Major miles and The Annual 5K in Annapolis, MD

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog.

This has been a very busy period of time for Iris and I, it seems like we have been running all over the place since the last time I updated the blog.  In reality only a week has past since my last update.  The Vetdogs 5K was a complete Success in Annapolis and everyone involved appeared to have a great time.   I do not know what the final numbers were as far as amounts raised for future service dogs for other disabled veterans but I do know that more people are aware of the need to have programs like this.

So many volunteers got involved in setting things up this year that the course was setup on Sat along with the building that was used as central base for all the registration and product sales.  So many thanks go out to Lisa seen here by the Flag for all the help she puts in every year to make this event happen.  

This years guest speaker was a local area veteran with a guide/service dog from VetDogs.  Yes that is right I said a Guide/Service dog, you see America's VetDogs is part of the Guidedog Foundation which allows it to be in a unique position to help our nations veterans in so many ways.  Back after WWII there was a need for Guide Dogs to help out our nations service members that were suffering from blindness from the war.  The Guide Dog Foundation was formed and has been around since then.  America's VetDogs was formed because the need for a different type of helper dog was needed.  The Service Dog program was put together and certified to allow our Veterans with needs other then blindness to be helped.

Brian, is one of those special Hero's that actually falls into both categories, his injuries caused him to be legally blind requiring his dog to be a Guide dog but he has a TBI and PTSD issues so his dog is also trained for seizure and nightmare interruption.  VetDogs is one of the only organizations that has the Dual accreditation to be able to do this kind of training.  Many people out there do not realize the great work this organization does to fill the needs of our veterans.

One of the other things that many people don't realize is that ADI requires recertification of all service dogs and the user.  The team is graded on the ability to work in the public and is not just graduated out into the community and forgotten about.  Iris and I were re-certified this past weekend while we did the trip to Smithtown and then to MD.  VetDogs has upped the reward for re-certifying by giving new gear to the team once they pass the ADI requirements.  As you can see with the picture of Iris and I on the finish line she looks great sporting her new vest.

 I have included many other pictures here of the 5K.


 As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog.

Iris leads the way!

The Wrap is Done!!!!!

We are so happy, it was a longtime coming and a lot of changes before it actually happened but it was worth it in the end.  I hope that everyone else likes it as much as I do.  Even more importantly I hope it gets the questions asked and people involved in helping other Veterans.  I already have had a number of people ask questions about it and make comments about it on the short trip up to the Cape this weekend.

So now that the wrap is done what is next you ask?  Well if you have read the past blogs you will have read that I am looking for a small enclosed 4 or 5x6 single axle trailer so that I can carry tables tents and chairs to be able to set up booths and stuff when I do informational shows.  I would like to get that wrapped also.  32 Signs is on Board to help with that also so all we have to do is find the trailer.

Some of you that have been following also know that I have been on the BOD (Board of Directors) of a Non Profit called VETS which is a Montana based 501c3 that is going to be a ranch designed to accept Veterans and other civil servants that are suffering from PTSD and TBI issues to come and spend time on a working ranch while receiving all the care needed to get back into the community.  That program over the past few weeks has made huge leaps in moving forward.  More information on that will be coming soon.

This is exciting stuff and will really put the word "Mission" to full use.  So if anyone is looking for a great way to help stem that current 33 veterans a day committing suicide this could be a huge focal point.  Please keep it in your prayers.

Yes I have been spending a lot of time at the doctors and will probably have a few more weeks where I have to do the same.  All I can say is not to worry it is not a big deal just my normal everyday type stuff going on and not worth focusing on at all.  We just have to keep moving on through it all and focus on the price which is to live a full and great life.  I thank everyone for their continued support.

This coming week we will be out on Long Island then down in Maryland for the VetDogs 5k Fundraiser.  It is not to late to get involved in that either as a sponsor of a runner or a sponsor of Vetdogs straight out.  I thank everyone for all the support through all the support on my page we are moving toward the goal of 20k and I hope to have to push it to the 30k mark before mid summer if all goes well. The link for that is http://kent.VetDogs.org

God bless and have a wonderful Easter.

