Back to Cruising the Country

After spending a few months in Massachusetts hanging out with family, it was finally time to get the wheels turning again. We were planning to leave Massachusetts just after Harper got her stitches out from having a few nasty lumps removed that she had been dealing with for a while.

Of course, leaving Massachusetts couldn’t be as simple as pulling out of the driveway and heading down the road. That would be far too easy for RV life.

The afternoon before we were scheduled to leave, Massachusetts decided to send us off with torrential rain. And apparently, our RV remembered something we had hoped it had forgotten—a leak we had repaired in the past.

The rain found it.

We discovered water where it definitely wasn’t supposed to be, so the bunk-over got taken apart, everything was dried out, and we made another appointment to have the leak addressed. Because apparently, RV maintenance is the gift that keeps on giving. You fix something, celebrate the victory, and eventually it decides it deserves a sequel.

Once we finally got rolling, we had another little mystery waiting for us: new sounds coming from the front of the truck. We’ll be investigating those as we continue down the road. Nothing says “Welcome back to traveling” quite like water leaks and unidentified mechanical noises!

Our first stop was Cabela’s, because apparently no road trip is complete without wandering through a giant outdoor store. From there, we headed to the Lebanon, PA Fairgrounds for a four-day dog show.

And that’s where Benny really started showing us what he can do.

Benny had a great time and continues to get better every day as he learns the ropes of the show-dog circuit. He’s becoming much more comfortable with the grooming table and the whole process of getting cleaned up and ready to show with Michelle.

Michelle Scott continues to exceed my expectations. I’m beginning to think she really might be a dog whisperer.

Benny and Michelle are becoming quite the team in the show ring. He improves every time they step into the ring together, and it’s amazing to watch him figure things out. He’s also getting better at handling the occasional handoff to another handler when conflicts arise.

But there’s no question about it—Benny is connected to Michelle.

He knows she is a professional, and somehow he seems to understand that she has expectations of him. What’s really wild is watching him try to live up to those expectations. He is learning that this isn’t just about walking around a ring and looking handsome. There is a job to do, and Benny is beginning to understand the assignment.

And apparently, he’s pretty good at it.

Lebanon Results

The results from Lebanon were pretty darn good.

Four shows. Four opportunities. Four solid results:

• (Winners Dog) and Best of Winners Dog — 2 times

• Winners Dog — 1 times

• Reserve — 1 time

Along the way, Benny picked up two new majors, bringing him to 14 points and 3 majors toward his championship.

He now needs just one more point to earn his Champion title!

Not a bad way to get back on the road.

After Lebanon, we spent a couple of days at a Harvest Host dairy creamery in Maryland. It’s one of the things we really enjoy about this lifestyle—finding interesting places to park the house, slow down for a couple of days, and experience something we probably wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Then it’s on to another fairgrounds and another four-day dog show.

There is, however, one small problem with this next show.

Benny may be the only Open dog entered all weekend.

Which could make winning his final point a little more complicated.

You can’t win if you don’t have competition—and apparently, Benny may be about to discover that sometimes the hardest part of dog showing is simply finding somebody else who showed up!

So the adventure continues.

The truck is making noises. The RV has sprung another leak. Harper has had her stitches out. We’re chasing dog-show points across the country. And Benny is getting closer and closer to that title.

Just another normal week of retirement and RV life.

Wouldn’t trade it for anything.