It seems like my travel story is having a problem getting started, Mom says it’s because we are still parked at the same place doing nothing, but I say she should let me be the judge of that.

We’re still at Lotta's place and I have no complaints about that. Selma is not Lilly but at least she’s not hissing at me like Morre does. Maybe Morre doesn’t like me because I steal his food any chance I get.

His Mom thinks it’s OK since he never cleans his plate like I do.

One day we went for a walk in the woods to collect pine tree shoots. Lotta was going to make a syrup of it? She also collects nestles to make pesto and soups. Lotta knows that you can buy all this stuff at the store and it’s not like she’s too poor to buy it, she just likes doing this stuff, and as a matter or fact Mom loved the pesto (syrup isn’t done yet) and asked for a jar to have in Lucy for later.

I never had the honor to taste it, and Mom says it’s because it’s garlic in it and supposedly that’s not good for me.

There’s a meatball farm next door and there are so many puppies there and I bet the little ones makes gourmet balls. I’m only allowed to look at them from the car window for some stupid reason. Mom says we can get in big big trouble if any of them would get hurt because they are very expensive race horses. I don’t understand how she expects me to hurt them? but it's no point to argue my case I know I'll loose this time

One day Mom was helping Lotta to put up a curtain, and Lotta had a box with screws and nails, which she dropped on top of the stairs. That noise put an abrupt end to my nap and Mom was happy to sort and organize it all.

The reason we aren’t on the road yet is that some problems with the little plastic card Mom uses to pay for stuff are messed up, so we have to wait for the mailman to deliver a new one.

Every year Mom and Lotta goes to Blankaholm bed and breakfast to eat the most amazing potato pancakes served with lingonberries and bacon. The owners are friends and the man an artist who makes gorgeous stuff of wood. We looked at his gallery and if Mom was rich she would have bought this one.

I could easily have made friends with this kitty if I only was given a little more time. She never introduced herself so I don’t know her name but I could tell she was smitten by me. The tall grass was infested with ticks which grossed Mom out and luckily my doc Grigsby had put me on the pill to prevent them from sucking my blood.

Driving home this bird came running over the road and kept on running into the field so we got a good look.It was a pheasant. Beautiful bird that’s also good cooked Mom says………..I didn’t know she had such cruel thoughts inside her.

it has been raining all night and Mom finds the raindrop noise on the roof soothing and says it’s OK if it rains every night as long as the sun is shining during the day. I’m not quite as comfortable with the smattering but I’m a lot better than I used to be.

Sun is on it’s way up now, and it looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous day with clear blue sky. Temperature has not been over 70 yet, and up north in Moms puppy town they still have frost at night, and a little further up it snowed………………..we're not going there yet.

All is well.

Mom is in a better mood, and this time it didn’t come out of that box she and Elvy drank from.  I think it’s because finally, Lucy is healthy again. We did drive to a city and Mom made an appointment to get a new water pump. Avery nice girl helped us out and said we could stay for free at this beautiful campsite until Monday morning when the mechanic will arrive to install the new pump. The first night there was entertainment in a tent nearby and it was supposed to be music but in our ears, it was only loud noise. That ended at 2 am so we didn’t have a very peaceful sleep

Mom made her first supper in Lucy and it was Swedish pirogi's (called body cakes) with lingonberries, nothing that I had an interest in although I got a little taste of the bacon inside. At our walk along the lake, we came upon a big field of Lilly of the Valley. Mom said it smelled like childhood so she couldn’t resist picking a few despite the strong scent and her allergies.

Monday morning we got up real early and parked outside the repair shop very excited to get Lucy fixed, and the girl called at 8 am to let us know the mechanic was sick so they couldn’t help. A very disappointed Mom called around to other cities with RV shops and with a lot of begging managed to get help.

They too were extremely busy but agreed to help anyway and quickly replaced the pump which worked great, but now it was leaking in the faucet which also had to be replaced. These guys are like acrobats working in such cramped spaces. Mom went into their shop to look at stuff she wants but do not need, and she actually resisted buying unnecessary stuff. But she remembered the inspection guy had said something about the propane hoses needs to be changed out.

Girl in the shop was so helpful and came out to look at the hoses and found a hole!!!! so grateful for that discovery. The expert guy came to look and said the way that is connected is not legal anymore, the inspection person should not have overlooked that. Mom had 2 propane tanks with 2 regulators and a T connection to both. Now we have 2 tanks and one hose and one regulator.  

Mom was real happy when we left this place because she feels safe everything is working now.

The last thing was to rotate the tires and that was done at a shop in a few minutes. The left front brake was squealing but that was taken care of with some grease.

Our trip is continuing south Mom driving and I mostly napped until I recognized where we were going. I immediately got a whiff of the meatball factory and knew we were going to Lotta's house ……….I jumped around in my seat singing, can’t wait to see Selma and Morre, and of course Lotta too.

According to Mom, she’s an amazing cook and she’s preparing all Mom’s favorites.  

Selma was only a little kitten first time we met so I was hoping she’ll remember me, not sure she did because she hissed at me. Morre did too but he has always done that so I ignore it. He’s the same age as I am, so I understand he’s a bit cranky, (not that I ever am)

Selma did lighten up and was very curious about me, but she’s no Lilly so I mostly ignore her.

 Early morning Mom got to do some gardening before Lotta got out of bed, and that’s probably the therapy she needed to become happy again

This little guy is also contributing to the happy feeling as he is chirping away sitting on top of the roof.

A relative to Lotta from our hometown had visited recently, and she brought homemade Swedish matza and cloudberries...............what a breakfast treat

these creatures Mom likes cooked on a plate.............I say it looks gross and don't want anything to do with them, and that's a statement from a guy that eats horse poop Mom says.......meatballs I remind her

Lotta son came to put a house together where hens are supposed to live, and of course Mom couldn’t leave him alone, she just had to help. It was raining but they both kept on working until they found a few pieces that didn’t fit.

Convinced the factory had sent the wrong pieces they stopped and Mom went into town for some errands in Lotta's car and left me to watch over everybody.

At dinner, we got homemade "palt"a dish mostly Northerners makes. and this time I made sure I sat next to Lotta because she is easily swayed into giving me some from her plate. I wink at her a little and she’s mine ………

We’re having an awesome time here and Mom is being pampered so now everything is just dandy. Lotta has washed all Moms stuff the mice had shitted in and tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny ……………..life is good again.

Finally arrived at our destination and all is well. The flight is long and not very comfortable but as usual, I was on my very best behavior despite hours in my little bag. Oh and by the way, I got a brand new bag again, this is my 4^th obviously they aren’t very well made. This time I got a very fancy bag that Mom ordered from Amazon and it arrived in pieces so we had to ask Bodies Mom and Dad across the street to help putting it together. Mom says when this bag brakes there will be no more traveling? ………..Ha, I don’t believe her, she’s like a Gypsy and she drags me along, not that I mind a little adventure.

Here at the farm, I’m allowed to roam free which is news to me? In the past, I wasn’t because Mom was afraid I would go and visit with those curly haired dogs next door (sheep) turns out they aren’t here anymore. Only time Mom get nervous is when I get near the outhouse (where I think there’s a fine aroma) she starts hollering. I try to ignore her, but she’s persistent so that’s a no-go zone for me. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying to go there.  

A week has now gone by and we haven’t driven anywhere with Lucy yet. The first problem was that mice had moved in for the winter, so everything had to be scrubbed clean. Secondly, the battery for the inside part was dead, and no charge would hold. After a new battery was installed that worked OK.

The third was the water pump that makes noise but does not pump water to the kitchen or bathroom sink. A fourth was the toilet that leaked, which is now fixed. We got lots of help from Ove and Helge which we are very grateful for.  

Elvy is an amazing cook, so Mom is already working on her weight gain, but since she refused my help of eating some from her plate I consider it her own fault so I don’t want to hear any complaints later on.

I’m pretty sure all that wine and beer she’s been indulging in are ending up on the hips too.. 

