The great adventures of Tickle and Fritz....

Let me start by first explaining the background, who are Tickle and Fritz? Angie and I made some great friends during our great adventure of adopting in China. Gracie, as some of you may know was one of 10 little ladies who were adopted in our travel group. We call these ladies, Hunan Sisters. One of these sisters is named Lia. Lia's parents recently moved from Missouri to Kansas as part of a job situation. They have lived in Kansas for around 2 years I think. Lia's dad, Todd, has just received a new job offer. The trick with this new job is that it requires them moving again, temporarily. Todd has accepted a job as a teacher in South Korea. This is a wonderful opportunity for the entire family, but it does require that they move quickly as they only have a few weeks left before they leave for a year. The job is only for a year, maybe two. They needed to rent out their home for that year, sell their car, move their stuff, etc etc. They have been a busy family for the last several weeks. Well the situation is now that they have rented the house and the legal mumbo jumbo is working itself out so they are winding down and packing and storing and the like. One if the items that required attention however was their dog, Fritz. They have had Fritz for something less than a year, but plenty long enough for him to become a loving part of their family. The two kids, Lia and her brother Zach, have grown quit attached to Fritz. The family decided to try and find Fritz a temporary home, somebody to watch and love him until they returned. Here is where our family enters the picture. Our family discussed the notion of helping out. We love our Hunan friends and really wanted to be able to assist in some small way as they depart on this great mission. (did I mention this was an English speaking Christian Academy in Seoul?) I talked things over with Gracie a few times and Gracie seemed really excited and wanted to help out "my Sister". I loved the way Gracie became so passionate about it. So, we contacted Kim and Todd and through much discussion worked out arrangements. We were told that when Lia found out that her Gracie was going to look after her Fritz, she felt much better about it.

Now here is the plan. The two dads were going to drive and meet up someplace near the middle of our two homes. This meant meeting in Mt. Vernon Illinois. (We live in Maineville Ohio, they live in Kansas) We picked a time of convenience and the road trip was set. In the mean time, I had an idea. An idea that become a little more complicated than I originally intended, but that is live after all. I suggested to Gracie that she might want to send something of hers to Lia for Lia to look after and care for while she took care of Fritz. Gracie immediately dumped out a bucket of pound puppies and started to sort through them. She settled on one named Tickle. Now I didn't see the rest coming, because I never see her play with Tickle, but suddenly Tickle is her prize possession. She started to tear up almost immediately when she said I should take Tickle, but she wanted to spend some time with him first and say goodbye since she was going to miss him so. I was caught off guard at this because I don't think Tickle had been out of his bucket in months. Over the next several days Tickle becomes the omnipresent item in our home. Wherever Gracie is, there is Tickle. Every night ends with a little sadness and weeping as she expressed her concerns about missing her Tickle. This was getting just a bit weird at this point. I got lucky with a conversation at this point. The mind of a Gracie is an interesting place to be sometimes. I finally figured it out, ( at least that's my story and I am sticking to it). Gracie was learning to understand the only way she knew how what her 'sister' must be feeling about Fritz. As the time to depart drew nearer the emotional roller coaster began to settle down a bit. I had told her that Tickle would have a great adventure and the Lia would be more than happy to care for her while Gracie was caring and loving on her Fritz. So, I developed a dad plan. You know those dad plans where we decide to do something terribly odd for our kids to make them feel better, yeah, a dad plan. They are not to well thought out, but usually they end up being priceless. I decided I was going to make frequent stops along my 300 mile journey to pick up Fritz, and I would carry Tickle with me as my travelling companion, and photo document our journey to Mt. Vernon. I would then turn over responsibility of Tickle to another dad who would take Tickle to Kansas and then to Seoul. It was a dad plan. ( I did leave Todd an out though, in case he didn't think it was a good plan, I could have taken Tickle back home and explained to Gracie that Tickle didn't have a passport and therefore was not allowed to go to Korea, but Todd agreed with the dad plan and all was well) When Todd returned home Lia was presented with Tickle and she was happy to have her. When I returned home, Gracie dropped to the floor and loved on Fritz and asked him if he was sad and then told him it was okay because she would take care of him until he got to go home, but this would be his summer home until then........ (aaaww, sniff sniff)

Well, now you have the background of the story. I will now begin to share with you the adventures of Tickle and Fritz, starting with our Journey to Mt. Vernon.