Wrap up day

This is the wrap for the nose of the camper.  The camper was going down to 32 signs today and was to be done by Wed or Thursday this week.  That is now on hold for a bit while they finish up a rush order, the joy of being a discount job and a charity case.  To say that I am excited to officially unveil this is an understatement.  It seems that we have been talking about this project forever in one form or another so to be getting something done is amazing.  Many thank you's go out to Maggie Starr  for doing the artwork for the wrap she did an amazing job. It will be done soon just not sure exactly when yet.  Hopefully before the 5K in Annapolis the end of the month.

This week Iris & I will be up at the American Heroes Hockey Challenge this event should be a great time for all who come out.  I know we've been waiting to get the Warriors up to the Northeast for sometime now.  Hope to see a bunch of people out there to support both the olympians and our nations warriors.

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

Friday - Iris and I will be down at the Charlestown Breachway for the opening weekend of the campground.  Rumor has it that the shipwreck is showing during low tides so come on down and visit.  I am looking forward to just having a relaxing time after a long winter away from the beach and ocean. With the new camera to replace the stolen one I am hoping that I can get some mojo and capture some great shots.  I know I am looking forward to working at it at least.

For those that do not follow me on FaceBook, the newest plan to help with the travel and speaking on Veteran issues that I do has started to take shape.  I am looking for a used working condition covered 4x6 single axle trailer for a deal. I can not afford a new one at this moment. I am thinking of using it to carry the show on the road. Someplace to put the chairs tables generator and spare extras along with the canopies. Figure I can get this wrapped next to go with the wrap on the nose of the camper being done this week. So if anyone see's a deal out there please let me know.  The picture here is an idea of what I am thinking about.

For those Truck Camper folk out there, a bunch of TC's will be circling the wagons so to speak out on the good ole Cape Cod.  It's not to late to grab a reservation at the Scusset Beach State Reservation I am in Site 30 for Fri and Sat night.  Should be a lot of fun meeting new people and I already know that a bunch have become supporters of America's VetDogs and other Veteran issues.  Actually seems the camping community as a whole has a large number of veterans in it.

Thank you all for following our travels.  Please feel free to suggest ideas or ways to help get the word out to our veterans out there that are struggling before it is to late.   As always if you would like to have Iris and I come out to an event in your area let us know and we will try to make it happen.

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

Spring Boarding into April Showers

That has to be one of the worse titles anyone could possibly come up with but hey, I am just another bozzo on this here bus.  Spring is here and I feel like I have bounced around New England on a whirlwind run.  I have been in every New England State at least once over the past 2 weeks.  Most (that would be minus Vermont) I have been in and through at least 2 or three times.

The good news is that I can slow the speedometer down and rest the rubber and road a bit to focus on some very important topics and events coming up soon.  Yes why not keep the bad puns flowing by Annapolis Annual 5K.  Hard to believe it's been a year already since we were down there last.  It surely doesn't seem warm enough yet.  Last year this Fundraiser was able to raise over $65,000 but rumor (and I know it has to be a rumor because people would never let a chance to help VetDogs go by without supporting them) that donations are coming in much slower then previous years.

So it's time to get out and get involved.  I know not everyone is able to put their time into getting involved in whatever way you can.  Here is a little snippet from one of the very active people working on getting this event running.

Okay! All the virtual teams have to do is register on the www.5k.vetdogs.org page and choose the "virtual participation" option. They will get a t-shirt mailed to their homes. They can form teams - there is a group of women in Georgia called the "Strong Stroller Moms" who walk together with their kids every day - they have registered. And they can raise money just like anyone else.

There are so many groups out there that I can think of that I know would make great teams now is the time to get them going.  If you have any questions feel free to give me a call I will do what I can to help get you moving in the right direction.  Of course if a single donation is more your speed I recommend going to Lisa's 5K team and making a donation through there.  I know that all the money goes to the same place but when there are volunteers out there that put their time and effort into making an event into a success I personally love to see that event over achieve.  So please pass the word jump on the bandwagon and let's help this fundraiser be one of the most successful run.  OK last bad pun!

