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It started out as the perfect fall day. Indian summer was performing one last display of warmth and clear blue skies in Northern California. Halloween was just a day away, and the promise of mystery and fright filled us with excitement. We were driving up Highway 1 along the cliffs of Big Sur, the wind whipping through our hair and the sounds of Wahanahu evoking recent memories of Lahaina (that's what I heard mom say, anyway).
We ran along the cliffs just north of the Bixby Bridge, happy to find a place along the beach where I was allowed to hike to the ocean with Mom and Dad. The hike down to the water was a thin sandy trail bordered by vibrant green and red ice plant, showcasing the warm colors of fall. When we got down to the sandy shore, the waves were alive with motion and sound. The three of us forgot all of our worries and cares running along the soft sand and watching the waves crash against craggy rocks.
We decided to walk back up the steep path to the car once the tide began creeping in. Mom and Dad stopped to watch some weird things called "surfers", who used boards to race along the breaking waves. I knew that these guys were bad news, and took a long detour around them to be safe. All was good after that, while we retraced our steps up the cliff and along the edge to get one last view of the ocean before heading back to Monterey...
But suddenly out of nowhere, a surfer carrying a big board came walking toward us. He was a menacing figure- a dark presence scarier than your worst nightmare. I bolted so fast and with such fearful strength that I ripped the leash right out of Dad's hand and raced towards the ocean. Mom and Dad kept shouting for me to return and to stop running. "No Watson! No no no!" I turned around a couple of times to look back, but the surfer kept on his path in my direction. I backed up further and further until I fell off of this:
With my life flashing before my eyes, I tumbled straight down about 50 feet of ice plant and rocks before miraculously landing safely on the sand. Mom was way up above me, shouting for me to stay still. I stood as still as I could until Dad came running for me and hugged me for a very long time.It was a very scary and confusing experience. I was nervous every time we passed someone on that walk back to the car, and Mom and Dad made me go the doctor to get checked out. Luckily, Doc said that I seem fine, except for some scratches. Mom kept yapping about "internal bleeding", but the doctor told her that as long as my gums look nice and pink, I'm probably cool.
This tale of terror has a happy ending though. After the doctor visit, we went next to the store and I got a ton of treats, a huge pumpkin cookie, a pig ear, and a giant octopus.Score!
I just had the best week staying with my girlfriend Frannie and Uncle Dave while Mom and Dad were in Maui with Frannie's parents Carlos and Allie. They stayed in a house with a bunch of friends to celebrate Los and Allie's wedding. I love Carlos and Allie so much, and I'm very very very happy that they got married! They found me when I was just a pup and I lived with them until I met Mom and Dad. I love going back to their house to hang out, and I love that they bring Frannie over a lot to play.
I noticed that Mom and Dad barely unpacked their suitcases, and even started packing some more. I asked what was going on and it turns out we're going on a big road trip tomorrow! We're going to drive all the way down to San Francisco and even past there to Monterey so I can meet my west-coast grandparents! They live with a corgi named Luna, and I'm really excited to meet her. There are so many corgis in my neighborhood, but I never get to play with them and they look like fun! I'll try my best to gather up some new travel tips for you dawgs. The weather is starting to get rainy, so it's going to be a whole new experience trying to find places that we're allowed to go!
Yesterday when I was walking with Mom and Franny, I found a rat who was hurt. He was hiding under some ivy on the edge of the sidewalk. I didn't know what it was, so I kept sniffing and sniffing. Mom came over to take a look. When she moved the ivy off of him, we saw how scared he looked. We walked back home and Mom went back alone to check on the rat. She took a cardboard box, some rags to line it with, and her gardening gloves in case the rat tried to bite her. She said that when she found the rat, there were flies all over him, and he looked very scared. She brought him home and he relaxed on the rags in the box outside on the back deck. Franny and I tried our best to be quiet and didn't bother him at all. He wasn't bleeding, but he wasn't moving his back legs. Mom called my vet, animal control, and all sorts of other people. Some people offered to do "humane euthanization" but we really didn't like the sound of that! Mom has found a few injured animals who seemed to rebound after a little TLC. We were really hoping that this little rat would be okay too! Finally someone recommended that Mom call the Sarvey Wildlife Center in Arlington, WA. They were more than happy to take care of our rat friend. They're over an hour outside of Seattle but have a lot of drop-off locations at vets closer to Seattle. Mom only had to drive about 7 miles to bring him to safety. We were so happy to find a place that was willing to give love and care to a critter that some people consider a pest. Hey- Mom calls me a pest all the time, and I know I'm pretty lovable!
It started out as the perfect fall day. Indian summer was performing one last display of warmth and clear blue skies in Northern California. Halloween was just a day away, and the promise of mystery and fright filled us with excitement. We were driving up Highway 1 along the cliffs of Big Sur, the wind whipping through our hair and the sounds of Wahanahu evoking recent memories of Lahaina (that's what I heard mom say, anyway).
We ran along the cliffs just north of the Bixby Bridge, happy to find a place along the beach where I was allowed to hike to the ocean with Mom and Dad. The hike down to the water was a thin sandy trail bordered by vibrant green and red ice plant, showcasing the warm colors of fall. When we got down to the sandy shore, the waves were alive with motion and sound. The three of us forgot all of our worries and cares running along the soft sand and watching the waves crash against craggy rocks.
We decided to walk back up the steep path to the car once the tide began creeping in. Mom and Dad stopped to watch some weird things called "surfers", who used boards to race along the breaking waves. I knew that these guys were bad news, and took a long detour around them to be safe. All was good after that, while we retraced our steps up the cliff and along the edge to get one last view of the ocean before heading back to Monterey...
But suddenly out of nowhere, a surfer carrying a big board came walking toward us. He was a menacing figure- a dark presence scarier than your worst nightmare. I bolted so fast and with such fearful strength that I ripped the leash right out of Dad's hand and raced towards the ocean. Mom and Dad kept shouting for me to return and to stop running. "No Watson! No no no!" I turned around a couple of times to look back, but the surfer kept on his path in my direction. I backed up further and further until I fell off of this:
