Back on
August 20 Olive and I met up with my old friend Kathryn and her Corgi mix dog “Archie”
in the Berkshires for a play date/hike. Archie and his humans had recently lost
Archie’s adopted older brother “Peabody”, so Kathryn thought it would be good
for him to have a visit with his adopted cousin Olive. We all met up at the
parking lot of a hiking/camping equipment store, which welcomed dogs in. While
waiting for Archie, Olive had a great time sniffing all the interesting new
smells in the store. When Kathryn and Archie got there, it was amazing how the
two dogs connected as if they were long lost friends. Spotting each other
across the parking area, they ran toward each other and touched noses. They
curled up together in the back of Kathryn’s car as we drove to the spot where
the organized hike met up.
Both dogs
were well behaved and a delight to most of the hikers during the five mile±
hike. The hike leader took a few shots and agreed to email some of them to me.
I just got the photos today, which I am posting below.
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| Olive on the hike |
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| The hiking group. Kathryn is third from left, Archie and Olive are between Kathryn and myself. Yes, Olive is there though somewhat hidden. |
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| Olive's buddy Archie |
After the
hike the four of us stopped at a library book sale in Lennox, MA (where the
famous Tanglewood concert venue, the summer home of the Boston Symphony, is
located). Olive was well behaved at the book sale (as was Archie) though I was
told that when I left her with Kathryn and Archie to use the facilities in the
library building, Olive stayed focused on the door I went in, waiting for me to
come out. As it happened, it was more convenient for me to come out a different
door, but Olive was happy to see me nonetheless.
After the
book sale we went up to a marvelous art sale in Stockbridge (where “Alice’s
Restaurant” of Arlo Guthrie fame was once located). An artist was selling some
original T-shirts including a few with Border collie themes. I picked up four,
one for myself and three as December holiday gifts for some Border collie
loving friends. Only very special people can be Border collie people.
Afterward we
went back to Lennox and met up with Kathryn’s husband Mark for supper at a
delightful outdoor café. A friend of Kathryn’s runs a small gift shop next to
the café, where I bought some wonderful gourmet chocolates. From there Olive
and I drove home.
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I have been
taking Olive to the local dog park to chase tennis balls, something she loves
to do. Recently we met another Border collie named Rory with his human. Olive
and Rory seemed to get along quite well immediately. Coincidentally, he shares
his name with Joan Sara and Harry’s Berger-Picard.
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The parking
area in front of my house has been in poor condition for some time now. Finally
a crew started working on it Tuesday, tearing up the old pavement and putting
the new pavement in. They seem to be almost done as of Friday, though Olive
doesn’t seem to know what to make of all that noise and activity out our front
window. I was glad that the removal of the old pavement was done while I was up
in Massachusetts for a fiddle lesson and Olive was at Candlewick for daycare. I
would have thought it to be the noisiest part of the process. I am hoping to be
able to go back to using my garage soon. Currently the lot is roped off so
there is no car access to the garage.