Everything seems to work OK now, except there’s nowhere in this village to buy a new pump, and Thursday was a holiday with most stores closed. I’m not complaining because I think it’s pretty cool around here, but Mom has gotten very cranky after all these difficulties, and for a moment I heard her talking about getting rid of Lucy and renting a cabin in the woods………

Didn’t worry me much because I know she’ll have cabin fever in less than a week and we’ll be on the road again. Later in the evenings, she seems to get in a much better mood after bringing out this box so I'm trying to figure out what's in it? but apparently, she had no intentions to share it with me?

I met a girl named Mitzy and she wanted to play, but since I’m a distinguished old man, I declined the invitation.

Mom feels lost at the supermarket, nothing looks like it does in Publix and here they’re keeping a reindeer in the middle of the store………….but they don’t let dogs in? Go figure?

the only thing I know that comes in a tube in the USA is toothpaste. Here is a whole rack of squeezable cheeses in different flavors.

Mom gave out a chuckle at these tiny melons, not even close to the ones we have in the US. They looked like the size of tennis balls Mom said.

As the snow melts on the mountains the river get filled up and the rapids bigger than usual and not suitable for a swim.

this is the view at Moms friends place from where we stayed for a week, not too shabby

we are now spending the night at a campsite close to a place where we can get a new water pump and have it installed first thing Monday morning.Meanwhile, we just sit around and relax. Amazingly gorgeous weather so far, sure hope it keeps up.

Sweden is 950miles long and the temperature differs a lot. We aren't all the way south, but lilacs are beginning to bloom and everything is green and beautiful, still nowhere close to where Mom would go for a swim.

Since it’s really cold and snow up North Mom decided we have to drive south and I agree with her. Our first stop as soon as Lucy are fixed, has to be Selma and Morris house. I’m looking forward to meeting them again, and it’ll be interesting to see if Selma remembers me. she was just a little baby last year and very nervous around me in the beginning, but with my charm, I won her over in a few days. Morre is another story, he tolerates me nowadays but first time we met he climbed up a window and hid under the valance………..hahaha a sight I never forget.  

time for bed, Good Night all

It has been an entire week since I got Mom to write for me, and that's because she claims I have nothing to tell but I beg to differ. Sure it's true we're not driving around much anymore, and we are in places we have been to many times before, so there's not much excitement at the moment. We're relaxing taking it easy before the big flight back to the sun.

It's getting cold here now but that's according to Mom, I'm fine temperatures in the 60ies is ok for me.

I have a story that I'm pretty sure Mom don't want me to tell, but I will anyway.

On the island we were staying for almost a week, there are no big pet shops, and the special food I like is only sold in these specialty shops. My bag was empty so Mom went to the grocery store and bought some crappy stuff that I refused to eat but she thought if I get hungry enough I'll eat it....................BS, it smelled wrong and I wasn't about to give in and stubborn as she is, she wasn't either. 

Anyway, on the second night, Mom woke up because my stomach was growling so loud from starvation. Now she felt so guilty so first thing in the morning we drove back to the mainland  and found a pet store where she got me the correct food, and I ate two portions. I bet she'll never try that BS again.

At this place, there are billions of swallows and it was so much fun watching them perform flight acrobatics. Pretty soon they'll all leave and fly south for warmer weather.

a gorgeous sailboat in wood is not something you see very often nowadays 

early one morning this little fishing boat went out, and the toff toff sound of the diesel engine is wonderful to hear.

here's an older fishing boat that's ready for the graveyard. I suggested to take out all dangerous stuff, paint it in bright colors and let the kids play on it. I bet they'll love it, and it would be a lot cheaper than trashing it.

Early one morning Mom saw this little creature running around, and he quickly scurried into a large container

Since she wasn't exactly sure what kind it was, she waited forever for him to stick his little head out, and that's when she discovered it was a little mink.

After my food shopping, we drove off to meet our friends that planned to visit the speedway competition just like last year. The race was supposed to be on Saturday but it rained so they raced on Sunday morning instead. Mom didn't bother to go this time, so we stayed in Lucy, me napping and Mom finishing her book.

Mom is always cold and her friends are laughing at her

At the races, an American driver won. I think his name is Hancock just like the fabric shop Mom goes to all the time. Mom had the flag from last year so up it went hurra hurra hurra

after the races we continued together to a different town called HJO, where we stayed 2 nights.

Here is "fika" the most important Swedish tradition, and Mom says no other country has as good pastries as the Swedes except those harts weren't as good as they look.

this town is nice, very small and lots of nice wood houses that somebody once upon a time used the scroll saw and made lots of very ornate wooden decorations.

I happily went along for the stroll in my wagon.........

There was an entire row of these little wood houses on the beach. That's where you're supposed to change into your suit. This lake is famous for being very cold so noone was tempted to take a dip.  

Harbor here is nice, so Mom made a mental note of maybe visiting here again some day

we were lucky with the weather this day.

I think Mom felt so guilty about depriving me my food, so she bought more of those expensive chicken treats I love............................which made me a real happy pup 

This is Mom and Elvy coming back from doing the dishes, Mom is incognito

our friends left to drive home, so and Mom and I stopped to visit our friends before we parted ways. 

We only have about a 4-hour drive to where Lucy is to stay for the winter, so we'll g there and get her winter-ready pretty soon.

see ya all pretty soon , miss ya all

 BUTTONS

We're still at the same place on the island hoping that the wind will die down, and finally this morning it looks like it has.

It has been sunny all along but so windy you couldn't be outside, or we didn't really want to, so Mom has amused herself with reading,knitting, embroidery, painting and crossword puzzles.

Me ? I've been eating and napping between a few walks

Amazing how these people want to be out there in this weather, some are even swimming in this mess. 

Mom feels seasick and cold just watching them. Looks very scary to me so I'm not tempted to go in the water either, besides I finally did get a shower so my hair is nice and fluffy again, and according to Mom I do smell a lot nicer now.

We do take walks which I rather don't because the wind is pushing me around.............

I thought I finally found a cat that's like my Lilly who doesn't run away from me..............no wonder, this cat was a phony baloney made of metal.

Several sailboats have been staying here for days because it hasn't been safe for them out on the ocean, and I can see that. Because even here in the safe harbor the boats have been rocking like crazy.

Today I bet they'll all sail away.

This has become a very common view from our Lucy...................very surprising to me ? but as long as it's only 1 I shouldn't be alarmed i guess ?

more painted rocks and more collected  ready to get painted

Seems like everybody out on the water was lucky and there was no need for the rescue team to go out.

In this mill there's a restaurant but we have not been there to eat yet ? Mom has become frugal lately ? wonder why ?

I don't know how much longer we'll be staying here, but it's kind of nice to sit back relax nap and do nothing............we'll see how much longer Mom will be able to do that ...........hahaha

all is well, only 3 weeks left of this vacation.

Waking up at Mom's favorite place, at least I think so since this is the third time we're here. It's a marina on the most southern tip of Swedens second biggest island called Öland. This time, it was very crowded here so we didn't get our favorite spot but we'll keep a lookout for when someone leaves.

It's so amazing going to sleep listening to the creaks of the ropes holding the sailboat and the waves crashing, seagulls laughing and diving. It's like being on a boat without getting seasick...........Mom loves it.......

Friday we parted ways with the girls and that was so sad. We really enjoyed their company and they bought Mom a cup from the area so she'll always remember them. No chance she'll forget anyway because thinking back on our trip and all the beautiful places we have seen and people we met these two girls were definitely the highlight.

They kept impressing Mom with all the stuff they were carrying in their backpacks which were so heavy she could hardly pick them up. Who has ever heard of a backpacker who brought fresh ginger with them ? and they were prepared for a cozy candlelit dinner in their tent. No matter what hurdle was thrown at them they kept a positive attitude and smiled. 

We dropped them off at the ferry in Helsingborg since they were going to Copenhagen to visit friends. 

 But before we parted ways we had a last "fika" together.