 As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

Next topic that needs to be addressed is a small issue but one that has been going on for a longtime.  The camper wrap, this project has had it turns and was almost done with the first camper then came to a halt when my body gave out required me to change vehicles.  I now have the "dream machine" and have tweaked the plans from the full wrap to a less in your face version because of cost and size.  The new design is going to be much more affordable and hopefully easier to get done.  I have an email off to the sign company as of yesterday but if anyone out there knows someone that is willing to do a partial wrap for less please contact me ASAP!

As you can tell by the Artist rendition here I am actually leaving room for some sponsor info if I have to go that route.  At this point I am willing to look at almost any possibility to get it done as quick as I can.  The keys I want to make sure I have up on the camper will be the Kent.VetDogs.org Link which by the way is now over 10k without having ever been on the camper!  I also will have a link to this blog along with the VetDogs Logo for obvious reasons.  I will be leaving the Information about the Truck Camper Warehouse because of everything they have done for me in getting this camper going and everything they continue to do. These guys are great and I can not say enough about their commitment to helping our nations Veterans. 

 As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

Some quick house Keeping issues for Veterans with Service Dogs, it is that time of year to have your dog checked for vision issues.  It is a free service that has been done yearly the past few years and is happening again this year.  Check out www.ACVOeyeexam.org for more information.  It is a time sensitive program so hurry up don't put this one on the back burner.

For those Veterans using the VA who are classified as 100% and fall into the category of not completely informed (all of us) I ran into a person this past weekend who told me about a program I knew nothing about.  I do not see a fit for me but for those that do qualify or need a special van please check this out.  http://americanwheelchairvansociety.org Contact rayg@vantagemobility.com for more information on how to take advantage of some of the hidden VA benefits.

Almost made it through the season, but alas the blasted FLU hit

Let's start off this week by saying that this winter has been taxing in many ways and it finally caught up to me. With great intentions I was able to unleash the new camper from it's wintery mooring with great intentions of heading North to the great state of Maine.  Once the camper was released and the sun was in perfect form for about the first time this year I jumped in the truck and hustled down to Watch Hill RI to capture the first of my winter sunset lighthouse pictures.

My goal is to capture as many coastal New England lights as I can before the spring blooms and tourist start to take over the landscape.  Here you can see that the lights without people crawling all around them really do have their own personality's.  Yes that was the last blog entry so enough with that for now.

I look forward to getting north over the next few weeks and grabbing some hopefully good shots to share.  While traveling I hope to spread the word to other Veterans that may need help in understanding the VA System and also what rights they have.  Who knows maybe I can point someone in the right direction to get an amazing pup like Iris even.


 As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 


Some of the pictures that you see here obviously could not have been taken by me, a friend took them for me so if you have a chance to visit her site and check out her work she has some great nature shots.  One of the hardest things for a photographer is to get pictures doing what I do.  So Check out Maggies work at mstarr.zenfolio.com

Tomorrow the 14th I get to head west to Enfield CT to speak to the staff and everyone involved in the prison pup program fro the state of CT.  It is finally happening, they will be training VetDogs in CT very soon.  This program is amazing and changes the lives of so many people.  We have all seen first hand the change in me personally but I have been blessed with being a part of the programs in some of the MA prison systems.  Speaking to both inmates and staff you would be amazed at the changes these dogs invoke on people. I am so grateful that I am allowed to be a part of this program here in CT.

This means that in the very near future there will be puppy's that will need weekend homes to be loved and socialized in.  Stay tuned here on this blog or call and write VetDogs to ask what you can do to help make this program a success.  Not only will you help inmates find ways to find their way back into this society but let them have a first hand up in helping our nations hero's.

Here is the contact info for VetDogs:

Phone	(631) 930-9000
Email	info@vetdogs.org
Website	http://www.vetdogs.org

  As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

Spring is coming so time to head north before everyone else needs to cool off!

Crazy me never, well maybe a little but isn't that what makes me, me?

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

So when I woke up this morning and the temperature was a balmy 2 degrees outside and the weather dude was saying that we may get another foot of snow between Sunday and Monday the first thing that crossed my mind was to plan a trip to Maine.  I guess that means that I am truly a New Englander at heart or absolutely insane or both maybe.

Whatever the case happens to be it only made sense to me to go to a place that my heart has always loved and that is the coast of Maine.  In my mind everyone has seen the rocky coastal pictures of the lighthouses in summer with the blue sky's but how often do we see those same lights that worked year round when the weather is still less then perfect for vacations?  Being a broken sole myself put out to dry so to speak I figured some of these retired lighthouses should be shown in there glory times which in my minds eye is when the weathers less then appealing.

