A few weeks later, we packed up the motor home again and headed down to Hocking Hills in Ohio for a long weekend. Cyrus and I were attacked by Cujo and I suffered my first-ever (and hopefully last-ever) dog bite. The crazy owner of the crazy dog stood by helplessly while I got dizzy spinning in circles as Cyrus ran around my feet trying to stay alive. He wouldn't jump in my arms and Cujo kept chasing him trying to bite him. I couldn't do anything but spin to keep from getting tangled up in the leash, falling down and having Cujo rip out my jugular. I finally put my hand down and pushed the crazy dog away so I could grab poor Cyrus and the psycho dog bit me. The owner apologized and I told her that's why dogs are supposed TO BE ON LEASHES in a campground. I just about bit her myself...idiot. Her husband came over later to apologize and thanked me for not kicking their dog. I again told him why dogs are supposed TO BE ON LEASHES in a campground. I had a hard time not kicking him...idiot. I am wondering if I need anger management classes. There seem to be too many idiots in the world. I don't know if I have the time or the energy to try to change them all. Okay...deep breath in...deep breath out. We did enjoy the Hocking Hills area. There were many pretty waterfalls and canyons to explore. The area is supposedly haunted, but we sadly didn't see or hear anything.
A few weeks later, we packed up the motor home again and headed up to the U.P. to visit Muskallonge Lake State Park. We took a day trip to TRY to visit Pictured Rocks National Park...note that TRY is the stressed word. We stopped at the ranger station and were dismayed to find that the main road is closed for repairs. We would have to drive a couple of hours to the west end of the park and then take a boat trip to see the rocks. (We had hoped to drive along the lake shore road and stop at various points of interest for photo opportunities.) So, we stopped at a couple of scenic spots before the construction and posed for some pictures. The gang went out to tube in the Two-Hearted River the next day. When the group returned, I asked how it was. Keaton's reply was, "My life flashed before my eyes. I thought we were going to end up in Canada." According to Matt, Keaton and Elizabeth were in Matt's little dinghy (feel free to insert your own joke here) and one of the oars broke. They got caught in the current and kind of were swept way out into Lake Superior. The other kids had to swim out with their inter tubes and pull them out of the current. I don't know why Keaton has issues in rivers. (Remember the flipping of the river raft in Colorado. That was another moment he had where he said his life flashed before his eyes.) I'm thinking he probably should just stick to pools in the future. I think they're more his speed.
My sisters and I had a surprise retirement party for our mother. It was a little tricky to pull off, but we did it. The kids were all great and didn't let anything slip. I'm not sure if we were just lucky...or if we just taught them to be really good fibbers. Hmmmm...that could be a moral dilemma. Everyone seemed to have a great time though.
Speaking of great times, Matt and I went away to Mackinac last weekend to celebrate our 20th anniversary. (It only took about two months to find time to get away!) We enjoyed some alone time, visiting the sites and eating lots of whitefish and fudge. We even found some time to donate some money to the casino.
Keaton was just assigned his dorm and roommate for college. It looks like he and his roommate will be sharing a lounge with two other guys (I'm thinking "Man Cave" will be the theme). He's looking forward to going to school in September. He registered for his classes and will be taking his mandatory Freshman class (kind of a freshman focus class), a computer science class, and Calculus. Basketball will be gearing up and he's looking forward to getting back in the gym. We see so little of him now that I think we'll have an easier transition when he leaves in the fall than I originally expected. It will be interesting to see how Cyrus will react when Keaton leaves. I'm thinking Cyrus is going to just move right into Keaton's room. I'd expect nothing less from Sir Cyrus than to claim Keaton's queen-sized bed as his own. I also think he'd watch a lot of TV if only he had thumbs to work the remote. He seems to like the Food Network...and reruns of Baywatch.
