Thursday, November 5, 2009

Have I mentioned my friend with the donkeys?


Recently we went on a road trip.

My husband had a bit of time off and really wanted to get out in our trailer again. We used to do this a lot - get out in our trailer. This pretty much stopped the moment we moved to the farm.

As I began loading our sweet little apartment on wheels, I realized that I hadn't slept in it since August of 2007. Wow. That was pre-farm, pre-chickens, pre-goats, pre-farmgirl and...pre-donkeys. How different my life is now.

I digress.

My husband was the instigator (call him the pusher) of this trip. He really wanted to get away. However, he was very flexible on just where we went. So, I had this grand idea. As much as I have been dreaming and thinking and plotting and planning about having donkeys in my life again, I felt that this was the *perfect* time to go and visit my friend, Cindy, who lives about five and a half hours south of us.

In preparation, I packed a small treat basket for Cindy. In it was freshly baked artisan bread (4 varieties), homemade raspberry jam, and some freshly picked Critter Farm raspberries:

Then we loaded Roxy, Porkchop, the trailer donkey, and Bubba, the giant zucchini, into the car:

...and we hit the road:

Almost immediately, we needed to stop. There's something about being responsibility-free that makes us crave a bit o'junkfood. We stopped and picked some up:

Now, my friend, Cindy, has donkeys. Lots of them. In addition to donkeys, she has horses and goats and chickens and dogs and cats, as well. Getting to visit her and her critters was the best vacation destination I could think of!

Oregon, if you don't know, is tremendously beautiful. Even the view from the major interstate freeway is pretty:

Once we got a few hours south of Portland, there were sheep farms everywhere. I had no idea there were so many sheep in Oregon:

And then we arrived at Cindy's. I may not have stopped smiling the whole time I was there:

My farm pup, Roxy, and Cindy hit it right off. Roxy felt it was her job to be in the middle of everything Cindy needed to do:

We spent the night in our trailer smack dab in the middle of the farm. The donkeys, horses and goats were directly outside our front door. The chickens and roosters were about thirty feet to the north of us (imagine Jim's face when the rooster started crowing at midnight, tee hee). I couldn't resist peeking out the door that night. The poor animals couldn't figure out who the crazy lady with the flash was:

It was wonderful.

The next morning, everybody was hungry:

Cookie and Donut are two of Cindy's beloved longears:

I even got to meet Patty Cake, the naughty mini horse that I'd heard a lot about:

This is Cindy with her beloved horse, Hoodini (or Hood for short):

Cindy loves her animals and it's clear they all adore her:

All too soon, it was time to leave. The redwoods in California were calling to my husband.

This is Miles, saying goodbye. Isn't he gorgeous?

We had so much fun. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality, Cindy!

p.s.
If anyone would like to check out what life on a southern Oregon animal farm is like, you can read Cindy's blog: here

20 comments:

  1. Well dog-goneit! I thought this post was going to end with a "We decided that donkeys were needed on Critter Farm again."

    Thanks for the fun trip anyway. I just need you to get donkeys again, because I can't have any!

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  2. I can easily see how much you enjoyed parking your little apartment on wheels in the middle of a pasture. And Jim, I'm sure, so wanted the rooster to crow in the middle of the night. Did he want to take him home to Critterfarm? Roopert (Rupert) would welcome him with open wings, don't you think?

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  3. The perfect vacation destination indeed! I hope this little getaway gets you one step closer to getting donkeys of your own. Now off to read Cindy's blog ... can't get enough of these guys.

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  4. I loved reading about your "mule" trip...

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  5. What a great place to go for a break! Them Donks are lovely!

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  6. Beautiful country and handsome donkeys. I spied chocolate and coca-cola in that junk food bag. (two of my favorites) Cindy looks very serene and "at one" with nature and her animals.

    Please tell me what 4 kinds of artisan breads were in that lovely gift basket. You know I am curious! Your breads look great.

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  7. I'm so glad you got a chance to do a road trip. And, of course, junk food is totally necessary for a five and a half hour drive! The gift basket you brought to Cindy is beautiful. What's there not to enjoy with home-made artisan breads and raspberry jam . . . how delightful!

    But, what? No donkeys coming home with you!

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  8. Oh that Miles is a cutie! What a great time you had Danni. I can't wait to hear more. I've missed you!

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  9. Awww Danni, thank you for such a nice blog about your trip here. You were right when you said you never stopped smiling the whole time you were here. I talked with Stew Pot and he said to send his apologies to Jim for crowing in the middle of the night. Hee Hee And if you ever tire of Roxie, well, she has a home here with me! (grin grin ) All the donks say hi to ya'.

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  10. Oh, I love a good road trip! I know just what you mean about the sheep farms of Oregon. Lane and Linn County happen to be my favorite areas.
    You will have to pull your trailer into the middle of my pasture sometime.

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  11. How many donkeys did you stash in the trailer? I know the urge was great. What lovely animals.
    Kelly

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  12. The artisan bread and jam made such a gorgeous gift basket. What a beautiful and thoughtful gift.

    The picture of Roxy, Porkchop, the trailer donkey, and Bubba in the back seat made me smile. A lot. I'm happy you strapped Bubba in. I think a car ride without a seat belt could be a little hazardous for Bubba.

    We can't take a road trip without stopping for junk food either! And you really have to make it feel like you're splurging by BUYING the junk food, not packing it from home. I don't know why that's so fun, but it is!

    And Oregon looks just beautiful. I would have never imagined there are so many sheep there either.

    Those donkeys are too cute! I just love the picture of them looking at you with their heads tilted. How could anyone look at those faces and not smile? They are adorable. Do they give sweet kisses? I imagine their little lips are soft and sweet.

    I bet Jim was thinking "chicken and dumplings" all night long as he attempted to sleep......

    Cindy's place looks SO wonderful and farmy. What a beautiful place she has there and so many fun and happy looking animals. I agree with Farmer Jen - Cindy seems so serene. She really is lovely. And Roxy looks as though she really enjoyed her visit with Cindy!

    What a nice visit - thanks for sharing it with us. I'm hoping we'll see pictures of the redwoods in California?

    Great post! BTW - WV: rests. Nice vacation post WV!

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  13. Oh my, a vacation with your man, a chance to visit with a friend, AND getting to love on some donkeys??? Id say you had a fantastic time. A wonderful time. An amazingly, awesome time. :-) (it did make me laugh-just a little- tho to think of jim listening to the rooster crowing...)

    And I totally agree. You HAVE to have junk food when you take a trip. And that little bag on the top of those sodas looks very familiar. Surely that didnt last you the whole trip, right?

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  14. Oh...and one more thing. Miles IS very handsome. I want to rub his long ears.

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  15. Okay, and one more thing. I agree wholeheartedly that Oregon is indeed a VERY beautiful state. Did you know that the Douglas Fir is the Oregon state tree?

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  16. I missed your blog, how great to have you back! And finally I get to sort of see what my dear friend Cindy looks like. And see her farm and all the animals. I already know that Roxy fit right in. May there be a donkey in your life soon?

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  17. Hi CeeCee - Well, don't give up on me yet. And you shouldn't give up on a donkey or two of your own...a donkey's bray is like a person's voice; it's a very individual thing. Some are incredibly loud and some are barely audible. You may have to do some looking, but there are donkeys out there whose bray merely consists of some very low wheezing-type sounds. :-)

    Hi Zitrone - The midnight-crowing rooster was soooo funny. I think I actually started to giggle in my sleep because, poor Jim, he just can't get away from the crowing, can he? Of course, he really was a good sport about it. And Jim gave Roopert a giant hug when we got back home. (snicker)

    Hi 7msn - It was, indeed, a perfect destination for me in a number of different ways. And the way Jim and I planned it, we both got exactly what we needed out of this vacation. How much better can that get? :-)

    Well hello, Jacque - I'm glad you enjoyed it! :-)

    Hi there Sue, Joe & Michael Webber - thanks for your comment! Cindy's donkeys are incredibly beautiful, aren't they?

    Hi Farmer Jen - Oh yeah...diet coke and chocolate...Mmmmm....And Cindy is just like you say, peaceful and serene. She is a true animal gal. Ok, here you go...the four breads I made for Cindy were: 1) European Peasant Bread 2) Vermont Cheddar Bread 3) a Baguette and 4) a Crusty White Sandwich Loaf. :-)

    Hi CaliforniaGrammy - Thanks for your compliment on my gift basket. Sadly, my hand-picked raspberries had a bit of a leaking accident on the way down and it created a bit of a mess. Fortunately, the bread and jam arrived unscathed!

    Hi Chook!! :-)

    Hey Eve - yeah, Miles tugged at my heart. He's had a bit of a rough go of it, so to see him so sweet and actually reaching out to me for my attention warmed my heart. :-)

    Hi Cindy!!! Snort...Stew Pot does not need to apologize in any way. Jim survived, it made me giggle and his crow is quite lovely. It's actually much quieter than bad boy Roopert's. Jim should have appreciated that. lol Stew Pot is so handsome, too! :-)

    Well hello, goatgirl! Oh dear...did you really just extend an invitation to me to camp in your pasture with all your critters? I'll be right there!! It won't be any problem to convince Jim...you don't have a rooster! ;-)

    Hi Kelly or Alex - The only donkey that drove away with us that day was Porkchop the (stuffed) trailer donkey. You're right, the urge was huge, though. Cindy's place is awesome!

    Hey basicliving (penny)! Donkey lips are indeed incredibly soft. So are the insides of their ears, and they LOVE to have them rubbed. Of course Miles, like most silly boy donkeys, LOVES having his big old butt scratched. How could I refuse?! lol
    And don't think I didn't point out to Jim that OUR rooster may crow loudly at 5:30am, but NEVER at midnight! :-)
    And, yup, a few pics of the redwoods are on their way!

    Hi frugalmom. May I call you frugal llama mama? That has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
    Of *course* that teensy bag of peanut butter m&ms did not last the entire trip. It lasted all of about 3 minutes or until we got back onto the freeway after the gas station stop. :-)
    Miles...yes, he's a beauty. But like I told Penny, he was more of a butt man. But you were used to that with Pistol, weren't you?
    Really? A third? You're just mad because I've cut you off from texting. snort.
    Ed wants me to remind you how sad it is that you don't have any of the Oregon state tree growing at your house (any more). ha ha

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  18. Yes, you may. Thanks for asking so nicely.
    Ok, good. I was worried that you didnt eat them as quickly as you should have....you should have seen the HUGE bag of M and M's I saw yesterday. It made my heart pitter pat.
    A butt man, huh? Oh and yes. I got to give that great, big, handsome Pistol some great butt scratches. Sigh. I miss Pistol. He had a crush on me you know.
    Youre totally not the boss of me...no texting...hang on...Im sending you one right now....snort.
    And I know this, *ED*. It is sad. I still have sad feelings over this.

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  19. What a great trip. I know what you mean about the requisite junk food stop.

    Your friend's place looks wonderful. I want to move there!

    Have I mentioned lately how much I love Roxy...?

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