Lisa's Musings (on planning vacations) and Every Day Life

Most people take time off during the year.

It seems like I'm always working. In fact, I rarely take a day off during the week.

Some people even take a vacation.

They go somewhere fun, warm or cold, depending on their interests.

And ta-da ... this year, for something completely new and different, I plan to be one of those people.

Am I going to Hawaii, or Europe or Up North?

Been There. Done that. Got paid to judge agility up there.

Nope, I have decided to take not one, but TWO, vacations this year.

The first vacation will be in August -- I won't say when because I hear that people get robbed when they announce I'll be gone from this date to this date -- alerting anyone who reads a blog or Facebook post to the fact their house will be empty.

Well potential burglars -- I may be gone, but my house won't be empty; there will be someone here. So don't even think about it.

So where am I going?

To somewhere about 560 miles from here -- near a place called Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.

As best as I can tell, I get on the 401 and drive for many, many miles and then I'll be there.

And what am I doing on my vacation? Taking my dogs, of course.

I'm headed to the 2010 Ontario Regional Toller Specialty.

Yes, I'm headed to a dog show, and hopefully, I'll be able to talk my friend, Nancy, who shows Ryan, to go with me.

I'll meet up with Driver's breeders, Sue Miller and Bev Keith, who live in Canada and plan to go and I'll have the chance to meet the grand dame of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever breed -- Alison Strang -- the person who wrote the book, literally, on the breed.

We've e-mailed a few times but I've always wanted to meet her because in the background of my Tollers are some of her foundation dogs.

I'll probably be more nervous talking to her than I've ever been interviewing presidents, big time athletes or movie stars. To me, Alison is REALLY famous, because if it weren't for her, the dog breed I've come to love wouldn't be where it is today.

In fact, without her, I might not even have the privilege of owning Tollers.

I've got goosebumps just thinking about it.

Plus, I've competed in Canada before and the people there are just plain nice. Very helpful and friendly and I've always had a good time when I've headed across the border.

So Thursday, I'll make out my first vacation form and hand it to my editor so she has plenty of time to figure out what she's going to do while I'm gone.

And, I'll have to figure out how much training time I have and put together a vacation plan ... er, training plan, so little Driver is rip snortin' ready to show his Canadian cousins what a transplanted Canadian Toller can do.

He'll be among his ilk.

I'll be the foreigner.

Canada, here we come.