Shrek Savvy Fancy Free

A couple of weeks ago the family traveled to Carbondale, IL for a swim meet. We had a GREAT weekend. My girls had a swim meet so we booked a cabin at Giant City State Park. Southern Illinois is like a whole other world. The park was beautiful and the cabin was quite reasonable. Two things happened that were noteworthy. First, this was the second time we have traveled to the park and this year just like last there was a Pitt Bull Association holding some sort of event. Now where I come from Pitt Bulls eat people. Being barefoot and running the perimeter of the area of the event many unsociable dogs were being kept in cages in the back of 4 wheel drive pickups that were larger than RV's.


I wondered if there weren't a few overly enthusiastic owners who held a higher sense of confidence than they should and also wondered whether one of their dogs would see me, instinctively know I wasn't one of their kind and eat me. Then I heard a loud snarl and low and behold a dog at full speed launched across the yard and attached a guy in a rubber suit. It was a demonstration of how to use your pet as a weapon. All this was happening while a few feet from them their kids were laughing and playing on the swings. Thankfully I went unnoticed. I think I could hear banjos and I started having flashbacks from that movie Deliverance......

On Saturday we decided to go to the stables to get in a family horseback ride. Too cool I thought. We get to the stable and filled out the waiver. My girls were saddled up on beautiful but smaller horses and my wife was given a horse named Playboy (well endowed I might add). Then I got a look at my horse.....er well. Kaila was giggling to her sister. "Look dad's getting Shrek! HHHHAAAAAHHHAAAA!!!!!". I quickly corrected them. "She's not a DONKEY shes a mule!" It was no use. Its very hard to look cool on a mule I found. I think its the ears.

Anyway, this morning, I opened my mailbox and find this letter. Evidently I impressed somebody.

Enjoy.