The Chopper Chronicles

I know it’s been almost forever since I posted last. What can I really say, except ” You just can’t get good help these days ” Drums handsome Chihuahua toe toes and looks around. In all fairness, things got kinda crazy around here for awhile. SO much has happened lately I almost don’t know where to begin…..so I suppose it’s easier to start where I left off ! Not that I, Chopper The Brave, Grand PooBah of All I Survey and King Of both North and Mid Wales ( yeppers folks…I have extended My Territory since the last time I posted ! ), thought it was such a great day !!! It began as most *Adventure Days* did….Early wake up time, early cooked to order Chopper sized fresh Welsh sausage for breakfast ( and the 3 measly pieces of wheat toast Mum tossed My direction ). The Tetched Twosome were all excited about where they were going today. Dinas Bran….sounds like some breakfast cereal that comes in one of those boxes that do not have free surprises in them, to Me ! In any case…spirits were high. That Bearded Guy did a great job directing Mum to a narrow lane near Worlds End called Panorama Walk. Instead of turning towards Worlds End like before, we turned right this time and followed along the base of an AMAZING limestone cliffs formation. ( this entire valley is a Site of Special Scientific Interest & Landscape of Special Historic Interest ) Without warning, Mum suddenly turned off the road into a small pullout.  She is famous for these sudden unannounced stops which always leave That Bearded Guy sitting in the navy gators seat saying “..poop…poop…poop.. !! ” These usually knock me off of My Throne perch in the back window as well…..raises one handsome Chihuahua eyebrow, taps toe toes and glares at Mum ! I was alright with it this time though….this was as yet, unclaimed territory for me and I was anxious to leave a few markers and do a fair bit of scratching. Turns out that it was a marked section of The Offa’s Dyke Path ! That Bearded Guy stayed behind to take some pictures of the high limestone cliffs beside us ( except the sun had not peeked over their tops yet ). Mum and I walked along the road/trail/path for a little ways. That’s when My day started to go ever so  wrong !!! I was just trying to leave a nice Claim Marker to make it well known the area was now Mine when those darn Klingon’s attacked Me again !!! About this time I am seriously wondering why the heck this was called Offa’s Dyke Trail…because it certainly was NOT coming Offa !!! Making matters worse, That Bearded Guy caught up with Mum and I, and they continued walking up the trail !!! No matter how far i duck-walked, looked miserable, etc etc…onward they went !! Needless to say, I was lagging behind by an entire lead length. I could hear them plotting some dire measures, but could not hear anything beyond..” …not getting in the car with Klingons..” This would pose a major problem. It was cold, we were out in the middle of nowhere, and neither one of them is brave enough to take on the removal without body armour. Ok Ok…so this is entirely MY fault. I tend to go into devil dog mode when anyone tries to get that close to my Handsome Chihuahua butt !! Back at My chariot, things went from bad to worse !! That Bearded Guy pulled out an ultra thick pair of winter gloves ( henceforth known as gauntlets ! ), Mum produced a ziploc baggie of emergency toilet paper, and a bottle of water that i swear she had been keeping under a Glacier ! Let’s just say they BOTH got “Black Marks” for that ordeal ! I was ready to go home now. Cancel the day….the spell of excitement was thoroughly broken ! They even had the NERVE to take a picture of me curled up on My Throne in the back window a few minutes later !! I thought about pee’ing in their shoes for that indignity ! The Panorama Walk track is very skinny narrow, so the going was slow.  Although I was in full sulks and wanted to go home, I really did enjoy the spectacular views ! Not far down this track was our destination for the day. A castle ruins atop a really steep sided mountain, called Castell Dinas Bran. This area even got ME into high spirits as soon as I got out of the chariot !! It was built on the site of a really really old old Iron Age Hill Fort so the place really hummed ! There was only a small footpath type sign indicating the way up, and room for only 2 or three cars to park there.  Only one car was already there, so we anticipated having the place almost to ourselves ! Mum clipped on My Royal Leash ( nice, handy, retractable deal ) then she and That Bearded Guy started digging in the chariot boot. ( that’s the trunk to us Yankee Doodle Chihuahuas…not the smelly old kind people put on their feet ) It was really really windy and pretty cold so The Bearded Guy was putting on his down jacket, and Mum was tying hers around her waist. Well folks, I am not one to wait around for the Dawdling Duo for too long…so i carefully started making My way across the flat railed cattle grid between us and the path. Honestly folks, I really think I could have made it all the way across if That Bearded Guy had not alerted Mum, who instantly freaked out and not only called My name, but also clicked stop on the lead handle !!! Ever try turning around on a 3 inch wide rail ???? It sucked me right down and almost swallowed Me whole !!!! Literally hanging on by My toes, I could feel nettles tickling My tail !!!! It was terrible horrible and very very bad ! No sooner did I gain the top of the next rail…it sucked Me down AGAIN !!!!! Oh Waily Waily Waily, I kept falling through the raily !!! Not once…not twice…but THREE times it tried to eat Me. There i was, hanging on by mere claws, body dangling over an ancient oubliette, full of nettles growing on top of layers of prehistoric hedgehog remains, dinosaurs and certainly more than one Roman sandal, and all my Mum could do was call My name ! ( drums toes…like I wasn’t already TRYING to get away from it’s greedy jaws ! ) She was finally able to assist Me by pulling straight up on my leash. This was fine and dandy enough, although I could have done without that momentary dangle over the gaping maw of that hideous creature called a cattle grid. Whats worse, is there was not a single cow in sight !!! Mum put Me in the car boot for safe keeping, and i instantly tried to burrow in That Bearded Guys newly discarded fleece jacket. I was traumatized, claws and toe toes ached from the strain, my backside and tail, not to mention my hind legs had nearly been nettled again…and all I wanted was to burrow all the way HOME home home !!!!! Sighs heavily here for dramatic effect….Do you know what I got folks ??? If you guessed tenderly carried back to My throne in the chariot’s back window for careful transport back home…you would be wrong. Nope….The Terrible Twosome were still determined to climb the vertical hill to the castle above !!! Mum simply gave me the once over…..and shoved Me into her bozo, and off they marched….around the side of the Chihuahua eating prehistoric oubliette hiding cattle grid !  Slaps paw to handsome Chihuahua forehead…no one told ME there was another way to get past that thing !!! Without Me to pull them both up the steep hillside, it was their turn to climb up stuff with their nails !!!….. But that’s for the next post… Thanks for your patience, folks. I promise a return of regular posts. Everything has kind of settled down a bit around here.

