The vacation is over! I'm Back - Goodbye to a dear friend

I'm back from vacation!
and, there are so many new wonderful paper crafting and rubber stamping products that were introduced during the past few months....But, That's not what this post is about.  
This is a personal post, so, if you are looking for paper crafting information, scroll down to the very bottom of the blog post, and read the short paragraph at the bottom...I will be posting more interesting paper crafting ideas and information within the next couple of days

Time for something new!
For the past several years, Gord and I, along with our doggies, have spent our time fishing, and camping during the spring, summer and autumn months.   We were gone from 3-7 days, usually camping, fishing and just generally relaxing. Finally, in 2003, we decided to do something different, and  take a 'long' holiday.  We decided to head north, to Alaska and the Yukon for two months..That was an amazing holiday, we met so many wonderful people, and I caught so many salmon, picked Berries and mushrooms....(While we were gone, I even made jam and jellies from the wild berries we picked! )    We were gone from August 6 to October 6th...The most gorgeous time of year in the Yukon and Southern Alaska, (in my opinion).  Once the evenings cool down, the leaves aren't on the trees long but, Mother Nature makes up for lack of time by bumping up the colors!  She gets as much color in the leaves as possible, to make up for the short time they're left on the trees!  Amazingly beautiful!

Since our return home in 2003,  until last year, (2012), we were back to going fishing and camping within a couple hours drive from home, for a few days at a time...with Angel and Isaac, our little 'fisher-dogs'.  To be honest, Angel was a 'girly-girl', and a little princess, who really just wanted to sit and look pretty...smiles...BUT, she'd  go anywhere as long as she was with us...but, it was Isaac who enjoyed the great outdoors, running in the grass, and sitting in his own 'camp chair' enjoying the fire in the evenings...

Last year, in 2012  we joined friends and toured the Southern and Mid Eastern USA, taking Isaac with us to New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and more ...again, spending 8 weeks enjoying the sights ...We found that being the social butterfly that he is, Isaac enjoyed visiting doggy day cares and doggy sitters, and charming 'the girls'  (human and canine) wherever he went... while we went to places that weren't 'doggy-friendly'....

FYI:  Anyone planning to travel with a four legged family member  to most US National attractions, the majority offer a  a cool, safe place for your four legged family members to stay while you were visiting, and going to areas your friend can't go to.... I was willing to stay at the RV with him, and let the others go, but, I didn't have to.....I was impressed....Isaac left each place with his tail wagging and a tummy full of treats, after convincing the staff he was the best doggie in the world...digging into his repertoire of tricks to impress them if needed.
Check online, or phone ahead to see.   Most Visitor Information center staff in various cities, could give us a formal list of Doggy sitters, or, knew of someone who loved dogs, and wouldn't mind doggy sitting for a while.....

This year, we decided the three of us (Gord, Isaac and I)  were going to take two months and take our Motor home and drive down the old Pacific Coast Highway 101, stopping to see everything, and not missing a thing...We left July 3.
What a wonderful two months it was!  A 'vacation to remember' as they say....We took the RV and traveled south, (we live in Canada) through Montana, Idaho, across Washington to the coast,  then down the Pacific Coast Highway 101, through Washington, Oregon, and into California....After enjoying weeks of eating fish and seafood, (oh, my, the oysters and Dungness Crab were so wonderful!)..along the coast, we headed we headed east, then north, into Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, where we enjoyed all the fruits, vegetables, grapes;  and, of course,in Oregon and Washington, we thoroughly enjoyed the wineries and breweries offerings!  The wineries and Artisan / Craft Breweries offer their specialties, and, we certainly enjoyed our time sampling them!!  We definitely are going back to Oregon and Washington to explore some more....We just ran out of time....Because of the hot temperatures and drought, Forest Fires were a concern..... We did have to change our route a few times while heading homeward, to avoid to forest fires and closed highways and mountain passes...It took longer, but, we got to see places we wouldn't have seen otherwise...

Technology isn't always reliable (at least not in my world, lol)
We had a fantastic time, and a great vacation...but  it was a vacation with very limited internet access!
I thought I'd covered my bases by purchasing a SIM card and data plan from a US Carrier to put into my cell phone.... .I'm 'new' to mobile technology...since I purchased my first mobile 'smarter than me phone' in June, prior to leaving.  I've been informed unless it's an IPhone, I can't call it a 'Smart Phone'.....mine may not be a smart phone, but it's sure as heck smarter than me!! smiles)
 I was hoping to be able to keep in touch with my stamping friends and customers and make sure I got all the new Summer CHA show products into the online catalog...and, post to my blog.......as you can see, that didn't happen...
Last summer, while on vacation I discovered that all campground WiFi and internet connections are not created equal....(and they don't always work!)  We didn't always have much luck with the internet connections, and many sunrises found Isaac, my trusty little side kick and I, sitting at  the campground office patio, ...enjoying the solitude and beauty of the early morning, and trying to get online .. Sometimes, if I did manage to get online after the sun came up, it  was just a bonus! The awe inspiring sunrises became the star of the show and internet didn't seem to be as important..  ( Isaac was my companion for these excursions, as no one else wanted to get out of bed that early, but, he was always ready to go for a walk whether the sun was up or not!)

When we decided we'd take another long holiday this year,  I decided I would be better prepared...I finally joined the 21st century, and purchased a phone that I could use to get online with... I purchased an unlocked cell phone, so I could use it  anywhere, with any carrier's SIM card...(see, I DID do some homework...lol)...Seriously, one of the young men at a local wireless kiosk told me that's what I needed....I just talked to the right person)
I learned a lot about phone service and internet this year...First lesson learned.........there is very sporadic  phone or internet signal available in mountains....or on the pacific coastline....(and I mean coastline...where the water and terra firma meet! and, that's pretty well where we were 85% of the time.....and, after talking with many other people, who were able to use their phones, ...I learned that not all carriers provide service in all areas, no matter what the providers' coverage map said!  But, I did get some names of companies that did provide service in those areas.....so I'll be more prepared when we do take another long holiday...smiles.

When we were in towns or cities, and areas with internet connection, I have to admit, I was too busy enjoying the sights, scenery, attractions and foods, rather than spending time 'on the phone'......What a phenomenal holiday!...
We were gone from July 3 until Sept 2 (arrival back in Canada)...and, we still didn't see everything we wanted to see!.....it looks like we're going to have to go back to a few places that we didn't have time to really explore......to be honest, almost every place we visited had so much to see and do, and no matter how much time we had to spend, we still had to pare down the list of what we wanted to see, due to lack of time......The time went so fast! 

In Memory of a dear friend and companion

Isaac Fig Newton Seip

June 4, 1986 - June 10, 2013

You will always be with us, in our hearts

Until we Meet again at the Rainbow Bridge

There was one dark shadow looming over our holidays...

We had a wonderful, leisurely vacation, but there was a shadow looming over us and an empty chair in our motorhome......We were missing a dear friend.... our little buddy Isaac wasn't with us, as he had been for the past 16 years of travel, fishing and camping.    (He's the larger Papillon in my blog picture)..  He became ill this past winter, slowly deteriorating...but, late this spring, things started going down hill quickly.....  I was unable to control his pain, even with narcotics.  He couldn't eat, was losing weight, and finally, I had to admit defeat..I couldn't 'fix' this...it wasn't going to get better, no matter what I did.

He was always such a happy little fellow, people always commented on his "happy eyes"  but, he no longer had his 'happy' eyes, they'd been gone for a while.... When you looked into his eyes, you could see he was suffering.
After he celebrated his 17th birthday on June 4th, 2013, I knew I had to do something.   I had to make the decision that every 'pet-parent' hopes they never have to make...It has to be the most difficult decision to make, and being human, we always second-guess ourselves and our decisions....
I know we made the right decision for our little friend, he was in such pain....When he started moaning in his sleep....I knew it was time to make the pain go away for good.

June 10, 2013, Isaac passed away peacefully, laying on the couch beside me, doing the thing he enjoyed most....entertaining company and getting his neck rubbed.....Isaac was a social butterfly, thinking that everyone who came to our home or shop (or even walked past our home) had came to visit him!  

He loved visitors, both animal and human!  He couldn't show off his running skills anymore, but he could still impress people with his great personality, and was liked by everyone he met. As his health deteriorated and the pain increased during the past few months, he'd sit beside me on the couch, listening to all his 'friends' had to say, giving kisses to anyone who got near enough for him to reach.

Dr. Tim, Isaac's veterinarian and dear friend whom he loved visiting, had been on a two week vacation, and was unavailable when things started getting very bad.  On June 10th, first thing in the morning, when Dr. Tim returned to work, I telephoned him and told him that Isaac needed his help one last time...and it was 'time'.

  Because Isaac had become frightened of the animal clinic after Angel passed away, Dr. Tim had agreed earlier to come to Isaac's home, when it was time, rather than upset him by bringing him to the animal clinic.  (what a caring man!!)  After work that day, Dr. Tim came to visit Isaac at home, and helped Isaac through the most important part of his life, a peaceful, pain-free passing....
Isaac was actually having a better day that last day, and part of me wanted to say " NO!! He's better... we can't do it"...but, from experience in the past few months, I knew one good day preceded 5 terrible ones.

Isaac was so happy to see his friend when he arrived at the door!   Isaac sat, as he always did when he / we had visitors, next to me on the couch, ready to listen to all the interesting stories his friends told,  until he got bored and dozed off.....(I always wondered how much he understood)....That day, he didn't notice when he was given a 'sneaky' shot, while Dr. Tim was came over to where we were sitting to give Isaac some 'loving'

Gord, Dr.Tim and I sat and talked while Isaac became sleepy, and, though the conversation sounded light.....we we were fighting to 'keep it together' and not break down crying. We didn't want to upset him.  When he was finally sleeping deeply, and feeling nothing, he was given 'the injection'.

As Isaac peacefully slipped away, we had tears streaming down our faces, and even Dr. Tim had wet eyes.  We petted and stroked and talked to our little friend, as he left to join his beloved Grandma (my Mom) and his niece Angelwings, in a peaceful, better place.   Angel, as we called her  (also in blog picture) passed away suddenly a couple of years ago, at a young age of a sudden heart attack and Isaac has missed her companionship so much since she's been gone.  She had been abused, and we had been asked to take her, and try to help her heal emotionally. The day we brought her home from Edmonton, we found out  that her mother was Isaac's sister (from thesame litter) Although they had two totally different personalities, they seemed to have a special bond, from the first time they met.. (but two dogs couldn't have had more different personalities than Isaac and Angel, hehehe)

He was always such a gentle, giving dog, sharing his toys with canine visitors and children alike.....He never blinked an eye if another animal ate or drank out of his food or water bowl....He'd actually stand back and wait for his turn, apparently unconcerned that there may be nothing left in his bowl for him... letting the other animal eat it all if they wanted. I think he knew we'd always make sure he had enough, and would never go 'without'

He  was our 'boy' after our grown children moved out.   Our (grown) children used to laugh and and refer to Isaac as their 'brother'..they'd tell their young children that Isaac was their 'brother', and his name was "Uncle Isaac"  LOL   ....It's funny that the grandkids never questioned it.....He was indeed a true family member.  He trusted and loved everyone, and was kind and gentle, seeming to know if someone was sad, upset or not feeling well...and ready to give them a kiss...(and, he was a kisser, as shown in the blog picture)....It seemed you couldn't pose for pictures with him without ending up with a few shots of him kissing the closest person...

He is missed terribly, and there is a huge hole left in our hearts and lives.

I've tried to post to my blog a few times since returning from holidays.  I started each time writing about Paper crafting, card making and rubber stamping....Each time the topic switched to our loss of our beloved furry family member, Isaac....Today I decided to do a personal post about our loss.  

Thanks for visiting, and listening to my ramblings....

I'm sorry if you were expecting a paper crafting and card making blog post...Not today.

New Releases in the Paper Crafting world

We are receiving many new releases of embossing folders and dies from Australia, United Kingdom, and USA that are due to arrive this week.  Of course, Tim Holtz, Ranger, Sizzix, Memory Box and Poppy Stamps have also released some wonderful new dies, many of them available now.  I will post about them later.

The new Embossing folders can be seen in our online catalog at:

http://s13.photobucket.com/user/integritydesigns/library/2013%20Pre-orders-Embossing%20Folders?sort=6&page=1

(this also includes the new limited edition embossing folders in both 5x7 inch at A2 size that have just arrived from Couture Creations in Australia)

I'm currently updating our online catalog to reflect all the new products introduced and released since this summer.

To view our online catalog, please visit:

http://s13.photobucket.com/user/integritydesigns/library/?sort=6&page=1
If you have any questions or problems or navigating our catalog, or finding a product, please feel free to email me at:
intgritydes at gmail dot com
Have a great week!
Thanks for visiting