By Joann M. Ringelstetter
On Friday morning, my brother-in-law Howard posted some sad news on Facebook about the loss of their sweet little beagle, Lucky. We didn’t know what had caused young Lucky to leave this world until we attended our 10-year-old nephew’s birthday party today. The first words out of Toby’s mouth when we arrived were something like, “Did you hear that Lucky died? It was only four days before my birthday.”
No one knows exactly what happened, but they think Lucky may have slipped on the ice, severely injuring his back. And they were forced to make the sad decision to put him out of his pain. The whole family went together to the vet’s office to say goodbye to their beloved Lucky.
I don’t have any photos of Lucky, so I am posting photos of some cute beagles we have met on our travels.
In his Facebook post, Lucky’s “dad” said, “You were here just a short time; you left us with a lifetime of memories. May the rabbits be abundant in heaven and may you always be able to lie in the sun. We will miss you.”
We’ll never know why things like this happen, but I do know one thing for sure. My sister’s family was lucky to have a dog like Lucky, if even for such a short time. And Lucky was lucky to be a part of their family.
So long, Lucky, and Happy Shunpiking and rabbit hunting in heaven!
Joann
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Showing posts with label Dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dogs. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
A Visitor at Olde Hall Church
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Last spring, April of 2014, Joann and I were in Kentucky for our annual photography trip. On these trips, I try to have a variety of sites to visit, and one of those things that I had marked was the Olde Hall Church in the tiny town of Hall.
There is no sign on the main highway pointing the way to Hall, so as is often the case, I missed the road the first time. It’s a good thing Joann trains her cars to turn around often, since we had to make a U-turn to visit the church.
As you drive along the tree-lined road into town, the first thing you see off to the right is the Olde Hall Church. It was built in the late 1800’s, but no longer has an active congregation. It is still used for community events, and has an annual community Christmas concert.
As Joann was finishing up her photographs of the church, a beautiful Great Pyrenees dog came over and lay down on some old steps.
Great Pyrenees are often used as livestock guardian dogs. They are calm, patient, and smart. When they don’t have animals to guard, they will guard something else.
We weren’t sure if the dog was guarding the church, the neighborhood, or us, but it was very patient as Joann crept around taking photos.
She is usually cautious with animals because they usually do one of three things: get skittish and run, get aggressive and bark, or get overly friendly and come too close to the camera to get any photos. None of these things happened with this dog. It just patiently rested or slept on the steps. We almost hated to leave, but finally we decided we had to keep moving.
We circled around through town and finished by taking a few more pictures of the church as we headed back to the highway and on to our next stop.
It was a pleasant stop and was nice to have a visit from a very friendly dog.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Last spring, April of 2014, Joann and I were in Kentucky for our annual photography trip. On these trips, I try to have a variety of sites to visit, and one of those things that I had marked was the Olde Hall Church in the tiny town of Hall.
There is no sign on the main highway pointing the way to Hall, so as is often the case, I missed the road the first time. It’s a good thing Joann trains her cars to turn around often, since we had to make a U-turn to visit the church.
As you drive along the tree-lined road into town, the first thing you see off to the right is the Olde Hall Church. It was built in the late 1800’s, but no longer has an active congregation. It is still used for community events, and has an annual community Christmas concert.
As Joann was finishing up her photographs of the church, a beautiful Great Pyrenees dog came over and lay down on some old steps.
Great Pyrenees are often used as livestock guardian dogs. They are calm, patient, and smart. When they don’t have animals to guard, they will guard something else.
We weren’t sure if the dog was guarding the church, the neighborhood, or us, but it was very patient as Joann crept around taking photos.
She is usually cautious with animals because they usually do one of three things: get skittish and run, get aggressive and bark, or get overly friendly and come too close to the camera to get any photos. None of these things happened with this dog. It just patiently rested or slept on the steps. We almost hated to leave, but finally we decided we had to keep moving.
We circled around through town and finished by taking a few more pictures of the church as we headed back to the highway and on to our next stop.
It was a pleasant stop and was nice to have a visit from a very friendly dog.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Puppies on the Porch
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
On April 21, 2010, Joann and I began our trip to North Carolina. I always make a plan for our trips and this one included a stay on the first night in Shelbyville, Kentucky, where we could have dinner with an old friend of Joann’s. We went out for Chinese buffet and had a great time catching up with her.
The next morning we awoke with enough time to quickly load the car and get on the road in the dark to make our way to Penn’s store by dawn. Even though Irwin (our trusty GPS) didn’t know exactly how to find Penn’s store, we managed to get him to take us close. That is another one of the pluses to having the GPS. We travel in the dark much more now than we used to, and we get less frustrated since we can read the road names on Irwin’s display when it is too dark to see the actual road signs.