Mum and I headed down a portion of Panorama Walk that is also a section of Offa’s Dyke Path

On Offa’s Dyke Path….not ONE word about My Duck Walk stance !!!

View from The Offull’s Dyke Path

My ‘Post Gauntlet Indignant’ pose. I was NOT amused

Refusing to acknowledge The Terrible Twosome and their levity !

Yours Truly after the prehistoric oubliette hiding Chihuahua eating cattle grid incident

To view the entire set of 18 pictures taken of the Eglwseg Rocks and The Offa’s Dyke Trail and Panorama Walk click -> HERE <-

This is Chopper The Cattle Grid Survivor, ( Gone where NO Chihuahua wants to go ! ) Grand PooBah of all I survey and King of North Wales & Mid Wales signing off for now……

Happy Turkey Day to My American Friends and Family !

I raise my Paw and Wag my tail in a *bark out* to my wonderful friend, Debbie with a new last name as of Oct 11, 2008, in Marana/Tucson, AZ !!!!! HellOoOooo and Thank You Debbie Of All Pet Travel ! HelloOoOo and Thank You’s to Rich and Erika, miss and love You’s ! You too,  Carmen,  All of Vail AZ, …. Lots of kisses and Wags.…Hiya’s to Maxx and Duke ! Also to one of My NEW friends from Washington State, who recently visited…HellOooo Rob ! Thanks for the awesome tin of South American beef with gravy !

Chopper The Brave ” Going Where No Chihuahua Has Gone Before “

Hello again folks. I know it’s been a few days since anything new has been posted. Things got a little crazy around here, and I needed a full day to recover from my adventure down a cattle grid full of stinging nettles !!!

