What road trip doesn't include many hours in the vehicle? Across the prairies we often used the "Corner Gas" phrase "Wow, nothing in the way to spoil the view!" We played music and listened to Stewart McClean. We read road signs. We watched the GPS gradually peel off the miles. We puzzled over mysterious agricultural machines. The hours slowly melted away except for a couple of hours when we were sure we would be running out of gas. Joan thought Blarney should check the gage.
Blarney had his own ringside seat directly behind us when he wasn't slung across Joan's knees. First thing in the morning when we started off, he always seemed desperate to ride in front. Small squeaks sounded to let us know. This was a new noise we hadn't heard before. It was as if he didn't want to complain but couldn't help himself. Joan thought she could teach him to make the noise on command. "Talk!" she'd say, and Blarney would emit this plaintiff wail. For awhile he did it for treats and we thought he had the new word, but in the end it became a car thing that wasn't always appreciated.
