Rest in Peace, Val; Bike Rider; and New Foal

Val - Rest in Peace Sweet Boy

Hazel lost her big boy, Val, early this week.  He was a rescue Greyhound, 11 1/2 years old, and was the sweetest big dog.  He was favoring his foot and when Hazel checked, she found a mass.  She took him to the Vet that afternoon, and he was diagnosed with advanced bone cancer.  Hazel made the hard decision to have him put down and release him from his pain.

Of course Hazel is devastated, and her other Greyhound, Fleur who is 9 years old, misses Val, too.  Hazel has had Val since he was 4 and she got Fleur soon after, so they have had a good run together.  These two gentle giants have had a pretty exciting life since they hooked up with Hazel, traveling all over with her in her Class A motor home.

Following are some of the photos I've taken of them all:

 Val and Fleur at the grinding holes in Quartzsite, AZ

Hazel took the dogs everywhere with her; they loved walking alongside her recumbent bike and also alongside her car with their leashes in Hazel's hand while she slowly drove around the campsite.  She made sure they got the exercise they needed. Once in a while she'd take them out in the boonies so they could just run off-leash, and they loved it.

 Val, Hazel and Fleur taking a walk at Quartzsite.

 Val and Fleur. Aren't they beautiful dogs?

 Another day trip with Mom.

  Come on up, Fleur!

I'll miss Val, along with everyone else who ever petted his long, beautiful nose.  He was one of the sweetest, best behaved dogs I've ever known.  I still tear up when I think about him. Rest in Peace, Sweet Boy.

On a lighter note, I want to show you some photos of a little camper who was riding bikes with her big sister and her dad.  They were here for a few days, and I so enjoyed watching her "ride" her bike past The Palms.  This little girl must have strong legs and a determined spirit, because she pretty much kept up with sis and dad.

 Here she is, riding by The Palms.

As you can see, there are no pedals on this bike.

 Foot Power, keeping up with dad on the downhill.

Heading home after their ride, she finally got off and walked the bike on the way back, going uphill.  So cute!

I thought this was a nice photo, mom, big sis and little sis.

Filly and big sis's bike.

Anyway, I don't know these people, but they were so interested and respectful of the horses, and I loved watching them riding their bikes.  Seemed like a nice family.

The other family I enjoyed watching so much, the five horses, is gone.  According to another RVer, on Tuesday their owner put them in a horse trailer and drove them out of the park. It sure was fun living in The Palms with these beautiful animals right outside my windows for so many weeks.

So, on Tuesday Katie and I took a long walk (for us) down to the boat ramp, planning to cross the sand to the road up to our old site overlooking the lake. Once in a while we take that walk, and walk around the two campgrounds in that area, too. When we got down to the lake, I saw the large herd of horses across the lake.  I hadn't seen them in weeks, so we walked over that way for a closer look.  There's another new foal, and I think some different horses that were either new in this herd, or I hadn't noticed them before. Or maybe this is a different herd.

 Partial herd of 19 - the rest were further up and around the hill.

I counted 25 total.

Yesterday some of the horses from that herd were up here across the field from us, and the foal was with them. I got some good photos of the little cutie.  She's really a beauty.   She is still stumbling around a bit, but has so much energy - when she walks alongside her mom, she just hops and jumps and bounces.  Katie and I walked over closer to them to see them up close.

 Mare and new baby.

 Taking off toward her mom with a little hop. 

 I wonder if this white horse is the one from the baby photos when I first got here in June.

 Sweet.  Look at that tiny little tail. :)

Nuzzling mom.

Hello.  :)  Such a short tail and long legs.

Labor Day Weekend is coming up. The park has LOTS of empty sites, but I think the electric sites are all reserved for the holiday.  Hazel and Cari are heading East on Wednesday to another New Mexico State Park, and I might tag along with them.  I haven't seen that state park yet, and want to see what it's like - for next year's list of summer parks.

From me and Katie, have a great Thursday, everyone!  :)