I left off last time when we were headed off to ride the Chew Chew in Llanberis. ( for all you Yank Chihuahua’s, the double Ll in Llanberis, Llangollen, Llanarmon etc…is pronounced as a “CL” combination as in clan, but only at the beginning…double L’s in the middle of a welsh word is totally different ) Anyway…..after an exhilarating visit to My new Welsh Castle, Dolbadarn, we walked down the road a short bit to the Llanberis railway to ride on a Chew Chew train. This sounded like an excellent idea to me ! It was not my very first train ride. I have been on a commuter train that runs between San Francisco, California, and San Jose, California when I was going to the San Jose Airport headed for Las Vegas, Nevada. That wasn’t a Chew Chew type train however, and I really thought a Chew Chew train sounded fantastic !! I mean, how many trains actually allow chewing ?? That Bearded Guy went in the little station house and bought our tickets. I was slightly miffed about the fact that they misunderstood and my ticket said I was, of all things, ….a dog…( rolls handsome green Chihuahua eyes ) AND they misspelled Chihuahua and it said Ci under the dog part ( ok ok so Ci is dog in Welsh….a Chihuahua cannot be expected to remember EVERYTHING when excited about riding a Chew Chew ! ) The Chew Chew train had not arrived yet, but there was a fair amount of people milling about waiting for it. I, of course, received a great deal of adoring attention from quite a few admirers. There were also a steadily increasing amount of people with dogs showing up !!! Make sense that a handful of dogs would be riding this Chew Chew….As The Grand PooBah, King of North Wales, I was expecting a private car anyway. All was right in My world….New Castle, warm and snug inside my Mum’s bozo ( hooded sweatshirt to those of you new to my blog ) I had my two favorite servants attending me…it was all good to go ! Then…rattling and roaring up the track, clackity clacking it’s way towards us, was this hideous, loud…..thing….belching great monstrous Chihuahua choking clouds of absolutely wretched smelling, vile black and white smoke….and it screamed at me !!!!!! CHOOOOO CHOOOOO it screamed. Well I might be known as Chopper The Brave, Grand PooBah of All I Survey, King Of North Wales… but there IS a limit, folks !!!!! This was far and beyond anything I have ever experienced !!! I promptly left the warm snug confines of Mum’s bozo and tried to climb up over her head and into her right ear ! I couldn’t get a clear view of what it was exactly because it was sending great huge plumes of black and white smoke everywhere ! What I DID know was this idea just wasn’t going to work out…Chew Chew or not, I wasn’t going to stick around….I have plenty of perfectly excellent chew toys and rawhides at HOME ! Ohmygoddess me this was terrible !!! It screamed CHOOO CHOOO again and emerged from the smoke. Ok, so it wasn’t very big at all, in fact a LOT smaller then the train I have previously ridden on. It’s the smaller things one really has to look out for though !! A Rottweiler with a chip on it’s shoulder was more inviting than this ! The Torturing Twosome, for some reason, were terribly excited about this fume belching horrendous monster, and ignored all my protests and actually got into the last car this “Choo Choo” screaming monstrosity was pulling along behind it ! Ok, so maybe it would not be too bad if I burrowed deep into My Mum’s bozo…it WAS cold after all, and she was also wearing a nice fluffy down jacket. It gets worse here, folks ! That small but mighty noxious smoke spewing thing came chugging right beside us and made a huge lurching racket attaching itself right in front of our car !!!!! To put it mildly, I was NOT amused. Remind Me to put this Torturing Tetched Twosome on report ! Before long it started going, vile, smelly smoke belching out the side of a stack on it’s snout. That Bearded Guy was all excited…snapping a million pictures along the way. Mum was excited too and did a lot of ” oooh’ing and ahh’ing ” At one point Mum had the camera…so I decided I would be much safer tucked under That Bearded Guys arm….after all…he IS much bigger and stronger than My Mum is ! After what seemed like for-ev -ver, it came to the end of it’s tracks along the lake. Everyone got out and walked around for awhile….I stayed inside my Mums bozo. Others and their dogs milled about reading about the slate mine history of the area and letting their dogs run around. Not ONE TIME did I see any actual “chewing” going on ! Thankfully, during this small break….that horrid little CHOO CHOO screaming, smoke belching monster, jumped onto another little piece of track and went to the back of the cars to pull us all back to where we started from. That Bearded Guy was still snapping pictures like He had never seen a lake before, so I had to crawl into the back of Mum’s down jacket for safety and security reasons. We made another brief stop so the Engine Ear could feed and water the stinky monster. Guess all that smoke belching is thirsty work ! Personally, I was all for walking back to the station at this point…it was not all that far up the track. Sighs…unfortunately The Torturous Tetched Twosome were determined to ride all the way to the station. This time the Corn Duck Tier put a nice big Chocolate Labrador Retriever ( and his entourage ) into My car for added protection. This Chihuahua has never been so glad to get to any station of any sort before !!! While this seemed to be a very enjoyable excursion for My terribly Tetched entourage, not at any point was I amused. Worse yet….I did not at any time, see ANY Chewing going on !!! The walk back to the chariot was fairly uneventful aside from the fact the air was actually breathable once again. That Bearded Guy brought out the large roast beef bap…er….cob, ( nice round sandwich bread to us Yankee Doodle Chihauhua’s ) he had bought at Edwards of Conwy…..FINALLY, something to really chew !!! They fed me My bits minus the lettuce, purple onion,cucumber and tomato. It was a nice gesture on their parts I suppose…..however they are still going on report !

