Making Miracles Happen

Wow what an experience! Lovely Hearing Dog Cherelle got to meet the very lovely and loving Betty White! Ms. White is a supporter of Dogs for the Deaf (DFD) the organization from which I received Cherelle almost seven years ago. She generously gave of her time by attending the DFD fundraiser "HollyWoof 2 - The Sequel" on October 27th. She also made a matching donation for money raised at the event. I feel very honored to have met Ms. White.  Her love for our furry canine friends is very evident. She is also a most gracious women and has the ability to put everyone at ease.

My hubby's cell phone pic is a bit blurry. I think he was as excited as I was and perhaps his hand not too steady!

We also had the privilege of meeting a number of cast members from the television show "Switched At Birth" who also generously gave of their time to support Dogs for the Deaf at the event. Thank you 

Ms. Marlee Matlin!

And Constance Marie, Ryan Lane, Lea Thompson and (not pictured), Stephanie Nogueras. Ms. Nogueras was kind enough to pose for a photograph but it was so fuzzy as to not do justice to the actress. 

I am very grateful to CEO Robin Dickson and General Manager Vaughn Maurice of Dogs for the Deaf for giving me the opportunity to speak at this event and to share what having Cherelle in my life has meant to me and to thank all of those present for their support in helping DFD to continue their work of rescuing dogs and helping people. Hearing Dogs do make miracles happen in the lives of those who receive them. 

When Dogs for the Deaf posts information and photos from the event I will add a link to this blog.

Until then.......Warm wishes to everyone from me and tail wags from Cherelle aka "Cher".

 

Going to HollyWoof!

Cherelle and I have been invited to be presenters at the upcoming Dogs for the Deaf fundraiser, "Hooray for HollyWoof....the Sequel".  We are doing the Snoopy happy dance! The guest host for this event is Betty White! I am such a huge fan. Another one of my idols, Marlee Matlin will also be in attendance! To get more details and to see who else in Hollywood will be at this fundraiser go to:

http://www.dogsforthedeaf.org/hooray-hollywoof-2-sequel

I suppose I should mention that my often overlooked husband, Larry has been invited too. It is not unusual for the spouse of the hearing dog team to find him or herself standing in the background. After all the person with the dog is the focal point. But make no mistake the spouse is an important part of the team. That person has "on call", backup dog duties whenever the hearing dog recipient is for whatever reason, either incapacitated or not with the hearing dog.  He or she also helps with the ongoing training that is involved with having a hearing dog. This can include the introduction of new sounds for the hearing dog to work.  So this is a chance to acknowledge the lesser known  "Star" in Cher and my lives, my husband Larry Holcomb. This will be his opportunity too.

We will be driving from Corvallis, Oregon to LA but this time not in the motorhome. Since we are in a long term rental spot here, it would have meant that while we were in the immediate LA area we would have been paying for our space in Corvallis, a space to park the RV just outside LA and then our hotel rooms for the day before and night of the event. Cher and I have some rehearsal time the day prior to the event which means we need to be close to the country club where it is to take place. Oh boy now that will be interesting. I haven't done a rehearsal since my high school theater days!  We decided it would be less hassle to hop in the car and take a leisurely two day drive to LA, and then two day drive back to Corvallis after the event. I will admit it will seem strange being on a road trip without the motorhome! 

I have more news to share but I will keep you in suspense a bit longer. Stay tuned............

Warm wishes from me, and tail wags from Cherelle (aka Cher).

Hunkering Down

Well the three of us are preparing to "hunker down" by becoming home owners once again. Larry and I have made an offer on a house in nearby Albany, Oregon. We are hoping that before the holidays arrive Cher will have her first fenced backyard to call her own, a new neighborhood for "walkies", new neighbors to get to know, both two legged and four legged. We have one more big adventure before year's end and that will be the topic for our next blog. A trip of Hollywood proportions. That was a clue that I tossed in there.

Before signing off I thought I would post a few more photos from our time on the road. Some favorite spots we visited.

Warm Wishes to Everyone from me and Tail Wags from Cherelle (aka Cher).

Cher with her human Dad at Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming near Jackson Hole.

From our trip through South Dakota. Cher in front of the abandoned Frerichs Mine in Deadwood SD., located in Whistler Gulch. The former mine is now the home to a bat colony. The fence keeps people out but the slats are spaced to allow the bats to come and go.

In Butte Montana we spent some somber minutes at the Miners Memorial. Butte is a fascinating city, rich with history of mining in the U.S.  

 

Cherelle meets some members of the Rotary Club of Revelstoke in British Columbia. Larry and I attended a meeting as visiting Rotarians. Cher and I did a "meet and greet" after the meeting ended. As always she was very popular and a first class ambassador for Dogs for the Deaf.

Cher does her balance beam routine at the Benton County Fairgrounds. I gave her a "10". The Benton Oaks RV Park and Campgrounds (located in the fairgrounds in Corvallis, Oregon), is where we started and ended our four month experiment of living and traveling full time in our motorhome.