All in the Family

Even for a pack animal, Moxie has an unusually keen love of kin. So her joy was unending this weekend when we attended a family reunion. And the fun didn't stop with fetching sticks thrown by small cousins or licking new in-laws. Since the reunion took place in the Lake Erie resort town of Catawba, Moxie and I enjoyed swimming and boating, as well. Uncle J piloted us to nearby South Bass Island one evening for a tour of Put-In Bay, where we admired the Perry Monument.


Tomorrow we'll follow the westbound interstate yet again to continue our exploration of the Pacific Northwest.

"The Good Life"

That's the slogan touted by Nebraska on its border welcome sign. Other things we learned about Nebraska on this trip? Henry Fonda was born here to a Christian Scientist family. And National Arbor Day started here in 1872.

But before we left Wyoming, Moxie posed for this shot with a memorial to Abraham Lincoln. I'm not sure what his importance was to Wyoming, specifically (and I was too busy shooting my model dog to read the plaque), but I guess all states can agree he was a pretty important guy.

Cascade in the Cascades

We hiked up a hair-pinned, hamstring-burning trail to arrive at this magical fall in the Columbia River Gorge, which we traveled to arrive in Boise for S's birthday last week.

Helen of Washington

Nothing sparks up a weekend like an active volcano. Moxie and I hiked through old-growth forest along the southwestern flank of Mt. St. Helens on Saturday. Climbers will again have access to the rim starting on Friday for the first time since the mountain awoke in 2004. She's still awake, though -- and belching forth lava at a rate of about a cubic meter per second. Moxie and I were content to enjoy the view from a good distance.