The days are short and it's been damp and dreary. With me fighting off a cold while keeping to my gym schedule, Nicki didn't get much romping this week. So i promised him that today -- Sunday -- he'd get a decent ausgang no matter what.
As i looked up from my coffee, it was (oh surprise!) damp and dreary. But a promise is a promise; and, after going back to bed for an hour or so, i rebundled into outside wrappings and, with very low energy, headed to the car.
We drove up to the river by Hovander. There usually aren't that many people up there and i can let Nicki off leash without worrying about cyclists and babies. When we got there, there was one car in the lot which was a good sign.
Nicki was in dog heaven, blasting off with a week's worth of pent up doggergy. A hundred yards up the trail and he found some fish-muck to roll in. Oh joy! Ah well, i thought, it will be sturm und drang back home. As far as Nicki was concerned, the muckier the better.
About a mile up the trail there is a turn off which leads into a forest of branches and brambles before emerging at the river bank. When i got there, Nicki had been into the brush and back at least two times in what was very clearly an "Are-you-coming/Can-we-go?" statement.
I really didn't want to. The current is too strong this time of year and the pathway was pure mud, muck and mulching leaves. But i also figured a dip in the water might not be such a bad idea given the disgusting fish slime that Nicki had coated himself with.
Once Nicki saw that i had made the "right choice" he went completely wild, rushing back and forth and bounding over and under fallen trees and branches and snarling in a manic fashion as dogs will do when they blow their gauge. Twice he bounced off my chest at what felt like 20 mph, but was probably only five.
When we got to the water, none of the sticks would float. Nicki paddled around looking for them and got the bath i wanted. We then headed back to the trail.
At this point, the sun decided to make an appearance. All of a sudden, the grey blanket of clouds pulled apart revealing a blue sky, white clouds and... best of all.. sunlight.
We walked up to the large field near the end of the trail. As Nicki ran around the field, I took off my layers and stood in the sun. When Nicki saw me eating an apple, he came over for his portion before taking off again.
It's hard to describe the light around here this time of year. It is soft but lies somewhere between pastel and luminescent. Sometimes green moss just radiates green-nees. I haven't been able to capture it yet. Tweaking the pixels produces something too saturated. [ HERE ]
On the return, i ran into a man carrying a MAX-FORCE, camie coloured bow. He asked me if i had seen a party up the ways, and i said that i hadn't. I asked him what the bow was for and he said he was going deer hunting; his friends had discovered a trail used by the deer. "Well, it's a beautiful day," i said non-commitally. "Oh, yes," he replied rolling his eyes upward, "a perfect day for Ad-Vent..." Oh wonderful, i thought to myself, killing deer while waiting for Jesus. Bye.
I'm sorry, but deer are too beautiful to kill. Unless the economy has collapsed, chicken and fish will do. Bah.
Heading back into town, i was going to stop off and pick up a bag of dog-chow. But the traffic was too heavy with Sunday Shoppers, half of whom drove 40 miles from up there down here for cheap deals. Instead, i just picked up a baguette and headed home.
Nicki still smells of fish. I guess i'll have this BIG FUZZY FISH next to me in bed tonight.
