Our day got off to a slow start. Alice was going to pick me up for breakfast about 10 a.m., but I decided around 9 to put in a police report about my bike and contest my parking ticket. Unfortunately, the two could not be dealt with at the same location, so I did a fair amount of driving to get these things accomplished. I returned to Joan's about 10:20, took her sweet dog Dinah out because Joan was already gone to visit a friend for the day, and got ready for the dog park.
Alice and Cassidy picked me up after a while, and we went to Square One for breakfast. They had a lovely patio, which was quite shady and comfortable. Jess met us there. Alice was right about the phenomenal breakfast potatoes. I had a MIY (make it yourself) omelette with roasted tomatoes, asparagus, and goat cheese. And coffee. My first coffee since Napa.
We dropped Cassidy off and picked up Harvey (my granddog), and headed for Long Beach where there is a designated, off-leash, dog beach. The drive was slow. There was a lot of traffic already headed out of town for the long weekend.
Remy's response to the dog beach was unique. Harvey experiences this setting with rampant joy. He doesn't really chase balls, but he loves to chase dogs who are chasing balls. He splashes in and out of the surf, kicks up his heels across the sand, and chases any running dog, large or small. He had no negative encounters that I witnessed.
Remy, on the other hand, growled at Harvey when he got in the car and anytime he came near our set-up of towels. As we stood with our feet in the waves, he flinched every time some jubilant dog ran by. He would only run with me, so I ran a ways down the beach and back a couple of times. But he was happier, by far, to lie at the towels, only lifting his head to growl at other dogs that came too close. Big fun.
I don't know if this will ever change significantly. He's my dog. He's attached to me. And he doesn't seem to have any desire to socialize with other dogs. It puts a heavy burden on me, to be his only friend, but there we are.
The trip back from Long Beach was surprisingly fast. Most of the heavy traffic was going the other way, leaving town for the weekend. We had planned to meet Dylan, my second cousin, at The Alcove at 5:30. I had already texted to say that 5:30 might be pushing it a little, but now it appeared that I would be able to be dropped off at Joan's and change my clothes. Alice continued on to drop Harvey off and change her clothes, as well.
I got to The Alcove first and ordered a smoothie and some guacamole (which was great, by the way, but I shouldn't have eaten the chips). Then I realized that I hadn't put money in my meter and started to panic. I ran across the street only to find that the meter already had time on it. Yay! I added to it and returned to the restaurant just as my food and smoothie were delivered, and Dylan arrived. I got his coffee, and shortly after that Alice arrived. We hung out for at least an hour, talking about all kinds of things: friends and family, aging grandparents, music and movies, and so on. It was lovely. I wish one of Dylan's bands had been performing this weekend. He has a bunch of performances next weekend, but I don't think I'll return. I already have an Airbnb reserved in Flagstaff for the 6th.
When we said good-bye to Dylan, Alice and I walked back to our cars together. She said she needed a break to be with her friends, and I completely sanctioned that. I stopped off at a large Goodwill Store and found a pair of jeans (which means I can cut off the other pair I have for shorts, since they seem to have acquired an approximately 2 inch diameter oily spot that didn't come out in the wash on one leg) and a pair of shorts.
I need a couple of T-shirts -- the ones I have have developed a lot of small holes -- but I'd really like to get something unique to the trip. Maybe this weekend.
I think about Jackson, CA, quite a lot. It was a very comfortable and satisfying place to be. I wonder if I would like to spend 6 months or a year there. Sort of like shopping for an expensive item, I will "take it under advisement" as I continue my journey. If I get back to Michigan and I'm still thinking about it, I'll message Sean, the owner, and see if he'd like me to come out and run the Airbnb aspect of his place in exchange for a free place to stay. This is the first place where I felt like I didn't want to leave, and I was there for 3 nights.
I had thought I would settle in Ithaca. That seemed most likely ... to my brain ... but now that Jackson is calling me I realize that I could go there for a year and then go to Ithaca, or someplace else. Stay tuned as I try to listen to the internal voice for the rest of the trip.
Flowers in Joan's front garden.
It's a little hard to see, but this was two individuals on separate skateboards, the back one holding onto the front one, while the front one held onto a dog who was pulling them down the sidewalk. I saw these two when I went downtown to contest my ticket.
Alice and Cassidy picked me up after a while, and we went to Square One for breakfast. They had a lovely patio, which was quite shady and comfortable. Jess met us there. Alice was right about the phenomenal breakfast potatoes. I had a MIY (make it yourself) omelette with roasted tomatoes, asparagus, and goat cheese. And coffee. My first coffee since Napa.
We dropped Cassidy off and picked up Harvey (my granddog), and headed for Long Beach where there is a designated, off-leash, dog beach. The drive was slow. There was a lot of traffic already headed out of town for the long weekend.
Remy's response to the dog beach was unique. Harvey experiences this setting with rampant joy. He doesn't really chase balls, but he loves to chase dogs who are chasing balls. He splashes in and out of the surf, kicks up his heels across the sand, and chases any running dog, large or small. He had no negative encounters that I witnessed.
Remy, on the other hand, growled at Harvey when he got in the car and anytime he came near our set-up of towels. As we stood with our feet in the waves, he flinched every time some jubilant dog ran by. He would only run with me, so I ran a ways down the beach and back a couple of times. But he was happier, by far, to lie at the towels, only lifting his head to growl at other dogs that came too close. Big fun.
I don't know if this will ever change significantly. He's my dog. He's attached to me. And he doesn't seem to have any desire to socialize with other dogs. It puts a heavy burden on me, to be his only friend, but there we are.
The trip back from Long Beach was surprisingly fast. Most of the heavy traffic was going the other way, leaving town for the weekend. We had planned to meet Dylan, my second cousin, at The Alcove at 5:30. I had already texted to say that 5:30 might be pushing it a little, but now it appeared that I would be able to be dropped off at Joan's and change my clothes. Alice continued on to drop Harvey off and change her clothes, as well.
I got to The Alcove first and ordered a smoothie and some guacamole (which was great, by the way, but I shouldn't have eaten the chips). Then I realized that I hadn't put money in my meter and started to panic. I ran across the street only to find that the meter already had time on it. Yay! I added to it and returned to the restaurant just as my food and smoothie were delivered, and Dylan arrived. I got his coffee, and shortly after that Alice arrived. We hung out for at least an hour, talking about all kinds of things: friends and family, aging grandparents, music and movies, and so on. It was lovely. I wish one of Dylan's bands had been performing this weekend. He has a bunch of performances next weekend, but I don't think I'll return. I already have an Airbnb reserved in Flagstaff for the 6th.
When we said good-bye to Dylan, Alice and I walked back to our cars together. She said she needed a break to be with her friends, and I completely sanctioned that. I stopped off at a large Goodwill Store and found a pair of jeans (which means I can cut off the other pair I have for shorts, since they seem to have acquired an approximately 2 inch diameter oily spot that didn't come out in the wash on one leg) and a pair of shorts.
I need a couple of T-shirts -- the ones I have have developed a lot of small holes -- but I'd really like to get something unique to the trip. Maybe this weekend.
I think about Jackson, CA, quite a lot. It was a very comfortable and satisfying place to be. I wonder if I would like to spend 6 months or a year there. Sort of like shopping for an expensive item, I will "take it under advisement" as I continue my journey. If I get back to Michigan and I'm still thinking about it, I'll message Sean, the owner, and see if he'd like me to come out and run the Airbnb aspect of his place in exchange for a free place to stay. This is the first place where I felt like I didn't want to leave, and I was there for 3 nights.
I had thought I would settle in Ithaca. That seemed most likely ... to my brain ... but now that Jackson is calling me I realize that I could go there for a year and then go to Ithaca, or someplace else. Stay tuned as I try to listen to the internal voice for the rest of the trip.
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