Well....yesterday started off much like the rest of our departure days with a picture of my good friend Dave and his good friend John saying our good byes....after these pictures were taken it quickly evolved into the scariest and most trying day of our 6 week journey.

Some of the wonderful decorating that Dave and Donna have done at their cabin.
This was shot right before I began to load the car to leave.

Not long after the last pictures, we ended up here...obvously not a schedualed stop.
You see while I was loading the car yesterday, Ruby was following me in and out of the cabin as she always does, making sure that I wouldn't leave her behind...if I leave with nothing else I leave with her!
I came out of the cabin with my last load and heard Ruby barking her excited bark...I thought he had found an animal or another dog...as I sprinted out of the cabin I found Ruby standing by the car chewing on something blue.
Ruby always shows me what she has found (if it's a new thing) to see if it's ok with me that she chews it, usually I don't have a problem and she continues to mouth it and chew.  As I didn't recognize what she had I yelled at her to drop it, which she did.  I ran to pick up the blue thing and tried to clean as much of the object already chewed out her mouth, fearing it something bad I shoved my hand down her throat tried to get her to vomit...she didn't.
Looking around I noticed that she had been digging in the mulch and she apparently found it buried underneath.
Being certain by this point that she had gotten into something bad I got on the internet (thank god for my iphone).  After searching the internet my worst fears were confirmed...she had found, chewed and swallowed rat poison.
Now in a full blown panic I considered taking her to the Quad Cities (about an hour and a half away) and finding a vet.
Realizing that time was of the essence I figured that I better take her to Ottawa (15 miles away).  I had a moment of brilliance and realized that my dear friend Bill Walsh lived in Ottawa and would probably know of a vet I could take her to.
I was fortunate to reach Bill immediatly, explained the situation and he said that he knew just the guy we should see.  He told me to head toward Ottawa and he would call me right back.  When he did he told me to meet him at a McDonalds in town and he would lead me to the vet.  When we got to Dr. Clayton's office ( Bill had already called and explained to him the situation)  he and his staff immediatly sprang into action.  Within moments they were treating my baby.
I'll spare you the details of how this is treated...it isn't pretty.
It took about 4 hours before she was recovered enough to leave.
She still isn't completly out of the woods yet as it may take weeks for the symptoms to appear (rat poison is basically massive amounts of blood thinner that ultimately causes severe internal bleeding, leading to an ugly death), if they ever do.
Dr. Clayton said that what happened after she ate it was an absolute best case scenario...She didn't eat it all...I caught it almost immediatly...realized what it was and got her to him within an hour of ingestion.
He believes her prognosis is good!
Thank God!

I went to get something to eat (didn't want to eat in front of the Rubes).  When I got back to the Doctors office Bill and Phyllis Walsh were waiting for me, offering to take me to lunch or even staying at their home if we couldn't leave that day...what wonderful, terrific friends to have.
This is Jaime who along with Dr. Clayton and the rest of his wonderful staff helped my baby from what have been a certain death.  I had asked Bill and Phyllis to be in the picture, but they somehow escaped my lens...very modest people!
My thanks and heartfelt appreciation go out to Dr. Clayton and the rest of his wonderful and caring staff...you guys are the absolutly the BEST!
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

Longer story than I have time to get into now..I'll try to get it in tomorrow...it's a very interesting story but has nothing to do with Ruby.

The 1st time Ruby woke up since leaving Ottawa...in the background, the mighty Mississippi...I think our 3rd time crossing it!
Ruby today is still very tired (she went through a lot yesterday) but is displaying signs of being her normal social self, stopping and meeting everyone in the hotel lobby

Since I couldn't get a picture of Bill I did the next best thing...taking a picture of his name on one of his dealerships.
After walking Bill and Phyllis to their car thanking them and saying our good byes I went back into the vet's office to settle the bill.  I was told by Jaime that Mr. Walsh had taken care of it...rushing to the parking lot I stopped them and told them that what they did was going above and beyond.
Bill simply said that "when you are in my town you wont pay for anything"
I will never forget any of you but Bill, you are a man above all men.
THANK YOU!

The baton being officially passed we spent Tuesday enjoying the hospitality of the Dickens....Yaaaa....I'm finally up to Tuesday!
This is Dave and Donna's beautiful home in Lombard, Illinois.  Dave has lived in Lombard most of his life and has most of his family within close proximity.  Dave and Donna have two great kids..Adam and Amy.  Adam was in the car business with Dave and realized that he really didn't like it, so quit and went back to school to get his Master's.  Gotta follow your heart, so congratulations to Adam!
Their house is huge with an indoor swimming pool...Ruby jumped in within minutes of arriving at their home...wet dog again...it's impossible to keep a Lab down!
Legend has it that their house was once a brothel...let your imagination run wild!
They are preparing for a party at their house this summer with all of Dave's employees invited...suffice it to say they have decided to undergo a major remodel...there were workman everywhere!

Meet Donna, Dave's better half (sorry about the picture Donna I had a better one but picked this one by mistake).  Donna is going through a very difficult time in her life right now as her mother's health is rapidly failing and with all of the work going on in their house has her nerves totally frazzled...my heart and prayers go out to her.
Dave is a very unique individual (they broke the mold after he was born) and Donna has provided the stability at their home and helped raise their wonderful children...perhaps her greatest achievement is tolerating Dave's hectic work scheduale and how do I say this?...unique quirks!
Dave is a man with a heart of gold and would give any friend the shirt off his back if he felt it would help them. A generous and kind man!

That afternoon (after I had completed a rather lenghty blog entry that day), we left for Dave and Donna's cabin in the woods of western Illinois.  The cabin is located near Utica (about a 100 miles west of Chicago), with the big town in the area being Ottawa (15 miles from the gorgeous cabin that they have fully decorated by themselves).  It is located in a very nice area just off of the Illinois River  It sits at the edge of Starving Rock State Park...the most visited State Park in the state.
While traveling to the cabin we stopped at Washington Square in Ottawa.  This park on August 21,1858 was the scene of Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas' 1st debate in their race for the U.S. Senate...14,000 people crowded this rather small park as Lincoln, by all accounts kicked Douglas' ass and was carried from the podium in an overwhelming win at the debate...sources have indicated that the Lincoln supporters had a difficult time carrying the victorious Lincoln and his 6 foot 5 inch frame in victory thru the crowd!
Bill Walsh, the major dealer in Ottawa, was a major contributor in getting this statue brought to fruition.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bill about 20 years ago at the group of nationally recognized dealers that I was fortuate enough to be admitted to.  Bill is one of the kindess, most genuine people that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with during my 36 years in the car business!

The Rubes and I with Lincoln and that other guy....what was his name again?

Dave taking a thoughtful pose as he listens to Abe...in his mind!

A railroad bridge across the Illinois River  The Illinois runs from the Mississippi into Chicago.  You may have heard of the Illinois, it is the subect of efforts to stop the destructive Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes.  It runs thru Ottawa which prior to the developement of Chicago was the largest city in Illinois.
The Illinois served as the major river running from the Mississippi to the Great Lakes to the Erie Canal and ultimately to the east coast...once again the symatry of our trip rears it's head!

Ruby and I hiking in Starving Rock State Park...to say the least it was very quiet and tranquil.
Dave was kind enough to take this picture.

Who ever would have thought that you find waterfalls and rock formations in Illinois?
This area was breathtaking!
The only problem was that part of our breathlessness resulted from our mad dash back to the car to escape the swarming and I mean as thick as a cloud mosquitos that attacked us like kamakize pilots, trying to suck out every ounce of blood we had...the vampires in the "Twilight" movies left more blood than these guys...I think I was down a couple of quarts by the time we got to the car!
Thank god we don't have mosquitos in Corona Del Mar!

Couldn't resist including this picture...once again my fasination with the community that these bees belong to, work together for the common good!
A good example for us all!

Our first hosts in one of of my favorite cities in the country...San Francisco being the other...I guess I just like cities with great food...and my waistline is beginning to show the effects.  This is the Henderson's home in an area just outside of Chicago's downtown, it's very close to the vibrant city.  It is also about 3 blocks from Lake Michigan.
Their home was built around the turn of the century and after they purchased it, completly gutted it, re-doing it with all  the modern conviences, it's like living in a really nice bed and breakfast!  All the while keeping the integrety of the original home.
Their house has 4 levels (I didn't see them all), but I.m sure at some point in her explorations Ruby found them!
I failed to mention the other day Saturday...on our arrival date, that the Hennderson's had just returned from Southern Illinois, where the state high school track meet was held and their son Brit finished 2nd in the state in his event...not to shabby...ehhh (my Canadian coming out again, I had practiced that dilligently before being denied entry)...it's gotta come out somewhere!

Craig in front of his house with my baby and her newest best buddy Riley...Linda's dog is named Bailey...I screwed up more times than I can count and called Riley...Bailey...poor Riley!
The 1st day that they were together the 15 year old Riley, tried his newtered best to hump Ruby's brains out!  Ruby being the unabashed slut that she is rolled onto her back (missionary) and let Riley have his way...I really believe that my innocent little dog thought they were playing!
Or maybe not!   

