Brittany and Beagle News

Mattie and Bobbi have a stairway love affair.  From day one, Mattie always pauses going up the stairs and waits on Bobbi to give her some loving.  Afterward, given the word, Mattie will continue the rest of the way up the stairs. It is precious!

We searched high and low to find a destination for a week long camping trip.  Originally, we had reservations to meet up with friends in Virginia Beach.  When they had to cancel, we decided to look for a getaway closer to home.  Needless to say, this was not an easy task!  It seems during the pandemic, camping is now the preferred activity.  Thankfully, we were able to secure a spot at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, Alabama.  We had a terrific time!  The hiking trails were enjoyed by all of us, especially Mattie and Trooper.    Our campsite was just around the corner from a scenic overlook facing the east.  Thanks to Trooper’s 5:00AM internal alarm clock, we were able to catch the sunrise a couple of mornings.  In addition to the state park, we explored every dog park in the area and dined at several dog-friendly eating establishments in the area.  One afternoon, the humans were able to visit the U.S. Veteran’s Memorial Museum.  We have visited many military museums in our time but this one has to rank at the top of our list.  This museum houses memorabilia, weapons & vehicles from the American Revolution to present.   You can see the very first Jeep (serial #1)!   The absolute highlight of our visit was meeting Vietnam Veteran D. Troutman who volunteers his time renovating military vehicles.  He is also an artist.  You will see one his paintings below, honoring the service and sacrifice of so many to our country.  We thank him and all our veterans for their service!

This past weekend we tested out our newest rig at a brand new campground in Alabama.  We highly recommend all of our fellow campers visit Franks Point of View in Ashland, Alabama.  Set in Alabama’s Talladega National Forest, you will experience the most magnificent views and sunsets in the southeast!  The folks who run the campground are super friendly, including the family dog, Nellie.  Trooper, Mattie and Nellie had a great time playing together and chasing balls.  We will definitely be back to visit as this gem of a location is only 70 miles from home. 

When the vacuum cleaner comes out, Mattie and Trooper tend to stay clear.  The living room dog beds are stacked and moved for easier cleaning.  Lately, both critters have taken a liking to the extra plushness of this three tiered dog bed.  The bear with Mattie is not a staged picture!  Believe it or not, she sandwiched herself in-between the beds and propped up Mr. Bear herself!

Our dear friend Jane recently gifted Mattie the greatest toy ever!  It is called Hide a Squirrel by Outward Hound.  It gives a dog the fun task of pulling all of the six squeaky squirrels out from the plush log.  Upon receiving the gift, Mattie read the tag of the toy and decided the purpose of this toy is literally to hide the squirrels.  If the front door is left open, she will sneak the squirrels outside to bury them. On the very first day of play, three of the six squirrels disappeared.  Bobbi found Mattie moving one dirty squirrel she’d dug back up.  The next missing squirrel was found by Bobbi when she sifted through a fresh mound of dirt in the woods.  To this day, one squirrel is still missing.  Mattie is kind and shares her toy with Trooper.   After dinner every night, he will go bark at the squirrel log which is kept on the shelf.  He generally ends up bringing the squirrels to us to throw in place of his usual ball.