The ferry ride to Denmark is only 20 min. and this is a picture of a Danish castle Mom zoomed in with her camera

Bye Bye girls, I hope we'll meet somewhere in the world sometimes again

walking back to Lucy all of a sudden I became the tourist attraction again. People wanted to take a picture with me...........maybe I should ask for money and that way I could contribute to our travel cash 

Here's a boat that has an eye on you ;-)

we continued North since Mom says it's almost time to put Lucy away for the winter and fly back to the USA.

This time, we're following the east coast heading towards the island but it's too far to make it in one day, so we parked at a rest stop for the night. There was no money left in the modem to get on the internet, so we had plenty of time to reflect on our trip and it has been really good, even the rainy days and getting lost on a bike in Berlin was ok too. ........see Mom is trying to adopt the girl's positive attitude no matter what...........and that's of course always easier after the fact. The sky was gorgeous and we had a good night sleep.

In the morning we continued and when we came to the city before the bridge to the island Mom was looking for a place to get help with the modem which she really had messed up now.  We also have been looking for a place big enough to fit Lucy to get a bath, which we finally did. She's a little too tall for regular car washes and we need that power wash stuff to get all the dead bugs off.

In the city, there was an American car meeting but we have seen plenty of that before so we didn't stick around very long.As soon as the modem problem was solved. (Mom had put money on the wrong sim card, not sure why we had two?) we kept on driving to our planned destination

these dice that are so popular with these cars are getting very fuzzy

Here's  a Gold Wing showing off with so much extra equipment and details you just had to be impressed.

So here we are at the Grönhögen marina, and I think we'll be here for a few days, and that's just fine with me. Somebody had a lot of fun building with the rocks, and Mom painted a few.

Coast guard came by and Mom said it was because I had stolen treats while she was out. 

Yes, I did. couldn't help myself since she had bought those dried chicken things. While she was out there chatting away with some neighbors, I managed to get the door opened and had just about finished the entire bag before she came back, and now she's worried about me getting a belly ache ..........haha me?

Coast guard left without even giving me a warning, so I think she fibbed.

Maybe they should have looked into what SHE was doing instead ?

We're having a nice relaxing time, no more adventures are going to happen as far as I know.

Sending you all my best wishes 

Buttons

Now we're back in Sweden and we ended up taking another short ferry ride (about 20 min.)from Denmark to Sweden, and this time it was Mom that was scared when she saw these waves she was thinking about getting seasick but it turned out ok. We both stayed in the car and it was all over in no time

On the Swedish side we turned North because Mom wanted to visit a place she's read a lot about and of course it started to rain again and there by the road was 2 hitch hikers. That immediately caught Moms eye because it's not very common any more and Mom used to do that all the time when she was a puppy. She stopped and picked them up, it was 2 young girls from Germany who wanted to go to the same place as us. They had plans to pitch a tent in the park which Mom couldn't let them do in this awful rain, so they stayed with us.

They took over the kitchen and cooked a great meal, Mom just sat back and allowed herself to be served. Since they were vegetarians there was nothing for me.........oh well.

There's a story about the persistent myth about Swedish sin a rumor that started in Mölle in the beginning of 20 th century
In the fifties, the image of sexually liberated Swedes began to spread in the USA. It laid the foundation for a lingering myth about Swedish sin. 

Around the 1890s, the idyllic fishing location where we are now got a new attraction that would make the village famous far beyond Sweden's borders. Common baths, where men and women could bathe together, was something completely new at that time.

As we're walking around in this extremely windy place, the last thing on anybody's mind is going for a swim

Girls slept over and they were pretty pleased to stay inside Lucy instead of their tent since it really poured hard.

In the morning the girls had planned a long hike around the entire place, but that would have been way to tough for Moms old body. 

She did go with the girls to this art called Nimis. Meanwhile I took a nap in Lucy because Mom said it wouldn't have been safe for me, and looking at the pictures I tend to agree.

The path to get there was treacherous and long, glad Mom made it back safe.

When we arrived at the artwork, the girls carved our initials there.