Craig and his lovely, charming, phenominal cook and wonderful mother to 3 beautiful children...Patty!
Craig and Patty were high school sweethearts and have been married for something like 35 years...needless to say they have a beautiful relationship and a terrific marriage...they both seem extremely happy!
I'm proud to call them both my friends...they really are a class couple...both spend countless hours working with charities in the Chicago area...giving back to the community in a BIG way!

After the baton (me) was passed from the Henderson's to my closest friend from my former life (car dealer) Dave Dickens, who owns Sherman Dodge,Jeep Chrysler in Skokie.  Dave is another person that is on my hero list...he began his working life after dropping out of high school and following his father into the brick laying business.  As you can imagine laying brick in a Chicago winter is no walk in the park...Dave finally hit the wall one cold winter day, picked up his tools and said I'm not doing this shit anymore.
He got a job selling cars (in the warmth of a showroom) at a local dealership, eventually working himself up to General Manager before putting the money together to buy Sherman.
Dealerships are very capital intensive business' and Dave has put up with a lot with his ex-partners but now owns 100% of the business.
But now another highlight of my trip...Wrigley Field..home of the perennially worthless Cubs.  They have the distinction of being the team going the longest amount of time without winning a World Series, going back to the 1920's, I believe.
I have been to Fenway in Boston, Tiger Stadium in Detroit, but never Wrigley...an absolute shrine to any baseball lover or sports fan of any type...this was to me an absoulute treat..the smells, the atmosphere, the electricity in the air...everything that baseball should be!
I felt like I was in church...

FRONT ROWWWW!
Dave was kind enough to go to the trouble to line up his contacts and secure the best seats I have ever sat in at a baseball game..did I mention that they were in the front row!  Directly behind the Cubs dugout...I was so excited that I almost threw up!
At game time the temperature was 97 degrees...a record for Memorial Day!  (Might explain the puking).  It was sweltering!  Almost hard to breath and with the ever present mid-west humidity...It was brutally hot!
Dave reminded me sarcasticaly, that I was in Chicago in January when they had their worst snow storm of the year and now I was back on the hottest day of the year..he suggested that maybe I was a curse and should skip Chicago in the future!
He did say that if the Cubs won ending an 11 game loosing streak that all would be forgiven...I kept my fingers crossed because I really like Chicago!

This eagle flew in from center field at the conclusion of the National Anthem...a spectacular site to behold...I'm a big time jet fly over fan but this was really cool! 

Dave and I standing at our seats...have I mentioned that we were in the front row?
It's amazing that we had the energy to stand up...I felt like a flower under a sun lamp!
Wilting by the moment...I couldn't drink water fast enough, probably a bottle per inning.

From our FRONT ROW SEATS...Alphonso Soriano stroking a pretty double...the ball was jumping off the bats and at one point there were a total of 16 hits in the game and 7 of those were home runs!

A close play at the plate...he was out...go Cubs..I have to break this curse!

Brian Dennahe (spelling?) leading the Cub faithfull in the their time honored tradition of a very loud and raucous "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.  He was reading the words to the song (very disappointing..it's not a really complicated song)!
If you don't recognize him the only movie I can actualy remember him in (I know he's done a lot), is Tommy Boy" with Chicago native Chris Farley starring.
Wrigley was also featured in one of my all time favorite movies "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

One, two, three strikes your out...and the Padres were.  Clay's Chicago curse finally broken...I still get to visit the city with the Cubs win..since then they have won 2 in a row..if they win the Series they are now talking about naming a bar after me!
Just like life...a goat (pun intended) one minute, a celebrity the next!
I love this country!

Ok, Ok, Ok....finally trying to catch up...todays entry is my day on Sunday with my dear friend Craig Henderson.
In a previous post I had mentioned that my friends in Chicago had promised an exciting and unusual stay here...well the first day we only spent a small portion of the day actually in Chicago.
Craig was kind enough to include me in a very special adventure, one that I will cherish for many years to come!

Our very exciting and unusual day began surprisingly enough at Chicago's O'Hare airport.  We got up early Sunday morning to catch our 8:40 flight, first class by the way (I can't remember the last time I flew first class, gotta be pre-recession)...to Philadelpha, not for a history lesson, but something entirely different (aren't you glad that the history lessons are lessening)!
Here's Craig standing before a dinosaur at the airport, who ever heard of a dinosaur at an airport?  Other than the little known, clayasauras!
Craig is another of my great friends from high school.  You have met two others here... Bill Crawford and Roger Ulmer, with two more yet to see.  Seeing my dearest friends on this adventure was one of my primary objectives before leaving Orange County!
Craig began his career out of college by working as a bond trader for First Boston on Wall Street!  Here is this guy who graduated from little known Western Michigan working with graduates of Harvard, Wharton, the University of Chicago and every Ivy League school that you can think of....Craig, the youngest broker and from the least prestgious school outperformed them all and almost outlasted them all!  Not bad, ehh?
Anyway, Craig grabbed his cajones and made the decesion to leave his lucrative job at First Boston, move to Chicago and start his own firm...specializing in municipal bonds...Craig has built his company into one of the top firms in the country, if not the top!
Craig like all of my close friends have made the decesion at one time or another in their lives to do what made them happy and to live in places that they love...one of the reasons I respect and admire them all.
His client list (whom I promised not to divuluge) reads like a who's who of people you hear about damn near on a daily basis in the media!

