Winnie and Ollie sent this photo from Colorado where they are enjoying their annual vacation.
They've been going on hikes every day and are clearly getting into great shape. (Trudie stayed home in a board and care facility, since exercise is no longer her thing.)
These dogs are poster children for the healthful properties of mountain air, meadow romps, forest tromps, and so on.
Maybe I'll take a hike today too. A short one. Got to build up slowly.
My European correspondent has sent me some photos of French dogs engaged in their native routines:
I note that these dogs seem perhaps more urbane than us simple country folk who gather at the bluff.
We were just one of many families in the scrum at the airport. But our reunion was very special to me, even though it took place surrounded by a multitude of people standing around waiting for their loved ones and luggage.
I had hoped to be invited to light the tree at Rockefeller Center this year, but the call never came.
Although I had been told that Aretha Franklin was going to condition her involvement upon me being included, apparently she forgot. Perhaps her handlers talked her out of it.
In the midst of my disappointment, I was mollified to at least receive a local tree-lighting invitation. "Lambie," I said to myself, "Remember that there's no place like home for the holidays."
Bo was doing some maintenance on his vehicle. I offered to help.
He checked the oil with his dip stick.
I checked the gas cap.
All systems looked good.
Bo was ready to hit the road.
Before he left we compared our fur coats.
It's raining and the rain is supposed to continue for at least another day. Making hay while the sun shines, as it were, I have decided to apply myself to self-improvement.
It has troubled me for some time now that I do not know any foreign languages. We Americans tend to be so insular. So I have decided to take advantage of this down-time to begin learning Japanese.
I have acquired a textbook and am applying myself to recognizing the hiragana. Sadly, I do not have a live teacher to assist me with pronunciation concerns.
The work is slow,and as is so often the case with textbooks, sometimes sleep-inducing. But I continue in my effort, knowing that it is good for my mind and also good for international understanding. Also, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to impressing Pookie by greeting him in Japanese.
I took a trip over to the bluff at Via de las Olas. It's always interesting to get a different perspective.
My conclusion: Nice view, but the fence looks iffy.
You might want to bring a rope and pistons with you so you're prepared in case disaster should unfold.
As a California coastal dog, I am drawn to the seafaring life.
A prime research source for me has been Margaret Wise Brown's classic book The Sailor Dog, which examines the very satisfying experience of a dog by the name of Scuppers.
Apparently all one needs to get going is a boat and a spyglass. A hat and a can-do attitude are also desirable.
The book also provides a song that I have adjusted so it goes, "I'm Lambie the Sailor Dog..."
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A dog can dream, can't he?
My cousins Leo and Ella sent me this photo of them canoeing on the Connecticut River last week. It looks like Ella hasn't yet mastered the concept of balancing her weight in the canoe. Good thing they both know how to swim.
In Cambria, we stayed in a hostelry that welcomes my kind. That is, they let me stay there, albeit with all sorts of limitations: can't stay in room alone, can't go into pool or hot tub, can't be on bed ever, have to pay $25 extra just because you're a dog. There's still a lot of prejudice in this world.
But on the bright side, Moonstone Beach was lovely -- both relaxing and stimulating, what with all the squirrel and chipmunk holes under the boardwalk, and the seals sunning themselves out on the rocks.