This was the entrance so you actually walked or climbed inside the art 

The artist name is Lars Vilks (born 20 June 1946) is a Swedish artist, Doctor of Philosophy, and activist who garnered fame for his drawings of Muhammad, which resulted in at least two failed attempts by Islamic extremists to murder him. He is also known for his sculptures, Nimis and Arx, made entirely of drift wood, and the small area where the sculptures are located which was proclaimed by Vilks as an independent country, "Ladonia".

Vilks has characterized his own skill in the actual crafts involved in sculpture as quite limited, and although his artistic ideas can be seen as characteristic for his generation of Swedish conceptual artists.

Mom didn't climb up in any of the towers but the girls did.

In 2007 Vilks caused an international controversy when he depicted Muhammad as a roundabout dog in three drawings, designated to be shown at an art exhibition in July of the same year. Shortly before its opening the organizers cancelled their invitation with reference to serious security concerns, and despite Vilks' effort no other Swedish art gallery offered to exhibit his drawings.

This artist is now in hiding after he received several death threats and his house in southern Sweden was attackedby arsonists

After a long difficult (for Mom) climb back up, the girls went on their hike and Mom and me went back to the campsite for a long shower and to relax. 

Mom says she's not sure she'll be able to walk tomorrow, but it was all worth it she says. So much fun having the girls with us. A lot of laughs and and Mom loves being around young people that have the guts to be different, reminds her of her puppy years she says.

Weather was pretty good all day, but now in the evening it's starting to rain again.

Tomorrow girls are going back to Germany and we are going ???? who knows, guess Mom will try looking at the map to see where the sun is again. 

All is good 

Buttons

Yesterday we left Germany and took a short ferry ride to Denmark. On the ferry website, it said all dogs stay in the vehicle but Mom remembered how frightening that was for me and checked out how far it'll be to drive around and take the bridge to Sweden. It turned out to be over 300 miles, so I was stuffed in a tote and told to keep my head down and be quiet. 

No problem I've done it before a few times............Thanks Mom

It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, and we stopped and made camp early so we could enjoy the gorgeous weather.

Mom asked if I felt like taking a bike ride into the city. I NEVER say no to a bike ride, so off we go.

This city was nothing spectacular, not much going on we thought. Just a regular small Danish town.

this guy selling ice cream was very busy, don't know if it was his barbershop costume or the soap bubbles ? it could, of course, be that his ice cream was especially good too

In Denmark you often see parents dragging their kids in wagons. It would suit me too like I ride at the garden shop at home.

We tried to figure out what this fountain was supposed to liken ? Moms suggestion was a goat,or maybe a sewing machine ? but I don't see it.

This, on the other hand, shows no doubt about what it is. We both liked it a lot but thought it would have been more appropriate in the Northen Sweden. as far as we know, there are no bears in Denmark?

this lady came running and said she HAS to meet me and give me hugs and kisses, and that's fine with me. She would still do it if it wasn't for Mom saying we had to go.

again we sat down to people watch for a little while, and this hairdo made Mom chuckle a little. She remembered her puppy years when this was in style, guess it's back ?

The crocks are really popular here too

There wasn't much to do or see in this city so we decided to pedal back to Lucy and relax. 

Now remember it was nice and sunny ? we are bike riding so of course, it gets cloudy and the rain is in the air.

We got back to Lucy and put the bike back, and lo and behold, it's sunny again ??

so now I'm convinced the bike is cursed, we need some kind of bike exorcisms. Where can that be

done ? anybody ? Maybe all we need is give her a name ? like Lucy and the Lady Alice.

Oh about Alice (the lady in the GPS box)when we got off the ferry, she was speaking in tounges ? We didn't understand one word, what happened to Alice ? Mom had to stop and try to find her and it turned out she was taken over by some lady in Ukraine ? Luckily Mom managed to get Alice back. puh

The afternoon was spent with Mom in the sun chair reading a book, and me chewing on a rawhide.

Life is good.

we both fell asleep very early, so of course, we're also up very early............

Later today we may or may not be back in Sweden...................Life is good