Shades of Fall.... 'n a History lesson

Hi Ya bloggies.......

I tell ya.....we hardly ever get ta post anymore....'n we hardly ever get ta visit yer blogs anymore too.....

Now why do ya suppose that's happenin' ?

Maybe cause we have a real old person that we have ta depend on ta visit 'n ta post.......

What do ya think ????

I'm here ta tell ya that this is a long post.....cause if we don't get ta tell ya all about it now......we will never get ta tell ya at all..........

It's the Fall.....'n if ya have never seen the trees in the Fall.....ya have never been in heaven.....no siree....

Fer sure......

We love ta go ta the cottage.....even more so now cause we have DSL up here 'n the OLD ONE takes pictures.....'n we can get 'er ta upload 'em now too.....

Ya can biggify any of them by clicking on them........

So here is Northwestern Pennsylvania in all it's splendor....'n here's what the dirt road our cottage is on looks like right now....

We got ta go on long walks this visit cause the Ps weren't real busy 'n the weather was warm and sunny and the road was dry.....

We get ta run around without leads cause we're pretty good about staying with Gram 'n Pap....

Me 'n Mom are always sniffin' around tryin' ta find out if there are any vermin hidin' where we can't see 'em.....
We get ta check out McCarthy's place ta make sure any stray vermin are cornered there too....

We check out Uncle Donny's place too 'n we usually find neat stuff there...

'N what we found on this visit was not a disappointment......

Just look at what we found in Uncle Donny's back yard......

Can ya guess what it is ?????

Can Ya GUESS ????
Can Ya????
Why it's Bear Poo.....yep....in all it's glory.....just messin' up the yard....'n providin' great smells fer the 3 of us.....wowee......'n Gram made sure that we didn't roll in it..... cause .....well....now... that woulda been a real mess fer her ta clean off us.....


Gram 'n Pap said that we were going on a real road trip ta visit a special place......so we all got inta the car 'n drove up ta Warren, Pa and then onta Kinzua Dam.......


The Kinzua Dam, in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
The dam is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Warren, Pennsylvania along Route 59, within the 500,000-acre (2,000 km2) Allegheny National Forest. A boat marina and beach are located within the dam boundaries. In addition to providing flood control and power generation, the dam created Pennsylvania's deepest lake, the Allegheny Reservoir, also known as Kinzua Lake.

Lots of the places that we would have liked ta visit were closed fer the season but we found a boat launch where we could stop and walk down by the water......'n out on the water too on a floatin' dock....

My Mom sure would have loved ta go in the water but Gram said "no" so we all stayed dry....

It was cool walkin' out onta the dock but it bobbed in the water 'n that was pretty scary......

We got ta read some of the signs that were posted....rules....a ton of 'em....but me 'n Toby just sniffed all the signs that other dogs left behind.......


We saw some fishermen fishin' from the shore.....no boats were out in the water....none that we could see anyhow....but it was a work day so that may be why too....

This is what it looks like when water is let outta the dam.....pretty....isn't it ????

And the scenery is just beautiful too....this is right below the dam......

Kinzua means "fish on a spear" in the Seneca Iroquois language.

Construction of the dam forced the departure of Pennsylvania's last Native Americans, the Seneca, who now live near Salamanca, New York, near the northern shore of the Allegheny Reservoir, which covers land flooded by the dam. Inundation led to the evacuation of both the Cornplanter Reserve (PA) and parts of the Allegany Reservation (NY).[1] It also led to the destruction of the grave of Seneca religious prophet Handsome Lake. Construction of the dam was begun in 1960; in 1961, citing the immediate need for flood control, President John F. Kennedy denied a request by the Seneca to halt construction.[2] A lawsuit against breaking the U.S. treaty which guaranteed perpetual Seneca ownership of the land had been argued by the Quakers but it lost in Federal court.

Authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1936, 1938, and 1941, actual construction on the dam was begun by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1960 and completed in 1965. The main purpose of the dam is flood control on the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. This dam controls drainage on a watershed of 2,180 square miles (5,650 km2) or an area twice the size of the state of Rhode Island. Side benefits derived from the dam include drought control, hydroelectric power production, and recreation.
The total cost of construction was approximately $108 million. According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, Kinzua more than paid for itself in 1972 when tropical storm Agnes dumped continual heavy rains on the watershed, bringing the reservoir to within three feet of its maximum storage capacity. Over $247 million in downstream damages were prevented.


'N the scenery is just breathtakin'.......'n there's 24 miles of it ta enjoy too.....

The next picture was taken right above the dam.....

During the summer season, the waters are full of boats but on Monday there was nothing but cool blue water.... ....'n we pretty much had the place ta ourselves too.....

Well we sure hope ya enjoyed our Fall scenery....'n our trip ta Kinzua Dam too....because we sure did...

Oh yeah, we also got Gram ta take a picture last night out the slidin' glass doors.....

Good night everyone....we sure hope that yer week is goin' well 'n that yer weather is as super as ours has been....

We just LOVE THE FALL !!!!!

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' from Grand Valley, Pa in the hills of northwestern Pennsylvania......Penn's Woods at it's finest..........

Researchin' Important Matters..........

Hey there bloggies......

Here I am again usin' my noggin' ta delve inta important news stories that I heard Gram talkin' about the other day.

Health Care.......

Have ya heard about it ????

Did ya know there's a big debate about it all over the country ????


Well, I figured that if it is all that IMPORTANT......well, I better get on the puter 'n see what was what......

This time I used Gram's laptop......ta search the web fer info on all this health care business that the whole country is talkin' about......


So, they're gonna vote on it next week.....uuuummmmm....wonder what's in that bill........do ya know ??????

Well, I sure don't but I bet it's important ta everyone.......maybe even me....'n my Mom.....'n silly Toby too.......

Ya have ta really research stuff before ya feel good about things those POLY-TICIANS are gonna vote on......cause that means that they're gonna pass a bill that will become LAW.......

'N that's somethin' we all care about. Now I heard that people were all up in arms about the fact that the bill might extend health care coverage ta illegal aliens. Do ya think that provision is in this bill????

Well, how about us ????

I mean Me..... 'n my Mom.....'n Toby too......are we in the bill ????

Will we get guaranteed health care coverage??????

I mean ......what if we get sick ????? Are we covered ?????

Well, we sure don't know.....but we want all the senators and all the representatives in Congress ta read the bill before they vote on it.........

So I filled in the petition so that my representatives in Congress get the message.....

Hey Gram....do I have a representative in Congress ??????

What ????

Should I look that up too ?????

Well, I tell ya that I am pretty tired lookin' inta that computer screen and I am gonna let my eyes rest a spell.....

I mean there's toys ta play with 'n beds ta get warm.......ya have ta spread yerself around.....

Don't be thinkin' that I'm gonna ferget about all this......

No siree......

I'm gonna follow-up ta make sure those Congress people do what is right........

In the meantime.......I have somethin' that's a bit easier readin' ......ta relax with..........

Can ya guess why I just love this book ??????


'N ya can bet that the Wire Fox Terrier.....is NOT the DUMB WITNESS..........

Have a great weekend everyone......

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' on researchin' health care reform......'n readin' about fox terriers......

The Age of Technology

Hi Bloggies.....

Betcha thought we left 'n were never comin' back....didn't ya ????? Well, we thought about that but I finally got Gram ta sit a spell 'n help me get this post tagather......sheesh...if that ain't the hardest thin' in the world....nothin' is.....

But now let me tell ya somethin' really special......we're up at the cottage......'n we now have DSL here.....why....we're in the age of technology here.......fer sure.....never thought it was comin' ta this part of the woods...but it has....so I hog-tied Gram ta make sure we got ta tell ya all about it....


First, I figured I would test out Gram's swing on the front porch. It's really comfie....'n we love ta relax on it.....

Ya can make the swing go nice 'n easy.....sometimes it helps if Toby gives it a little push......

Sometimes we can get Gram 'n Pap ta take us fer a walk.....

