MOOSE ON TOAST

POST # 360

In the Yukon, you can have moose in a variety of ways, including moose on toast. I am not in the Yukon right now, but I still have moose and toast.  In this case, as can been seen below, it's Toast on Moose.

That's correct.  These are my two latest bonehead customers, Toast on the left and Moose on the right.  Toast on Moose.  These two brothers are a Schnauzer/Poodle cross, a breed that I hadn't come across until now. 

Upon my arrival, Toast wasn't too happy about me being here, but within less than a day, he has now become my number one fan.  Toast and Moose have been captured by the spell of the house sitter, and as one can tell by looking at the above photo, they now seem to be very content with my presence.

These guys are very easy to care for, and our daily routine is quite a relaxed one.  We're up relatively early, in order to go out for the first walk of the day, a short stroll around the neighbourhood, in order to poop and pee. At least that's what Toast and Moose do on the walk.  I'm just the observer.

The afternoon is when we take a much longer walk, and even though there are places where I can have them off-leash, I prefer to keep them under control.  The last thing I want is to have either of them take off on me.  I don't think it would happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry.  So far, I have a perfect record of not losing a single bonehead, and I'm not planning to start with these two.

In early evening, we go for another walk, and last night we were confronted by an extra long train, blocking our path.  They seemed to handle the noise, unlike another bonehead I know, south of the border.  Dora-dog would have been freaked out for sure.

It seems that the days go by way too fast now, and before I know it, it's time for one last walk around the 'hood, so the boys can do their thing prior to bedding down for the night.  They've got great bladder control, but I don't want to put them under anymore stress than is necessary.  I would like to think that they appreciate the extra walk.

I'll only be here for a little over a week, before once again moving on, so I won't really have a chance to get to know Toast and Moose very well.  It's all the more reason to spend as much time with them as I can, while here, and who knows, if the owners are happy with the service, they may decide to have me back again at some point in the future.

 MOOSE

TOAST

"It's dinner time, Paul."

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE DORA-DOG BLOG?

POST # 359

If this keeps up, meaning the amount of times that I take a photo of this adorable dog, then I may have to change the title of the blog from The Thoughtful Wanderer, to The Adorable Dora-dog blog.  

I am enjoying a brief break from my house/pet sitting duties to spend time with her, here in Washington, prior to moving on to my next location.

The Thoughtful Wanderer  has also had an opportunity during this visit, to have a close encounter with nature, as I wandered a little bit too close to the resident wasp nest, located in an abandoned bird house.  

Wasp 1- The Thoughtful Wanderer 0

I had forgotten just how painful the sting is, but at least the pain doesn't last very long.

Thankfully, I had the opportunity to go back to playing with Dora-dog and her new toy, in order to distract myself from my swollen eye.  If this is the worst injury I suffer going forward, I've got nothing to complain about.   

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

YOUNG DOG, OLD DOG, SOMETHING REALLY, REALLY, REALLY OLD AND A BUG

POST # 358

I must be one of the luckiest people alive.  In the past week I have had the great good fortune to spend time with my two most favourite dogs on the planet.

First, it was young Dora-dog, on a quick visit in Washington, followed by a week long visit here with good old  Mac.  I would be hard pressed to come up with any other canine candidates (still living), that would top either one of these mutts.

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And now for something, really, really, really old.  Here is a photo of a petrified tree from the Petrified Forest in Arizona, sitting upon a log here in the yard.   Mac's owner's brought it back with them on a recent visit there.

This specimen is somewhere between 211 and 218 million years old, and it is without a doubt the oldest thing that I have ever come across in my 64 years of existence on the planet.  This certainly puts one's lifespan in perspective. 

 However, my life is very long compared to this little bug that I happened to come across the other day on the deck railing.  It was kind enough to stay put, while I pulled out my magnifying glass to capture it with a close up view, in order to marvel at its exquisite beauty.

I'm just here for a short time (at the house-sit I mean), but one could argue the same for my life in comparison to that petrified tree sample.

I'll be on the road again soon, and I will have another opportunity to see Dora-dog for a few more days.  From young, to old, and back to young once again.  Perhaps it would be interesting as a human to go back to being young again, but I rather enjoy this ageing process, as I think that at least some wisdom has resulted from the journey.  

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE ROOTS OF A WANDERER

POST #357

circa 1905-1910

http://hotelhistories.blogspot.com/2011/05/sasko-hudson-bay-hotels-pet-moose.html

There's no telling, where the roots of my wandering lifestyle began, but perhaps it's partially genetic in nature.  

A very long time ago (at least by human standards), two brothers, Jacques and Nicolas Marcotte, left their home in Fécamp, France en-route to North America.   Jacques was 23, and Nicolas was 25.  They settled in what is now Trois Riviéres, Quebec, Canada.  The year was 1667.  When they said goodbye to France, it would be forever.

Soon afterwards, the baby making began, and roughly 200 years later, my paternal grandfather, Joseph Paul was born.  That's him holding the rifle in the photo, which was taken at the Hudson Bay Hotel, in the town of Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan.  

I never had the opportunity to meet him, but according to family history, he had somewhat of an adventurous spirit.  He even attempted a journey up to the Yukon way back when, with the only form of transport being that of horses.  The journey was unsuccessful, but it goes to show that Joseph Paul had a sense of adventure. Maybe my successful trip to the Yukon many years later was a continuation of that original adventure.

SNUG AT NIGHT (Time exposure photo)

Whatever the reason(s), my life has been one of adventure.  It has brought me far more rewards than regrets, and this lifestyle fits me like an old comfortable shoe, or more accurately, like my current set of  old comfortable, thrift store purchased, second hand boots.

With that in mind, when this post is published, I will once again be wandering.  Pleasantville will be a very pleasant memory, and I will be en-route to visit my dear friend Mary, and her four-legged companion, Dora-dog.  This will be a short stop on my way to my next house/pet sit back on Vancouver island.  I wonder what grandpa would have thought about the distance I will have travelled in the last few hours, and all of it without the use of a horse, but plenty of horse-power. By the time I reach my destination today, I will have travelled just under 5200 kilometers, which by a strange coincidence is about the same distance from Fécamp to Trois Rivieres, Quebec, and I will have done so in just over 6 hours. Better yet, I wonder what Jacques and Nicolas would have thought?  Trains, buses, and jet aircraft.  They would be dumbstruck, if they were alive today.

GRANDPA AND GRANDMA & FAMILY

(dad is at the far left)

Whether any of these individual's genes had some impact on the life I've chosen, I will never know.  And it really doesn't matter anyhow.  At least I can look myself in the mirror, and know deep down, that I have lived a life that is true to my adventurous spirit.  

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WANDERING

maximizing my moments,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer