There were lots of bushes and trees with lots of rustling in the bushes. It IS a good campsite - I caught my first mouse within the first 3 hours. There is a little path that the mice use to go from one clump of bushes to another. Mum and Dad seem to think that it should be catch and release. I suppose that makes sense seeing as we are in a provincial park. Alex was concerned that I  would go to Kitty jail for harming wildlife in a provincial park.

Yup, this is just an R&R trip. Mum and Dad are taking lots of walks. There are some neat paths that take you to other lakes like Little Raspberry Lake. Dad got some photos of strange looking water birds. And lots of sunset photos. Mum even got to play mini-golf and Dad got his ice cream cone (twice) so they are happy. Meadow Lake Provincial Park

Dad cooking breakfast

Ooops - it looks like we forgot to pack the add-a-room. No problem for me with my nice fur coat and tail to wrap around me if I get cold. Mum will get a little whinny if the evening is chilly and there is no tent heater!






All in all it was a good two days. Lots of very bold squirrels to track, mice to catch (and release). The squirrels were interesting. They would eat the ends of the pine trees just like corn on the cob! There was even a rabbit that kept me glued to one spot for two hours.

Yukon Adventure - week 1

Day 1 Monday, June 1

Sigh - they said we were going camping but there was driving and more driving. Then Mum and then Dad would disappear into some washroom type place! Well, after some stops to find some new hardware and some maps (because Mum forgot to go to AMA) we are finally camping at a very nice campground on the Grande Prairie Regional College grounds. There is lots of birds to watch and trees that I think I can climb. Now this is camping.

On our drive here we saw 2 deer – one running across the road and one having second thoughts.

We got a bit of a late start by the time all the neighbours came by to say “ have a good trip; don't worry we will look after things”. Thank goodness for terrific neighbours.

All is well, truck is running well. Trailer is a little bouncier so there is some re-organizing when we stop.

That's all for now, 

Rusty, Nancy Lee/Mum and Dave/Dad

I am sure there is something rustling in those bushes!

Day 2 Tuesday, June 2

We saw 2 Snow Geese flying north.

We had a stopover in Dawson Creek. Here I am at MilePost 0. I really like to climb on things. Mum and Dad had lunch from the bakery.

There was construction outside Fort St John on that very steep hill – Taylor Hill. Dad drove very well but Mum still had white knuckles but the time we made it to the bottom of the hill. We have come to realize if you see “chain on signs” that hill is going to be steep. It was a wonderful view but there was no way to stop and take a picture.

We stopped for the night at the Pink Mountain resort. Sadly, The Pink Mountain resort does not quite live up to the hype in the Milepost mmm – it maybe what we can expect from here on in. PS: June 13 – the couple from Florida said the same thing – if this is the best campground on the Alaska highway then we are in trouble. PPS: June 15 – when Dad was “lost” at Liard Hot springs he was talking to a guy with an r-pod. He did say that Pink Mountain had been quite nice until all the work camps moved in.
We met Marshal – his was riding his motorcycle from somewhere in Alaska back to Nova Scotia. Although when we talked to him he was deciding whether to go south to Prince George and wait for his girlfriend or whether to go to Nova Scotia and ride back out with her when she retires. Sadly his bike tires were getting down to the the thread so I hope he made it to Fort St John OK. It was pouring rain when he left and it looked like the rain was going to travel with him.

MMM what is in here? I haven't seen this space before.

What! I am sure I heard a mouse. Didn't you hear a mouse?

Day 3 Wednesday, June 3

I had a little fun with Mum and Dad before we left Pink Mountain. My harness was not as snug as it should have been so I managed to squiggle out of it. I ran off towards the workmen – tail in the air, grinning over my shoulder. The workmen had a good chuckle watching Dad trying to catch me. It was good fun.

We saw 2 coyotes, 2 bears, 3 moose and 1 bison. Let me tell you about the second bear. Dad couldn't get a good picture from inside the truck so he got out. He very carefully kept the truck between him and the bear even though the bear was quite far away. It was patting the grass trying to scare up mice or ME! As it started getting closer I am not ashamed to admit I tried to make myself as small as possible. My ears went back and down and I executed the down periscope maneuver to get myself below the window. I was very quiet for the rest of the day!

  It was interesting to watch from afar until the bear started moving towards the truck.

Hiding from the bear!

 

It was rainy and Dad was playing tricks with those funny black arms on the window. I kept batting at them and still they wouldn't stay put. I even growled at them but still they kept flapping. Every time I thought I had them vanquished they would pop up again. Dad would giggle so I am sure he had something to do with it.

We stopped at the Tetsa River lodge for cinnamon buns. There was a dog that seemed a little shy of me but the man and women running the bakery were very impressed by my tail. We also met another lady that had stayed at the same campground last night. She needed some cat love so I obliged. Mum and Dad got yummy cinnamon buns for tomorrow's breakfast. I get the same old cat food.

shaggy bison

We are staying at Liard Lodge campground – nice and shady but the showers and laundry are not operational. That's where we saw the bison across the road. Doesn't it look shaggy – must be getting ready for summer.

When it was getting dark I heard something in the bushes. I was going to check it out but Dad grappled me and put me in the trailer for safe keeping :). We are staying here for 2 nights – thank goodness we are finally camping. 

Day 4 Thursday, June 4 Today was a rest day. Dad and I napped  before Mum and Dad went off to the hot springs. Dad said the water was really hot at the bottom of the picture. As the water flowed from the source the water got cooler. Mum and Dad thought it was very relaxing. Kissing the moose at Liard Lodge Mum got caught up on her reading. She seemed content. They left me safely tucked away in the trailer.  Apparently there were 2 bison grazing in the  field by our trailer last night so I was very happy about staying in the trailer. Once Mum and Dad got back from the hot spring Dad and I had another nap. After supper I got to kiss a moose (see picture). Not sure where the other half of the moose went – maybe I don't want to know. Day 5, Friday, June 5 Today we saw 9 bison – 7 in one group and 2 laying by the side of the road. They were laying is some lovely beach sand – you can really tell this use to be an inland sea. We also saw 4 bears – 2 were crossing the road and 2 were grazing by the side of the road. I had to make myself as small as possible so they wouldn't see me. Dad saw a fox as well. There are supposed to be Caribou but we haven't seen them yet. Dad took some good pictures of the Liard River at Allen's Lookout. Legend has that the outlaws would watch for riverboats on the river so they could plan their attack. You'll have to go to the web pictures to see them – I was left in the trailer :(. We stopped in Watson Lake to see the signpost forest. It sure looked like I could climb some of those trees. We didn't stay very long because it was quite windy. Although, Dad did try to talk to the other Casita owner but he wasn't that friendly. We were fighting a strong headwind so we decided to stay at Big Creek Campground. These Yukon gov't campgrounds are great! Very nice and clean and lots of squirrels to stalk.  We met a very nice couple that were on their way from Edmonton to Whitehorse. They really admired my tail and I got my tummy rubbed. I think it made the woman sad – she misses cats in her life. They gave us some good tips on places to stay and sites to see. They had just come back from house sitting in Thailand. They also have property in South America. They have a cat there that is being looked after by the baker that lives in their house. We met another couple from Colorado – the SW part. They had two dogs Daisy and Kiwi that were very nice to me. There was another man from Calgary. They were all going to Fairbanks and touring Alaska but Mum and Dad are thinking that they will stay in the Yukon.

Day 6, Saturday, June 6 There is not a heck of a lot of cell phone coverage in northern BC or southern Yukon and the places we stayed had no internet. Today we are stopped in Caribou RV Park. We had hoped to stay at Wolf Creek but it was full. We will stay at CRV for 2 nights so we can get showers and laundry done. We might move onto Wolf Creek for Monday night if there is room and we haven't done everything we wanted to do in Whitehorse. I started the day by climbing two trees – well I can make it up to about 5 feet which is pretty good for a cat with no front claws. We stopped at the Rancheria Falls Recreation site. Mum and Dad took a short walk to see the falls. Dad got some good pictures but I had to stay in the trailer. Which was probably a good thing because the water was moving quite fast. We all got out at the Continental Divide turnout. There was a huge group of RVs (probably 20 or so) that occupied almost the whole site. We walked around for awhile to let them get ahead of us. Unfortunately we caught up with them at Teslin. Luckily they were all stopping for lunch so we changed our plans a bit. We stopped for a quick lunch and got on the road before that group. We never did see any caribou from the Rancheria heard.  Mum and Dad made pizza for supper – it needs a little tweaking in their cooking methodology but they seemed to enjoy it. It was quite chilly at night, Dad got out the tent heater because Mum kept adding more layers. They even turned on the furnace. I snuggled with Mum under the blankets because I was a little cool even with my fur coat.  Day 7, Sunday, June 7 Today was a cleaning and resting day. I climbed 6 trees and met a nice young girl, Katie, the daughter of the owners. She took me for a walk while Mum and Dad had showers and did laundry. Oh, I saw a squirrel when I went for a long walk with Mum and Dad after supper. The only problem with this campground is the howling huskies that arrived yesterday to a lot of fanfare. Mum and Dad went into Whitehorse to see the Yukon Transportation Museum. It has some neat planes and vehicles from when the Alaska Highway was built. The army engineers certainly did not know what they were in for when they were assigned that job. There were mistakes made and the road was rebuilt over the next few years. The World's Largest Weathervane was out front – a Douglas DC3 that had served many years in the Yukon. They also went to see the mammoth and ice-age animal display at Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. There was a replica of the Blue Fish Caves near Old Crow – these had the earliest evidence of humans in the new world. There was also an early horse skeleton that had some of the skin still intact. Then it was off to grocery shopping to restock supplies. I hope they brought enough cat food for me ;). We are staying one more day in Whitehorse – hopefully we can move to a new campground for tomorrow night.