Enjoying the

I finally feel llike we are on vacation! We were lucky we left on Friday instead of Saturday as planned. The idea was to avoid the shoppers going through customs to Grand Forks. But as it turned out, we avoided the blizzard conditions which in fact closed down some roads.

We got pulled over at customs again this year. But they just checked the cooler and the dog food and let us go. We had done our research and found that dog food with lamb is not allowed. Benson normally eats the expensive lamb and brown rice type, but we switched to chicken in the weeks before we left. I had the bag and the customs officer read every ingredient. We also left the carrots and bars, etc in their original unopened bags, so it was clear they were from Canada or the US.

The roads were clear all the way down. We did have 45 mph winds the second day and our packed little car was moving around quite a bit. But we found great motels (La Quinta) that allow dogs free of charge and have a great breakfast bar. Some motels charge $75 for a pet; most charge around $10 extra with a $200 damage deposit. Benson travelled very well. We always stop anyway every few hours to fill up, relieve ourselves and walk around, so Benson just tagged along. He slept and looked out the window the rest of the time.

We arrived Sunday afternoon. It's been warm except for a cold front that came in earlier in the week; the temperature had dropped 30 degrees in one hour.

It's 8:30 in the morning as I write this and the temperature is already 70. We are golfing at 11:30. I've only been doing 9 holes, whereas Blaine can play 36! It's only a par 3 golf course, so it is perfect for me. Oh, and the cost...$337 for both of us for the 3 months...even better.
Barb