BACK TO CANADA FOR A LITTLE WHILE

 POST # 687

Yesterday began as just another normal day for Dora-dog, and she was happy to be awake, have some breakfast and play with her toys.  Everything was looking good at this point in time.  

I try to get my luggage out to the car in the garage without her knowing, so that she doesn't suspect that something is up.  We all hop into the car, and head to the train station in Mount Vernon.  The route is a familiar one for her, and I make sure to point out all the horses and cows along the way, to keep her amused.  All is well until we arrive at the train station.  She has by now figured out that if Mary and I are both in the car when we get to the station, that I won't be returning home with them afterwards.  At this point, she shows her feelings, as only Dora-dog can do.

When the train arrived, it was time to say goodbye for now, and just as I boarded the train I took this one last photo.  What is that look?  Is it sadness, or is it a look that suggests that she can't understand why I am leaving?  I'll never know.  Mary told me afterwards that Dora-dog barked at the station attendant who let me outside the station to walk to the train.  It's as if she was blaming him for taking me away.

And then moments later, the train departed, which is sad for all three of us.  But life goes on, and later that day I arrived in Vancouver, in preparation for spending a few weeks with Ollie.

He doesn't look so happy to see me arrive, but as is normally the case, it takes him a little while to adjust, and then all is well.

So it's now time to settle in with Ollie, and enjoy our time together for the next few weeks.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY

 POST # 686

It is a beautiful sunny day today, and it's always more enjoyable to take Dora-dog for her daily walk when the weather is cooperating.

She had plenty of four legged friends to see on today's journey, and lots of interesting smells to keep her occupied along the way.

Returning to Shelter Bay, I photographed the sign at the entrance.  I think they nailed it with this one.

It's another blog post with not much to say, so I'll end it here.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS:  Happy Birthday Bill

FROM SOURDOUGH TO DOG BISCUITS

 POST # 685

The baking continues, from sourdough bread last week, to dog biscuits this week.  Mary has found a simple all natural recipe to make them, and Dora-dog has given her paw stamp of approval to the outcome.

You can certainly tell by the expression upon her face, that she is happy with this latest endeavour in the kitchen.

Not only did Dora-dog benefit from the goings on in the kitchen, but so did The Thoughtful Wanderer this past week.  I've now turned one year older than 70.  Another lap around the sun has been successfully completed.  Having tasted both, (the dog biscuits and the chocolate cake), I give the award to the cake, but I imagine that Dora-dog would give the dog biscuits the number one prize.  We are both very grateful for Mary's baking talent.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MARY'S SOURDOUGH BREAD FACTORY

 POST # 684

In recent times, Mary's home has become a sourdough bread factory.  In my humble opinion, she has perfected the art of making sourdough bread.

I'm not quite sure when she began this little experiment, but it has now become a part of the day to day routine.  I find it simply amazing that from the three simple ingredients of flour, water, and a pinch of salt, such magnificent tasting bread can be produced.  And each new loaf tastes better than the last one.

I never thought that I would be assisting in this process, but I have taken an interest in helping to mix the ingredients together, prior to baking.

There have been some magnificent loaves produced, and here are three recent examples.

 

And not only do we have sourdough bread to enjoy, Mary has now also produced some sourdough cinnamon rolls as well.  And they are just as yummy as her bread. 

I for one, am extremely glad that Mary decided to pursue this sourdough baking endeavour, and I look forward to more eating enjoyment in the future.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

PS: Today, February 28, 2026 may turn out to be a memorable date, but only time will tell.

BAXTER

 POST # 683

Say hi to Baxter. He lives across the street at the neighbour's house, and he's been there now for a couple of years or so.  He is without a doubt, one of the friendliest furballs that I have had the pleasure to know.  So you can imagine my surprise the other day, when I went over there to drop off their mail. When I opened the door, this was the face that I encountered.  That was a bit of a shock.  Baxter was doing his best to be a guard furball.  This face might even have scared Dora-dog, but I have my doubts.

But I managed to drop off the mail, say hi to Baxter in spite of his scary face, and headed back home.  I suspect that on my next visit, he will be back to his friendly disposition, and I will have forgotten about this encounter.

But in case you want to have just one more look at Baxter, here it is.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

 POST # 682

Happy Valentine's Day to Mary and Dora-dog.  I am very happy to spend today with both of them, here in Shelter Bay.

Today marks eight years, since Mary adopted Dora-dog from the animal shelter.  I think that they would both agree that it was a great idea, and I would have to concur with that sentiment.

And five years ago today, it was a very snowy February day, unlike today without a snowflake in sight.

Here is my blog post from that year.  https://wherespaulnow.blogspot.com/2021/02/happy-valentines-day-happy-anniversary.html

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BACK TO WASHINGTON

 POST # 681

As far as I can tell, Blanca isn't looking very happy that her housesitter is now having to say goodbye.  This photo was taken at the ferry terminal prior to me heading back to the mainland, in preparation for my departure to Washington.

After an overnight in Vancouver, it was time to head to the train station.  In all of the time that I have been doing this journey, I have never been first in line to board the train until this most recent trip.   The train station was pretty empty, and as a result, the train had very few passengers.

The journey was longer than normal, as we were held up at the border.  It seemed rather odd to me, as the train had so few passengers, I thought that we would be on our way in no time.  But anytime you are dealing with border control people, one never knows just how long the delay might be.

Eventually we were on our way, and I was greeted by Mary and Dora-dog at the Mount Vernon train station.

Up until today, the weather here has been very nice, considering the time of year.  We've had some sunny warm days, as can be seen in the photo below.

As I write these words, the sunny weather has disappeared at least for today, but I'm sure some more sunny weather will be on the way.

Dora-dog has had a hair cut since my last visit, but short hair or long, it doesn't have any impact on that perpetually cute face.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer