The process continues...

Forget the yard sale, forget the wonderful blessing my father in law gave the boat, foget my fabulous new cushions....the most significant event this far in the process was putting my dog on a plane to the east coast.  Forever.  It was (still is) a very sad day in the McKaskle house. 

It's not like she's going to strangers.  She's going to some of the most loving people I know.  They have a huge house, backyard, swimming pool and two cuddly kids.  But it doesn't make it any easier.  There's just not enough room on the boat and she wouldn't really be happy.  Intellectually, I know this.

I'm going to tell you about Chili dog.  Seven years ago we were stationed in Puerto Rico.  We moved down there knowing no one.  I got lonely and after some major coaxing, I convinced Andy to get a dog.  Stray dogs are to Puerto Rico like Mosquitos are to South Carolina...they're every where.  So it seemed like the obvious thing to do would be to rescue a stray.  We got her from a lady on base who did just that.

Over the course of the next few years, our free dog turned into a money pit.  It takes a lot of effort to clean up a trash dog.  When I took her to the vet to get spayed we found out she was pregnant.  After all that was taken care of, we had to have a huge growth removed from between her paws.  A few months later, a few teeth had to go.  Over the years there were shots, teeth cleanings, more teeth removed, fleas, blah, blah...

But there are way more good memories than there are vet bills...I know she's not dead, but she's gone from us so I think it will help me get over it to write down my favorites (And Andy's, he's just as torn up as I am):

* Camping on Viequez convinced that she was going to be an outdoor dog.  She sat outside the tent whining at all the mosquitos all night (She would NEVER have to sleep outside the tent today).
* Andy laying in the hammock on the deck with Chili in Puerto Rico.
* Snorkling in Culebra with Chili swimming right beside us.  When she got tired, she would climb on Andy's back and lay down.
* Boating on our 22 ft. AquaSport....she would jump off before we even got close to the shore and swim the whole way.
* Running up and down the beach, wherever we lived.
* Fighting with the racoons in VA and getting in the swamp mud...then running back to me with her whole tail end wagging like I should be so proud.
* Almost biting the cable guy because he got too close to Jake when he was a baby.
* Snuggling on the sofa with her when Andy was on deployments and Jake was in bed watching TV.
* Chasing the beverage cart on the golf course behind our house in CA.

Lots of good times.  Now she's off to her new family to make new memories of which I know there will be plenty.

If anyone second guessed our level of seriousness on this sailing adventure, they can quit guessing now.