A Pleasurable Afternoon Ride

A Pleasurable Afternoon Ride

         I can’t believe that summer has passed already. It seems it was just yesterday that I was shivering in the cool air of Los Angeles. Heck, that was in March! Cooling temperatures are upon us this week after a few weeks of very hot weather. It’s the weekend and if it wasn’t for my chronic back and left leg pain, I’d take our young Akita ‘Buddy’, for an early morning walk. We might even get in a couple of walks with temperatures like this!

         Instead of taking that walk, I looked at my love and said, “Honey, let’s take a drive today. No destination in mind, we’ll just drive around a little. Maybe we’ll see what Rader Farm has going on. I saw an ad on Facebook about their farm today.”

         The look on her face was all the answer I needed, and I put that thought aside. Later that afternoon though she surprised me when she said, “Well, let’s take that drive. We’ll bring Buddy along; he’s been cooped up in the house since we got back from Penn-Yan last month. Rader farm sounds good, but let’s also drive to Moraine View Park. You know people camp there almost year-round. I know neither of us is inclined to camp, but dang, my mouth is watering over the thought of someone grilling, and the smell of a campfire nearby.” I was surprised by her statement because she had not shown any inclination to do this when I mentioned it earlier. Then again, she often does that. She will show no interest in something I suggest, only to agree to my idea later in the day. It’s not that she doesn’t want to do what I suggest, it’s just that she wants to see how things work out during the day before she decides what she wants to do. I’m the opposite of her, I like to plan a little bit, and decide what we’ll do early on.

         Off we drove on our small trek, and as usual, Buddy was whining at every dog he saw. It didn’t last long though; he was just worked up over the chance to be out some. I know he was looking forward to a walk in a place he hadn’t been to before. He loves going with us no matter our destination, he’s just a ‘people dog’.

         We discussed small things like we usually do. This time though, the subject revolved around our upcoming trip to Albuquerque in three weeks to see the annual Balloon Fiesta. I grew up in that city and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta started when I was a Senior in high school. I never heard a thing about it that year though. It wasn’t until after I had been in the Navy for a few years that I even heard it mentioned. Needless to say, I’ve never been home for it, it’s at the top of my bucket list. Suddenly she changed the subject on me and said, “Have you seen any Hummingbirds this year?”

         I confessed that I hadn’t, which is a shame. Like her, I enjoy seeing those tiny birds flitting amongst the flowers that grow profusely on our front patio. After saying I hadn’t seen any at all this year, she replied, “You’ve lost your chance then, I think we’ve seen the last of the hummingbirds this year. These cool temperatures won’t last, but they will be starting their migration soon.” All I could do is shake my head at this lost opportunity. Seeing those tiny bodies with wings going so fast that all you can see is a blur is an amazing sight, at least for me.

         We continued to talk about things to do in the fall. Some of our favorite activities include driving to the Amish area about 40 miles southeast of us to visit the Corn Maze at the Great Pumpkin Patch, or visiting a nearby Apple farm for some fresh cider, apple donuts or other apple products.

         Then she said something that I knew we’d have to do this year. “Jim, with your back and leg in the condition they are, I think we’ll have to hire someone to rake the leaves this year. Of course, I protested, despite being hard on me, I do enjoy raking the yard once the leaves have started to fall. What she was saying made sense though. My back has still not recovered after falling down an escalator at the Los Angeles airport seven weeks ago. Herniated discs and arthritis in my back further hamper anything I do. All I could do was sigh in frustration.

         Buddy did get his small walk later that afternoon. He is such a joy to walk, and as expected, he was wound up tightly. Still, it was enjoyable for me, it was the first time I’d been able to walk that much since the escalator accident. And of course, Buddy enjoyed it. He did everything a dog typically does when they find themselves in a new place. We even stopped at Gene’s Ice Cream to get a small cone for us, and a doggie cup for him. Once we got home, he was exhausted, and lay around the house like a black/brown piece of carpet.

Jim Dorrell
9/10/23