I got up early last Saturday morning and packed a cooler with 3 bottles of Mountain Dew and a big bag of Peanut M&M's. I put the cooler in the front seat and I placed a package for Todd and Kim in the trunk as well as a picture Gracie had made for Lia. I grabbed a hat because it was supposed to rain, and I grabbed my camera as well. I checked my wallet and made sure I had money, and I also made sure I had a cup and my can of Apple Skoal. I went in and kissed Angie on the head and hugged and kissed my Gracie and I was off to Mt. Vernon at 8AM sharp. As I am backing down the driveway I hear the weeping begin again. Gracie is weeping for Tickle, or for her Sister, or for Fritz, or all of the above I think. Gracie was sad. I then realized I had forgotten the towel and water bowl for the trip and had to run back in and get it. Gracie soon calmed down and everything was just fine, she had a fun day with mom and a birthday party on top of it. Now I have a bowl for water in case Tickle gets thirsty on the way there, or Fritz gets thirsty on the way back. The great puppy exchange has begun.

I am making good time and have an arrival time planned of about 1:30 which allows me time to make frequent stops. This is necessary for Tickles adventures and the fact that my bladder will hold exactly 10 ounces, which is two stops per bottle of Mountain Dew. The first stop is just north of Louisville.

Much to my surprise, Tickle informs me that she is thirsty but she doesn't want to use that ol' water bowl. She wants to get a fresh drink from a water fountain. As luck would have it, this rest stop has one of those old stone fountains right out in front. Tickle filled up and was feeling much better.

Now that she was refreshed Tickle wanted to explore a little and wanted to check out the sign posted at this rest area.

She also requested that we hang out at the picnic table and stretch our paws for a while before taking back to the road. Tickle likes to just sit and people watch when she has the chance.

Tickle then decided to go check out the map and see just how far from home we had come, and just how much farther we had to go. I had to use the facility at this point so Tickle took it upon herself to make a friend and request some assistance in viewing the map. She found a really nice lady who was willing to pick her up and let her get a good look at where we were.

Tickle was so excited that she wanted to phone home and tell everyone all about it, but she forgot and left her change in her other coat, oh well. I let her use my cell phone later in the car.

Our next stop was in the Vincennes district of Indiana. Tickle climbed up the pole to get a better look at the wonderful garden they had there. We didn't stay long because a lightening storm was coming up fast and it had already started to sprinkle. Tickle made discrete use of the bush at the bottom of the pole and we were off. ( Just as a side note, this rest stop had a guy staffing it who was standing outside the front door. This gentlemen never said a word, but he stared and stared at us the whole time we were wondering around here)

Tickle thinks she likes to ride on the cooler because it lets her see out the window better. I wonder why, there is nothing to see but empty fields and orange road cones.

We have now arrived at Skeeter Mountain in Indiana. I didn't know they had mountains in Indiana, but here we are. Tickle took a quick romp through the flower beds while I stretched my legs.

"Hey, that guy with the tattoo looks friendly, maybe I could make a new friend and you could take my picture with him, whadayathink?"

