One of my favorite places in Oregon is Sisters. Nestled in the Cascade Mountains, it is a beautiful place of Lodgepole Pine, meandering rivers and spectacular mountain views. My family used to take our summer vacations in this area, so it has very special memories for me. The smell of the pines and sage in the warm sun takes me back.
We met some fellow vanlifers whose husky enjoyed visiting with our dogs, and they enjoyed running – far and fast – together a couple of times. Toby, our German Shepherd, loved it – us, not so much. Cole Kitty, not at all!
Our first foray into the Sisters area was while we were waiting on a part for our new school bus still parked in Burns. It was going to take a week and I just happened to have an annual girl friends’ weekend near Sisters, so, since our house has wheels, we decided to take a little drive. I left Calvin with the fur kids while I hooked up with my besties for a few days.
We ladies had a fantastic time. I am so blessed to have surrounded myself with wise, courageous, competent women. This particular pair have been my friends for over 25 years and we have been through just about every high and low one can imagine in life, and we’re still laughing, growing, and making an impact. I challenged them with a video interview, talking to our 75 year old selves, marking this moment in our history, talking about our dreams and hopes for these new chapters in our individual lives. It will be fascinating to look back on that conversation several years from now. To Leah and Danette, you are amazing, wonderful women and I am eternally grateful that you are my sisters and friends.
I got back to Calvin and the paw crew and Calvin told me that our sweet Jack kitty had not come home the previous night. Remember, Jack got lost a year ago but was returned to us after a few weeks in the forest of western Oregon. I spent two days hiking miles and calling to him, knowing that if he heard me he would respond. We got word that the part came in for the bus, so we headed back to Burns, did the repairs, and returned the next day to the same spot and looked for him several more days. Finally, after no sign of our sweet tabby, I posted signs around the area, and in the nearby neighborhood, and we continued on our journey toward the Oregon Coast.
Traveling with dogs is different that traveling with cats, and we have both. The dogs are always with us – they are pack animals and we are the pack leaders and they can’t stand to be separated from us for any amount of time. Cats are much more independent and nocturnal, they are hunters and adventurers. We love and care for all of our animals and our goal always is to give them the happiest, healthiest, best lives we can possibly provide, and to keep them as safe as we reasonably can. We are hoping that we get the call that Jack has been found, but if we don’t, we know we gave Jack the best possible life any cat could dream of.