This ticket should have been My first clue…it said I was a DOG !!

The Chihuahua choking, bloody great red monster, belching clouds of absolutely wretched smelling, vile black and white smoke while screaming ” CHOOO CHOOO ” coming clickity clackity up the track.( I was trying to protect My Mum from the inside of her ear )

The Chihuahua choking, bloody great red monster, belching clouds of absolutely wretched smelling, vile black and white smoke while screaming ” CHOOO CHOOO “, as it came around to grab My private train car !

Ohmygoddess this is a TERRIBLE idea. Forget the Chew Chew Mum ! Let’s just get OFF this thing !

I think I see a place where I might be able to Chew Chew My way out of here !

Look over there ! A place to get off at…looks perfect to ME !

A perfect place to escape the Chihuahua choking, bloody great red monster, that belches clouds of absolutely wretched smelling, vile black and white smoke while screaming ” CHOOO CHOOO “

One of about a zillion pictures That Bearded Guy took of Llyn Padarn Lake.

Another lake picture and Welsh landscape.

The National Slate Museum as seen through Chihuahua choking absolutely wretched smelling stuff that the Chew Chew train spews.

Old slate workings

Due to multiple requests, I have added a slightly better picture of the Chew Chew engine. Since I was so busy protecting Mum and That Bearded Guy , they neglected to get a really good picture of the actual train cars being pulled by that The Chihuahua choking, bloody great red monster, belching clouds of absolutely wretched smelling, vile black and white smoke while screaming ” CHOOO CHOOO “

To see the entire set of well over a zillion lake and train pictures that The Bearded Guy took on the Chew Chew ride, ( ok ok…it’s really only 43 ) Click right >>HERE<<

This is Chopper The Choking Chew Chew rider, Grand PooBah of all I survey and King of North Wales, signing off for now……

I raise my Paw and Wag my tail in a *bark out* to my wonderful friend, Debbie with a new last name as of Oct 11, 2008, in Marana/Tucson, AZ !!!!! HellOoOooo and Thank You Debbie Of All Pet Travel ! HelloOoOo and Thank You’s to Rich and Erika, miss and love You’s ! You too,  Carmen,  All of Vail AZ, …. Lots of kisses and Wags.…Hiya’s to Maxx and Duke !

Chopper The Brave ” Going Where No Chihuahua Has Gone Before “

Some days are just out and out 5 Curly Tail Days. This was no exception ! First was the early morning trek up the Moel Famau track. Then after second breakfast, That Bearded Guy suggested a trip to the beach !! Being a beach baby, born in Fort Bragg, California, and raised just south of town along the coast for my first year…I did not have to be asked twice. In fact, this suggestion had Me so excited that I almost loaded My Royal Chushion and water bowl into the chariot Myself. This destination was Talacre Beach, Talacre Dunes, and The Point of Ayr Lighthouse ! VERY cool !!!! The drive there was the usual crazy skinny curvy roads with spectacular views. Mum was surprised how close we are to the beach. In about 30 mins I was eagerly pulling My way to a boardwalk through the dunes. My Macho Pink Handsome Chihuahua nose was going a mile a minute. Talacre Dunes is considered an SSSI ( A Site of Special Scientific Interest ) This is because of the Natterjack Toad. The dunes at Talacre are the only place this endangered specis of Toad can be found in Wales. The Talacre Dunes and beach are very interesting indeed. Besides the really cool Point of Ayr Lighthouse,  known for its bird population, the Point of Ayr is the Northernmost place in mainland Wales. The village of Talacre is the northernmost settlement in mainland Wales. So here I was claiming a rather historic ( the lighthouse was built in 1776 ) and special area and headed to one of my favorite places….the beach ! This beach and its dunes are well known for a great many things, but no one mentioned anything about what I saw the most of everywhere. BallFaces. Yes, folks….BallFaces. Everywhere I looked. There they were, in all shapes, colors and sizes, heading to the beach too ! Never had i seen such a wide variety of balls either ! While I am not a particular fan of the ball chase trend, I do have a great appreciation for the happiness and joy it brings to Dogs and their servants who throw the balls for them. Luckily it was a HUGE long expanse of beach and once we started strolling along, it seemed to be our own private place. A few dogs and their people passed us by, ( My dawdling duo was really taking their time today ) including a hugely giant once white but now wet long curly haired chap with legs as long as stilts. At first, I thought I would have to get My Growler out because he came bounding up and really gave me a good sniff. I was protecting Mum from up in her arms and this boyo was almost as tall as My Mum ! Turns out he was a very respectful chap, just very excited to be walking along the beach with his entourage. The next few times he bounced My direction it was quite alright, after all, I was getting all the proper respect due to The King Of North Wales. We walked for a really long ways before Mum declared she had to tinkle. Rolls Handsome green Chihuahua eyes. There was only bouncy giant and his entourage way up beach from us, and some unfortunate dogless walkers way down beach from us, but Mum just wouldn’t use a nice clump of seaweed I graciously found for her on the beach. She dragged me way up onto a small dune hillock along the beach instead and precariously perched behind it. Knowing that she was in a rush and concerned about the walkers way down beach, I magnanimously stood beside her and scratched madly while she tinkled. ( I knew she wouldn’t take the time to do this ) I have to say that scratching dry sand was a LOT different than all the scratching I had been doing down in the wet sand of the retreating tide ! One would still think she would be a bit more appreciative than she was. The Dawdling Duo picked up a few rocks, beach worn coal, a few cockle shells ( little clam shells to us Yankee Doodle Chihuahuas ) and some razor clam shells, and decided it was time to turn back. By the time we walked past the Point of Ayr Lighthouse the tide had retreated enough that people were standing around it. I could not believe how many crazy dogs ( mostly Labrador Retrievers ) were swimming and playing in the cold Irish Sea !!!! It was insane and almost embarrassing to see how undignified they were acting splashing about in herds ! Giant respectful white shaggy tall dog from earlier did some splashing about in the shallows chasing a stick and leaping through the water, but nothing like this daft festival of swimmers ! Once back in My chariot I had to admit I was once again, one very tired Grand PooBah and King of North Wales. I enjoyed every minute of this bright sunny day though. That Bearded Guy told us that the area of beach between low and high tide, by law and tradition belongs to the Queen of England. Ha !!! It’s now ALL mine Mine MINE !!!

Point of Ayr Lighthouse and The Talacre Dunes

Point Of Ayr Lighthouse

I’m impressed Mum. Someone built a rocket on the shore. Can we send That Bearded Guy up in it ?

Hmmm…. Its not poo Mum. Feel free to tread on it.

Look, Mum !!! Footprints ! Do you think Robinson Crusoe had a dog Friday ? I had best protect you from in your arms again !

I now charge extra for posing with That Bearded Guy

Looking south on Talacre Beach

Look at those totally mad dogs playing in The Irish Sea ! No way am I dipping My toe toes in there!

This is Chopper The Beach King ( sorry Queenie ) , Grand PooBah of all I survey and King of North Wales, signing off for now……

I raise my Paw and Wag my tail in a *bark out* to my wonderful friend, Debbie with a new last name as of Oct 11, 2008, in Marana/Tucson, AZ !!!!! HellOoOooo and Thank You Debbie Of All Pet Travel ! HelloOoOo and Thank You’s to Rich and Erika, miss and love You’s ! You too,  Carmen,  All of Vail AZ, …. Lots of kisses and Wags.…Hiya’s to Maxx and Duke ! Chopper The Brave ” Going Where No Chihuahua Has Gone Before “