The 3 Amigos set off to Timaru, New Zealand, to visit with OldTimer.  What a beautiful part of the country!

They really enjoyed watching the fishing boats at the port.

Being dogs, they always appreciate seeing nature and wildlife.  OldTimer let the boys play among the tulips, meet some sheep (they were SO excited!) and even visit a cattle farm.

The most exciting part of their visit was meeting nine newborn puppies.  The 3 Amigos were on Cloud 9 playing with them!

Their visit went by too quickly, but the boys have a long line of people waiting for them, so they headed back to our friend rainie for a quick visit. rainie took them to the beach, one of their very favorite places.

The boys moved on to stay with two more New Zealand friends, Mario and Marie. They are quite fit and tried their best to whip the boys into shape. Mario was impressed at how well Trigger and Rowan did in a local race.  Kelso looked on, too dignified to participate.  Mario’s commentary is below.

“Tonight we had some overseas visitors at Coaching, we were blessed with the presence of the 3 Amigos. Kelso and I had a great discussion about running and runners from days gone by while he assisted me passing on his wisdom. Rowan he was very happy to run along side Debbie in a comfortable 14 minute 3 km Time Trial. Kelso said to me that Trigger was a bit of speedster, so I asked how fast is he, well he said at night when we go to bed, he can get out of bed and turn the light off and be back in bed before the light goes out, really I said, he’s almost as fast as Barney. Everyone lined up on the start and off they went Barney,Trigger, Kurt and Steve were off like a robbers dog, Kurt did the first km in a tick over 3 mins the other 3 paced through in about 3:14 the next Km was a little faster, I called out Hang on to them Steve, but the young Greyhound was not having a bar of it, as he overheard Barney saying he wanted to break 10 mins for 3 k tonight and he uped the pace pulling away from Steve but struggling to keep up with Barney.Watching Trigger and Barney coming down the final long straight it was a battle Youth versus age and experience with Barney crossing the line in 9:54 and Trigger snapping at his heels. Rowan crossed the line with Debbie and looked very comfortable and was pleased he could help push Debbie along at Even Splits for each 1km of the 3Km Race. Kelso looked at me shook his head and just said Young ones today. Secretly Kelso was quite chuffed with the young Greyhounds effort.”

Well, as if THAT weren’t excitement enough, the 3 Amigos were invited to a wedding!  You’ll have to wait for the next post to hear more about that.

The 3 Amigos arrived safe and sound to meet their new host, rainie.  She said that the boys practically jumped out of their packing crate after having been cooped up for so long.  Travel is stressful, even for the 3 Amigos!

rainie took the boys to see the beautiful Caroline Bay, and she figured out the boys’ personalities immediately, described below:

“I thought they would enjoy walking on the sand, BUT…..other dogs were walking their adults and these crazy critters went totally mental and had to be subdued. Thought best to move away from the sandy shore and find some other place to view Caroline Bay.

Rowan (on right), the youngster of the threesome seemed very intent on trying to do the splits, more work to be done in the gym I told him…..he showed no interest in my suggestion.
Trigger (on left), ears pricked and watched with great interest the unfolding scene in front of him.
And darling Kelso (centre) was tired of all the nonsense and behaved impeccably.  That comes with age :)”

The boys love flowers, and rainie provided them with a glorious bunch of daffodils.

While in New Zealand, the boys learned all abour rugby.  rainie and her husband support the “All Blacks,” so of course, Kelso, Rowan & Trigger became mad fans as well. As rainie reports: “The Amigos were happy to learn about Kiwi culture and very happy to wear black in support of our men in black. So much so, that they insisted on being right at the front. I explained about the haka and what it means to our players, they said perhaps tomorrow they could try it too. I wasn’t too sure as I could see many issues having four legs and no arms.”

Good point, rainie!

The 3 Amigos moved on to another New Zealand host, OldTimer.  I will pick up with that visit on my next post/

Well, the 3 Amigos took a bit of a vacation last summer and then I took a hiatus last fall, but we are all back on track!

The 3 Amigos took a quick trip to India, arriving June 25, 2018 and saw the Taj Mahal (from a distance). Alas, their host, Amanda, found out that dogs are not allowed inside.  Still – the 3 Amigos got to see this incredible treasure. If you squint, you’ll see it in the distance.

The boys then moved on to Singapore where they viewed the city’s skyline and watched a Singapore sunset.

The 3 Amigos decided it was time for a vacation.  They also ran into some travel glitches and wound up in Los Angeles on their way to New Zealand!  A bit of a detour, but the boys arrived to meet their wonderful host, rainie, on September 11, 2018.

I’ll bring you up to date with the visit to rainie in the next post!

Australia is a huge continent with a very varied landscape, from beautiful beaches and rivers to towering mountains and areas of lush greenery.  The 3 Amigos traveled to Western Austalia to see two friends, ninniex and Doyley22.  (Remember, many of the people hosting the boys belong to an online community of photographers, and many choose “screen names” for their posts.)

ninniex greeted the boys and they were unpacked and freshened up.  They were ready to go and see some sights.

What a way to begin their tour!  The boys got to visit Kings Park in Western Austalia where they could see the beautiful city of Perth in the background…

and have their photo taken with a huge plant, the tall Mulla Mulla, endemic to Western Australia.

Then, on to the beach.  The 3 Amigos absolutely love to sunbathe and play in the sand, even when they dare to go where dogs may not always be welcomed!

All this traveling about was making the 3 Amigos very hungry,  It’s a good thing there was a birthday in Doyley22’s family, and her husband shared his apple pie (and wine!) with the boys.  That Trigger does enjoy a nip now and then.

I hate to admit it, but the boys misbehaved a bit (maybe it was the wine?) and they  wound up in the dogouse (dollhouse?).  You can see Trigger is definitely the worse for wear.

The 3 Amigos, fully rested, moved on to  Geographe Bay. The turquoise waters of the bay are beautiful, and this area is known for its fine wines.

The 3 Amigos had a meetup with MissE, Sheba and Torvi (aka the Torvinator).

ninniex invited the boys for a very cool adventure.  I’ll let her describe it:

Skullduggery afoot…..

….with those 3 Amigos!

I mentioned that there just might be BONES in the paddock next to our house. Well! That Trigger was off, followed closely by Kelso and Rowan! And what trophies they gathered. Skulls!!!
They then helped with chainsawing the fallen trees, found a beautiful mossy log and finished off with a swing before the rain curtailed their fun.

The 3 Amigos ended their tour of Western Australia at beautiful Yallingup Reef. This area offers the ideal conditions for world class waves and many surfing tournaments are held at Yallingup Beach.

Next stop — Singapore!

The 3 Amigos enjoyed a quick trip over to New Zealand, and their Kiwi hosts showed them a fabulous time.  Hard to believe that they have been on their World Tour since February 9, 2018, when they arrived in Australia to begin their tour.

Their first Aussie host was kind enough to take them on a second tour: “After a short sleep to catch up from the flight over the ditch from New Zealand, they kept on about the gardens here in Aussie. And pestered me to let them check at the Grevilleas so they could maybe chase some lorikeets. Well no lorikeets, but they had a fun time (as dogs do) just sniffing around the yard.”

“The 3 Amigos on their ongoing World Tour wanted to see the mighty Hawkesbury River ( an extension of the mighty Nepean River) before we head North tomorrow.

Here they are looking at the North Richmond Bridge crossing and as you can see the river has a good width here.”

They had a chance to meet up with some friends they’ve met along the way, jensphotos and Gitama and posed with more Aussie buddies at Sydney Harbor.

The boys had an interesting close-up encounter with a rosella, and its proximity and squawking unnerved them a bit. (Just check out Trigger’s ears!)

“One spot they really enjoyed as we had a cuppa and they some water and feed, was here at Ulmarra, a small town with quite some history on the Clarence River. The name comes from the Aboriginal name meaning ‘bend in the river.’
As you can see the river is quite a size and the cable ferry across it still transports cars etc across to the other side.”

This is one of my favorite shots of the boys.  They visited a town called Port Macquarie and the boys were eager to get out and make friends with the Pelicans.

They bid their friends adieu as they headed to their next adventures on Australia’s west coast.  Their Aussie buddies created this great collage as a memento of their adventures so far.

The story continues…

The boys were lucky enough to spend time with “newzealandmama,” her husband and her two beautiful children, Mila and Una.

New Zealand is a spectacularly beautiful country and one of the prettiest sights is Tūpare, a former family home in the Arts & Crafts/Tudor style surrounded by a 3.6 ha garden in New Plymouth, New Zealand that is now owned and operated by the Taranaki Regional Council as a public park.

Mila took the amigos hiking in Egmont National Park where they all enjoyed the forest and the waterfalls.

The 3 Amigos discovered the joys of riding in a pram, swinging on a swing, and just hanging around with a friend.

Climbing trees can tire anyone out, so after a very active day, the 3 Amigos and their new friends took a well-deserved rest.

The 3 Amigos continue their tour of beautiful New Zealand.  They made the acquaintance of Lord Ernest Rutherford, born in Brightwater, Nelson.  He was a great scientist and the person who split the atom.  He has an element named after him…Rutherfordium and was the first to turn nitrogen into oxygen.

New Zealand must be a paradise for food and drink, because the boys are living it up at every opportunity.  Their visit to Nelson was a case of perfect timing, as they were able to help NelsonGal celebrate her birthday.

Happy Birthday, NelsonGal!

Yum, we want more!

Now, Trigger is the instigator and it doesn’t take much for him to get into trouble.  I guess he wanted to try his hand at rock climbing.  Glad Kelso & Rowan were there to help him back up.

The 3 Amigos had a little nip to soothe their jangled nerves after their adventures. They do look quite relaxed, don’t they?

Even the most joyful adventures must come to an end.  The 3 Amigos are sad to leave NelsonGal. but are looking forward to meeting their next host, newzealandmama.

Stay tuned!

The 3 Amigos are having the time of their lives in New Zealand.  Lucky for them, they’re enjoying Easter while they’re visiting with my friend, Nelson Gal.  She took them out for an Easter egg hunt and they each zeroed in on a treasure.

They enjoyed meeting new friends, furry and four-footed, just like them:

The 3 Amigos meet the 2 Guinea Pigs

The 3 Amigos meet the beautiful Missy.

The boys went for or a walk along the beautiful Tahunanui Beach and Nelson Gal allowed them to explore a bit and rest in the driftwood.

Tahunanui Beach

Tahunanui Beach

I think the 3 Amigos are really enjoying their grand adventure.  Trigger sure looks like he’s enjoying the road trip. Great views, Trig!

And at the end of the day, the 3 Amigos snuggled into a nice, warm bed.  Thank you for being the hostess with the most-ess, Nelson Gal!

The 3 Amigos in Melbourne, Australia.  What could be finer?  My friend, and their host, “Barking,” describes their visit:

“There isn’t much more iconic Melbourne than Flinder’s St Station, built in 1854 – the first railway station to be built in any Australian city, then called the Terminus. The fact that the Eureka Sky Tower, Melbourne’s tallest building, made an appearance in this shot was a bonus.”

I love that this photo looks like a vintage postcard and I must say that the boys looks quite smug in their bag, joined by Cousteau, their Aussie buddy.

Barking made sure the boys stayed entertained, with a personal serenade:

The 3 Amigos joined Mr and Mrs B for a beer in the evening.  (Watch out for that Trigger, he has a hollow leg)

And look who they got to meet – the handsome and famous Galahad!  He is a superstar, a therapy dog, and is going to be featured in a movie! What a way to wind up their time here and get ready for their next adventure. I do believe that Kelso was especially pleased to meet an Irish Wolfhound as kind and gentle as he is.  Rowan wanted to play, of course!

Ready to travel! Hmmm, I think Cousteau is ready to join the tour, camera at the ready.

See you all at the next stop.

…and here they are!

The 3 Amigos had quite the adventure with my friend, Barking.  She lives in Victoria, not far from Melbourne.  I’ve learned quite a lot through the boys’ tour down under.  I thought kangaroos pracically lived in everyone’s back yards, but apparently they are not seen that often and are difficult to photograph, as they seem to disappear as soon as someone takes out a camera.  So, this shot of the 3 Amigos and their friend Bluppet Cousteau with real kangaroos in the background is quite a treasure.

The boys also got to go camping in the wilds of Australia.  My boys, the bushwhackers!  They then got to visit a very beautiful part of the country – Echuca, on the banks of the Murray River.  They posed in front of the Emmy Lou, a paddle steamer that travels up and down the river.

My bushwhacking adventurers, in the wilds of Australia.

Relaxing after their camping trip in front of the paddleboat, Emmy Lou.

More adventures to come, including a trip to beautiful Melbourne.