As we neared the road to the store our conversation turned to our last visit. We remembered all the cats and kittens that were on the porch of the store and wondered what we would find this time. As we neared the store, we could see movement on the porch, and soon we were close enough for me to exclaim “We have puppies!”
Lying on blankets on the front porch of the store was a family of Yellow Labradors. There was Boston, the dad, Dixie, the mom, and three puppies.
Once we had parked the car, the puppies bounded off the porch and began to circle the car waiting for us to get out and play with them. Being puppies, they were jumping up and dancing around us. Joann was trying to take pictures of them, but whenever a puppy would sit still for a couple of seconds and she started to get a shot lined up, they would think it was a game and they would run up to her and ruin her shot. But who could get upset with a puppy?
There were two larger puppies and then there was the runt of the litter. After a while, Dixie and the puppies got off the porch and started to head off into the field between the store and the North Rolling Fork River.
Dixie made the runt of the litter go back to the porch to stay with Boston. He was an older dog and didn’t move much from his position on the porch. The littlest puppy seemed very sad to be left behind.
Joann continued to take pictures of the store and the remaining puppy and Boston while the others were off playing near the river. When they came back across the field, the puppies were soaked either from playing in the river or from the early morning dew in the field. Dixie managed to stay much drier than they did.
Once back on the porch, the puppies started to roughhouse with each other, pulling at their toys and tumbling over each other and into Boston and Dixie, who were very tolerant of the shenanigans as most parents tend to be.
Soon you could tell that they had tuckered themselves out between their trip to the river and their roughhousing on the porch, and they flopped down onto a blanket to rest.
When they were all settled back on the porch and ready to snooze for a while, we decided that it was time for us to get on the road. We had plans to make it to North Carolina by dark, so we knew we had to be on our way.
Some of the best times we have on the backroads are when we meet fun pets like the ones we’ve met at Penn’s store. So, when you find yourself out on the backroads and a dog or cat comes up to you, give them a chance. Most of them just want a little attention.
And for those of you who read our first blog post on Penn's Store, where we explained that the store had been heavily damaged in a 2010 flood, we have a bit of encouraging news. According to their website and Facebook page, they are undergoing a restoration process and the last day of the 2011 Kentucky Writers Day Celebration will be held at Historic Penn’s Store.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
On April 21, 2010, Joann and I began our trip to North Carolina. I always make a plan for our trips and this one included a stay on the first night in Shelbyville, Kentucky, where we could have dinner with an old friend of Joann’s. We went out for Chinese buffet and had a great time catching up with her.
The next morning we awoke with enough time to quickly load the car and get on the road in the dark to make our way to Penn’s store by dawn. Even though Irwin (our trusty GPS) didn’t know exactly how to find Penn’s store, we managed to get him to take us close. That is another one of the pluses to having the GPS. We travel in the dark much more now than we used to, and we get less frustrated since we can read the road names on Irwin’s display when it is too dark to see the actual road signs.
As we neared the road to the store our conversation turned to our last visit. We remembered all the cats and kittens that were on the porch of the store and wondered what we would find this time. As we neared the store, we could see movement on the porch, and soon we were close enough for me to exclaim “We have puppies!”
Lying on blankets on the front porch of the store was a family of Yellow Labradors. There was Boston, the dad, Dixie, the mom, and three puppies.
Once we had parked the car, the puppies bounded off the porch and began to circle the car waiting for us to get out and play with them. Being puppies, they were jumping up and dancing around us. Joann was trying to take pictures of them, but whenever a puppy would sit still for a couple of seconds and she started to get a shot lined up, they would think it was a game and they would run up to her and ruin her shot. But who could get upset with a puppy?
There were two larger puppies and then there was the runt of the litter. After a while, Dixie and the puppies got off the porch and started to head off into the field between the store and the North Rolling Fork River.
Dixie made the runt of the litter go back to the porch to stay with Boston. He was an older dog and didn’t move much from his position on the porch. The littlest puppy seemed very sad to be left behind.
Joann continued to take pictures of the store and the remaining puppy and Boston while the others were off playing near the river. When they came back across the field, the puppies were soaked either from playing in the river or from the early morning dew in the field. Dixie managed to stay much drier than they did.
Once back on the porch, the puppies started to roughhouse with each other, pulling at their toys and tumbling over each other and into Boston and Dixie, who were very tolerant of the shenanigans as most parents tend to be.
Soon you could tell that they had tuckered themselves out between their trip to the river and their roughhousing on the porch, and they flopped down onto a blanket to rest.
When they were all settled back on the porch and ready to snooze for a while, we decided that it was time for us to get on the road. We had plans to make it to North Carolina by dark, so we knew we had to be on our way.
Some of the best times we have on the backroads are when we meet fun pets like the ones we’ve met at Penn’s store. So, when you find yourself out on the backroads and a dog or cat comes up to you, give them a chance. Most of them just want a little attention.
And for those of you who read our first blog post on Penn's Store, where we explained that the store had been heavily damaged in a 2010 flood, we have a bit of encouraging news. According to their website and Facebook page, they are undergoing a restoration process and the last day of the 2011 Kentucky Writers Day Celebration will be held at Historic Penn’s Store.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Rowdy and Rambo Take a Ride
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
One of the most interesting encounters I had on our recent trip to North Carolina was with a man and his dogs. It was our third day in North Carolina and we had just entered Alamance County. As we drove down a country road, we passed an old red and white Chevy automobile with a “For Sale” sign on it. It was early afternoon on a very sunny day, so the lighting was pretty harsh, but I decided to snap a couple of pictures of the old car anyway.
As I set up my tripod, I heard some dogs barking from across the road. When I turned around to see what the commotion was about, I realized that the dogs were about to run out into the road. Just then, an older gentleman with white hair came out of a large shed and scolded the dogs. “Rowdy! Rambo! Get back here!” he shouted. As I watched him, I realized that he looked a lot like the eccentric inventor, Dr. Emmett Brown, in the movie Back to the Futue.
I went across the road and introduced myself and he said his name was Cary, “spelled like Cary Grant.” He told me that the old car was a 1955 Chevy Bel Air two-door hard top and that it was pretty rare. He said that, if he had restored it, it would be worth about four times what he was asking for it in its present condition. Then he said, “I’ve also got a 1940 Buick Special in the shed. It’s fully restored and it runs perfectly. Would you like me to pull it out so you can take a picture of it?”
I said, “Sure, that would be great!” Cary quickly turned around and headed into the shed. Rowdy and Rambo were running around in front of the shed. As I tried to get a photograph of them, Cary called from the shed, “Come on, get in.” I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me, but then Rowdy and Rambo made a mad dash for the back seat. Cary started up the Buick Special, revved up the engine (which he later explained was a Straight-8), and backed the car out of the shed. He drove it across the road and towards the Chevy Bel Air.
I was still standing on the other side of the road by the shed, and as Cary stopped the car, I noticed a great silhouette with him in the driver’s seat and Rowdy’s profile in the back seat. I attempted to capture the silhouette, but Cary was too quick to jump out of the car. It was then that I realized that, although his appearance reminded me of Dr. Emmett Brown, his mannerisms reminded me of the character, Kramer, from the sitcom Seinfeld.
I crossed the road and Cary asked me if he had parked the Buick Special in a good spot for my photos. I asked him if he could move it a bit so that there was a better background. He willingly obliged and, all the while, Rambo and Rowdy were sitting in the back seat, just like a couple of people waiting for the chauffeur to drive them somewhere.
I took a couple of shots of the Buick Special and then pulled in close to capture Rowdy and Rambo as they waited patiently in the back seat for the short ride back to the shed. And while I photographed them, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. You never know who you’ll meet as you travel the back roads of this great country. In this case, two rambunctious dogs, Rowdy and Rambo, had made my day.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
One of the most interesting encounters I had on our recent trip to North Carolina was with a man and his dogs. It was our third day in North Carolina and we had just entered Alamance County. As we drove down a country road, we passed an old red and white Chevy automobile with a “For Sale” sign on it. It was early afternoon on a very sunny day, so the lighting was pretty harsh, but I decided to snap a couple of pictures of the old car anyway.
As I set up my tripod, I heard some dogs barking from across the road. When I turned around to see what the commotion was about, I realized that the dogs were about to run out into the road. Just then, an older gentleman with white hair came out of a large shed and scolded the dogs. “Rowdy! Rambo! Get back here!” he shouted. As I watched him, I realized that he looked a lot like the eccentric inventor, Dr. Emmett Brown, in the movie Back to the Futue.
I went across the road and introduced myself and he said his name was Cary, “spelled like Cary Grant.” He told me that the old car was a 1955 Chevy Bel Air two-door hard top and that it was pretty rare. He said that, if he had restored it, it would be worth about four times what he was asking for it in its present condition. Then he said, “I’ve also got a 1940 Buick Special in the shed. It’s fully restored and it runs perfectly. Would you like me to pull it out so you can take a picture of it?”
I said, “Sure, that would be great!” Cary quickly turned around and headed into the shed. Rowdy and Rambo were running around in front of the shed. As I tried to get a photograph of them, Cary called from the shed, “Come on, get in.” I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me, but then Rowdy and Rambo made a mad dash for the back seat. Cary started up the Buick Special, revved up the engine (which he later explained was a Straight-8), and backed the car out of the shed. He drove it across the road and towards the Chevy Bel Air.
I was still standing on the other side of the road by the shed, and as Cary stopped the car, I noticed a great silhouette with him in the driver’s seat and Rowdy’s profile in the back seat. I attempted to capture the silhouette, but Cary was too quick to jump out of the car. It was then that I realized that, although his appearance reminded me of Dr. Emmett Brown, his mannerisms reminded me of the character, Kramer, from the sitcom Seinfeld.
I crossed the road and Cary asked me if he had parked the Buick Special in a good spot for my photos. I asked him if he could move it a bit so that there was a better background. He willingly obliged and, all the while, Rambo and Rowdy were sitting in the back seat, just like a couple of people waiting for the chauffeur to drive them somewhere.
I took a couple of shots of the Buick Special and then pulled in close to capture Rowdy and Rambo as they waited patiently in the back seat for the short ride back to the shed. And while I photographed them, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. You never know who you’ll meet as you travel the back roads of this great country. In this case, two rambunctious dogs, Rowdy and Rambo, had made my day.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A Drive-Through Stone Barn (Minnesota Blessing Number 3)
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Over twelve years ago, on a three-day photography adventure to Minnesota, we stopped on a country backroad in the middle of the afternoon to photograph an abandoned farmhouse.
As we were enjoying the craftsmanship of the house (and the silly horses that were in the pasture surrounding the house), the owner came by and we had a nice conversation. And, as is often the case on these backroad adventures, one thing led to another. She suggested we follow her back to the farm so that her husband could give us directions to a couple of other things we might enjoy photographing. (There is a story to this stop in itself, but we will save that for another day).
He asked us if we had ever seen a drive-through barn. We didn’t know what that meant exactly, but we figured we’d better check it out. When we located the barn, we saw that the driveway went through the middle of the barn. And there was no other way to reach the house, but to drive through the barn. How cool is that?! Unfortunately, by the time we reached the barn, the sun was setting and the lighting wasn’t good, so I snapped a couple of pictures and we headed on our way.
In October 2009, we returned to Minnesota and hunted up this barn again. This time, we were there early in the morning and the lighting was better. Having known about this barn only through the kindness of that farm couple in 1997, we didn’t have any information about it. I walked up the hill to the end of the driveway to write down the owners' names and address, which was on the mailbox, so that we could contact them. Along with their names is a sign that says, “Visitors welcome.” That’s the good news. The bad news is that it was 7:45 on a Sunday morning.
So I walked back down the hill to the car and, as I was putting my camera equipment into the car, I noticed that a little dog had just come running through the center of the barn. And then the owners got in their pickup and drove out of their driveway. I flagged them down and asked them if they had a minute to tell me about their barn. They said they were on their way to a reunion breakfast, but they had a couple of minutes. And they wanted us to “experience” the barn. They told us to drive through the center and up to the house. We did just that and it was an experience to remember, especially what happened next.
They told us about the barn, gave us a type-written history complete with old-time photographs, and then gave us a quick tour. Gary said, “We need to get going, but I want to show you something before we go.” Then he took me inside the north half of the barn. On the north wall was a large wooden door. Knowing that this barn was set into the hillside, I was trying to figure out where that door would go. When he opened it, I was delighted to see a beautifully crafted stone root cellar that had been built under the hay ramp to the upper floor.
I asked if I could take a picture of it before they left and he said, “Stay as long as you like and take as many pictures as you want.” Then Deb said, “Just make sure Ralph is in the driveway when you leave. If you’re not careful, he’ll end up in the back of your car.”
We stood there in awe as they drove away. What a blessing to have someone place total trust in you after talking with you for only a few minutes. We stayed for an hour and a half, soaking in the grandeur of this magnificent stone barn and playing with Ralph, who kept jumping into Ruth’s arms. He had a mischievous spirit and ran like the devil when we tossed some fallen apples for him to chase. And, yes, he did slip into the back seat of the car when we attempted to leave.
Only a few days ago, I took the time to read through the historical information Gary and Deb shared with us. The barn was built by stone mason Thomas Ferguson, who came to America from Scotland in 1869. He and his wife, Jeannie, had seven children, and the family worked on the stone barn and house when Tom wasn’t busy putting his talents to work on other projects. Tom built numerous other buildings in the area, including four homes, a church, a town hall, a school, and many barn first floors.
The barn and outbuildings were built from stone that was quarried on the farm. The north half of the barn has two stories and was built in the 1880’s. The second story was used for storing grain and hay from the nearly 500-acre farm. The south half of the barn was completed in 1912. It is three stories and is connected to the north half by an archway, which is driven through to reach the house. Near the archway inside this section of the barn stands a stone silo.
We are grateful to Gary and Deb for their generosity and trust in letting us experience this historical structure and their dog, Ralph. And we are grateful to be able to share this experience with all of our readers.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Over twelve years ago, on a three-day photography adventure to Minnesota, we stopped on a country backroad in the middle of the afternoon to photograph an abandoned farmhouse.
As we were enjoying the craftsmanship of the house (and the silly horses that were in the pasture surrounding the house), the owner came by and we had a nice conversation. And, as is often the case on these backroad adventures, one thing led to another. She suggested we follow her back to the farm so that her husband could give us directions to a couple of other things we might enjoy photographing. (There is a story to this stop in itself, but we will save that for another day).
He asked us if we had ever seen a drive-through barn. We didn’t know what that meant exactly, but we figured we’d better check it out. When we located the barn, we saw that the driveway went through the middle of the barn. And there was no other way to reach the house, but to drive through the barn. How cool is that?! Unfortunately, by the time we reached the barn, the sun was setting and the lighting wasn’t good, so I snapped a couple of pictures and we headed on our way.
In October 2009, we returned to Minnesota and hunted up this barn again. This time, we were there early in the morning and the lighting was better. Having known about this barn only through the kindness of that farm couple in 1997, we didn’t have any information about it. I walked up the hill to the end of the driveway to write down the owners' names and address, which was on the mailbox, so that we could contact them. Along with their names is a sign that says, “Visitors welcome.” That’s the good news. The bad news is that it was 7:45 on a Sunday morning.
So I walked back down the hill to the car and, as I was putting my camera equipment into the car, I noticed that a little dog had just come running through the center of the barn. And then the owners got in their pickup and drove out of their driveway. I flagged them down and asked them if they had a minute to tell me about their barn. They said they were on their way to a reunion breakfast, but they had a couple of minutes. And they wanted us to “experience” the barn. They told us to drive through the center and up to the house. We did just that and it was an experience to remember, especially what happened next.
They told us about the barn, gave us a type-written history complete with old-time photographs, and then gave us a quick tour. Gary said, “We need to get going, but I want to show you something before we go.” Then he took me inside the north half of the barn. On the north wall was a large wooden door. Knowing that this barn was set into the hillside, I was trying to figure out where that door would go. When he opened it, I was delighted to see a beautifully crafted stone root cellar that had been built under the hay ramp to the upper floor.
I asked if I could take a picture of it before they left and he said, “Stay as long as you like and take as many pictures as you want.” Then Deb said, “Just make sure Ralph is in the driveway when you leave. If you’re not careful, he’ll end up in the back of your car.”
We stood there in awe as they drove away. What a blessing to have someone place total trust in you after talking with you for only a few minutes. We stayed for an hour and a half, soaking in the grandeur of this magnificent stone barn and playing with Ralph, who kept jumping into Ruth’s arms. He had a mischievous spirit and ran like the devil when we tossed some fallen apples for him to chase. And, yes, he did slip into the back seat of the car when we attempted to leave.
Only a few days ago, I took the time to read through the historical information Gary and Deb shared with us. The barn was built by stone mason Thomas Ferguson, who came to America from Scotland in 1869. He and his wife, Jeannie, had seven children, and the family worked on the stone barn and house when Tom wasn’t busy putting his talents to work on other projects. Tom built numerous other buildings in the area, including four homes, a church, a town hall, a school, and many barn first floors.
The barn and outbuildings were built from stone that was quarried on the farm. The north half of the barn has two stories and was built in the 1880’s. The second story was used for storing grain and hay from the nearly 500-acre farm. The south half of the barn was completed in 1912. It is three stories and is connected to the north half by an archway, which is driven through to reach the house. Near the archway inside this section of the barn stands a stone silo.
We are grateful to Gary and Deb for their generosity and trust in letting us experience this historical structure and their dog, Ralph. And we are grateful to be able to share this experience with all of our readers.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
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