As soon as we finished breakfast on Saturday morning, I was surprised when Doc told me to pack my dog bed and my tennis ball as we were going up to Lake Erie for an overnight. I was so excited I almost tripped over my own paws trying to get ready. “Yippy skippy!” I said out loud. There is nothing better than a surprise road trip and this road trip ended up being filled with both fun and some scandalous surprises.
Doc must have packed last night after I was asleep because when I got in the car, her bag was already in there along with my food, treats and dog bowls. She can be the sly one sometimes when she’s trying to surprise me. It’s a little over a two hour drive and the traffic was heavy on the way. I guess lots of people were going to the lake. I like to lay in the back and look out the window at the scenery. After we get out of the city its very rural and I like to see all the corn and soybeans planted in neat rows. I also like passing through the small little towns along the way and imagine how my life would be different living in one of those places. It appears that life goes at a much slower pace and everyone looks so friendly, but I was about to find out that how things appear and how they really are can be two very different things.
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I heard was Doc saying we had stopped for a bathroom break and to get a snack. It just so happened that the place we stopped was a town called Bucyrus. The population is about 11,000 people compared to where we live, with a population of 1 million. Lets just say it’s still small enough for people to know each others business. Now Doc and I were just sitting outside at a table minding our own business when we could not help but overhear the people at the table next to us talking loudly and debating about some town scandal involving the Bratwurst Queen. Apparently she had been forced to turn in her crown. Well that perked up our ears. Who doesn’t like a good tale about royalty and their troubles? In a nutshell from what we overheard, the 2021 Bratwurst Festival Queen engaged in some behavior that were deemed to be unfitting and she was removed from her throne 10 days before the start of the 2022 Festival. Quite the scandal according to the conversation we overheard. Now everyone in town has their dirndl in a bunch with their own opinion on the matter. The conversation was getting heated, so Doc and I decided to finish our snack and take off down the road.
In about an hour we arrived at the lake and it was nothing but pure peace. We got to spend some time with Doc’s friends, I met some nice dogs to play with and we slept in late. In the afternoon we went down to the lakefront Pavilion and listened to live musicians perform as we watched the boats go by. We stayed long enough to see the rays of a beautiful sunset shimmer across the water. The time went by so fast, that before we knew it, it was Sunday afternoon and time to go home. Doc and I always feel a bit melancholy to leave this special place.
On the ride home I mentioned to Doc that although I had had fun, this had also been a learning experience for me. ” How so? ” Doc asked. “Well you think big cities are the only ones where people have problems but I guess it can happen anywhere. Humans certainly have strong opinion’s about all types of subjects. ” I said. ” Ya think? ” Doc responded. We were so relaxed from the lake that on the way home we decided the only place we would stop was the fruit stand to buy some fresh peaches. We drove right through Bucyrus without stopping to avoid hearing any more angry debates. But I do admit that I am curious as to how this whole Bratwurst Queen scandal will play out. Even a dog likes in on the gossip every once in awhile.