Dixie and Brown County, Indiana

My Shug and I got out of town the last few days, and I'm going to 'take you there' but first I wanted to give you a Dixie update. He's ours. I found out a little more information about this sweet dog and I just can't understand people sometimes. I found out that our neighbor found him at Highland Park. He saw him three days in a row before bringing him home. He only brought him home because some people that walk every day said the dog was dodging traffic. But before he brought him home, he searched nearby neighborhoods asking people if they were missing a dog.

When he got home with the dog, another neighbor's grand kids were playing with him, and she noticed he was FULL of fleas. She said he looked worse than anything she has ever seen. He even had them coming in and out of his nose. So, she gave him a bath, put a collar on him, and called a local radio station to have them announce a missing dog.

You know the part about me getting the dog (see previous post if you don't). I took him to the vet to see if he was micro chipped. He is not. I put an add in the paper for a week. No one claimed him, however, we did get a few calls. If you see a Siberian husky, Mini-Pinchers, or a black/brown 7 year old part Jack Russell terrier, people are looking for them. But no one called on Dixie.

Did you all know the paper has a lost and found section in the classifieds, and at least in our town, it's free. They run it for a week. I cringed every time the phone rang, afraid it was someone calling to claim the dog, then wishing it was if someone was going crazy trying to find their dog. But I was going to have a chat with them about the condition in which he was found. And why haven't they put an ad in the paper to claim him?

So now he's ours. I had a tag made for him before we left on our little get away. He has made his way into our heart,

our home,

and has claimed his spot on our couch! I've been wanting to get a dog for quite some time. And I've been wanting a terrier. We had an airedale and she was smart and beautiful. She died a year and a half ago, and we still miss her. For one reason or another, I never ended up getting another dog. I was just thinking before we got Dixie, if it was meant to be, it'll be. We're so busy right now anyway, with building a house. But sometimes...the best dogs are the ones that get you. And about the name, guys don't like it, but women do. Check out the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie", then you'll get it.

Now for our trip. I'll share a little bit daily, so as not to bore you with too many vacation photos all at once. If you live in Indiana, and have never been to Brown County State park, take some time to go there. And if you go now, it's best to go during the week. It's packed in the fall, especially on the weekends. Why? Because it's hilly, woodsy, and the leaves are changing to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. We go every year. It's beautiful, relaxing, and there's something to be said about knowing your way around a place so well, that you aren't stressed out trying to figure out the 'ins and outs' of a new place. You have to make your reservations a year in advance to stay in a cabin in the fall, because it's a very popular place in Indiana.
When you arrive at the state park, you enter through a covered bridge.

You check in at the Abe Martin Lodge. They have an aquatic center for kids, a hot tub for adults, free coffee and tea, a beautiful courtyard full of flowers, a HUGE screen TV in the lodge area, a cute little gift shop, a relaxing area with fireplace, a restaurant, and the place is full of comfy furniture so you can relax, relax, and relax some more. Check out http://www.abemartinlodge.com/


We always stay here. You can use all of the lodge amenities if you stay in a cabin, and it's within walking distance from the lodge. This is 'our' cabin. No we don't own it, but we've stayed in this cabin for years. It's actually a rustic cabin, no TV, no phone, just a bed, a bathroom, a small table and two chairs. And it's actually a cabin with two rooms for lodging. We stay on the side with the overhead porch. It does have a heater and an air conditioner, and with Indiana weather in October, we've used both!

More tomorrow.....

Cindy

PS - Thanks Marilyn, for telling me to STOP eating the candy corn/peanuts. And you were all correct, it does taste just like a Pay Day candy bar.
Jeanne, What's a lollyophile? Should I be afraid? Do I need counseling? (I'll post my ripply blanket after my trip pics. Maybe I'll have more of it finished by then!)
Deb M - Two gallons? Really? I'm not buying anymore!
Brenda - I am not making those peanut butter bars if they are as addicting as candy corn and peanuts. But thanks for sharing.