My Trip to North Carolina

Okay, sorry it took me so long to post after the trip and sorry that I didn't post on the trip. The trip was busy and it took a while to recover and get life at home back settled.

On Tuesday July 1, 2008 I boarded The Crescent Amtrak Train in New Orleans, LA bound for Salisbury, NC. It was supposed to be an 18 hour journey. It turned into 20. It was a long, but comfortable ride. I had a seat to myself all but a few hours late that night. We arrived in Salisbury around 4:30 a.m. on July 2nd. J and S were there to greet me. We then dropped S off and J and I drove the near hour back to Cool Springs. We were greeted by J's herd and promptly went to sleep for a short few hours.


The next few days were full of work and spending some time with the hounds. There was some relaxing in there too. I fixed the gate, helped tile the floor, organized some things, fed hounds and did a few turn-outs. We spent an evening at T's house in Lewisville, about an hour away. We had dinner, visited and looked at some craft projects that J & T are working on.


I loved visiting with all the hounds. There is one fellow in particular that I took out several times and worked with one on one. His name is Frisky Lyon and he has the same sire as our Berry White. He is a big sweet black boy who has been at CFGA for over a year. He is a little rambunctious when you first get him out. He then settles down very well, is very sweet, walks well on a leash and is an overall fantastic greyhound. If we were not at our capacity, he would so come home with me. He is just so sweet and I fell in love. We are trying to work it out to where he and another hound, most likely Go Go will be brought down to Louisiana to our group. If he comes, we will foster him unless L has a home lined up for him before he comes. I felt like Frisky and I really bonded. He just needs someone who is calm, patient and affectionate. Firm, but not harsh. He is a good boy. He just gets really excited to see people and does not show well in the setting of a kennel.

On Friday July 4th, I was able to help a family select their first greyhound. J thought that a certain boy named Bandit might be right for them, but in the end, a little brindle girl named Kessie was the one. They took her home that day.

On Saturday July 5th, we were having our big gathering. There was going to be lure coursing, but it rained. The hounds were still allowed to have a fun play run in the big coursing field. Before the gathering, a couple drove up form South Carolina to select a hound. They had recently moved from Michigan and lost one of their 3 greys. They had applied at a group I will not name in SC and had selected a dog and I think even put a deposit down for him or her. When they went to pick up their new hound, the group has adopted it out to someone else. They turned to our group, over 200 miles away, to find their new hound. They brought their other two hounds and checked out the crew. After looking at many hounds they decided on a young red girl named Fanny. They brought her home that day. I have since heard Fanny is now Annie and she is doing very well.

Once the gathering began, I was able to show a hound to another family who had also recently lost a hound. They brought their little blue girl and met the crew. They settled on a shy, slender white and red boy named Bandit. They will take him home as soon as he is neutered.

The gathering was a success. We had a greyt group of hounds who ran up a storm out there and had a good time. I think the people enjoyed the hot dogs and watching the hounds have fun. J, S & I rested after the gathering and I prepared for my trip home.

The ride home was not as nice as the way up. S took me back to Salisbury and I hopped on the train in the wee hours of the morning on July 6th. It was so crowded. I had to sit with someone in an assigned seat as soon as I got on the train. I only had a seat to myself for a few hours and slept very little at night. I picked up a seat-mate again in Atlanta, but she was a nice young girl from SC going to her current home in Slidell. We talked and had a nice time and I was able to sleep a little more. The one really good thing was that the train was on time.

Overall I had a greyt trip. I got to see some old friends and met a few new ones. I hope J gets to come and visit us in the Spring sometime. It would be nice to be able to return teh favor of hospitality to her and anyone else we know or have met from up there who ever end up down our way.