Tickle and her new friend at the Skeeter Mountain rest area. ( I was standing out in front when this couple walked up and I asked them if one of them could do me a really quick tiny little favor. This guys wife gave me that 'your creepy' look and walked on, but this guy asked what he could do and walked over towards us. I explained the situation briefly about my travel companion, and he said," oh, like on the commercial, sure hows this" Perfect. I hope this guy is not in the witness protection program. So far the people in Kentucky and Indiana have been wonderful)

It is now 1:32 in the afternoon and I have traveled for 306 miles with Tickle. We have arrived in Mt. Vernon right on schedule. Tickle helps me fill up the tank and we debate about what to eat. Tickle wants Steak n Shake, I want Hardees. We compromise and decide to eat at both places and just share our food. I decide I had better call Todd to let him know what we are doing and that I am parked in front of Hardees. I had made one unfortunate mistake at this point however. I had forgotten to account for the time zone change. So while it was 1:35 now, it was only 12:35 in Illinois. Oops!. I had an hour to kill, no big deal. Tickle said she tried to tell me we had plenty of time, but I wasn't listening. She said something about men not listening, but I don't recall exactly what it was she said. I spoke with Todd and he said he was running a bit behind so Tickle and I could take our time and enjoy the lovely sights of Mt. Vernon.

We proceed into Hardee's. Tickle and I both begin to people watch and take in the local culture. This is your typical Hardee's, that is to say its a dump. This particular dump is a highly diverse and multi cultural dump at the crossroads of several interchanges. This is the point where 64 running east and west from Louisville to St. Louis meets up with another highway running north and south from Chicago to I think Memphis. This being a major crossroads there are lots of hotels, gas stations and restaurants, but there are also a lot of travellers like ourselves, so its a great spot to people watch. The first observance is that Tickle and I got our order correct from the 12 year olds who were working the counter, however, we were the only ones who got what we asked for. A nice to listen too British lady was talking to her grandbabies about how grandpapa would go back and get their order fixed in just a minute. A not so nice large Russian women was less than polite to the kid when she went postal about her fries not being the right size. (Day vear, very nice, Evening vear, very nice, Svim vear, very nice ) The manager seemed to be a short tempered mafia type with a few teeth missing up front. I think she was the female version of Fredo, but maybe we should just eat and move on to across the street.

On the way to Steak n Shake Tickle took off towards this Red Roof Inn. She said, she wanted to nap, could we rent a room for an hour. I told Tickle there was no way in this life I was going to go into a hotel and ask if I could rent a room for an hour with my little dog. Was just not going to happen. Tickle wanted to know why. I pointed out that the sign stated that the lobby entrance was in the back. This was not a good sign and we would not be going there. When the sign even warns you of rear entry, its just not a good place. I drove past later and it had bars on the window, another sign that this is not someplace I need to be.

Tickle and I ordered some cheese fries and an orange freeze. In typical Steak n Shake fashion, this took 30 minutes to arrive, but we still had time to kill so no big deal. The longer we sat there, the more agitated Tickle became. I asked her what was bothering her and she told me she had something she needed to do. I said, okay, what is it. She informed me that it was just appalling how some of her compatriots were treated and she felt the need to assist them, and she needed to do it right now.

So, we went off to pay our bill and while I was dealing with the 'challenged at making change' person at the counter Tickle disappeared. I found her a few moments later stuffing dollar bills into a grab it machine and screaming into the glass box. "come towards the light Sponge Bob, come towards the light....." and also " leave the cat, the rest of you follow me......follow me to Freedom........." ( for those who missed it, that was a lame reference to Poltergeist and then a lame reference to the best ever ESPN commercial) ( While I was taking this picture, the line of people waiting to be seated was watching me and I heard on granny type lady snort and giggle but when I turned around they were all looking at the ceiling, I looked up there too but I didnt see anything)

