Vacation Day 4 – Evening: Discombobulated Dogs, Sleepy Cats, and Blessings Galore

I took Loverboy for a walk up the road. He’s discombobulated, there’s no doubt about it. We walked about a quarter of a mile, nothing but trees and a cabin the process of being built, but it looks like no one’s visited it since May. Though there is a cement mixer and a pickup truck.

On the way back, Loverboy made his way via the small streams that run by the side of the road. Halfway up the long “driveway” (if you want to call a dirt road overgrown with weeds) he plopped down in some bushes. I sat down next to him and we listened to the birds. After a few minutes he was ready to make his way again.

Both of us were very hot. I wanted to go for a dip at the mouth of the Baptism River at Tettagouche State Park, but feared Loverboy wouldn’t be up to the hike to get there. So I drove the 10 miles there, only to see doggies everywhere, including the cutest little Pomeranian.

“He loves hiking,” bragged his owner. “He broke the trail for us!”

I was overcome with guilt at leaving Loverboy behind and I missed him. So I hopped in my car, drove all the way home, and brought him along. The “hike” was really a 150-yard stroll to a pebble beach. Loverboy wasn’t thrilled. He’s not excited about water. But he did go in occasionally to cool down or have a sip.

He hasn’t seemed himself the entire trip and I’m worried. Though he’s eating fairly well. Hotdogs, steak and hamburger. Yes, I am on another grilling frenzy today – I’ve used  the last of the charcoal so I’m cooking as much as I can. That said, Loverboy seems so unhappy. Maybe he’s just overtired and not used to the change of scenery. Plus, at heart, he’s a guard dog. He can’t let me out of his sight and maybe he feels like he is on duty all of the time.

In the meantime, Kitty is snoozing under the covers of our little bed. Has been since noon today. It comforts me to come home and see that little bump under the quilt and know he’s there, safe and sound. I don’t think I’m ever going to recover from the scare at the beginning of our trip. I am wounded for life. Loverboy just joined him and is snoring – that’s a sure sign that he is worn out.

I love the Tettagouche State Park and the pebble beach. I can just sit and soak and look at the rock cliffs  and trees and sky. And my Verizon wireless worked – so I was able to upload a couple of photos to Facebook and check my email. I think that’s where I’m going to hang for the rest of my trip, considering I purchased a $25 pass to the State Parks for a year. I will leave Loverboy at home tomorrow, I think he needs some solid rest time.

At the State Park, of course, I get there and a family with three young children arrives. Even though there is plenty of space along the shoreline, they park right next to me and overtake my space. I scoot over. Then another family comes with two little boys arrives. And then a third family comes with a newborn and toddler.  I am overtaken by families!

I feel like an anomaly, which I am. A single woman in 40s traveling by herself and her dog is not something you see every day. However, I can’t wait around, hoping to find someone to join me on my adventures; I want to live now! And I don’t want to pay anyone’s way to join me or deal with people with whom I’m incompatible. I am fortunate to have the means to do this trip. Albeit, it’s cheap (relatively) at $60 a day for the cabin. Add in gas, state park passes, fed exes of hula hoops, trips to the town’s co-op for kitty litter and doggy treats, and  it probably comes to about $100 a day.

When I was weeping (literally) about losing my kitty, my handyman/counselor said I had to quit feeling sorry for myself. That I’m lucky, smart and talented. I have the means to live well.

I look at it this way: I’ve given so many others so much energy throughout my life. This trip is a little bit of payback.

Later: Message from the Universe – Stop Working!

I couldn’t help but check my work email at Tettagouche. There was an urgent message – one of the clients wanted to know where I found sources for an article I wrote over a month ago. It was sent  Friday at 3 p.m. No big deal, I thought, I can go to the local tavern, connect to my work computer via their wifi and be done with it. It would take me three minutes to look up the information.

Of course, my computer didn’t connect.

“Oh, I see you have a Toshiba, they don’t work well with this system,” said Bartender One.

No problem, I brought my ancient Dell. Except I had to drive back to the cabin five minutes to get it. I return with Dell in hand.

Turns out that doesn’t work either.

“Oh, our system sucks,” confessed the Bartender Two. “We keep telling the owner that no one’s computers can connect to the wifi, but she doesn’t care because hers does. The community center has wifi, though, and the password is their phone number.”

Except it took him 10 minutes to find the phone number; though I was very grateful forhis effort.

“Let me call my sister-in-law. Her husband’s on the community center’s board of directors.”

Husband was out fishing.

“My facebook friend will have it…just a second.”

Then, Bartender One’s wife walks in. She pulls out her phone, googles the number, and gives it to me. I knew she would find long before any of the men would. She also had a British accent. Everything in me wanted to know how she and her husband met and what on earth she is doing here.  But I resisted; I don’t like prying.

That said, even with the the passcode, I couldn’t connect at the community center, either.

Shit outta luck. Will call Tony tomorrow and tell them they’ll have to wait ‘til Thursday, or give him my computer code so he can hunt up the old emails with all of the details himself.

Obviously, it’s important I’m disconnected with everything back home.

The mouth of the Baptism River

While I was at the bar, a couple of locals walked in and were chatting with the bartender. “Got any cocaine?” asked one of ‘em.

“SSSSSHHH,” hushed the bartender.

Well, at least it isn’t meth, I suppose. But I am sure glad I can have a good time without being hopped up. What do these guys do? Sit in the middle of the woods snorting coke or smoking crack?  I can’t imagine.

Tonight, I am going to brave enough to sit outside and look at the stars.