FROM CADBORO BAY TO CORDOVA BAY AND BEYOND

 POST #  607

As you can tell from looking at the above map, the distance from Cadboro Bay to Cordova Bay is a short one.  I arrived earlier in the week, and settled in.

Of course, this meant saying so long to Blanca, but as you can see, she seemed to be pretty chilled about the fact that her house sitter was once again saying goodbye.  Our paths are meant to cross again in the new year, so we can renew our friendship at that time.

 

It didn't take long to settle in at Cordova Bay with Jackson.  He knows me from before, and he's so relaxed, that he's easy to spend time with.  I was here just over a year ago, and that was when we first had time to spend with one another.  Who knows if furballs remember humans or not, but Jackson was eager to be friendly, and that always makes for an enjoyable house sit.  As you can tell by the photos, he certainly is not a stressed out furball.

The house is located on Abbey Road, and just like on other visits here, I  had hoped to run into the remaining two Beatles, Paul and Ringo.  They were nowhere in sight.  Perhaps it's a different Abbey Road?  But there was no harm in keeping an eye out for both of them.

Yesterday was the departure day for me, and as I was getting ready to head out the front door, Jackson was giving me the look.  "Why are you leaving me so soon?" he seemed to be asking.  Oh well Jackson, all good things must come to an end, but with any luck, our paths will cross again sometime down the road, and that would make me very happy indeed.

After saying so long to Jackson, I boarded a ferry to head back to the mainland.  A nice view of Mount Baker in Washington was enjoyed along the way.

And Washington is where I'll be heading to later today, to spend time with Mary and Dora-dog.  

My journey continues.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

BLANCA'S WONDERFUL LIFE

 POST  606***

Part of our daily routine is to head off for our morning walk to Cadboro Bay, which is a short ten minute walk from home.  As I mentioned last week, the weather has been spectacular, so it's very easy to head out on our morning journey.  I like to take a few moments to stop along the beach, and enjoy the view of the Olympic mountains on the horizon.  That's if I'm lucky, because Blanca keeps me busy as she chases these little gecko-like creatures that seem to have taken over the beach.  She loves to try and catch them, as they scurry under various logs, but so far, she has been unsuccessful in her quest.  It's certainly not from lack of trying though.  She would probably spend the entire day at the beach doing this activity, if given the chance.

But eventually, we make it to the end of the beach walk, and back up onto dry land, in readiness for our return journey home.

Eventually, the sun has risen high enough in the sky to shine on the back deck.  With her walk completed, and breakfast consumed, Blanca heads out to find one of her favourite spots on the deck to have her mid-morning nap.  Chasing all those gecko-like critters has tired her out, so she settles down in the sun, and drifts off to sleep for a while.

Once the deck gets too hot for Blanca, she sometimes shifts to the cool grass, and settles in there.  Blanca has a wonderful life.

And her wonderful life gets even better later today.  Because that is when her owners return home.  I'm looking forward to Blanca's reaction when that moment arrives.

Tomorrow, I'll be heading out to my next sit, just up the road from here.  I'm looking forward to that, but I'll certainly miss Blanca's company.  I hope she will miss mine as well.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

***For whatever reason, the hashtag symbol that I normally put in front of the number doesn't want to work on my computer.  Hopefully, I'll get that working for next week, but we'll see.

MY RETURN TO CASABLANCA

 POST # 605

Just over a week ago, The Thoughtful Wanderer once again arrived at Casablanca.  Who knew that Casablanca was situated right here in Cadboro Bay, on Vancouver Island?

But the above photo is the proof.  There is Blanca, standing in front of her house (casa).  As she originates from Mexico, it seems rather appropriate to call this place, Casablanca.  After all, casa is the Spanish word for house, and even though she is now transplanted to an English speaking country, she probably still retains some words in Spanish, and I imagine that casa is one of those words.  

It has been a very relaxing week here with Blanca.  She is such an easy bonehead to spend time with, so we have enjoyed our time together.  The weather has been sunny each and every day, so it's wonderful to get outside and take Blanca for her daily walks.  There are two different beaches within walking distance, and we make sure to spend time at each one, every day.

Here is Blanca spending time at one of those beaches, Telegraph Cove.

Of course, we can't spend all day at the beach, so after that is done, there is plenty of time to relax out in the backyard.  After all, she needs to relax following all of those walks.  And she certainly knows how to do that.

She looks happy, and so is The Thoughtful Wanderer.  It's a real pleasure to spend time with Blanca, and I'm looking forward to doing that for another week, here at Casablanca.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

A HAPPY WEEK FOR DORA-DOG

 POST # 604

It's been a great week for Dora-dog, and you can tell by the look upon her face, that she is one happy bonehead.

Earlier in the week, we drove to a location, not too far from Mount Baker to visit a friend that we had not seen for a long time.  Her bonehead, who goes by the name of Clooney, was there as well.  Dora-dog was happy to see, and spend some time with him, while the humans visited with one another.

