SETTLED IN AT SHELTER BAY ONCE AGAIN

 POST # 672

As I mentioned at the end of my last post, there would be plenty of photos of Dora-dog on the way, so here is the first one.  She's always happy to oblige.

More than a week has gone by since I settled in here at Shelter Bay, Washington, and for the most part the weather has been grey and rainy.  But this morning, we were surprised and delighted to once again see the sun.  I'm not sure how long this will last, but we'll enjoy it as much as we can.

I happen to be here for the American version of Thanksgiving which was yesterday.  Mary cooked up a magnificent feast for us, which was very much appreciated by this visiting Canuck.  I am very grateful that she went to the effort of preparing all of this yummy food.

On a totally different subject, while out for my daily walk with Dora-dog, we came across this wonderful collection of mushrooms growing out of an old stump.  I thought that it was a good idea to take a photo of them.

In addition to these mushrooms, when we were out walking yesterday, there were more squirrels than I have ever seen before at any one time.  Dora-dog was beside herself trying to keep track of all of them, and I enjoyed watching her slowly walk towards them, hoping that she would be able to finally catch one.  Of course, that wouldn't be possible because I had a firm grip on her leash, but even if that wasn't the case, she wouldn't stand a chance with these agile critters.  In an instant, they can be up a tree or on a fence, before Dora-dog can blink an eye.  Still it's fun to watch her interaction with them each and every time.

So that wraps things up for today, and for the month of November.  There will be two more posts from here, before I journey back to Canada, and no doubt, there will be more photos of Dora-dog along the way.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS.  I always think of my dad on today's date, as this was his birthday.

SO LONG DOUG

 POST # 671

Doug is giving me that look.  He knows something is up, but when I took this photo, he wasn't quite sure what it was.  However, once my luggage was sitting at the front door, he knew for sure that it was time for me to say so long to him, and the next photo shows another sad looking face.

Then moments later, I was out the door, and on my way to Nanaimo, to pick up Doug's owner, Pam, and then head to the ferry terminal.  The journey was an interesting one, because the clutch in Pam's truck is failing, and it was a challenge to shift gears.  Be that as it may, I did manage to arrive on time, have a quick visit with Pam, and then watch as she drove away.  It was now her turn to deal with the faulty clutch.

After an overnight in Vancouver, it was time to head to the train station in preparation for my journey south, once again.  In all of the times that I have done this trip, I have never seen the terminal so empty as it was on Wednesday.   Boarding begins at 3:30 pm and usually by the time shown on the clock, there is already a long line up of people waiting to board the train.

In fact, it was so empty, that I had the opportunity to be very first in line.

Clearing customs was a breeze, and I settled in for the journey southward.  In my train car, I counted only thirteen passengers, in a car that holds eighty.  We even left fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, which is a first.

It was an uneventful trip south, and as always, Mary and Dora-dog were there at the station to greet me. I'll be here for a month, so I imagine that there will be plenty of photos of Dora-dog during this upcoming period.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

ANOTHER WEEK WITH DOUG THE DOG

 POST # 670

If there is one thing that Doug is very good at, it's his ability to give me the look.  The look means, "isn't it time to go for a walk, Paul?"  He has certainly perfected this look, and you can see it displayed proudly as he stares at me while lying down on one of his favourite beds.

So there is only one thing to solve this problem, and that is to take him for his daily walk around the neighbourhood.  There are always plenty of things for Doug to sniff as we stroll along, and it is a pleasant and relaxing exercise for the both of us, at least most of the time.  But occasionally we encounter another four-legged critter along the way, and Doug makes sure to let it know, that he is the boss.  His bark is usually enough to let the other critter know that it would be best to allow some space as we continue to walk on by.  So far, we've never had a bad encounter, but I am always careful to keep a tight hold upon his leash, just to be on the safe side.

Our walk continues, and each day is unique as we stroll along the road together.  We sometimes come across another human who knows Doug, and then there is plenty of tail wagging taking place as we approach them.  Doug gets a few pats on the head, and I have the opportunity to have a quick chat, prior to us continuing along on our journey back home.

Before too long, we arrive back, after yet another enjoyable stroll together.  After Doug gets his expected post walk treat, it is time for him to settle down and relax, and while doing so, perhaps he's thinking about tomorrow's walk, and who or what he will meet along the way.

I've got a few more days to hang out with Doug, and I'll try and make the best of them.  He is certainly one of the most laid  back boneheads that I have had the pleasure to know over all of these years.

And finally, I thought that I would mention last night.  The final thing that I do is let Doug outside for his final pee and poop, and when I opened the front door, I noticed something on the front lawn.  I decided to go out and see what I was looking at, and it was the sad sight of a dead rabbit, which by looking at its injuries, it had obviously been attacked by something.  I made sure to get it off of the ground before Doug could have a closer look. How it ended up in the front yard will remain a mystery.  

I leave next Tuesday, so I will try and make the best of my final few days with good old Doug the dog.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

HANGIN' OUT AGAIN, WITH DOUG THE DOG

 POST # 669

On October 30th, I enjoyed a sunny ride  across to Vancouver Island, en route to my current location, here in Nanoose Bay. Pam picked me up at the ferry terminal and we headed back to her place.  I was last here, almost exactly one year ago to take care of Doug the dog.  You can't really tell from the photo, but he was truly happy to see me.  His mind appears to be elsewhere.  Perhaps he was thinking about the fact that Pam would be leaving the next day, and he wasn't too happy about that.

The next day was Halloween, so I asked Doug if he would be kind enough to show me his scary Halloween look, and he was happy to oblige.

I guess that his look worked, because we never even had one visitor the entire evening.  I think that it wasn't his look that caused the lack of visitors, but the fact that it was a very rainy night,  which didn't make it very inviting to go out trick or treating on the local streets.  We enjoyed a quiet evening at home, as the rain poured down.

There are two times each day, when I have Doug's full attention, and those two times are breakfast and dinner.  As soon as I grab his food bowl, he's right there next to me, waiting and drooling for his meal.  Moments after I put his bowl down, the food has disappeared.  

It must be time for our afternoon walk, so I'll get Doug ready, and off we'll go.  Thankfully the weather today has cooperated, so I won't have to take an umbrella along with me.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer