We are up early this morning, frost is covering the rig, wool hat and fleece pull over on I am getting ready to dismantle the Dish and put away anything that could move, while waiting for Walt to come back from duck hunting to say our good byes. We did have some duck last night, the one that I dream about all the time… I can only think about it, as commercially wood duck or teal is not sold on the market. But we will leave with some this morning… and I will save it for a special occasion. That is the duck stuffed with cream cheese, jalapeno’s (fresh from Mexico this time), wrapped with bacon and grilled! I will have the recipe up for you soon in a couple days while traveling east. Keep checking that recipe section as I keep adding new ones quite often.

We stayed busy here, it is always busy here with Walt, always something going on even if we don’t leave the compound. I fell behind by one day making some Spirited Doggie Treats, so they will be mailed out tomorrow morning instead of today. I was actually thinking about having shipping dates, like Tuesdays and Fridays. Same with the Art Cards. I always hope their sales will go well, specially the Treats as I know that most of you have a dog or two… or three. We could even set up an automatic monthly delivery… just so your buddy will not get mad at you! The Art Cards? They are still half the price of a Hallmark card and some, as most of Spirit’s, are liable to put a smile on the faces of the recipients! A friend of mine just ordered a few as "get well cards"… How about a T Shirt with this, below, picture of Spirit? Soon… we are working on it.

Will just have to take a better one… clean his lenses!… we can even change the message…

Saturday morning, and I promise the rest of the George Ranch for next time, this is the welcome we received from the Dual Sport Riders of Louisiana… DSRL for short. On the far right is Brian, the founder and owner of the site, the young man is his son Brendon, you know Brendon who has his own page in "My First 100 Years". Now this was not only for the first few minutes that we had arrived, but went on all day… the abuse Spirit took without a complain… only turning around hoping for me to save him, to no avail however… every time we stopped! I think Spirit has a new friend and a great admirer. Some day, maybe upon our return, we will go and meet Brandon’s dogs as he also has rescued a Pit not too long ago.

The ride we took, as last year’s, again was great including a great pace. Mixed with black top, we also rode some more primitive roads, a few stops to chat, take some pictures, catch up on the time gone by since the last ride… over one year! I was hoping here that the bridge was not constructed by the same person that spelled the sign… And what is a pit stop without some entertainment…  When one rides a light cycle that is called a dual sport and designed for such, well, the sight of sand and water combined can be appealing… I think the pictures will speak for themselves…

Do not despair, and then came… Stuntman on his big machine to save the situation as gravity was taking its toll! More riders down the banks… gunshots from near by hunters added a bit of the excitement we needed… and gone we were!

Tunica Road is one of my favorite roads, if I had been riding with only Spirit, this ride would have taken us most likely a couple days and about a few hundred pictures. We are hoping to ride it again in that fashion maybe in March. The road is just too beautiful with its high banks and tree lined borders not to.

A couple more pit stops… another must pit stop for a soft dismount in the mud… ending up with just a very muddy leather suit and a "camo" cycle design, great for this hunting weekend, unfortunately… wrong vehicle for it!

Some new faces, some familiar faces from last year, the space being with them all day was a needed amount of comfort zone. Someone on their Forum posted, and I will quote " Guys, yesterday was one of those rides that confirms how wonderful our group is. From thrashing the curves to throwing mud and gravel there are no better friends to ride with! Thanks again Juice (Brian) for putting yesterday together. To the new faces, it was great meeting you guys and we hope to have you all join us again soon. Ara, as always, it’s an honor to ride with you and Spirit, and I look forward to reading about the rest of your adventures. Walt….dude, you’re name is in the dictionary next to "hospitality". When it comes to good eating there is no place that holds a candle to the Team Redneck domain!! Nanohiccup, welcome to DSRL and by the smile on your face by the end of the day yesterday it looks like you’re glad to have spent some time with us!" I could not add any better words… of course I have no clue what Spirit was trying to say here…

A few had to leave for their ride back home, but most of us, starving, end up at the local Buffet… that is where I realized that I should have not washed my riding jacket a while back, somehow the fit after dinner was not quite the same… seemed to have lost that margin of a couple plates of food. I hate it when that happens.

We are spending the night at a Pilot Truck Stop, a new experience, a contrast from the quiet empty spaces of Terlingua or Booth, Tx, or Gloster, MS, or for that matter just about anywhere we have been. The little faithful Honda 2KW generator will run all night just as not to kill the battery again with our heater going, it’s sound lost amongst the big rigs running their own diesel engines all night… I cannot say it is music to my ears… but worth the new experience.

"Spirited Doggie Treats" and "Art Cards"…. Dogs cannot live of Love and food alone… they need treats, they like treats… we know! Put Spirit to work!

We are always under deep appreciation toward the readers that have send in a contribution helping this website’s expenditures. For those who have not, continue enjoying the site, pictures, recipes, and if you feel it’s worth $1 a month, the contribution button is above, snail mail is below…

Ara Gureghian   853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd #245   Naples, Fl 34108

You be well…. Ara & Spirit

This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 9:18 pm and is filed under travel, spirituality, pit bull, sidecar, motorcycle, cooking, photography, riding, homeless. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.