Now that we have filled our bellies, Tickle wants to go explore the area some more. There is not much to look at except for hotels and gas stations so we go looking at the hotels. Tickle wants to go in one and check out the lobby so I drive around to find one to appease her nagging. (what is it with women and nagging) Okay, first I drive down the end of the lane and check out the Motel 6. As I loop around the building I look at the people I see. The first on is a skinny little blond lady with stringy greasy hair, tattoos on her arms, no front teeth and a marlboro sticking out her mouth, as well as she is wearing a dirty white wife beater shirt with no bra and has the "tennis ball in the sock appearance" going for her. I then say a Hispanic gentlemen with a hair net and a cigar with an apron on and another gentleman with black socks and sandles. None of this is all that bad until you recognize that this is the employed staff. I kept driving. I then found a super 8 with bars on the windows, not going in there either. We already discussed the Red Roof Inn and their lobby entrance in back so not going there. Now let me drive across the street to the Drury Inn. These are usually nice, its right out front and looks clean from here, I should have a nice lobby for Tickle to explore. Once I figured out that the hotel was right up front but the driveway was way in back I got over there only to find that there were not many cars there. I pulled up into its breezeway and walked in the front door expecting to be in a nice lobby. Much to our surprise, another glass door. This glass door needs a pass card to open. How does someone get in? Well I assume you must first pay at the little postage stamp size window in the corner, but we left before trying to figure that out. Finally we decide to go into the Days Inn lobby. This hotel looks clean, no bars, no need to have a pass key or carry a bat to get in. As Tickle and I walk up to the door I notice that there is a women with a mixing bowl sitting at a little table eating cheerios at 3 in the afternoon. Strange, but whatever. I see a normal looking guy reading the paper in the corner, okay, no big deal. I walk up to the counter in the smallish lobby and start looking for a sign to take Tickles picture next to. About this time Tickle realizes something I dont and jumps down into my pocket. I am standing in front of the counter by a bell that says "ring bell for assistance" when a women of Indian decent walks up. She looks at me and asks if she can help me. I said, no not really, I just wanted to see if I could take a picture here of me and my travelling companion. She stared but did not speak. I exlained that my daughter had sent me along with a little dog named Tickle ( who is fighting me to stay put in my pocket) so I can take pictures of our travels for her to look at. (after being bit twice I pull Tickle up out of my pocket and set her on the counter next to the button) I asked , again, if I could just take a picture of Tickle on the counter next to her bell. She is still staring, I hear crickets, (chirp chirp chirp) I say, I will just take the picture and be out of your way. (chirp chirp chirp) CAN I TAKE THE PICTURE? Yes, she said. I take the picture, (chirp chirp chirp) and we are outa there. The lady is dumping more cheerios out of the little boxes into her bowl. I feel like we have entered the twighlight zone so we are off to the car to wait for Todd and Fritz.

Todd and Fritz have arrived. Tickle meets Todd, Tickle meets Fritz, and a nice meeting is had by all. Fritz wonders around a while and stretches his paws. He chats with Tickle for a while while Todd and I trade items from trunk to trunk. It is now about 4 oclock my time, 3 oclock local time. After no further ado, Tickle hops in the car with Todd and is off to meet Lia and plan her trip with them to Seoul. Fritz finds a nice comfy spot in my car and we are off towards Maineville. Todd and I exchanged some dad like chatter and the switch has been made.

The trip home was uneventful. Fritz insisted on stopping twice and walking around a bit. He talked to me a few times along the way, but by and large he was a quiet boy. Once we arrived in Ohio back at the homestead Gracie was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Fritz. Gracie and Fritz greeted, and then Bo and Fritz greeted. Bo and Fritz were a little unsure at first, but since neither one of them can see (Bo has no eyes, and Fritz has little vision) they just took their time sniffing. Once the sniff dance was over, all is well. Later that night Fritz was happy to sleep with Gracie for a while, and as you can tell Gracie is thrilled to take care of Fritz, "for my sister"

I will continue to chronicle the adventures of Tickle and Fritz and post pictures here and on Facebook so Lia can check in on her dog, and Todd and Kim have assured me they will post pictures from Seoul as well. I tried to get a picture of Fritz meeting Tucker, but it went by too fast to get, I will try again later.

Until later.................