Leave it to Doc to find a lakeside vacation rental called the Slanty Shanty. Built in the late 1800’s, it was originally a carriage house. Yup, you got it, Doc had us staying in a place that use to house horses.

The horses were gone of course, and the place was now converted for human use, but I swear the place was still being haunted by the spirits of the horses that use to stay there. All I can say is that there were some strange noises in that place at night. Whoa Nelly!

Since we basically only slept there at night, it was ok. We were too busy during the day playing by Lake Erie and spending time with friends. My only beef was that Doc refused to let me jump in the lake. What a spoil sport. Why did she bring me, if I wasn’t allowed to swim? She told me the beach would not allow dogs and it was too dangerous for me to jump over the rocks by the shore line. She was concerned I would float away and end up in Canada without a passport. I complained with loud barking, but to no avail, after all, she is the boss of me.

It’s was nice to get away and not have a schedule to follow. Sleeping in, going for long walks by Lake Erie, eating good fish and meeting new people and dogs is always nice, but it is also nice to come home. We have one more week off of work and then we return after Labor Day. It always makes me kind of sad when the summer is coming to a close, but we do have fall to look forward to. So, enjoy the waning days of summer and all they have to offer, before they slip away.

As it is important to have balance in our lives, Doc and I are practicing what we preach, and taking a break by the lake.

My favorite part of the day, are the early morning walks along the lake. Every morning is different. Yesterday it was quiet windy and there were lots of white caps as the water was being churned around. As the water hit upon the rocks, sometimes we got splashed, not such a bad thing on a hot summer day.

This morning it was quiet hazy and overcast and you could barely make out Perry’s monument in the distance on the island of Putin Bay. As we got closer to the where the Kelly’s Island ferry makes it’s crossing, we could see people waiting for it to dock so they could board. Back on the mainland, we never think about how different island life is for the people that live there year round. The ferry transports not only people, but cars, supplies and the people that work on the island. I’m not sure about how I would feel about going to work on a ferry everyday, especially when it gets cold.

The pace of lake life is much slower and both Doc and I like that. When we go for our walks we meet lots of nice people and dogs. Since we aren’t in a hurry and neither are they, we stop and talk about all sorts of things. The number one question she gets about me is ” What kind of dog is that?” That’s always a good conversation starter.

Well, that’s all for now. After walking for over two miles, I am ready for a nap. I hope later on, Doc lets me jump in the lake. I would love to catch her one of the Perch or Walleye she loves to eat.

Doc left me last weekend and headed just over the Ohio river to the West Virginia. Pennsylvania border to see Willie Nelson in concert. At the age of 90, he is still out performing. I admit, I was kind of ticked that I wasn’t invited to see the iconic troubadour, but after I heard what happened at the concert, I was glad I stayed home.

Doc said that other than some weather delays that the concert was going well and when Willie came out on stage everyone stood up to give the applause a 90 year old iconic musician deserves. After a rousing rendition of “Mama Don’t Let your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys” and “On the Road Again,” the first fight broke out. Doc said two women started slapping each other in front of her and then after the police took care of that, some young males started jumping over seats and punching and yelling at each other a few rows back. Good grief, someone must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. I thought to myself.

Now Doc would say in her psychology speak that those people lacked emotional regulation skills and poor impulse control, but from a dogs perspective, I would say that they were acting primal. Like a pack of angry dogs. I also guessed correctly that the actions were most likely fueled by alcohol. Another reason I don’t advise drinking. Doc teaches her patients that sometimes the best thing you can do when you experience strong emotions is to walk away.

In case you were wondering, Doc was not hurt or even phased by the incident, but it did put a damper on things. Their actions could have put people near then at risk, including people that brought their children for an enjoyable evening. A reminder that the choices you make don’t just affect you.

As for Willie Nelson, Doc said he just kept right on playing his guitar. I’m sure that’s not the first fight that broke out at one of his concerts. Doc is thinking of writing a country western song about the whole event titled; ” I went to a Willie Nelson concert and a fight broke out. I suggested when she done, she could send it to Willie and maybe he will record it. You just never know.

For the second year in a row, I had the honor to go over to our booth at the Ohio State Fair to help my co-workers give out important information about our organization. In addition we gave out over 430 free boxes of Narcan, and information about recovery and sexually transmitted diseases. All important things to know about. My job was to be cute and lure people to our booth so Doc and the others could strike up conversations with the people that walked by. I know it’s not polite to brag, but I was a big hit and a big help.

There are many things I like about the Ohio State Fair. Of course number one is the fair food, and some of the vendors were nice enough to slip me some morsels for free. But my very favorite part is all the nice people I get to meet at our booth. A nice little girl that was showing her pig at the fair for her 4H project spent a good long time petting me and telling Doc about her pig. Now that was interesting. Then we met one of the many queens that walk around the fair. We met Miss Independence who had on a beautiful sash and a very big and heavy crown that she said was hurting her head. I guess that’s the price you pay when you are royalty. She told us all about how she got the title, something neither of us knew. I wonder if they let dogs compete? I would love to be State Fair Queen next year. Then of course we were able to talk to and listen to the stories people shared with us about loved ones dealing with opioid use disorder. I hope we offered them some small comfort just listening.

When we were done with our shift, Doc let me go and visit some of the horses and also stop by and meet the new baby calf’s that were only about a week old. Boy were they cute. I spent some time loving on them, licking their ears and really didn’t want to leave them but it was time to go home. I would have loved to bring one home but Doc said farm animals aren’t allowed in our neighborhood.

As all good things must come to an end, when Doc and I got to work this morning, they were busy taking down all the rides and booths across the street at the fair grounds. I’m glad I don’t have that hard job. I am going to miss all the hustle and bustle the fair creates, but there is always next year to look forward to.