So.....we took a walk up ta McCarthy's cottage again ta check out the place and ta make sure no vermin were hangin' around.....we sure thought we smelled one in that wood pile.....

We just knew that he was in here somewhere but I tell ya we just couldn't find 'em at all.....

We got ta go over ta Grandma Judy's house and see her chickens runnin' around the yard....we just love those chickens....don't you ???

The lady chickens...they're hens....lay brown eggs that we get ta eat....'n they're delicious too.....

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Oh and we almost fergot that on August 29.........Reed Elliott Johanson was born weighing 5 pounds and 15 ounces and measuring 18 inches long.....ain't he little ??????

Here he is with his big brother, Parker and his Mom in the hospital.......Can ya imagine that Parker got ta go inta the hospital ????? Sheesh.......

Well, that was a big report that I just typed up....'n that makes me real tired....I think that I will roach fer a spell and let my Mom tell ya all the rest of the news....

Oops.....I think my Mom is tired too....do ya think Toby can type the rest of this report ????


Not in my lifetime, I tell ya....but we sure are gonna enjoy the new technology we have here now and if I can't get Gram ta help me, I think I'm gonna sign up fer reporter school just so I can do it all by myself....

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' on technology, chickens, swings, baby Reed and roachin.....

Catchin' Up on News........

Hi every Bloggie....

A lot has happened the past week or so and I finally got Gram ta sit down fer a spell so she could help us tell ya all about it.

Last Saturday and Sunday were the Earthdog tests and my Mom was entered inta Senior Earthdog cause she got her Junior title last year. 'N I was entered inta Junior Earthdog again cause last year I didn't do nothin' last year....nope, not a thing....had ta take the test all over again.....nerve wrackin' fer sure.....

So off we went on Saturday on the Pa. Turnpike ta get ta Woodside......'n guess what happened???? Just as we got onta the turnpike, the car got sick....it wouldn't go....'n this is what happened ta us.....

Can ya imagine us there in the car all by our lonesome....wonderin' if we were gonna get ta Woodside alive while the car is goin' down the road without anyone at the wheel.....scary.....yes siree.... downright scary fer sure.... (it was a transmission collant hose that broke, scary but not fatal)

We had ta call brother Scott ta pick us up at the car dealer where the car was towed and take us ta our house ta get the other car 'n then we were back on the road on the way ta Donegal. Finally we arrived at Woodside just in time fer the tests.

Gram was pretty busy since we were late gettin' there 'n she didn't have time ta take any more pictures cause my test place was different from my Mom's 'n she had ta run back 'n forth....

Now I wanna tell ya that it was really hot both Saturday and Sunday and they had little kiddie pools set up so the doggies could cool off cause chasin' rats in a tunnel is hard work. This is me in our pool at the cottage but ya get the idea........

Now before I tell ya what happened those 2 days, just remember that I did tell ya that my Mom is a better earthdog than I am and so ya sure won't be surprised ta see what she got last Saturday and Sunday.....

Those 2 ribbons are fer Senior Earthdog.....ya have ta pass the Senior Earthdog test 3 times so my Mom has ta pass it one more time ta get 'er Senior Earthdog title. But see how many ribbons she already has......sheesh.....looks like a friggin' monument doesn't it?????
I can tell ya none of those ribbons are fer me......

Why, ya may ask ????

Well, because I did the same thin' this year that I did last year......

What's that ????

Why, nothin'....not a thing...nada.....I laid a bunch of eggs......I was afraid of the earthdog judge...'n I didn't want ta go inta the tunnel when the judge was at the end of it. Even more frightenin' is the fact that the stop watch they use makes a noise that sounds like the warnin' beep on our electric fence collars....'n once I heard that I wanted outta there pronto........scat man Dewey.......

Gram says I need a new name.....can't use Dewey Dewster anymore....nope....need ta be called Dewey the Dudd or Dewey the Dunce........got me a dunce cap which I thought was rather stylish....don't ya think ????? But I wanted ta know what a dunce was so I got on Gram's computer 'n googled it ta see what kinda guy I was gonna be from now on.....

DUNCE

Dunce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A dunce is a person incapable of learning.

The word is derived from the name of the great Scholastic theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus, whose works on logic, theology and philosophy were accepted textbooks in the universities from the 14th century. Duns or Dunsman was a name applied by early opponents to the followers of Duns Scotus, who were less disparagingly called the Scotists. Hence the term came to refer to anyone devoted to sophistry in their argumentation. When, in the 16th century, the Scotists obstinately opposed the new learning (i.e., the English Renaissance), the term duns or dunce became, in the mouths of the humanists and reformers, a term of abuse, a synonym for one incapable of scholarship. Dunces are often comedically shown wearing paper cone hats, known as dunce caps, with the word "dunce" or "dumb", or simply a capitalized "D" on them. Schoolchildren were sometimes compelled to wear a dunce cap and to sit in a stool in the corner as a form of humiliating punishment for misbehaving or for failing to demonstrate that they had properly performed their studies.

Sheesh, It sounds like I'm not ever gonna learn how ta go inta the tunnel while that judge is sittin' there.

I sure don't want ta be Dewey the dunce....nope....no siree....not in a million years.

What can I do so that I'm not afraid of the earthdog judge ????? HELP me guys.....I can't let my Mom make me look like a schmuck here........

One last thing......Pap 'n Gram took Parker 'n my fur Dad, Fred....'n my fur brother George down ta the playground by their house......do ya think we all look alike ??? Do I favor my Dad more than my bro ????? My Dad is the one on the right....

Well, I guess I better start searchin the web on ways ta be more like my Mom so I can get some ribbons like hers......now what key-word search do I use fer that??????

This is Dewey the Dunce reportin' on earthdog ribbons, our sick car.. 'n my new name....

Have a great week everyone !!!!!!!

Snake 'n the Grass.......'N Divin' Fer Bass......

Hi Ta Everyone.....

While we were at the cottage on our last visit, Pap took a wheel barrel full of split wood ta the back of the house so it would be ready fer the cold weather......cause we mostly use the wood stove ta heat the cottage.

Once he unloaded the wood, he found a snake in the wheel barrel and my Mom just loves ta chase snakes so he brought it ta the front of the cottage. Gram has seen this kind of snake before and it's called a ring neck snake. My Mom doesn't care what it's called, she just loves ta chase 'em.....

See what happens ta the snake.....

Don't ya wonder how the buggers move along like that without any legs? But they're real sneaky....yep, just like a snake in the grass..... poor snake....he's history now cause my Mom shook 'em too much.

Pap was splittin' all that wood....'n Toby always loves ta play with big logs....he grabbed one of the split logs and ran off with it. Here's what he did with it ...........
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We just love ta go inta the water. So Gram 'n Pap took us up ta Keller's Lake ta try ta catch some fish....some rocks in the water....'n some sticks.......'n ta cool off too......

Here's what Keller's Lake looks like....pretty isn't it ???

Then we got ta go inta the water and got ta enjoy ourselves some...watch 'n see what we got ta do....

My Mom always likes ta bring balls back when ya throw 'em.......we never really went inta the water where it was deep til this trip....ya might get ta see us paddlin' along.......'n ya might see my Mom bring back a stick....

Boy, ya think my Mom knows more about stick fetchin' than I do ???? Nope.....no siree.....just watch me bring back that stick ta Gram........that's me....Dewey Dewster....Master stick fetcher extraordinaire..........

Well....now that ya got ta see how good I am at bringin' back the stick....ya know why everyone thinks I'm so special....don't ya..????

'N now ya know why we love ta go ta the cottage so much......we love it there cause there is lots of room ta run 'n play......'n places ta swim....'n vermin that needs my Mom ta teach it that it shouldn't be there at all....

Yep.....that's North Western Pennsylvania at it finest........'n Dewey Dewster at his best......

Almost fergot baby Parker.....maybe we should say big boy Parker now........
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Have a great week..........everyone...........

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' on Snakes, Lakes and pictures that Gram takes............'n big boy Parker......who has what it takes.......