Travel Tips

These are just a few of our family members.
They live with us, love us, try to help heal wounds or at least kiss our booboos and make them better.
They love us enough to occasionally allow room for us to lay down.
We are fortunate that Malc (pictured below) picked out a righteous "Dad" that loves us just as much as we love him.
Pictured are Piglet our boxer, Flash our bassett hound and our sweet Hannah all keeping Dan warm.

these wee ones often comfort us when we are down.
This is a visit in a nursing home. I often take the pups there. So many residents love to hold them or at least feel them close by.
This lady is extra special. She is my mom. Alzheimers may have stolen her memory but not her love. My mother is a brilliant woman, a genius actually. This thief of a disease has taken much from her but while she was still able to verbalize she would put people at ease by using humor and intelligence to help them understand Alzheimers.
She is proud enough and strong enough to share her story.
This illness is an amazing journey which crosses cultural boundries. Please do not be frightened to give some attention to someone who looks a bit different or behaves a bit different. We as cross cultural travelers know better than many, words are not always necessary. Just go and share the love.

Malc in many was has helped raise me. I began to better understand responsibility, loyalty and love through this amazing fellow. He had been so severly abused as a pup. Left on a one foot chain in the summer sun no food, water or shelter while the family left on vacation. The humane society was going to put him down. Fortunately for us 1 of the 5 Doctors disagreed and thought he could live with some extreme attention. I was fortunate enough to get him after she had nursed him through the worst of it.
For the first couple of years I had to carry water wherever we went as he would not leave a room or area without water. He would see me leave the kitchen to walk into the living room and he would cry. Look down at his water bowl then up at me, take a step or two towards me, cry and turn back to his bowl. He taught me how to care for him and myself. Water to drink and swim in, don't stay in the sun too long, regular naps, affection and something to eat. Anything else is gravy. One day he saw the gravy of our lives. Across a sandlot he spied a man.
Not any man, the man.
Malc walked over, took the mans hand gently in his mouth and walked him back to me. We introduced ourselves. We have now been married for over 10 years. Malc has never done that before or since.
I try to enjoy the moments I have with Malc now. He will not be able to stay here much longer, I know his body is giving out. He is my loyal lab, my love and I am his trusted servant. A connection not many people can understand.
...We have now lost our much loved companion Malc.
My travels with him and memories of him will last my lifetime.

Hannah Rose, affectionately known as Hannah Roseanna Dana is our newest addition. She took over the house the moment she arrived. Dogs, cats, horses and people all gave way to this affectionate little angel.
My Godchildren were no longer able to care for her after their mom, Ellen passed away. They wanted to keep her in the family so they honored me by asking if I could bring her to my farm.
...Hannah has also recently passed on. I like to think of her with her first mom Ellen (aka Equispetoot) playing in the heavens.

Grazing on a new spring field. This is Jesse and Kokomo after being turned out on the new field for a bit.

After munching on the sweet spring grasses Jesse burns off some calories.
If you look closely you are able to see our nearest neighbours house. It is situated directly on the deep water creek "Pungoteague." we are able to sail from the Pungoteague out to the Cheasapeake bay. Now if I had a large enough sail boat I could do as Lyle lovett sings and have "My Pony On My Boat"

Jesse the quarter horse with my other beloved Hannah, the Paso Fino.