_______________________________________________________________________________

It’s no secret to anyone who regularly reads RoadDog’s adventures that I love the mountains. I really don’t know why, except to say it has something to do with the vastness of nature, the peace of a simpler life, a place to just breathe.

Because I live in Nova Scotia, perhaps I take the sea for granted, but the mountains call to me. I love to sit and look at the ocean, but I could just “be” in the mountains for a very long time.

So when Steve and I were contemplating a stay in Camden during our trip to New England last August, I was excited to read about Mt. Battie, just a few minutes to the north. It didn’t take a lot of effort to convince Steve that we should take the drive up the mountain. I sold him with the winding road and a place for Jake to run about, which I also enjoyed, but it might have been a shameless bit of guile on my part to get up the mountain. (Sorry dear, but I don’t think you really minded.)

Mt. Battie is in Camden Hills State Park and offers fantastic, sweeping views of Camden, Penobscot Bay and the surrounding islands. They say that on a clear day you can see Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (in case you remember my November musings about that mountain). We were lucky to travel up Mt. Battie on a stunning day and it was as if we could see forever.

The three of us wandered around for a long time that afternoon, enjoying the picturesque views, exploring an old turret, scrambling about the rocks and paths. It was one of those places where, although there were a lot of other people around, you could almost imagine being alone in the world, or at least that little piece of the world.

I was particularly intrigued by a plaque mounted on a stone. I was previously unfamiliar with Edna St. VIncent Millay’s “Renascence” but I could totally and completely relate to it in that place in that moment.

It was a great day and Mt. Battie is on our list of places to visit again … and maybe again and again.

_________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Like many dogs, our Jake sometimes dreams. We can tell when it’s happening because his legs kind of twitch as if he might be running in his mind and he makes little noises, sort of like quiet yaps, as if he might be barking.

But Saturday night, or more accurately Sunday morning, must have been a dream like he’s never had before.

I was sound asleep, at least I thought I was, until I heard him. Jake was relentlessly chasing something in his mind. Usually if one of us speaks to him or gives him a bit of a shake, it pulls him close enough to the surface to quiet the dream, but not this time. I talked to him and I tried to shake him awake, yet the dream went on and on.

His legs twitched as he chased after something and those silly little noises kept going and going. Steve eventually quieted our boy down, but I was left pondering (by then quite fully awake) just what Jake might have been dreaming about.

We’d gone for a walk at Miller Point Saturday afternoon so he might have been dreaming about chasing squirrels. He doesn’t usually chase them but he seems to like to think about it, sort of standing their watching them, considering his options.

As a result of Jake’s diet, we’ve cut back on his Timbits a lot. He had one last weekend for the first time in close to a month, so he might have had visions of Timbits dancing in his head, gulping them as he bounded after the images.

However, Saturday was also a very, very nice day. It was warm. It was sunny. I know my mind turned to riding and, although the roads aren’t sufficiently clear of salt and sand and gravel yet for us to head out on the bikes, the temptation was definitely there.

I have a feeling our RoadDog was dreaming about riding.
______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

This fantastic weather (it’s 14 degrees outside as I’m writing this) has me thinking about the outdoors and, for some inexplicable reason, going on picnics.

Maybe it’s because our riding season was cut short last year or maybe it’s because it’s been a long winter of waiting, but it seems like it has been so long since our little motorcycle-riding family sat outdoors at a picnic table enjoying our lunch. I almost can’t remember the last time our RoadDog sat at my feet trying to convince me to share something that he probably shouldn’t have. (Those eyes, those big brown eyes.)

It really was a shame that it rained so much last summer. I know I’ve written before about our bike club’s annual photo jaunt where we’re given a list of places to photograph our bikes during the riding season. There’s often a theme and last year it was an entire list of picnic parks. Steve and I were kind of excited with great plans to pack lunches and head out on various day trips around the province. The photos really are just an excuse to go places we haven’t been and see places we haven’t seen.

But then it rained … and rained … and rained. And then my husband and a ladder fell off the side of the house. (Notice dear, I got it right this time — you didn’t fall off the ladder, you and the ladder fell down together. For some reason, that difference matters rather a lot to Steve.) The weather finally got nice in September and October, but we couldn’t ride. There were no picnics.

In fact, I think we only visited a handful of those picnic parks last year. I know it wasn’t enough to even bother submitting our club photos at the end of the year. It really was a shame too because there are some fantastic little parks around that so many of us drive by without ever stopping. We’ve visited some of them and usually really enjoy it.

Jake especially loves a chance to stretch is legs and roll in the grass. Of course, he likes it even more if we stop long enough to eat. Our boy is all about his belly.

It sure would be great to be able to hop on the bikes right now and head out for a picnic. I’m thinking we’re going to have to so that this summer, list or no list.

__________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

RoadDog is on a diet … and he’s not happy about it.

As I’ve said many times, Jake is all about his belly. He loves food. He loves to eat. He’s a typical boy dog — happy when he’s eating, looking for his next meal or snack when he’s not.

His recent haircut revealed that we may have been loving our much-loved Cairn terrier a little too much lately. Tanya, his groomer, called him a chunky monkey and, sadly enough, she was right. He’s not a roly poly, but he’s rather rounded.

All jokes aside about how all of us in our little family carry a little extra weight just in case we get sick, being heavy isn’t good for Jake and we know it. Steve and I make the choice for ourselves, but Jake doesn’t know better so it’s our responsibility to take the best care of him we can so he’s as healthy as he can be.

So, with big, sad sighs, we agreed to cut back our boy’s consumption. We’re doing our best to give him fewer treats and to halve the ones we do give him as often as possible. The poor little guy hasn’t had a Timbit in a couple of weeks (we think they might have been part of the problem) and I’m pretty sure he’s going through some sort of withdrawal. Between the sad “why did you let some woman cut off my hair” stares and the “haven’t I been good that you won’t give me any Timbits” looks, Jake is making his displeasure known.

We’re also trying to increase his exercise, which hasn’t been easy because our lives have been way too busy lately. We’re going to try to go for more walks and we’re playing with him more inside and out. That part he likes a lot.

To that end, I tried two things last weekend, both of which more or less failed. The first was doomed before I started but I thought it was worth a shot. I tried to get Jake to walk on my parents’ treadmill. I know you’re laughing now, but I thought if he would co-operate and walk along with Steve or me, he could get quite a lot of exercise quite quickly regardless of the weather. Not so much.

My second effort seemed rather brilliant. Jake loves to play ball and has chased after various basketballs and soccer balls at places we’ve stayed while travelling over the years. Wal-Mart had soccer balls on sale for five dollars last week, so off we went to get one. I thought he could chase it around the yard.

Well, maybe he could have, but the ball never made it outside. We gave it to him in the house to see how he’d like it. Within minutes, maybe less than a minute, he’d cornered it against the furniture and sunk his teeth into it. So much for exercise chasing it around. He still plays with it and tosses it, but I’m not sure it makes him feel the burn in any way.

Oh well, I guess we’re just going to have to walk and walk and walk. At least he’s already lost half a pound which is quite a lot on a big dog with short legs.

________________________________________________________________________