So I contacted the West Quoddy Head Light House info contact person this morning and I guess ME. is similar to here when it is winter people spend more time on the computer then out playing ball.  By the time I came back from morning coffee with the guys I had a response.  (I'll get back to the response) but for now why West Quoddy you ask, well here is a blurp from their web page. "Established in 1808, West Quoddy Lighthouse is noteworthy in several ways. Despite its name, it is the easternmost beacon in the United States, one of only two U.S. lighthouses with red-and-white bands, and one of the first stations to be equipped with a fog bell and, later, a steam whistle. A reliable fog signal was deemed more essential in this area than a light since fog shrouded the coast for roughly half the time during the summer months. When ships approached the bay in foggy conditions, they would fire a signal gun to prompt the keeper to start tolling the fog bell. This arrangement continued until an adequate mechanical ringer for the bell was installed."  Pretty cool if you ask me and oh yea I went there as a kid and loved it.

So back to the response.  They have a great spot for me to park and no problem with me camping so I can hopefully get that classic morning sunrise shot I am looking for.  Not only that but they also informed me of a local VFW that was not far from them I could contact to help spread the word about Service Dogs and Veterans recovering back into the community.

So Here I go I have yet to set the date but soon I hope.  Like I said I want to beat the rush of people trying to cool off from the New England heat waves.  If anyone knows of other lighthouses or VSO's in ME. that I can contact during this photo trip I would greatly appreciate the tips.  Also any special request while I am traveling just let me know and I will ask Iris and see if she will let me deviate from our tight schedule and make it happen. ;)

For a few updates now.  The Classic Car Cruise group that had Iris my wife and I go on the trip through the Caribbean did raise enough money to name a future service dog at America's VetDogs.  They are now having a naming contest so stay tuned for that I will post here once I know what the final name is.  I also hope to be able to go to the final graduation of that dog and future Veterans pairing at some point down the road.  Of course you will have to stay committed to reading the blog and such because once the puppy is named he/she will go to a lucky puppy raiser for the first yr or so then on to training for the next 8-12 months before being paired with a veteran. I promise to get pictures along the way from the friendly folks at VetDogs and the Classic Car Cruise so that you all will be able to see the great things happening.

It was such a great cruise that Jen and I have broke the bank and decided that we would put a down payment for next years cruise already.  There is very few things that can get me out of my camper and into someones vacation spot but a cruse with this group was just the ticket.  Great people and I have not figured out how to get my truck camper to travel on the water yet (no ferry's) so come join us next year if you want and support America's VetDogs at the same time. Cruise Link 

Over the next few weeks I will be taking pictures for a veteran friend who has a great service dog and is getting married.  It is always such an honor to be able to give the gift of memories to someone that has lost so much supporting others.  He like me has a TBI except his has kept him in a chair.  That chair has not slowed him down at all though.  So I thank Ski for allowing me to be a part of his special day and look forward to giving him something to remember.  For others vets out there if you have special needs like that let me know I can not fulfill everything but when I can I am honored to.  Just ask...

Have a great week stay safe.

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog 

Welcome to the New Year! (Late of Course)

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

Iris sends her winter love out to all and hopes that everyone is staying warm.  It has been a busy time for her doing her job looking after me.  Since I last wrote in the late part of 2013 we have had a few surgeries and some hard times dealing with some medical issues.  For those worried we have put that all behind us at this point and now look forward to getting out of the cold and into action.  

As you can tell Iris Jen and myself took that queue and went way south via the Celebrity Cruise Line's Reflection and spent 7 wonderful days in the Caribbean.  This was not just a great vacation but actually a fund raiser put on by a group of Classic Car enthusiast and Sherry Leybovich ECCS, LCS, CTA

Your Cruise and Vacation Specialist

CruisePlanners, An American Express Travel Representative  

 Yes that is a plug for them please take advantage of it.  Sherry and her office are amazing.  Not only did she put this together but she and her husband Ron were on the cruise with us to make sure everything went well.  I would love to mention everyones name but I know I would miss so many that I would make someone mad so I will not even try.  What I will say is that this was the 3rd annual trip for this group and the largest turnout so far.  Also it was the first yr that they used America's VetDogs as their Charity of choice so I was extra honored to be able to be there to allow them to meet Iris My Hero dog.  The great news is this group raised over 6,000 dollars while having all sorts of fun and hopes to do even more next year.

Jen and I are hoping that we are able to go back next year because their destinations are Mexico and a private tour of Don Garlit's Museum by Don himself.  This year they had Tim and Carrie Strange of Strange Motion along with Darnell Racing Enterprises of the ShockWave Jet Trucks.  Both of which said they plan on being back next year.  Needless to say once you've been on this trip with these car enthusiast if you like and love cars you'll want to go again.  Not to mention the fact that when cruising your pampered and treated to some of the best dining and entertainment you can get anywhere.  Of course when you top all that off by helping another veteran be able to get a service dog like Iris how can you lose?

So here is the finishing act on the classic plug for Sherry and her business:

www.cruisesforu.com

sherry@cruisesforu.com

www.twitter.com/cruisesforu

www.facebook.com/cruisesforu

Toll-Free: 888-464-1827 x101

Local-: 813-657-0844

Fax: 813-657-0854

Please give her a call and ask about booking so we can hopefully meet you on the high seas next winter.

   

Here are a bunch of pictures from the trip some from each Island.  Also Included a shot of Iris's personal pooping area on the ship.

Here is a link for more pictures from the cruise.  My DropBox area for the Cruise

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

 Now for the next update.  I no longer have my little camper so the wrap project as we knew it has a couple changes happening.  I had to change trucks due to my nerve issues getting worse.  Found that stalling out in the middle of intersections was not a great thing to do.  After a few close calls and some great people at USAA I was able to make a trade in on the Tacoma and get a fully automatic 2014 Tundra.  Well being the 100% guy I am of course with the bigger truck a smaller camper just did not look right so we were able to work some great magic out with the help of Truck Camper Wharehouse where Bill and Ryan made it possible for me to get into a 2014 Northstar Liberty at let's just say I should be looking for the blue lights in the rear view mirrors as I drive around.  They worked with NorthStar and TorkLift (they had to build a custom set of tiedowns since the Tundra was so new) to make the deal even better and all I can say is thank you to everyone for all the help in keeping my dream alive to help other Veterans.  The day after we got back from the Cruise I was able to head Northwest to Springfield where there was a RV Show and TCW had a large group of their campers on display.  Was great to tell everyone I could how much I love my new Northstar thats for sure but it was even better to meet both Angela and Gordon White from Truck Camper Magazine.  They were the great people that wrote the great article last year about Iris and I.  They now want to do a follow-up on all the new activities we have going on.

Well there are many things coming up in the near future.  I have written more then normal and hope that I have not bored anyone so stay tuned and I promise it won't be months before I write again.

Merry Christmas

At first glance I have to admit this has been a tough few months for myself and the Phyfe family as a whole.  In reality it really has not been all that different then life in general.  We have amazing friends and family around us that every time something comes up that attempts to challenge daily life they seem to make it possible for us to get through it without a scratch.  I am sure I do not say thank you enough to everyone but I could not do it without each and everyone of you that I come in contact with.

The month of November was a whirlwind of traveling around New England.  I was allowed to visit a couple schools and what a blessing to be able to share with them the need to help other Veterans in whatever way they could.  Many of the children had a great time learning about Service Dogs especially Iris.  One school had a Veterans Day Celebration that I will admit was one of the best experiences I had been allowed to attend.  The grade 1 through 8 kids put together a tribute that had tears in my eyes in the way they did their research and then presented it to the community.  I know the other Veterans and guest present felt the same way.  I thank them for reminding me again why I served in our military proudly.

I was also blessed to be allowed back into one of the prison sites where Americas VetDogs has a training program.  To see the effect the dogs and program have on the community behind the walls shows me how much of a difference these dogs make in helping restore peoples lives even before they get to their final homes.  It makes such a difference in so many lives I can only hope that others will attempt to get involved in some way.  Please remember to check out my ongoing donation page at http//kent.VetDogs.com where you will be able to make a difference in so many lives through a donation.

On Veterans day I was honored to take part in Framingham Ma celebration.  They had a very touching wreath laying ceremony and then a very informational program where they were able to Showcase the work the town has been able to do with the Veterans programs and the two Prison Facilities in their town.  Many veterans came out and from what I have heard since have been able to get great information on how they can get help or get involved in helping  in a number of different programs offered.

You may notice I am lacking my normal use of pictures this edition.  For those that have not heard the month of November was a tough month for my Photography when I had my main bag of camera gear stolen.  For those that have heard about that I did get my homeowners to help out and have just gotten a new camera and hope to start getting pictures again soon.

The month of Nov and Dec were tough when it comes to medical issues also.  I was having some internal bleeding issues so the doctors did some probing around, no I was not in the navy so I will not say that was fun.  While in there they took a few biopsies and also fixed the bleeding which is being caused by some severe diverticulitis.  The same timeframe the doctors diagnosed me with some skin cancer which is being handled with MOHS surgery instead of radiation.  I opted for that route in hopes to be able to be on the Cruise Jen and I had scheduled for Feb.

So that about updates everyone as to where I have been hiding.  I am still out trying to do what I can but have had to slow down a little to allow for some rest.  If there is anything I can do to help please feel free to let me know.

“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.” 
― Black Elk

Snapshots of Change

Good morning everyone!

I know that I have been less then regular when it comes to writing in the blog especially lately.  With the seasons changing and some health issues the travel time has fallen off to some day trips and not much camping.  I hope that this will change soon once I get the new truck rigged up for the Truck Camper.

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.  We have raised over 10k so far through this page and I am hoping to hit the 20k mark before the end of 2014.  Thank you all for the donations please let your friends and family know.

Yes that is right I said new truck!!!  The first New Vehicle that I have ever personally owned.  Who would have ever thought that I would have gone out and waited until I was 50 to make a purchase like this.  The timing was right and everything fell into place.  So what did I get?  Well I traded in the 2006 Tacoma with 113,000 miles on it and got a 2014 Toyota Tundra.

So now the not so funny story that goes along with trade day on the truck.  It actually started the Sunday prior I had gone out to shoot family pictures for my church so they could have a picture directory.  I had loaded up my lights and gear in the back of the Tacoma that Sunday morning and of course being me did it without waking anyone in the house.  Yes I pulled a muscle which was a stupid move but not unlike me to be a bonehead stubborn fool.  I did ask for help when loading things back up to get home and unloading when getting home.

The downside to this process was that I did not follow up and make sure that everything was in the house nor did I lock the doors to the truck.  Something when you live in the countryside was a normal occurrence.  I did not take the truck out on Mon (still hurting) so Tue morning I went out to find that someone had riffled through all the vehicles and liberated my camera bag which was in the cab not the back where the family had grabbed the rest of the gear. Again this was all my fault I have left my bag out there many times knowing I would want to take sunrise shots or sunset shots.  Lazy is my middle name.  So the bottom line the crooks made off with over 10k in value of camera gear.

Now let's talk about the important stuff.  Since I last wrote Iris and I have had some travel free time but for a couple short trips.  One of those trips was a great day trip into NYC to visit the USS Intrepid.  We even had our first ride on the Acella train which for those that have never had the opportunity to is a great ride.  It is not as fast and smooth as the bullets in Europe or Japan but for a train that rides on the old tracks shared with the old trains I take my hat off.

Once we arrived in the city we caught a cab and made our way down to the waterfront to the Intrepid.  I will mention that this was one of the best times ever getting a cab in the city with Iris. In the past I have experienced cabs ignoring us because they did not want to have a dog in the cab with them which is against the law but very hard to prove.  Getting a cab down at Penn Station was just the opposite when we got into the line I actually felt bad because we were pulled out of the normal line and brought to the front of the line and had the next cab hailed for us.  Bravo to the City if this is how they are treating all of their disabled now.