Say hello to Allieu Jallah.
Allieu is from Sierra Leone and was the first person that we had the opportunity to meet in Philadelphia, a very nice man...one who is extremely greatful to be in this country and have the opportunity to improve his life, through hard work and the freedom to live as he chooses...something that many of us take for granted.
Anyway after a white knuckle thrill ride worthy of Magic Mountain (Craig and I kept cinching our seat belts tighter), we arrived at our destination.
Here I am back in the eastern time zone after celebrating my departure from it only the day before...at least we had tickets back to Chicago that evening and would be westward bound once again!

By now you (hopefully) are wondering what prompted this quick trip east.
Craig owns a big piece of a trotter by the name of Put On A Show...shown here with Craig, Chris, on the left (the trainer) and the rest of the staff that take care of Show and keep her in top condition to run her races.
Put On A Show was running in a $100,000 stakes race (the top purse of the day).  Two years ago she was "Trotter of the Year" and won $1.3 million.
Once again...not to bad, ehh!

I get the opportunity to meet a celebrity!
once again carrying the TROJANS nationwide!
Everyone in the country will be envious of my alma mater by the end of the upcoming football season!
I hope!

Put On A Show is a beautiful horse, shown here warming up with trainer Chris.

To give you a feel for harness racing I took this picture a couple of races before the big stakes race...the racing is very exciting and as you can see has a degree of elegance that I wasn't expecting!

The proud owner watching as his horse surges into the lead...Show was the favorite going off at 3 to 5 odds.
I bet $40 on her to win!

Here is Show running away from the field...she ran the fastest 1st 3/4s of a mile that she had ever run!
The race was a mile.

Show being beaten by a head at the finish..she finished 2nd, costing me $40 but providing me with a memory of a lifetime!
Suffice it to say the driver (jockey) didn't hold Show back on a very warm day, tiring her needlessly when she had a dominating lead and single handedly was responsible for her less than stellar finish...I do believe that he was fired immediatly after the race...after all they are paid to WIN!

At the Philadelphia airport heading home.
Craig putting on his best smile after what turned out to be a disappointing day...but we were happy to be in the air conditioning after a really warm and humid day in the City Of Brotherly Love.
Thank you Craig for GREAT DAY!
I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch up on the blog after all today.
My good friend Dave Dickins is hammering me as I write this to get my shit together so we can go to his cabin in the woods...didn't know they had woods in Illinois!
They tell me it's going to be hard to find wifi...I will however make my best effort!
Till next time...live each day to it's fullest...you never know when your ticket is going to be punched.

On this day of remembrance, let us not forget those who protect our freedoms nor those that have made the ultimate sacrifice to secure our way of life.
Without those who fought on our behalf we would not be the great country that we are today.
While traveling the country, I have made it a point to try and capture those images that have instilled lasting memories in my mind and soul.
Our flag is the symbol that they have sought to protect...

This war memorial in Biloxi, Mississippi honors all of the fallen from Mississippi in every war this country has been involved in.

Our fight for freedom began here in Boston at Bunker Hill.

Our flag proudly displayed at Ft. Stockton in west Texas.

 And here in Pecos, Texas

Port Arthur, Texas

The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C.
Every individual who lost their lives during this war has their name listed on this  on this wall.

 

Our flag can be found proudly displayed in every city, town and rural area throughout the country...we still have pride in who we are as a people...here Savannah.

The Korean War Memorial on the Mall in Washington D.C.

This Veterans Cemetery outside Charleston, S.C. had a profoud effect on me...the deceased are buried in sections of the cemetery based upon which war they lost their lives in...from the Civil War to Afganistan.

Feeling the awe of thousand headstones arranged like men in a military formation is staggering..seeing the faces of those sons, daughters husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandfathers, grandmothers, friends and compatriots...brought tears to my eyes...
Every person left a  legacy of honor to their families and to their country...as well as the heartbreak and grieving of those left behind.

Alive or deceased all individuals that have served to preserve our nation and our ideals, deserve our honor and thanks...not just today but everyday...they are our heroes...
Take a quiet moment today and reflect upon how their sacrifices have impacted your life and the lives of your loved ones...
NEVER FORGET