Book 4: No Boundaries for B.B.

Two life-changing events happen in this last volume of B.B.'s Have Dog Will Travel series. They are included along with five "dog vacations" which begin in July 2011 and conclude in August 2012. Many of the places we visit are new to all three of us. The first trip is way up to the eastern side of Canada to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, with stops in many smaller towns and big cities including Philadelphia going out and Boston coming back. We return to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for a longer sojourn in the fall after falling in love with that town and the hotel where we stayed for one night coming home from our trek up to Canada. Then at Christmas time, we treat ourselves to a fun getaway to San Diego where none of us has been before. The first of the last two expeditions sees us traveling to the large cities in the middle and lower regions of Minnesota and Wisconsin — novel places to us for the most part. Then upon visiting and discovering where we went in his home state of Minnesota, a man staying at the same motel in Iowa where we are staying on our trip home from those two states tells us that we haven't really seen the real good areas there since we didn't go far enough to the north. So, intrigued and because we have plenty of time, we turn around in a scant two weeks at home to get back out on the road for the adventure of a lifetime to head farther up to the most northerly regions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan which skirt the Canadian – U.S. boundary. That last odyssey is a fitting ending to the long line of B.B.'s "dog vacations" as we have the time of our lives exploring the Great Lakes, the upper peninsulas, the boundary waters, and deep woods of the far north. And the three of us do find and immerse ourselves in the realMinnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Something new has been added at the beginning of each of our tours and the Epilogue: short bits of lyrics from the songs of my very favorite musician/singer/composer/producer most people in the U.S. have never even heard of: Loreena McKennitt. She is known throughout the world by many people but sadly isn't as well known here in our country. Her beautiful, moving words are applicable to my loved ones here as well as those who have passed on — cherished humans and beloved pets — and to wandering through places, time, or making our way through life in general. Reading each of the six quotes will prepare you for the road ahead but listening to her beautiful melodies sung by her with the sweetest voice I have ever heard will enhance the experience even more. I have listed each song's title to help the reader find it if they desire to stream it and listen. It is my fondest wish to make this book as adventurous, humorous, and entertaining as the other three by filling it with the love, joy, and surprises guaranteed all along the way when traveling with a dog. Being the last of B.B.'s series, it has a poignancy that is fairly obvious. I wrote it being as faithful to the truth as I possibly could be by using my journals as my outline as I have done in all my books. I have mixed emotions about the book since it will be the final time I write about her trips with us. Yet, I am so glad that we had her with us on all these amazing journeys and will remember them with extreme fondness. I hope the reader will be as happy when reading it as I was in living it and then fleshing out these precious memories for all to share.