Reminiscing...

 

If you said, "Little River Band, 1978," you get 30 bonus points.

Last night, Joan and I were trying to remember how old Izzy was when we first got her from the Animal Shelter in Port Isabel.  One of the fun aspects of this blog (for me), is being able to go back years, and having a record of life events.

We got Izzy on December 21st, 2008; they estimated that she was 7 to 8 months old.  I was trying to make some comparisons with Stella.  Izzy had some medical issues, had thin fur, and was under-nourished.

2009 was her year to blossom.  It was an eventful year for us, and Izzy was along for all of it: we started the year with a trip to Arizona to see Steph and Dan.  Then a week in Laughlin, Nevada, in our HitchHiker 5th wheel.  Vegas, then back to Phoenix.  With spring weather, we then headed to Kansas to get some work done at the HitchHiker factory.  On to Branson, Missouri, for a week.  Then north to Sioux City for a week to visit with family there.  West to the Black Hills for a month at Hart Ranch. Then, back to Texas, where we swapped out the HitchHiker for Wild Blue, our C-Dory cruising boat.

From there it was northeast to New York State, and two months of boat cruising on the Erie Canal, the Hudson River, New York City, back to the Erie Canal, then north into Canada for boat cruising on the Trent-Severn Waterway.  From there, it was south to Niagra Falls; then making our way leisurely back to Texas, using Wild Blue along the way as our "boater-home."

Back in Texas in late September, we swapped Wild Blue for the HitchHiker once again, then headed west to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the International Balloon Fiesta.  Then some RVing into other parts of New Mexico and into north Texas.  While staying at a Corps of Engineer park in central Texas, our truck (Big Red) got hit by a guy who unhooked his Jeep from his motorhome, but didn't have it in gear - the Jeep rolled free down a hill and hit Big Red broadside.  The put a crimp in our traveling - the truck was driveable, but it wasn't pretty.

We made arrangements to get the truck repaired in Phoenix, then headed north to Dallas for Thanksgiving with Joan's family, and off to Phoenix from there to spend the holidays with Steph and Dan.

It was easily the most traveling we did (by boat and RV) in several years, spending far more time away from home than at home.

And through it all, Izzy became a truly amazing travel cat.  She was comfortable with us in the boat, and the truck, and happy to be comfortable in the 5th wheel.

And my absolute favorite photo of Izzy, taken in New York, as she was peeking around the front of the boat cabin...

 

Stella reminds me of Izzy, not in coloring, but in stature.  And in heart.  Izzy was a medium hair, Stella is a short hair.  Izzy started out very shy, but became worldly with our travels.  Stella is a product of the street, and is learning to be domesticated.  But each of them is our "little girl" - Izzy was lovey and snuggly... we're working on that for Stella.

Last night, Stella and Murphy actually played together...

 Each day has its ups and downs with these two.  More ups than downs as we approach the one month mark.  This morning, these two have been playing a kitty version of tag.  Murphy is the adult in this game, but playing along.  Stella is the kid on a sugar high.  I guess this makes me the old guy sitting on the porch muttering: "Damn kids."  Kidding, of course - it is entertaining to watch.