Saturday, July 12, 2008

We're Back!

And though it was a fun trip, I'm glad to be home. I think Mom is too. She seems a little tired. Baby John and I kept her pretty busy.

We arrived a couple of days before all the fireworks. I'm not much of a fireworks fan. Too much noise! Too many people! So we checked into the hotel, called Christine to let her know we were there, and then just spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the hotel. Long drives make me sleepy! We stopped at the local Sonic for some dinner and just ate in the room. Mom even let me have a few of her french fries (not too many because I'm still on that diet! But she said if we shared them, then neither one of us would eat too many!). I love Sonic! After dinner, we went for a quick walk and then came back to the hotel and just watched TV. I fell asleep early. I hope Mom wasn't too lonely. She had Dad with her, but I don't think he was much company. He was asleep before I was!

The next morning, we got up early and went straight to Christine's. Baby John wanted to have breakfast with us so we didn't even stop to eat. I was worried because Mom didn't feed me or stop for something to eat on the way. I thought she had forgotten me. But it was alright. Baby John has a new friend named Duke. Duke is a Beagle and he let me have some of his breakfast. It was pretty good. Different from my usual breakfast but not too bad. After breakfast, we just played in the yard with John and Duke. Mom, Dad and Christine sat outside and talked. We played until we all got tired and Mom said it was time for a nap because after lunch we were going for a boat ride! I love boats. I go fishing with Dad all the time. He says Mom and I are his fishing buddies - when he can't take Carter.

The boat trip was fun! We took a ride around Corpus Christi Bay on Captain Clark's Flagship Tours (http://www.captclarksflagship.com/.com/). The captain told us all about the bayfront and I saw lots of odd looking birds (not like our birds at home) and I even saw some dolphins! There were lots of pretty sailboats too! I had a great time! I was so excited by everything I missed my afternoon nap!

After the boat ride, it was time to go home. John and I were both tired. John was cranky and Mom said Dad and I were cranky too. So we had a quick dinner at Christine's and then went back to the hotel to sleep.

The next morning Mom got up early. Dad was still sleeping so Mom and I went to an outdoor bakery called Les Succes Bakery. They are a French bakery and one of my favorite places to go. But when we got there, they were closed! Mom said the sign in the window said they were closed all month so the owners could go on vacation. So we ended up back at the Sonic. Mom bought some breakfast for her and Dad and we went back to the room to eat. I was disappointed because I love sitting at the outdoor table and watching everyone while we have breakfast.

After breakfast, Mom and Dad and I went to see some gardens. Mom loves flowers and spends a lot of time at home working in her garden. We even planted a Pizza Garden this year (I didn't know pizza grew in a garden?!). This garden was big - a lot bigger than Mom's. She called it the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center (http://stxbot.org/). I had to be on my leash and I had to be careful not to potty on the flowers, but other than that it was fun. There were lots of big plastic birds all dressed up in costumes. Mom said they were flamingos. I don't know why anyone would want plastic birds in their garden. You can't chase them so they aren't any fun. But Mom said they were helping to raise money for charity. We even got to vote for our favorite flamingo. I liked the one that was all covered in flower petals. I hope Mom voted for it!

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing. We stayed home on fireworks night and just had some sparklers in the backyard. I don't mind them since they aren't loud. We walked on the beach and went to the park. I played with John and Duke a lot. Mom visited with Christine and sometimes left me and John with Dad and John's daddy so she and Christine could go shopping. It was a fun trip - but I'm glad to be home.

Here are the places we stayed - with my new ratings (thanks again Ms. PopArtDiva!)

The hotel where we stayed:

Omni Corpus Christi Hotel: Mom was a little disappointed with the room. She said it looked old and the bathroom was kind of dirty. She said for a 4 star-rated Omni, she expected more. But the bed was comfortable and everyone on the staff treated me well. I would give it 3 bones but because Mom was a little unhappy, I'm going to give it 2. She knows more about these things than I do.

Omni Corpus Christi Hotel:


Captain Clark's Flagship Tours: Other than the fact that I wasn't allowed to go down on the carpeted area, this was great! 4 bones!


South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center: I'm going to give it 3 bones. It's nice but it's hard to remember not to potty on the flowers.




Padre Island National Seashore ( http://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm): I had to be on a leash and I couldn't go on the deck of the Visitor Center. But it was still great fun! 4 bones!


Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/aransas.html): Dad likes alligators and there are plenty of them here. I had to stay on a leash and we couldn't go on trails where there might be gators so Mom and Dad split up. On the one hand it was nice having some alone time with Mom, but this was supposed to be a family trip. For that reason I'm giving it 3 bones. But it might be worth 4 if your family doesn't have a gator-lover in it!


Corpus Christi dog-friendliness rating: 3 bones! Lots of places to stay, places to eat, and things to do.

Can't wait for my next adventure. After I rest up a bit, I'll be ready to go again!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, Bob--

It sounds like you and your parents had a wonderful time on your trip. You certainly got around and saw some great sights.
I also want to say how much I like your new rating system. Although my own bones are creaking, yours are pretty cool!

Pop Art Diva Enterprises said...

Bob - Pixel says you should take off another half a bone for not being able to piddle on the flowers! She says piddling on flowers is like a spa for dogs!

I hear The BRAT in the HAT is offering you the position of Speaker of the House when she wins the election and replaces the entire Congress with canines - will you be accepting? Inquiring minds want to know!

Melodieann Whiteley said...

Please tell The BRAT in the HAT that Mom has taught me to speak. In fact, she taught me so well that she now spends a lot of time telling me to be quiet! So I think Speaker of the House is an ideal position. I accept!