Router

Meow!

-Router
July 2003 - July 2008

The Daily Camel is committed to reporting only the good kind of news. So while Daily grieves the loss of Router, she is also surprised and touched by the flood of tears from friends and relatives near and far. Router may not have had opposable thumbs, but legends don't need extra gear. May we all touch the lives of others like he did.

Here are a few thoughts and memories of the big soul that we got to know in the little cat suit.

1. When we first met Router, he reminded me of a baby bird the way his big mouth opened up when he MEOWED for what he wanted. While we were deciding which cats we would bring home, he plunked himself down six inches from the cage of a brawly-looking bulldog and meowed. Tiny kitten, big dog.
2. Steve is an ace at playing with cats. He thinks like a playful cat. Play with string, mice and boxes was a routine part of Router's life.
3. When Steve and I went for walks, Router would follow us. We had to either lock him in the house or cut our walk short so that he could join us. When he did walk with us he would follow from a distance then race past us, run, pounce and show off.
4. One of Router's favorite things in life was belly rubs and he was completely indiscriminate about who could do it. If someone walked by, he flopped down and rolled around on his back begging for rubs.
5. Router was myopic. He knew when we came home because he recognized the sound of the engine of the WRX. We'd see him walking and squinting at us. We'd yell his name and he would come greet us.
6. Router gave us serious attitude after a weekend away.
7. Router only ate one type of cat food and one type of treat and he preferred his water out of the dripping tub faucet.
8. When other cats tried to attack him, Router flopped on his side submissively. It kept him pretty scratch-free.
   
9. Router was very curious and fearless and would walk into neighbors' garages to explore. One time he saw his opportunity and slipped into our neighbors', Jennifer and Charles', house and another time into Tamtam and Yellow's house. Our neighborhood was his turf. He slept on Jennifer and Charles' porch, pooped in nearly every sandbox, lilac bush, and yard in the neighborhood, but our own (keeping the predators away from his lair - smart cat). Steve and I appeased one neighbor by purchasing gorilla fur mulch to replace the poopy mulch. When another neighbor put in a birdfeeder, Steve and I watched in horror as Router stood on her fence and rubbed his cheek on it, marking it. For several days, little dead birds kept showing up at our door.
   
10. We now live in a basement and Router would ask to be let in by meowing down into our window well. He often came in five times in a night for food, water or just a hello and goodbye.
11. Much to Steve's chagrin, Router liked to sleep on his pillow and on cold winter nights he wrapped himself around Steve's warm head.
12. When Router thought my breath was bad in the morning, he put is paw over my mouth - Steve dubbed it "paw to the face".
    
13. He was a super cuddle monster.

Since Router passed away people have ensured us that Router is in kitty heaven. I think he had a little slice of kitty heaven right here on earth, living his life and charming the pants off of nearly everyone he encountered.

Into the Mountains

"The central cores of most Colorado ranges are composed of hard Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock - granite, gneiss, and schist. Pleistocene glaciers carved horseshoe-shaped cirques and deep canyons visible here. South Park [is] a broad high-altitude intermontane valley."

-Halka Chronic Roadside Geology of Colorado

I received a card in the mail from my friend Catherine, a woman whose biggest heroes are poets and naturalist, farmer and aspiring backcountry rescuer (rescuing injured/stranded/missing people who have hiked into wilderness. I have hung out with Catherine in Vermont, Ithaca and Colorado. Our last encounter was in Alma, CO - a small historic mining town in the high Rockies that vies with one other locale to be known as the highest (altitude, not substances) inhabited place in the U.S. - over Thanksgiving. Since that visit my footloose friend has spent time back in Vermont, then Central NY (Finger Lakes farming), and is back here for several weeks. Our trip to visit her - a day trip.

(Please forgive the lousy formatting. Some text refused to left justify.)

Steve matching nicely with painted cactae in Morrison, CO

Me in Morrison, CO - check out the jagged ridgeline in the background
South Park - geological feature extraordinnaire - flat in the midst of mountains

Cattle ranching in South Park

Fairplay, CO - Steve walking toward the Brown Burro where we ate a decent lunch

Steve on the main street in Fairplay - the Ladies' Run, a women's biking event was underway while we were there

Look familiar? Yes the inspiration for South Park, the TV show is South Park City a ghost mining town that is replicated in the Town of Fairplay (See below)

South Park City (a replica of the ghost town) Can you picture Cartman and Kenny trying to get to the bottoom of the disappearance of their socks in this setting? Or Tweak's family's coffee shop vying with the new Starbucks in town?

Alma, CO - Catherine's brother owns the business in the background, Alma's Only Bar

Catherine in a hut that we found near resevoir, jeep trails, and old mining operation

Catherine and me near the old mining operation

The ride home near the Eisenhower Tunnel and the Great Divide - See the moon?

Riding Elephants

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..."

-Simon & Garfunkel

On my third birthday, my parent's brought me to the Booneville Fair (northern California) and my dad waited with me in line to ride the elephant. The next ride was ours.

Then the elephant handler called out, " That's it for today. No more rides!"

I was so close and it was my birthday. Imagine the disappointment.

Some people pass through a lifetime without riding an elephant, but not me! Today, I rode an elephant!

Steve and I were at the Renaissance Fair in Larkspur, CO with friends Beau and Story.



The historic moment: Steve and me on the Elephant. Four people ride at a time and we don't know the two in front. I would dare say that I was more excited about the elephant than the girl in front, after all, she had probably only been waiting 5 minutes to ride an elephant; I had waited 30 years!

I saved Steve from a dragon. Yes, that is a unicorn waving from the turret in the background.

A fairy.

Steve, Beau and Story in front of Pearl's Revenge, a pirate shop. Story came wearing the "pirate pending" t shirt. (Pirate due in August.)

Steve assured me I wouldn't be spit on.

I have no idea who these guys are, but they were having a blast pummeling each other on the log with pillow cases full of something or another. Fun picture, eh?

Beau and Steve tested their skills with the bow and arrow (Beau and arrow - Ha, ha!) and knife throwing.

Final note on the elephants: Story read somewhere that they are humanely treated, only work 33 weekends in the year (otherwise roam in a field), and are part of a breeding program to help repopulate their species.

Maine and the 4th of July

"Best 4th in the North!"

-The claim of every 4th of July celebrating community that thinks it's "north"

I can't begin to tell you about the Jonesport's Fourth of July celebration and World's Fastest Lobster Boat Races without sharing. Community shines through. This was 4th of July 2005. To get you in the spirit of the day:

Steve and Dad in lawn chairs on the bridge to Beal's Island waiting for the fog to clear and the lobster boat races to commence. Steve and I got up early and went to the blueberry pancake breakfast in the... town hall? Grange Hall? Congo Church? Something like that. (You can see the boats on the water below.)


Maine Shriners don't drive little cars. They drive little lobster boats and little big rigs (logging), of course.

If I remember correctly, there was some kind of Miss Tall Barney's contest. Tall Barney was a legendary fisherman - probably a Beal like most of the community - and the namesake for the local diner/fish house.

Throwing candy in the parade. This little guy had quite an arm.

Maine coast.

Sick of suburbia? Escape to Maine! Just $165,000!

"want some tahtah sauce foa ya haddock?"

"ayuh, jus' a dite"

-Maine saying posted on city-data.com

Tonight's post is for those of you that aren't lucky enough to have seen the Craig's List posting for my parents home that they are selling in Maine. The home is in Jonesport, ME, where the locals are gearing up for the annual World's Fastest Lobster Boat Race (4th of July). And when I say gearing up, I mean it literally: the lobster fishermen have special race day engines that they change in for the everyday engine.

The pole barn that my dad built behind the house. (Lupine in foreground)

The house. Dad added the kitchen (purple and pink door to left), the front porch and the widow's walk (upper story porch from which the pining widow watches for her never-to-return sea captain). Oh and did all the shingling and trim work.

Kitchen. Dad has always loved working with knotty pine because the color is light, it's not too expensive, and it has interesting grain patterns.

The view from the widow's walk.