Thursday, March 2, 2023

Goodbye Season 2023!!

 

Well it looks like the Dekuiper blog adventures are over for another year………….

There is another race here in Quebec but we have decided to take our friends’ word for it and think that it may be very short, very scary, and very dangerous for a 75 year old dog racer…………..plus we are getting 10 to 20 cm of new snow so that , Randy says, would make the trail even worse by being soft- I am certainly not opposed to going home once more to my real house (because I have 3- the trailer, dog camp in the UP and our real house in Hesperia!!) and being able to see all our family and friends and sit in the hot tub!!!!!!!  I know they were having an ice storm yesterday so I am not sure what the weather will be like driving – the snow we are getting today is supposed to be over in the middle of the nite.  As long as we have a clear path to get in the driveway we are good!!  I don’t think west Michigan has much snow on the ground – you might know, now that all the races have been cancelled we will get a load of snow!!!!!!

We saw friends last nite – Mario and his daughter Myriam came over to bring us 2  8 month old pups – we had given them some dogs in the past and they had promised to give us some pups when they had a litter.  We accidentally got a pup from them when a guy (I will say guy cause I don’t know his name) traded us a big dog for a little girl last year – the little girl turned out to be a daughter of the dog leader we gave Mario, Greg!!!!  So these pups are out of her brother and a dog Myriam brought back from when she lived in British columbia and was a Jeff King dog – these guys (Blue and Cookie – because he looks like and oreo cookie) are adorable and sweet but  Cookie (Biscuits in French)is doing a bit of complaining about being in the trailer…………….he will love to get home and enjoy our yard!  We are also getting  few dogs from the Bellerive’s – don’t know for sure how many- so we will have a “booked hotel” on the way home!!!

Today is Thursday and even though it is snowing right now we are going to “make a break for it” and head home!

We had delightful dinner with just Renelle and Claude last nite (the first time we have ever been with just the 2 of them – it’s taken 15 years of coming here at least once a year for to feel comfortable talking to us without extra translation help – it went perfect!) at an Italian restaurant and we got a tour of the improvements they have made over the last couple of years to their entertainment center in Shawinigan (it’s a complex with a restaurant, bowling alley, arcade and cinema and a party room for 100 called Place Bierman’s if you want to look it up on the internet) I was amazed at the games they have now!!!  Especially the one they had that was 4 wheeler racing where you sit on the 4 wheeler and actually steer it and  lean to make the corners!!!!! Another one was giant tarantulas attacking you and shooting them!!!  How realistic!!!!  Lots different from the old pinball games!!!  They even have bumper cars in it!!!

So a sad good bye and a request for Blessings on our travel over the next 2 days -  it’s been a short dogsledding season but a long time traveling (since Jan 5) so we are ready to go home – Melanie asked me the first thing I wanted to do at home and I told her “fill the hot tub”!!!!  The travel has been good – seeing lots of new and old acquaintences and giving us time to do a lot of “holy moments”, reaching out to show people we care even if it’s only opening a door for them or giving them a smile…………

Already planning for next season – I am sure we are not going to try Wyoming again – pretty hard going for us “old folks” ===  we are getting 4 dogs from Claude, and just traded one of our dogs for a smaller faster dog with a guy – so it’s fun to imagine the changes our kennel will have with 2 new puppies, 6 puppies at Dee’s and 4 new dogs and a new traded one, Molly!!!!  I guess that’s what keeps us going- always imagining and even better next year!!!  God Bless you all!

Well it looks like the Dekuiper blog adventures are over for another year………….

There is another race here in Quebec but we have decided to take our friends’ word for it and think that it may be very short, very scary, and very dangerous for a 75 year old dog racer…………..plus we are getting 10 to 20 cm of new snow so that , Randy says, would make the trail even worse by being soft- I am certainly not opposed to going home once more to my real house (because I have 3- the trailer, dog camp in the UP and our real house in Hesperia!!) and being able to see all our family and friends and sit in the hot tub!!!!!!!  I know they were having an ice storm yesterday so I am not sure what the weather will be like driving – the snow we are getting today is supposed to be over in the middle of the nite.  As long as we have a clear path to get in the driveway we are good!!  I don’t think west Michigan has much snow on the ground – you might know, now that all the races have been cancelled we will get a load of snow!!!!!!

We saw friends last nite – Mario and his daughter Myriam came over to bring us 2  8 month old pups – we had given them some dogs in the past and they had promised to give us some pups when they had a litter.  We accidentally got a pup from them when a guy (I will say guy cause I don’t know his name) traded us a big dog for a little girl last year – the little girl turned out to be a daughter of the dog leader we gave Mario, Greg!!!!  So these pups are out of her brother and a dog Myriam brought back from when she lived in British columbia and was a Jeff King dog – these guys (Blue and Cookie – because he looks like and oreo cookie) are adorable and sweet but  Cookie (Biscuits in French)is doing a bit of complaining about being in the trailer…………….he will love to get home and enjoy our yard!  We are also getting  few dogs from the Bellerive’s – don’t know for sure how many- so we will have a “booked hotel” on the way home!!!

Today is Thursday and even though it is snowing right now we are going to “make a break for it” and head home!

We had delightful dinner with just Renelle and Claude last nite (the first time we have ever been with just the 2 of them – it’s taken 15 years of coming here at least once a year for to feel comfortable talking to us without extra translation help – it went perfect!) at an Italian restaurant and we got a tour of the improvements they have made over the last couple of years to their entertainment center in Shawinigan (it’s a complex with a restaurant, bowling alley, arcade and cinema and a party room for 100 called Place Bierman’s if you want to look it up on the internet) I was amazed at the games they have now!!!  Especially the one they had that was 4 wheeler racing where you sit on the 4 wheeler and actually steer it and  lean to make the corners!!!!! Another one was giant tarantulas attacking you and shooting them!!!  How realistic!!!!  Lots different from the old pinball games!!!  They even have bumper cars in it!!!

So a sad good bye and a request for Blessings on our travel over the next 2 days -  it’s been a short dogsledding season but a long time traveling (since Jan 5) so we are ready to go home – Melanie asked me the first thing I wanted to do at home and I told her “fill the hot tub”!!!!  The travel has been good – seeing lots of new and old acquaintences and giving us time to do a lot of “holy moments”, reaching out to show people we care even if it’s only opening a door for them or giving them a smile…………

Already planning for next season – I am sure we are not going to try Wyoming again – pretty hard going for us “old folks” ===  we are getting 4 dogs from Claude, and just traded one of our dogs for a smaller faster dog with a guy – so it’s fun to imagine the changes our kennel will have with 2 new puppies, 6 puppies at Dee’s and 4 new dogs and a new traded one, Molly!!!!  I guess that’s what keeps us going- always imagining and even better next year!!!  God Bless you all!

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Race results

Yesterday was not as good as we had hoped - we think we might not have given enough runs to get the dogs from "stage stop speed" to "Quebec race speed"---------- we came in last place and part of the problem was that Randy was overtaken by JR Saucier and his dogs wouldn't pass easily so Randy had to stop twice - 

Today was better!  Our dogs hung in there tough and Randy moved up 5 places to 15th!!!!

It was not as cold either but I still put bag balm on the dogs scrotums and ears so they wouldn't freeze..............

Back to  Bellerive's tonite!!!  we are having a problem with the generator again and so we are running the little one and it will be good to be able to be back at our Quebec home to plug into the barn!!

There has been some discussion with Claude about him not  going to the race next weekend - he has a contact that is telling him the trail will not be good - Randy says if he doesn't go we won't likely either! So we'll see!!!

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Race Day!!

 First day of the Pont Rouge race in Quebec - Randy goes out 5th - less than 11 mile course!! Very cold temps!!!  will let you know how he does!!!

Had dinner at Melanie's house on Thursday - left for the race on Friday at noon - no problem getting to the town of Pont Rouge but had to stop 3 times to ask people where the race site was!!!  finally found it - it's a drag racing site in the summer!!!  looks like they have everything planned out well - hope the trail is good!!!

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

WE are in Canada!!

The only problem we had letting us in was that we were "red flagged" for coming to the border one year and not having our covid test result sent to us yet from the pharmacy so they sent us back to the US!!!

We drove till Deep River, Ontario and then the next day made it here to Charette!!!

The Bellerives are busy with business lunches and dinners today so we will see them tomorrow!!

We had a quick hello with Claude yesterday because he was at the barn to train some dogs before the race this weekend!! 

We trained all of our dogs today and they all looked good - we also trained 3 of Claudes old dogs - don't know if he is thinking of us getting them or what..............

I was doing great until I just fell on the ice and tweaked my back............just a bit of rest and it will be fine!!!!! 

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Not as great as we hoped but good!!!

We got to the race site fine and found our parking spot and had a great spaghetti dinner for the prelude to the race meeting at the golf course in Iron River Wisconsin - good friends there, Moe and Lydia and the Beabers and next morning Lori and Ken Chezik - you all probably (that care) know the race results from the one day race - Randy came in 4th after having about 20 4 second or more problems that kept him from getting 3rd or 2nd!  it was close!!!  One of them in particular was a confrontation with a mid-distance driver that he passed (part of the trail there were both mid-distance and unlimited teams running on the same section) and then she wanted to re-pass him right away without giving him the chance to pull away again - some trail help difficulty and etc.........  All in all if was a great fun race for us with lots of people we enjoy!!

This morning on Sunday we left the race site and made it all the way to Sault Ste. Marie Michingan and in the morning we will cross the bridge to Canada on our way to Quebec and the 2 final races in their season - it may sound crazy but you gotta do it while you can still do it!!!!

Will let you know what happens next when I have service!!!