We took time to go for a stroll around the property where our friend lives, and enjoyed the magnificent scenery located there. 

After an enjoyable visit, it was time to say so long, so we said our goodbyes, and headed out on the journey back to Shelter Bay.  Just prior to arriving home, the sun was setting, and I managed to take a photo of the event.

That was a few days ago.  In the meantime,  Mary's eldest daughter arrived for a short visit, on her way to catch up with friends in Oregon.  She brought along her bonehead, Fettie (short for Confetti), so once again Dora-dog had a four legged friend to spend time with.  So we've been dog-sitting Fettie for a few days, and she and Dora-dog get along together, so it's been fun to have her here for a while, and it has helped to make it a happy week for Dora-dog. 

They both look very happy to be spending time together.

They will get a few more days to do that, but I will be heading out tomorrow to my next sit on Vancouver Island.  This will be a return visit, and I'll be hanging out with Blanca for a couple of weeks.  We get along great together, so I am very much looking forward to seeing her once again.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED

 POST # 603

The summer solstice arrived yesterday, June 20th, just before 2 pm, here on the west coast of North America, and shortly thereafter, I once again boarded an Amtrak train to head south to Washington to spend some precious time with Mary and Dora-dog.

I decided to take a photo of this unusual sculpture which is located at the border crossing.  I'm not really sure what it is meant to illustrate, but it is certainly unique.

The train arrived about twenty minutes behind schedule, due to a delay waiting for a coal train to pass us by.  I counted 136 cars of coal, heading to Canada, and probably en route to China after that.

Mary and Dora-dog were at the station to greet me, and soon we were home.

As always, I am looking to spending time with both of them, prior to heading back to my next house sit gig on Vancouver Island.

A short post today, as few words seem to be popping into my ageing brain.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

THREE WALKS PER DAY

 POST # 602

Three walks per day.  That's our routine each and every day.  Rain or shine.  Thankfully, for the most part, the weather has cooperated, and the majority of my time here has been under sunny skies.  The map above shows the park that we walk through, which is directly behind the house.  Our house is on Upper Canyon Rd., the third to the left of Huff Boulevard.  We simply walk out the back gate, and away we go.

On a couple of occasions this past week, we met two of Simi's bonehead friends.  A few days ago it was Fargo, and just yesterday, we met Hazel.  Because Simi knows both of them well, I let her off leash, and she had a ball, running around.  It has been the only two times that I have done that, as I would hate to have her run off, but with her four legged friends nearby, there seemed to be little chance of that happening.

We do a morning walk, just after we get up, a mid-day walk, and then once more in the late afternoon.  After the walks are all done, we have a pleasant backyard to hang around in, and play with a ball, or frisbee, or old stick, or whatever Simi decides to find to play with.

You can certainly tell, by looking at the following three photos, that she is one happy bonehead.

The owners arrive back home next week, and I'll have to say so long to Simi.  At least for now.  With any luck, I may get another opportunity to spend time with her in the future, and if that is the case, I'm quite sure that I will be greeted with a friendly smile, unlike the growling and barking that started off this house sit.

We've now become best mates, and I'm happy about that, and it appears that she is as well.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer

MY NEW BONEHEAD FRIEND

 POST # 601

"Should I trust this human?"

I first met Simi last December.  I had been invited to her owner's home for a pre-Christmas get together, along with a host of other people.  I was excited to meet the new member of their family, who at the time was only about three months old.  

When I arrived, and rang on their doorbell, the barking began.  I was greeted at the door by one of Simi's owners, and Simi.  Right from the get go, she decided that she didn't like this new human standing in front of her.  I thought at the time, that her reaction was normal, seeing as this was the first time we had ever met, and I expected that by the end of the evening, I would have made a new bonehead friend.

I was wrong.  

There were probably about twenty people or thereabouts at this get together, but no matter how hard I tried, or even if I ignored her completely, Simi never warmed up to me that night.  She seemed to get along with everyone BUT me.  So much for my dog sitter charm.

Early this year, the owner's asked if I would be their sitter for an upcoming vacation, and of course I accepted, even though I wasn't too sure about how well it would go, in light of my previous encounter with Simi.

I arrived here on June 2nd, and while the owners were still here, Simi was exactly the same as she was when we first met.  If I tried to get close to her, she would bark and run away.  They left the following day, and magically, once they left, the barking stopped.  When it was time to take her out for her first walk with me, she went right along.  I was pleasantly surprised.

The photo at the top of the page was taken the next day, and it shows that she was beginning to trust me.  By June 5th, we had become the best of friends, and now she follows me wherever I go, in or out of the house. It must be the Border Collie in her.  She's herding me from place to place.

So our relationship has come a very long way in a short period of time.  And I am glad for that fact.  It would have been a very long sit, if she had continued to behave like she did when we first met.  But now we are best buddies.

She now looks very happy indeed, and I'm looking forward to the remainder of our time together.

grateful for every breath,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer