Tony hung with us for the first 4 days before he headed up to Golden which is about 4 hours north of our cabin. We worked on our custom made raft trailer, re-organized the garage, fixed the bicycle tires and participated in our first ever moonlight float! We have been hearing about these adult only excursions for years from our Colorado friends...but have always been strapped down with kids and could not participate. This year we all threw in on a babysitter / angel from heaven who watched 6 kids under the age of 8 at our cabin while we did our best to not go overboard into the river. Because it was so early in the season the float went fast (which was probably in our best interests considering...) and we ended up at The Shaft until closing time enjoying life the way it used to be before we all became parents. A great way to start the trip!
After Tony left it was my turn to entertain the kids so they didn't kill each other. I pulled out all the stops. Trips to the circus, swimming at the Rio Grande Country Club, Summerfest and the indoor water park in Alamosa, hiking, biking, exploring, library visits, trips to the Malt Shoppe, smores around the campfire, father's day shopping in Creede, and the hot springs in Pagosa. It was non-stop action!
Although the trip was a lot of fun and we can't wait to do it next year...we did have some sadness. Tonka started showing signs that there was a problem and after taking her to the local veternarian they discovered a large tumor on her anal gland that had to be removed. After sending it off for analysis, they determined that it was cancerous and very agressive. The vet predicts only a few weeks to a few months for her to live. It made the trip bittersweet. We certainly gave her more love and attention (and maybe some table scraps!) than usual but our hearts are breaking knowing that her time is limited. Over the last few years she has really become my dog. I walk her, feed her, groom her, bathe her and love on her on a daily basis. So I am preparing myself for goodbye.
It wouldn't be a typical Tonka trip to the cabin if I didn't have an attack story. The day we were loading her up for surgery she got a piece of the neighbor's little wiener dog. Fortunately for the dog Tonka has a crooked jaw and can't do any damage. But that little dog must not have gotten the memo because when I got to the scene of the crime and pried Tonka's mouth open that dog had peed itself all over the place!
