Fall hum drums

The fall/almost winter hum drums have set in. I haven't been walking the dog as much or as far and I think we are both suffering for it. I did take him for about a 2 - 3 mile walk Saturday and we just made it home before the down pour. Frodo does not like walking in the rain! The first few drops and he is shaking himself and wanting to head for home. I feel really bad for him, he is going through a really bad allergy spell. He keeps scratching his nose by rubbing it on the carpet or using his paws. He loves me to scratch just under his mouth with one hand and on top of his snout with the other. I give him a benedryl when it gets to bad just so he can get some sleep, not to mention me getting some sleep.

I know there are not many people following the baseball world series this year, but living this close to Philly, I have gotten caught up in the excitement. I can't believe I stayed up until 2am Sunday to watch the game. Frodo was the only smart one, he went to bed and had a good nights sleep!

Walking Near the Rich and Famous

We took a road trip this weekend to walk the dog and see some new sights. We drove to Rhode Island, Newport to be exact. Actually we went to Raynham, Ma and spent the night there. I learned one very important fact, even on the outskirts of New York City you are going nowhere fast. Its only 292 miles to where we stayed and it took us seven hours, three just getting around NYC. Other then that the drive was beautiful with all the trees and their fall colors. Newport is pricey, so we stayed in Raynham. It was only 38 miles away. The picture is taken from the Cliff Walk in Newport. It is a 3.5 mile walk (we only did 2.6 of it, one way) that borders the Atlantic Ocean and some of the most expensive and extravagant homes that I have ever seen! Some of these homes are still owned by the likes of the Rockefeller's and Vanderbilt's. Also there is a college there that has some of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.

We only did 2.6 of the 3.5 miles because from the point where we stopped there were lots of narrow passages with 10 - 15' drops. The path has deteriorated due to storms so walking has become very hazardous. They even have warnings posted that if you get injured, you will be there a while. Since all the direct access is from private property, the medics have to come via the same path that you are on. But as it turned out, 2.6 miles was probably just right for a little beagle. The total round trip walk to and from the car was at least 6 miles! Plus we took time to play near the ocean with him. He liked the water but was scared of the waves, even the little ones that just barely covered his paws! It's a little strange we live in New Jersey near all the Jersey beaches, and the first beach Frodo visits is in Rhode Island!

Here is the result of a long walk and playing on the beach!

He got into the car, and I don't think we heard a sound from him other then snoring for the next 2 hours. While on the trail he was able to meet many other dogs and all sorts of people. I have got to say I was a little surprised at how well he did. He is normally not well mannered as he likes to jump on people and give them kisses. But there was no jumping, and he actually listened to what we told him. The funniest part of the day happened as we passed a family on the walk. From behind us, we heard a little boy call out, "Look at the fatty dog!" There were many a shhhh's from the parents, but we were too busy laughing and acknowledging that he indeed is fat. But we are working on it for both his sake and ours!

Small video of Frodo running from the waves!

Big Yellow School Bus

I'll see if I can write this with an ear on the presidential debate. Not too easy with the first sentence even!

Don and I went to Smithville over the weekend. For those who aren't as familiar, Smithville is a small historic town inside Galloway Township. Octoberfest or Oktoberfest, depending on where you are from, is a festival held once a year. The town of Smithville has these wonderful little shops and cafes within a small village. All are within walking distance of each other. But there were so many people this year, we had to park at the shopping center located outside the village and walk through condominium complexes to get there. We encountered geese while walking through one of these complexes. They were from the village and were probably pushed out of their home for the day by people and events at the festival. There were many more geese than what you see in this picture. These particular ones were warming their bellies on the asphalt. When we got there, we could hear live music and smell all kinds of food - homemade potato chips, funnel cakes, crab cakes, shrimp, bbq, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.

There's a bridge connecting one part of the village to another. We walked over it, but it took a few minutes because there were so many people. They have small boats fiercely peddled by event goers that can sometimes be seen floating slowly under the bridge. Don and I decided not to exert ourselves with the boats since we had to walk back to the car. Actually, any excuse would have sufficed.

We enjoyed ourselves so much we went back the next day. We didn't want to walk, so we took the shuttle which turned out to be a big yellow school bus. Don had never ridden on a school bus before. He grew up in California and was well within walking distance to all his schools.

So this was a special treat for him! It was enlightening for me too though. Buses sure have changed since I used to ride them to school. I'm showing my age now, but we didn't have seat belts, the backs of the seats were much lower and there were no radios in any of the buses I rode in as a child.

I've made it through the presidential debate and listened too. Wow. I'm good.

Cheryl

New Park

This is the new park we found for our walks. Its about a 2 mile walk round trip. As you can tell I didn't take the picture, the wife is finally starting to walk with us! This was our warm up walk just to check the park out. Its a great place with some paved paths and some that go through the woods, these are Frodo's favorites and Cheryl's least favorite due to chiggers and other pests. So when she is not with us, Frodo and I will do some cross country walks. Frodo loves all the new smells, and there are lots of grey squirrels all over the park. Also we have come nose to nose with numerous other dogs, Frodo tries to make friends with all of them, but some don't want a beagle for a friend. Besides the walks Frodo loves the ride in the car to the park. He is like all dogs and loves to stick his head out the window and let his tongue flap in the breeze. Of course his ears look like a couple of sails when the wind catches them. We are going to try to walk every day for the next couple of weeks and then work into jogging. I keep telling her I'm too old for this %%^& but she doesn't believe me, so I guess we'll find out together! Actually I'm kind of looking forward to trying to get back into some shape. Since I left the military I have kind of let myself go and I know that it has affected my health. Plus the fact that I have a job where I sit on my backside for 8-9 hours a day. So I guess eventually Frodo will learn what jogging is too!