With our sad SAAB in tow and the forest fire smoke just getting thicker we did some big driving days and left southern Montana driving south to Buffalo, Wyoming. We'll try to return to the 3 Bs...Butte, Bozeman and Billings another time.
With the Solar Eclipse happening the following day, we checked into Deer Park Campground in Buffalo, Wyoming for two nights. The nearest full eclipse would occur south of us by about an hour, but with Foster not doing well, we decided it would be better not to try to take all of us down in the RV and not having a car made it just too hard to get there. We would see about 95% of the eclipse where we were.
Paul called a vet first thing the next morning and lucky for us, the office was directly across the street from our campground and we made a 1:00 appointment. With Foster sleeping, we had the morning to ride our bikes into town for breakfast and a Bloody Mary to celebrate the eclipse. Our waitress kept bringing us updates on the action in the sky. We hadn't bought the needed solar glasses to view the sun, and there were none to be had by then...which was so disappointing. But, as we were leaving, one of the waitresses offered hers to us to keep, she'd share with her boyfriend. How nice was that! 
Once we got to Main Street, roads were quiet; the crowds and fun was happening on the sidewalk. We found a perfect little bench to watch and experience the fun of the eclipse...the sky darkened, the air grew cooler and within minutes it was over! No, we didn't get that amazing view and total solar action but it was enough for us, we were too worried about Foster.
And then we faced the afternoon; in my mind it was just a visit to another vet to get some meds to make Foster better, but that wasn't to be. With the help of the campground host, Paul and Foster rode in a golf cart down the hill while I followed on my bike. Foster had been slowly getting worse the last few months and this day was unable to walk, so we carried him across the street to the veterinarian's for our appointment. When the vet returned from lunch she joined us in the quiet shade outside. We sat together on the grass for about an hour talking, crying and accepting this was the time for us to let go of our sweet Foster. And, so we did. With our hearts breaking we said good bye to this most lovable, happy little creature after nearly 15 years with us.
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose; All that we love deeply becomes a part of us"
Helen Keller
We carried him with us the following morning as we drove east to Spearfish, SD where there was a Veterinarian who would cremate him for us, returning him to us two weeks later.
"Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss." Erica Jong
Love and loss of Foster now blended in our memories forever.
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