When The Adventures Never End

When we got out of the car, in this Rhode Island state forest, my daughter immediately spotted a giant rock near the lake shore and within seconds had climbed to the top. I kept repeating "be careful" but meanwhile I was a little envious. How great it must be to have the kind of adventurous spirit that comes with being a kid. I kind of remember what it was like, climbing everything, exploring everything and fearing nothing. Getting "filthy dirty" (as my mom would say) and not have to be thinking about the tons of laundry piling up at home or if your hair will still be clean enough for work on Monday.

A real vacation for us adults would be to travel back in time and be a kid again for just a week. I would love it! To spend the days playing until dirty and exhausted, and even after the sun has set, when everything is growing dark, to still be running around knowing every minute Mom doesn't call for you is another minute of pure fun. To have one of those great days where you tell your Mom that you wished it would never end as she's carting away your soiled play clothes. Now that would be a vacation!

Mourning Winter

Okay, it's officially spring and all the winter haters are really happy. These are the people who have been complaining since the last colored leaf was blown to the ground. They hate snow, cold, wind, gray skies, etc. Well, I love winter and I'm here to say that they're not looking on the bright side during those cold gray months, and I for one, am sorry to see them pass.

First, I love having most of the outdoors to myself. Like this beach shot I took last month, for example. I was completely alone on this beach. Totally alone, enjoying peace and serenity and the blissful sound of the lonely surf, all for me. When I return to this beach in the summer it will be crowded from one end to the other with people who wouldn't dare stand on it in February, and it will be hot, loaded with bugs and noisy. Oh. I'll still go, and I'll still have a great time, but having the beach totally to myself is pretty damn good, too.

Second, I love to walk the dog after dark and as the weeks go by the dark will be coming later and later, and then there's those bugs again. Like on the beach, during the winter months, I have the streets to myself but soon I'll hear the constant jingle of dog tags and see dark shadows moving about in the night and I'll have to share the streets for awhile, too.

I love a big snowstorm and when it's bitterly cold I love having an excuse to just hole up in my house with things like a good book and a supply of hot chocolate. I can go to bed early if I want without feeling like I'm in a nursing home, and for those of us who rise somewhat early to go to work, I prefer a little dark quiet over sun blazing into my house like dozens of police spotlights and the deafening cacophony of millions of birds.

Not to worry, I'll enjoy the colorful blooms of wildflowers along the roads, the mild spring breezes and seeing the trees all green and leafy again, and what the heck, fall is only about 6 months away!

Meet Maxie

The animal shelter was loud! Dogs were barking from every section of the building as we were led to the room where a few small dogs remained available for adoption. By the time the shelter had opened for visits most of the small dogs listed on their site had been adopted out already and I had a feeling a let-down was coming for our daughter who was expecting to finally have a dog in the house. The attendant brought us into a little room that had 4 cages on the floor. Two were empty, one had a small dog that had proven a bit aggressive and was not recommended, and the other had a black miniature schnauzer barking furiously from behind the cage door.

He had been at the shelter for a week by then and I imagined his bravado was a plea to not be forgotten. Once out of the cage and on a leash it became obvious that this little guy was very depressed. He moped slowly along behind us, his head and tail drooping, and when we went outside he showed no interest in his surroundings. We took him into a fenced-in enclosure so we could play with him but he kept heading back to the gate where he would stand facing the door waiting to be let back out. We walked him some more but he still wouldn't perk up and I'm sure he was wondering what had become of his people and why he had been left alone in this strange place. He had lived with his former family for seven years. He had probably been excited at the prospect of a ride only to be left behind at the shelter never to see his family again.

Back indoors the little dog stood in the lobby and just stared at us while we talked with the shelter worker who had picked him out for us, and after a few minutes of discussion, we decided to take this sad schnauzer home. The dog stretched out and flattened himself to the office floor while we worked through the papers and after awhile we were driving away with “Maxie” riding along in the back seat.

Nearly four years later Maxie is still here, a little older and slower, but life for him has been good. He's traveled to all of the New England states and has even visited Canada, and he gets to spend a week at the beach every summer. He's also won ribbons in the town dog show, but his favorite things to do are sleep on the bed, patrol his back yard, ride in the car and walk in the park. His least favorite things are trips to the vet and thunderstorms. It's like there was never a time when he wasn't here. For some there really is a “happily ever after”.

Expect the Unexpected

When returning from a short drive I noticed a traffic jam ahead on a road that leads to my neighborhood. Cars were backed up in both directions on this normally quiet street. I immediately became interested in what had everyone in such a mess. Cars began swerving this way and that way and before long I was close to the source of the confusion. Wild turkeys were strolling all over the road, oblivious to the frustration and the gawking they were causing. My husband was driving, so as we passed this one turkey, I asked him to stop very briefly and I was able to snap a shot as this one bird made his way slowly by our car.

Any moment can bring you a surprise, a story, or a laugh so be ready to live in the moment as you journey through everyday life!