True to form, our Christmas portrait is a little less than perfect . . .
Okay. Now look at the camera. That's it. Spikey, don't look like I'm punishing you. Bridget, put your ears up, honey. That's it. Come back here, Bridget. Oh, that's good. C'mon, Spikey! Look alive ... Great ... That's perfect. Now hold it ... CLICK!
Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
rvsue and her canine crew
Note: The dog hair on the red blanket is a nice touch, don’t ya’ think? . . . rvsue
Gorgeous picture!!!!! Those two furkids of yours are wonderful!!! Looking forward to seeing ya’ll soon! Chuck n Geri n the hound herd.
PS; Never made it to Groovy..slush turned to instant hard ice at sundown.Still snow on the ground.
Hi, Chuck and Geri!
Good idea not to drive on ice. So you had a white Christmas . . . Very nice . . . I can smell the ham . . . Enjoy Christmas Day with the herd.
A very Merry Christmas to you Sue and to Bridget and Spike. That is exactly the same reaction I got from my crew when I tried the Santa hats pictures.
http://travelinglongdogs.blogspot.com/
Your photos are wonderful. Your “long dogs” are adorable in their hats. That’s the way a Christmas portrait should look!
Excellent photo, crew! I’d include one of the antlered Golden Retriever, but ………
Merry merry Christmas, Sue! Thank you SO much for sharing your wanderings and wonderings.
From the FINALLY snowy center of Vermont (and strong hugs for all, too),
Maggie
Sounds like you WANT snow! Now that’s a real Vermonter!
Merry Christmas to you, too!
Merry Christmas Aunt Susan !!!! love you, Tawnya and Brian
Tawnya and Brian,
Merry Christmas! I can see you all around the Christmas dinner table . . . enjoy! Love you so much.
Have a Merry Christmas, Sue! Didn’t remember you had a Sis here in Mississippi until a post the other day. Hope your weather is being nice to you. Collier
Hi, Collier,
Yes, I have a sister in Rienzi. The weather is very nice today, sunny, clear, and no wind. You have a great Christmas day!
I’m in Holly Springs-about an hour from Corinth. Be sure to look me up next time you’re through this way!
Way too cute. Food is the only way I can get our two to pose for anything. I think the fur kids make Christmas so wonderful for all of us. They may not know why they got that special treat today but they appreciate it more than anyone else. Merry Christmas.
Hi, Sandie!
The photo’s not as “cute” as I hoped. They both look like little gremlins to me. Oh well, I can’t help but love them, and, I agree, they do add a lot to Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Sue.
Thank you for sharing your travels!
You’re welcome, Page. Merry Christmas to you, too!
Dear Sue and Crew,
Merry Christmas from Hendersonville,TN. I wish you and your crew an enjoyable Christmas day filled with loving memories along with anticipation of those waiting to be made! I love your reading about your ventures.
Rhonda
Hi, Rhonda!
I’ve been to Hendersonville . . . Lots of Georgians go up that way to escape the heat of summer.
I hope you are having a great Christmas Day.
Love the photo they are two cuties for sure Merry Christmas and may the road ahead be smooth for you and your fur kids 🙂
Happy Christmas Day to you and Shelby!
I’ve been following your blog for awhile now, and just love reading about your adventures.
Love all the pictures of the desert, I live in Minnesota and would love to be down there, but for now we are not traveling. The pictures are great, especially love the fur kids. I also have a fur kid and that is one reason we are staying home, as he is 15yrs and traveling seems really hard on him. Happy travels to you and a great new year.
Hello, Darlene!
I’m happy you are enjoying the photos of the desert and the crew. It is a strange and wondrous place to be, especially if you aren’t from this part of the country.
How sweet of you to be so considerate of your dog’s limitations at his age. Bless you and him.
I hope your Christmas Day is wonderful and also the new year!
Nice to hear from you Ms. Belinda! I hope you are enjoying Christmas Day . . .
Can you tell how much you are loved by all of us? 22 Christmas wishes in less than an hour! Amazing! Chuck and I wish you and the crew a very merry CHRISTmas!
Hi, Geri,
Sweet of you to point that out . . . I do appreciate all the people who take the time to read my blog, day after day, and then write comments. And the comments are positive and supportive, not argumentative or critical like I see on some blogs.
I have great readers!!! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Sue. The fur family is adorable.
Emjay
Thanks, Emjay.
Merry Christmas to you!
Happy Christmas day to you. I sat last night thinking of you out there so alone at this time…guess you aren’t after all. The ‘kids’ are cute as buttons. Even with four, I wish for more. Am I nuts or what? No, I’m not, for they are what keeps me pushing on day by day. On the other hand, I know I’ve taken on too big a job with all these rescues. Don’t know if I’ve commented before or not (STML, you know). Didn’t you start out with a small green painted camper? Then maybe I’m very confused. Anyway, it is good you are having a fun life and I have moments of envy for your way.
Hi, Carolyn/Sissy,
It’s nice of you to think of me on Christmas Eve. I didn’t think of myself “out here so alone.” This is what makes me happy.
It’s hard not to take in one more dog, especially when it’s a life-or-death matter. I started fostering rescue dogs for a local charity in Georgia. It was a manageable way for me to do my part for dogs on death row . .. The charity helped with the food bill. I had up to seven dogs at a time. All different breeds mixed together and everybody got along. It was very satisfying work, screening applicants and finding the perfect match of dog and family.
No, I never had a green camper. My Casita is my first camper ever.
Merriest of Christmases to you and your crew! Stay warm.
The same to you, Brian!
Merry Christmas to you and the crew, Sue – an absolutely gorgeous White Christmas here, wind chill -27 C last night…just walked the beach with Booah, my part-Samoyed who loves the snow and cold – dinner at my daughter and son-in-laws coming up – life is good…
Hi, Richard. . . I wish I knew where you are. You’ve probably told me but I can’t remember. It does sound like life is good for you . . . I’m glad!
Now that I have a moment, my wish to a Merry, Merry to you and the furcrew.
Same back at you, Emily!
Merry Christmas Sue, and I think the portrait is just great!
http://www.tripswithtwo.com/blog
Thanks, Maribeth . .. Merry Christmas to you, too.
Merry Christmas Sue and the Crew!! Wishing all the best today and every day of your journey. Dogs look awesome.
Merry Christmas to you! Thanks for the kind wish . ..
No outfit is complete without dog hair!! Very cute picture…Merry Christmas to you and the furkids.
Thanks, Donna! Merry Christmas to you, too.
Sue, I love your Christmas picture! I had much the same experience here. The Bichon Brothers were not in the least cooperative….
Merry Christmas!
http://casitadogs.wordpress.com/
I like your Secret Santa! Best wishes to you and your family . . .
Wonderful!! You three enjoy your Christmas day.
Ed, Carol & Gopher the Aussie girl.
Nice to hear from you Ed! I hope you and your family enjoy this holiday season!
It’s perfect! Merry Christmas to the entire family! ~Tricia
Same to you, Tricia!
Merry Christmas Dear Susan, we would have loved to have you and Nancy at the table today. We had a wonderful morning service…Scott sang O Holy Night and Jake got baptized!!!! What a wonderful Christmas. I hope you and the crew are having a great day!! Love the picture
Sounds like you and the family had a very memorable Christmas. Love to all of you!
Thanks Sue, for the picture and for sharing your travels (and travails) with all of us. Your musings are something that I look forward to each time I check my e-mail. And , yes, the dog hair IS a nice touch. My personal favorite is long black Pomeranian, but the short white stuff does show up nicely especially on red.
Merry Christmas 🙂 Pat Kitchen
Hi, Pat,
Thank you for joining me and the crew on our travels. I’ve given up trying to make us look good. We’re here, we’re healthy, and we’re happy . . .dog hair and all. You have a great year!
Merry Christmas Sue and crew of course…
We really enjoy reading your posts, seeing the pictures of your adventures and right now can only dream of your lifestyle and weather.
Doug & Eileen
Hello, Doug and Eileen,
Christmas Day was perfect here in southern Arizona. Not a cloud in the blue sky, plenty of warm sun, nary a breeze. . . I hope you continue to enjoy reading my blog. Best wishes for the new year!
When I first looked at the pic, thought it looked like the crew were wearing a red cape and ready to take flight as “Superdogs”! Those 2 are just too cute. Well, Millie sends them her best Christmas wishes. Hope you’ve all had a nice first boondocking Christmas today!
Hi, Lynne. . . It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no . . . it’s SuperCrew!
Our first Christmas as boondockers . . . mmm… it was a great day! Best wishes to you and Millie!
Great pic! Merry Christmas to you!
Thanks . . . Same to you, Marty!
Look at those little Christmas elves! They look so innocent. Merry Christmas to you 3!
Hi, Cathie . . .
Innocent? No, I think not . . . but I love ’em anyway.
I hope your Christmas Day was a happy one!
Love reading your blog! Merry Christmas Sue & Crew!
Robin, Mike and Alexis,
Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
God bless you, Robin. I’ve read your blog and I am struck by the difficulties in your life, yet you are reaching out to others. . . truly inspirational. May the new year bring you strength in body and in spirit.
So cute, hope Santa had a little treat for them this morning after being such good furkids! Merry Christmas from Virginia Beach, Va!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day, Pam. As for the crew, every day is Christmas. I’m their Santa Claus year round. . .
Hi, JoJo…
Hard for them to get away from me when cornered in a seventeen-foot Casita!
I did have a peaceful Christmas Day. I hope yours was all you wanted it to be.
Spike is certainly a suave handsome fellow. And I do believe Bridgette has trimmed down a bit since you’ve been travelling. Not so much the butterball. Nice that they take to it so well.
Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you, too, Bob.
I’ll pass on the compliments to the crew. Truth be told, Bridget is still chubby. It’s just that when she sits down the fat sort of falls downward . . . into a butterball!
They have done exceptionally well adapting to a nomad life with rapidly changing scenery and temperatures. . . after a life confined to a yard, same ol’ same ol’.
O, and I found a battery site you may find interesting:
http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html
Bob
Interesting, Bob.
“Finally, if you only have 2 batteries, then simply linking them together and taking the main feeds from diagonally opposite corners cannot be improved upon.”
Thanks.
A lovely picture. 🙂 I had a great Christmas, albeit a bit late since I worked the first half of the day. I hope you and the crew did as well. 🙂
Hi, Becky!
I always feel sorry for people who have to work on Christmas. I wish the stores would close on Dec. 24th, for one thing. Of course, there are some occupations like in the medical field that can never close. I’m glad to hear you had a great Christmas anyway!
Sue,
A year ago you were planning. Now look. In the desert with your dogs celebrating christmas and bringing in the new year. How exciting!!! Never be lonely, we are all out there with you.
Merry Christmas Sue
Tia
Hello, Tia!
It is hard for me to believe sometimes that I’m actually doing this. . . and the crew and I have only been fulltiming for 4 months, yet we’ve seen so much and met many people, made friends, learned a lot, collected great memories . . .
Happy New Year to you!
Hiu Sue,
All the best to you and the crew. Checking your blog has become a regular part of my day.
By the way… how is your catalytic heater working out for you? Anything you would do differently?
Barrie
Hi, Barrie!
I hope you are enjoying the holiday season.
I LOVE my catalytic heater. It took me a few nights to know when is the best time to turn it on and at what setting, according to the outside temperature. I learned to close up the Casita right at sundown, before the desert temperature drops. (Not that it couldn’t recover from cold temps.) I run it on high for about 10-20 minutes, then turn it down to low.
Knowing how to create the right air flow took some experimenting. The best I found is to have the bathroom window open with the bathroom door left open, and the Fantastic Fan (ceiling) open about two inches. That way we don’t feel any drafts. It’s absolutely quiet and doesn’t use much propane.
I like where it’s mounted (on the fiberglass base next to refrigerator). Sometimes Spike lies down in front of it. I’m wondering if he gets achy joints and the heat is therapeutic.
So am I happy with my heater? …. YES!
Thanks Sue! I just picked up a larger trailer with a regular RV furnace but the fan uses enough power to drain a battery overnight. I prefer to bookdock so rather than look for a way to recharge the batteries I’d rather find an alternative heat option when I’m not attached to shore power. The Wave heater sounds like the trick but I’ll need the 6 rather than the 3 you have. I like Spike’s idea too. My 60 year old bones are often looking for a warm spot to lay down.
All the best!
Barrie
Great Christmas photo of the crew. Love it!!
Hey, Russ!
I don’t know if anybody noticed, but it’s a different photo than the one that was posted yesterday. I think this one is better . . .Bridget’s ears are up. Yesterday’s photo her ears were down and she looked so sad.
Glad you agree, I like this one, too.
She looks a sweetie in both pics! Merry merry happy happy!
Great photo of the crew Sue. Bridget still looks a bit sad but I think that’s just an act she puts on to manipulate you and get more attention. Glad you had a warm and peaceful Christmas. We had a great time and got to love on two new Grand Girls. What a change from last year. Retirement and grandbabies go well together. Have a happy, warm and peaceful new year.