I LOST MY SWEET DEXTER

HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND, MY CONFIDANT, MY CAMPING AND
EXPLORING BUDDY AND MY PARTNER IN CRIME.

HE WAS MY SON

I only had you for nine years and eight months, but during that time, you made every

aspect of my life better.

You made me want to be a better, nicer person by showing everyone your 

unconditional love.

You will forever be in our hearts. 💓💔💕

On August 29th, I got the news that no pet owner ever wants to hear.  Your boy

has cancer and there's nothing that can be done, except make the next few hours

as comfortable for him as we can.

I had been noticing a definite change in Dexter's behavior and energy level in the week

preceding his death, but I thought he was just having a tough time with heat.

On Sunday the 29th, I took him to the emergency vet and within two hours, I

got the dreaded call.

I had to make the very difficult, but right, decision to let him go, but at least I

could have another hour or so with him and I could be there at his side to the very end.

We laid down on the grass outside of the vet's office and reminisced about our life

together and relived our favorite memories.  He wasn't in pain, but he was very

uncomfortable.

While we were laying on the grass that night, the automatic sprinklers came on and

drove us off the grass and to the inevitable "cold, final room."  Since he was moving

so slowly, we both got pretty wet before we were able to get out of the path of those

sprinklers and into the office.

As I was laying with him for that final moment, a sense of calm came over me, 

as I realized that Dexter had never passed up an opportunity to get wet and now, 

in his final moments, he was a wet Labrador Retriever.

I laid down next to him and put my arms around him and just kept telling him

"I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," "I LOVE YOU," as

the doctor slowly pushed the syringe that would take away all of Dexter's pain.

As I was bawling, I felt the life leave my sweet boy and as heartbroken as I was

(and still am), he now looked so peaceful and calm that a certain sense of

relief came over me.  In the end, he had made it easier for me.

Now, his cremains are in a beautiful wooden box on the mantle above my fireplace,

where he can look out over his house and keep an eye on things.

I plan to take most of his ashes to a place that's sacred to me (those of you

who know me will probably know where I'm talking about) and scatter them.

I've already scattered the ashes of one of my best human friend's there and I've told

my kids that's where I want to be scattered too, so DEXTER, I'll be back with you

one of these days and I look forward to you licking my face again.

You're a good boy!

You were my constant companion...

You were a family man...

You were a goofball...

You were a master of the slumbering arts...

You were a guard dog...the friendly kind...

You were tolerant...

I LOVE AND MISS YOU SO MUCH!

 FRIENDS OF THE BLACKROCK

PERSIED METEOR SHOWER CAMPOUT & PAELLA FEED

AUGUST 13-15, 2021

So, the Blackrock desert (playa) was calling to me again and it was time for another visit.  What better time to go than when Friends of the Blackrock/High Rock was hosting their annual Perseid Meteor Shower campout.

On the plus side this year, Burning Man had been canceled, so the skies would be a lot darker than in years past because Burning Man was always under construction in the background and all of their powerful lights polluted the sky and diminished the visibility of the lighter, dimmer "shooting stars."

On the negative side, however, the forecast predicted a heatwave over that very weekend.  In the desert, you might be able to find or create shade, but there is no getting out of the heat.

Everyone's gathered around the main tent waiting for their Paella dinner on the second night.

Stacey (in front) is the Executive Director of the Friends of the Black Rock-

High Rock.  She and Susan were enjoying the Playa happy hour with a

couple of cocktails.

The first night, every camp did their own dinner, etc.  The "members only" Paella

feed was on the second night.

We all know that the playa dust gets everywhere and some CSI-styled evidence

was left behind on this behind...

Dexter immediately found a friend or three...

Installing a kickstand on Susan's new eBike.

The first sunset of the trip was beautiful and, due to the wildfire smoke in

the sky, kind of surreal.

I brought out a pair of night vision goggles and they opened up the sky

even more.  Even without the NVGs, the meteors were plentiful 

and were streaking all over the north, east and western skies. 

A trip to the Black Rock wouldn't be complete without an evening

scorpion hunt.  As usual, we founds dozens of them in the bushes that

are just outside of the playa itself.

Next time you're out there, bring a black light flashlight and see for yourself!

Waiting on that Paella...

Can you believe this?

Both of these huge Paellas were made in camp and they were INCREDIBLE!

They had scallops, shrimp, mussels, chicken and sausage, all of which were

cooked with rice and vegetables in a very flavorful broth.  This was not only good 

for camp Paella, but was some of the best Paella I've ever had.

Belly up to the bar--there's plenty.

Everyone had seconds and even thirds if they had room.

There were also a lot of delicious side dishes, fruit and desserts tonight too.

Susan and I finally got to put a few miles on our new eBikes on this trip.

There's nothing like the desert after the sun goes down and the heat

abates to make you want that first cocktail of the day.

Dexter had a tough time dealing with the heat, especially on day two, but

I tried to keep him wet down and in the shade.

The second day of the trip was no easy day.  The thermometer read 104°

and that was the air temperature only.  The light playa absorbed even more

heat and reflected it upwards and there was no escape.  One girl was taken into

Gerlach with symptoms of heat stroke, but she got better after she cooled down

and got re-hydrated.

The Black Rock is a very special place for a lot of people, especially us desert

rats, but it needs our help to keep it pristine and enjoyable for future 

generations.  

If you like the desert and wild places in general, I would encourage you to

become members of Friends of the Black Rock.  I would also encourage you

to donate some of your time to keep this area beautiful.

Click here for the FBR's website: 

Friends of the Black Rock-High Rock