The reason we were at the Intrepid was to speak at one of their many educational programs the museum  runs.  The Guide Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs supplied 4 people to speak on a panel where we discussed Service and Guide Dogs and what they mean to us.  We also had one of the Trainers there with a 1 year old pup to talk about the training side of things.  The children we spoke to seemed to love hearing about the dogs and what they do and hopefully we have helped get the word out to more young people who are really the ones who help spread the word the best in my opinion.  After we were done speaking we got a tour of the Enterprise Shuttle which unless you have been up close to you really would have trouble imagining how large it really is.

 Over the past month Iris and I have also been very involved in a number of Veteran memorials to include a Beirut Bombing March that was done all over the country and tallied on the internet.  We did a ceremony in Putnam CT at the Veterans Memorial and the actual date.  It was extremely moving and I thank Kat Voght for putting so much time and effort into making that happen.  We also took part in a Grenada Memorial which was especially interesting for me since it was the first live action I ever saw and made me feel real old.  Hard to believe that time passes so quickly sometimes.

Over the next week please take a moment to thank a veteran, Veterans Day is coming up and it is a busy time for Iris and I.  We will be doing one school visit on Thursday in CT then Fri we will be speaking at one of the prisons that helps train Service Dogs for America's VetDogs.  Monday Iris and I will be at the Town of Framingham MA to speak at their Veteran's Day Celebration.

 As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

Falling down on the writing

Yes it appears that the Fall has come and the writing has slowed down.  That does not necessarily mean that Iris and I have stopped doing things it just means that I have been less then stellar at staying on top of this blog world.  So for any of you out there that may follow this (there are a few according to the reports) I hope to get better at updating things here.

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

I guess the main issues we have been tackling over the past couple weeks have been personal in nature.  My daughter had her first major accident 2 weeks ago and that really did not go over well in my world. She is 19 but she will always be my baby and well when you become the filler of the sandwich in the accident it is just not fun times for anyone.  Needless to say the first week we dealt with the medical and insurance issues trying to get as much done as we could while she was on a weeks break from New England Tech.  Yes we are blessed that the accident happened on the last day of her 1st semester there and she was able to finish the exam she missed and still keep a 4.0 GPA.  Proud dad Yeppers!

So, bottom line is that other then some bumps and bruises at this point Mel is feeling much better still a bit nervous behind the wheel but driving and back in school.  Last night we finally found a car that she loves and can afford so she put a downpayment on it and hopes to have it on the road by tomorrow or Saturday at the latest.

Now the travels of Iris and I.  We have been busy with some side effects from my new meds that as of today's trip to Boston will have me back in the hospital for some exploratory work to be done.  The new meds are still working better then we could have ever wished for after having fought with other meds for so long.  According to the information downloaded today from my onboard computer stuff, I have not had a recorded event in over 3 months.  That is great news believe you me.....

Iris and I have been out and about a bit but our travels have all been short and sweet trips with no more than one overnight.  My camera has filed a lawsuit against me for negligence but I promise with the leaves changing I hope to get that changed ASAP.

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

One project that I feel the need to mention is the Grillie project.  The CEO has been so great at trying to find ways to help out my cause of record VetDogs and wants to work with others out there too.  I have spent some time brainstorming with him on some great ways to help get the word out there prior to all the mess happing around the home front.  I hope to have more info for anyone interested in this great product and a chance to either help out their own cause or a great cause like VetDogs.  Let me know I will pass on the info to you.

Upcoming events:

Sunday - There is an event to support Veterans here in CT that I will be going to in New Britain.  You can email me or check out my Facebook for more info on this one.

MILLION VET MARCH CONNECTICUT - SUNDAY - OCTOBER 13, 2013 - 9 A.M. - IWO JIMA MEMORIAL - RT 9 - EXIT 29 - NEWINGTON, CONNECTICUT - SPONSORED BY PROPOSITIONUSA.COM 

On the 24th Iris & I will be in NYC at the Intrepid speaking to students about service dogs and veterans.  This is a VetDogs event and should be a great way to let young people know more about how service dogs help out in so many different ways.

November is a busy month with Veterans Day and at this point I know of a couple events that I will be at one of which is a repeat from last year.  It was a great event last year interacting with the inmates in Framingham that help work with the some of the dogs that become service dogs for VetDogs.  To see how these animals not only change the lives of the inmates and atmosphere but also see how the inmates get a new feel for our nations veterans is beyond words.  

As always here is the info on the fundraising page for VetDogs Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.