WINTER'S LAST BLAST

 POST # 640

When I arrived at my current location, it was free of snow.  But in the past week, mother nature decided to give us one more blast of winter.  I have already forgotten which day the snow came down, but it snowed all day long.

Of course, that's no excuse to not take Toby for his daily stroll, so we headed out that morning to take our usual walk.  Toby could care less that it was snowing, as we wandered along the road.  If too much snow accumulated on his back, he just shook it off, and we continued on our journey.

One of the many fruit crops that are present in this area is apples.  When I was here last year, I took photos of apples still on the vine, having not been picked.  It seemed like such a waste to me.  But hey, I'm no apple farmer, so what do I know? 

And this year, I've come across an orchard that has finally come to an end.  At some point in time, the trees have produced as much as they can (I guess), so the next thing to do is to chop them all down, and plant something else.  I walked past this orchard a couple of days ago, and now the majority of these trees are now chopped up into small pieces, no doubt to be used for firewood at a later date.  Perhaps more apple trees will be planted here, or maybe a different type of fruit.

So the snow is now history, and by the feel of the weather, I sincerely doubt that I will see any more of it for the remainder of my visit.  Spring has certainly sprung.  Toby and I will continue our daily walks, and enjoy the warmth of the season as it progresses.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SETTLING IN

 POST # 639

After a very delayed train journey a week ago today, I arrived very late in Vancouver for an overnight stay, prior to hopping on a bus last Saturday to head to the interior of BC.  Along the way there was some beautiful snow covered countryside to pass through.

If the bus is on time, it takes about six hours to arrive at the Kelowna airport, where the owners were awaiting my arrival.  They brought Toby along with them, and he wasn't too happy to see me at first.  But once we arrived at their home, it didn't take long before he warmed up to me.

And as I write this blog entry, we are once again best buddies.  So this has been my week to settle in and get into a routine with Toby.  It's much warmer than it was when I was here last year, and as can be seen from the photo below, there isn't any snow, which is a nice change.

So settling in is what I have been doing for a week, and I am looking forward to spending most of my hours with Toby.  He's very easy to care for, although since my last visit, he has developed the habit of whining at the back door, when he wants to go out.  Hopefully, I can help to break him out of that habit.  But time will tell.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

DORA-DOG'S FINAL LONG WALK FOR A WHILE

 POST # 638

Dora-dog is ready and waiting to go for her final long walk for a while, as I will be departing later today for Vancouver, en route to my next house sit gig.  Of course, she doesn't realize that it's her last long walk for a while, but she will know by this evening when I depart for the train station with Mary.

Thankfully, the weather co-operated for our walk today, as can be seen as we walked across the bridge heading into town.  If you look closely, you can see Mount Baker in the background.

On our approach to the bridge, Dora-dog found a nice patch of grass to roll around on, and when she does this, she seems to be at her happiest.

Because it was a nice day, there were plenty of other four-legged friends to meet and greet along the way, so she had a very enjoyable stroll indeed.  And just prior to arriving home, a woman drove by, rolled down her window, and said, "your dog is super cute."  She gets cute all the time, but this was the first time she was called super cute.

And so our walk came to an end.  And later today, I will once again have to say goodbye to Mary and Dora-dog, which is always a sad moment.  But at least I can look forward to our next get together, which should be in about one month's time.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

P.S.  Happy birthday Bill.

OUR DAILY WALK and 70

 POST # 637

As mentioned in a previous blog post,  I have been taking Dora-dog out for a daily walk.  According to google maps, the distance we cover is 3.6 miles, which is a decent walk.  It takes on average about one hour and twenty minutes to complete our journey.  Even though we travel the same route each and every day, the walk is always unique, because there are different people, and more importantly, as far as Dora-dog is concerned, there are different dogs to meet along the way.

This morning she met one of her favourite bonehead friends, who goes by the name of Kodiak.  They always enjoy a few moments together.  And of course there is her favourite UPS courier driver named Hector.  She's always excited to see him, because she gets a dog biscuit from him, and right after she eats the biscuit she barks at him.  Go figure.  Hector gets a laugh out of it, as do I, and then we are once again on our way.

On our return journey, we pass by the La Conner Brewery, which is an establishment that Mary and I have visited on occasion.  There is an entrance off of the street that goes to an outside seating area, where dogs are allowed.  Each time we walk past the entrance, Dora-dog automatically makes a turn to go in, and as much as I am tempted sometimes to follow her in, we do the right thing and continue our journey homeward.

Eventually we reach the bridge once again, and soon we are back home, after our 3.6 mile adventure.  It's time for a rest.  And she has earned it.  Before you know it, it will be tomorrow, and we will once again be off on our way to town and back.  I'm quite sure that we can both use the exercise.

Changing subjects, I am now officially 70 years old, and Mary went to the trouble of arranging a birthday dinner for me and some friends, and afterwards we headed back home to enjoy some cake.  

That rounds out the news for this past week.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY FINAL POST

 POST # 636

Today is my final post.  Say what???  Why on earth would that be the case?  Well let me clarify that statement.  Today is my final post for someone who is still in their 60's.  That's right.  By the time my next post is scheduled on March 7th, I will well and truly be in my 70's.  That event takes place early next week.

When I look back over the years, I do find it quite amazing that I am still here on planet earth.  It's been quite the journey, and there have been plenty of close calls along the way, going all the way back to when I was only three years old.  That's probably a story for another day.

A decade ago, when I was just 59, I was house/pet sitting a bonehead named Pippen, in Australia.  That seems like such a very long time ago.  And since that time, I have been wandering from one place to the next, and I continue to count my blessings as my journey continues. I really can't imagine that I will  still be posting  into my 80's, but hey, who knows for sure?  As long as the blood keeps pumping through my veins, I guess anything is possible.  And I just had my blood pressure checked.  The reading was 122/72, which is pretty darn good for an old fart.

And finally for today, some more words of wisdom.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BACK IN SHELTER BAY

 POST # 635

Since my last visit to Shelter Bay, the sign at the entrance has changed.  Some words of wisdom from a very long time ago.

 I arrived back here on February 17th, and I'll be here for the better part of a month.  With Mary continuing to recover from her recent operation, I am happy to help out in any way that I can.  Of course, part of that help revolves around getting Dora-dog out for two or three walks each day.  We can both use the exercise.

On our way into town yesterday we stopped for a break underneath the bridge that connects Shelter Bay to the town of La Conner.  She has a sad look upon her face, and I'm not sure why, because when we are out walking, she seems to be happy most of the time.

We continued our journey into town, and had quite a long walk, prior to turning around and heading back home.

And here we are, pausing to enjoy the view from the top of the bridge, prior to continuing our journey back home.

Up until today, the weather has cooperated, and we've been rain free.  That ended this morning, so our first walk was a wet one.  Hopefully things will clear up so that we can enjoy a rain-free walk later this afternoon.

The weather now seems to be clearing up somewhat, so I'd best take advantage of that fact, and harness up Dora-dog for our next journey.

And that's about all the words I can conjure up for today.  

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THE BRUSHAHOLIC

 POST # 634

The brushaholic.  That's my new term for Mr. Leon.  Now, I've known plenty of furballs  over the years, but he certainly takes the cake, when it comes to wanting to be brushed.  As soon as he sees me heading towards the room that these photos were taken in, he races right in behind me, and up onto his perch, so that he can be brushed just the way that he likes to be brushed.

This happens throughout the day, and I have to admit that I probably enjoy doing the brushing, as much as he enjoys being brushed.  We're a good team.  Be that as it may, soon I will be leaving Mr. Leon, but until that day arrives, we will continue to enjoy our time together, the brusher, and the brushee.

grateful for every breath (and brush),

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A SHORT VISIT

 POST # 633

There was plenty of kindness coming down from the sky on my most recent trip to see Mary and Dora-dog in Shelter Bay.

It was a short visit indeed.  I left Vancouver Island on February 2nd, and was back here last night on February 6th.  

Even though it was short, I was more than happy to be there, and help out where I could.  Mary is unable to walk Dora-dog at the moment as she is recovering from a recent operation, so I made sure to get out there each day, and go for a stroll which by the look upon her face, I know she appreciated.

And of course, there was also helping out with the morning play session, which is a regular occurrence on each and every visit.

So I am now back on the island, but instead of Cadboro Bay, I am in Nanaimo at one of my regular housesits with Leon the furball.  He has spent most of this first day asleep inside, and with the cold and snow that we are currently experiencing here, he has made a wise choice indeed.  I am following his lead, and keeping mostly indoors.

I'll keep this short for today, and perhaps by next week, I'll have a few Leon stories to talk about.  In the meantime, I'll keep my eyes peeled for anymore kindness coming down from above.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THANKS BLANCA

 POST # 632

I always crack up laughing, when I get this look from Blanca each and every morning.  She's waiting for breakfast, and her look makes me wonder if she thinks that she will be getting breakfast or not?  I've never let her down so far, but I still get that same look each and every day.

Prior to arriving here, and considering that it is January, I was expecting rain for the majority of my visit.  How wrong I have been on that prediction.  It has been clear blue sky on each and every day, and I am most grateful for that.  But it looks like that is coming to an end tomorrow, according to the weather forecast.  Ah well, it's been good while it lasted.

The weather has been so nice, that Blanca has even wanted to be out on the back deck to catch a few rays on most days.  Even though the air temperature isn't that warm, she doesn't seem to be bothered by that fact.  When I've been here in the summertime, she practically spends the entire day out there.

But once the sun has gotten too far down on the horizon, there are plenty of beds scattered around the house for Blanca to settle in.  She certainly likes her sleep, and can be quite content spending hours at a time on one of these various beds.

And there is always time in the evening, to relax on the couch with the housesitter.  This has become an evening tradition on this visit.  We are in the room with the fireplace, so it's the ideal location to hang out together.

But our time to hangout is rapidly coming to a close, and by the end of the week, the owners will be returning home, and I will once again be on my way.  It's always a pleasure to spend time with Blanca, and I look forward to doing it again in the future, if the opportunity presents itself.

Thanks Blanca, for sharing some of your precious time with me.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

And a PS:  If you are feeling unhappy, here are some words of wisdom.

A WINTER SIT WITH BLANCA

 POST # 631

Sunset at the ferry terminal

After saying goodbye to Mary and Dora-dog, I headed back to Canada, en route to my current house sit.  It was a long travel day with a couple of unexpected delays along the way, but I eventually made it to the ferry terminal, in time to board the 5 pm departure to Swartz Bay, on Vancouver island.

I was met on the other side by Robert, and Blanca the bonehead.  She seemed happy to see me, and we continued our journey to Robert and Jeanette's house in Cadboro Bay.  We only had time for a short visit, prior to calling it a night.  They would head out very early the next morning on their journey to Mexico, and now it's just me and Blanca for the next couple of weeks.  

We do enjoy regular walks each and every day, and even though the weather has been on the chilly side, at least there has been plenty of sunshine so far. And as I may have mentioned before on this blog, I'll take cooler weather with sunshine, over warmer weather with rain, any day of the week.

Our morning walk is along the beach here at Cadboro Bay, which is only about a five minute walk from the house.  We usually meet other dogs along the way, and Blanca is happy to sniff her way as we proceed.  It's a very enjoyable walk, and I do look forward to it each and every day.

When we arrived at the park which is located along the beach, Blanca decided to hop up on the bench for a while yesterday, and enjoy the sunshine.  Seeing as I had a captive audience, I decided to try out my dog joke on her, and see if I could get a positive reaction.  It looks like I was successful.  

Eventually, it's time to head back home, and spend some indoor time with Blanca, in anticipation of our second walk of the day, which is in the opposite direction towards Telegraph Cove.  

My previous two sits with Blanca have been in the summer,  so this is a chillier option doing a winter sit.  But she is good company whatever the season may be, and if I could read her mind, I think that she would agree that the human company is to her liking as well.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

DORA -DOG'S NEW BED AND A MEMORY FROM LONG AGO

 POST # 630

Since arriving a week ago today, here in Shelter Bay, I've managed to get Dora-dog out for a few walks.  One walk in particular was a rather long one indeed, and by the time we returned home, she was ready for a well deserved rest.

Mind you, walking isn't all of the exercise that she enjoys, and she has plenty of toys to play with when we are inside the house.  This is usually how she begins each day.

And there has been a new addition to the house this past week.  Mary decided to buy Dora-dog a new bed.  She has quite a few, but since this one arrived, it has become number one indeed.  As you can see, she looks pretty relaxed in her new soft bed.  Mary made a very good choice with this purchase, and it has the Dora-dog stamp of approval.

And if walking and chasing toys isn't enough to keep her busy, she can always go to the dog's little library, and leave a stick, and take a new one.  

And now for a completely different topic. Sometime this past week, and for whatever reason, a thought came into my mind from a very long time ago, and I have no idea why.  It was in 1988, and yours truly was working at Expo '88 in Brisbane, Australia.  The photo below shows me dressed in white overalls in front of a concession stand on the site.  The gentleman to my right, was a character known as Uncle Arthur.  There was a TV show in Australia called The Comedy Company, which was a very popular show at that time.  They had plenty of characters on the show, and Uncle Arthur was one of the most popular ones.  Anyhow, I happened to be working, cleaning up an ice cream stain on the ground, and when I looked up, I saw Uncle Arthur.  Being a fan of the show, I recognised him right away, and accompanying him was a film crew.  Uncle Arthur ( Actor Glenn Robbins) asked me if I wanted to be a part of one of his skits, and of course I said yes.  Long story short, it made it onto the show, and when my friends in Melbourne saw it, they got to see their Canadian friend on national TV.  

So when I had this thought the other day, I decided to do a search on the internet to see if I could find  the video of this event.  As luck would have it I did, so if the reader wants to watch it, just go to this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTfDTjx2g-E

It's a long video, but the part that includes this scene begins at the 5:55 mark and goes to the 10:34 mark.  That covers Uncle Arthur's entire trip to Expo, but the part featured below, begins at the 7:13 mark.  Hopefully that all makes sense.  There are plenty of other Uncle Arthur skits on the video, so if you enjoy his humour, sit back, relax and have a few laughs.

 

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

WANDERING THOUGHTFULLY INTO 2025

 POST # 629

As of today, the stoking of the fireplace will once again be in the hands of Howard and Sally, because the Thoughtful Wanderer will be wandering thoughtfully back to the USA for a little while.

There will be a multitude of different types of transport to get me there, starting with a car, then a ferry, a bus, a skytrain, and another train.  Eventually I will be back in Washington to spend some time with Mary and Dora-dog, which I am very much looking forward to.

I had to break the news to Logan first, and I can't quite read the expression on his face.  Mind you, the fact that he is sitting upon my computer makes me think that he doesn't want me to leave so soon.

On the other hand, one look into Caper's eyes tells me that she definitely doesn't want me to go.  My guess is that she has become accustomed to getting more treats than usual, and she doesn't want the gravy train to come to an end.  Sorry Caper, but all good things must come to an end as the old saying goes.

As is almost always the case, when I look back at the time that I have spent here, or for that matter any location, it seems to have gone by faster than expected.  But it has been an enjoyable and relaxing time indeed.  

Perhaps sometime down the road, I'll have yet another opportunity to take care of these two four-legged friends, and if that happens it would be wonderful.

In the meantime, I will continue to wander, thoughtfully of course, onwards to my next destination.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS: I was meant to pick up Howard and Sally in Victoria last night, but their flight was cancelled.  We came up with a plan B, which involved me taking Caper to the doggie daycare nearby, and then dropping off their car at the ferry terminal this morning.  They will pick it up later today, and get Caper on their way home.