
Update on Coco
Sorry for the brief pause in posting! Coco is doing better, but she is still not fully acting like herself (probably a result of the meds!).
She had a follow up visit this week and her numbers look much better. She is eating and drinking. The plan is to keep her on meds for about another three weeks, but she should be OK after that. Consensus is that she had a tick-borne illness.

New Bedford's Dark Whaling History and Hope
During our time in Plymouth we made our way to New Bedford, MA . New Bedford is home to the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park . Not all of human history is happy or good. In fact, this park, while it does highlight some good from the area, the main focus is on the commercial whaling industry that was heavily operated from the port here.

Today isn’t a great day for Coco
Today isn’t a great day for Coco. She’s been feeling a bit under the weather the past couple days and we took her in to the vet today which is her least favorite place. We still have a couple follow up tests to do, but the vet has narrowed down to 2 likely suspects and we’ll treat for both. Hopefully we can get the other tests completed quickly and effortlessly and get some answers to make sure we’re on the right path for healing.

After dinner we went to Buzzards Bay Park
After dinner, we went to Buzzards Bay Park. This park sits at the corner of the bay where the Cape Cod Canal begins. Many people bring their chairs and sit near the canal to watch watercraft pass and wait for the train bridge to operate. The vertical lift train bridge is an engineering marvel. It spans over 500 feet and lowers in about 2.5 minutes, allowing trains to pass safely over the 480 foot expanse of water below. The train bridge and the canal are managed by the Corps of Engineers.

Cape Cod Gateway: Bayside Dining & Passing Trains
We are staying in the town of Bourne, Massachusetts the next 2 weeks. This area is considered the Gateway to Cape Cod . Tonight we went to dinner along the bay at a family-owned, local seafood joint. It was delicious! We sat outside along a small marina and got to see two passenger trains pass by on the tracks; one was a dinner train and the other was a commuter train from Boston to the Cape. That was a neat experience to wave at the people on the trains as they passed!

Solar Panels & Generators: Upgrading Our RV Power Setup
After our boondocking attempts last week, Steve decided to upgrade our off-grid capabilities. We already have several smaller USB battery packs for charging various things and a small EcoFlow portable power station (which worked great to watch TV at night). In an effort to save our house batteries for the important things like our refrigerator, cooking and using the roof fans, Steve purchased a portable solar panel to allow us to recharge our smaller battery packs. And while our new truck has a built in 2kw generator using it means running the engine which is sitting there burning diesel. Works well when you need to make a run to the ice cream shop though!

We are all packed up and no power to the slides
We are all packed up and no power to the slides!
Seems the work Steve was doing yesterday accidentally pulled one of the main power cables out of the switch panel. Whoops!
Fortunately, this was a quick fix to reattach the power cable and then replace a blown fuse! We were on the road right at check out, even with the extra work!

Our last day on the beach and we really lived it up
Our last day on the beach, and we really lived it up! Steve worked on a couple electrical projects today, and we spent some time this afternoon with each dog on the beach. Coco seemed to enjoy her time more than Tucker or Millie. Even though both Millie and Coco like water, neither really liked the waves. Staying true to himself, Tucker would not go near the waves at all and stopped in the rocks on the beach!

Ice Cream Truck & Dominoes: Unplugged Campground Fun
Today we actually played games (which is a big deal as someone doesn’t like to play games)! After I got done working, Steve and I tried playing Dominoes - you know, something that doesn’t take any power! About 4:30, we were distracted by the sound of the ice cream truck rolling through the campground and went to get dessert for later. What a great treat!
