life is busy at the lake
Do you want to go out and play? is the kind of question that has elicited boundless enthusiasm from every one of our dogs, but there is a variation on that query we've been dying to ask Maisie throughout these pandemic years: "Do you want to go to...?"
As long as the words that follow don't include the vet, a primal scream workshop, or the annual Bigfoot Festival--during which a large, costumed man donning shaggy, head-to-toe, flea-infested fur would likely confuse and/or horrify her--pretty much anything else we might conjure is fair and anticipated game. Now that Maisie has recovered from oral surgery and has received all necessary vaccine boosters, on a spontaneous Sunday morning whim, the inquiry ended--and the fun began--with the word lake.
Our destination was a peaceful, shimmering oasis nestled into the forest, embraced by evergreen-rich hillsides and majestic mountains. That is to say that it is normally peaceful. On every past sojourn to these silvery waters, Dennie and I--along with any one of our rescued companions--had been virtually alone, save for the songbirds and dragonflies and the small flocks of Canada geese that remain a permanent fixture. Then again, we'd never ventured to this local watering hole on a weekend...in the middle of summer. A Sunday morning in July painted an entirely different picture. The lake still shimmered. The horizon still boasted a pleasing palette of saturated blues and greens. And the forest showed itself to be as stalwart and forest-y as one would expect. The main lakeshore and the stepped wooden bridge that crosses to the other side, however, hosted a mass of summer-celebrating citizens. Sunbathers lazed over sprawled beach towels, the unmistakable aroma of sizzling, grilled hot dogs wafted on the breeze, and families cast endless ripples over the once-still waters as they cruised by in paddleboats, canoes, and other lake-worthy vessels.
As this was Maisie’s first outing in some time (due to COVID and other factors), we kept our own wanderings mostly to the quieter arms of the lake and the surrounding woods. As her behavior is exemplary, I believe Maisie will handle herself beautifully, even in crowds, but, while she was excited to be there, her body language indicated occasional hints of anxiety as well. We agreed that throngs of people and hyper dogs may have been too much too soon and steered our trio away from the main beach. Maisie didn't seem to mind. She relished the quality time with her family, the adventure in it, particularly the many new sights and scents encountered along our hike. (She also deemed a pair of golden retrievers boarding a boat to be especially fascinating and worthy of close observation. Who wouldn't?) Because of the rapidly rising heat, we stayed at the park only about an hour and a half, but the excursion made for an excellent re-introduction into the Canine Explorer Life. (It wasn't too shabby for the humans either--a long-overdue and utterly refreshing escape from day-to-day obligations. Plus, boating dogs. Very cool.)
For the first time in a long time, our carsick-prone Maisie endured the distress of travel to find no needles or stethoscopes or probing doctors but only amusement at journey's end. Dennie and I are elated to have been able to give her back such a rejuvenating gift as this. And, when we arrived home again, our Rambling Rover sauntered through the gate and splatted instantly and sleepily into the familiar comfort of her own home turf--as only the bravest and most satisfied explorers do.