From Cold to Warm

Chris and Finnegan Afternoon Beach Walk
Jupiter Island, FL
January 31, 2022

Despite the cold temperatures during the morning, yesterday turned into a very enjoyable afternoon which included a beach walk to stretch our legs after hunkering down against the cold temperatures of the weekend. I admit, it was not as cold here over the weekend as farther north, but it was in the 30s to start the days and that meant walking the dogs was an unappealing chore. 

One of the big differences between living in Maryland on our very private lot and here in modified condo living is taking care of the dogs. Unlike Maryland where I can let the dogs run the yard when they have needs, here they must be walked on a leash every time they go outside. That means either Chris or I need to be on the other end of the leash. 

Egret on the Beach
Jupiter Island, FL
January 31, 2022

Being on the other end of the leash is not all bad. For instance, yesterday we went for an afternoon beach walk once the temperatures achieved the mid-60s. It was windy, but the sun was warm and the time on the beach was enjoyable. Truth be told, Finnegan actually gets some off the leash time if the beach is devoid of people, which is usually the case. Yesterday he attempted to herd birds. That did not work too well as the birds simply took flight when they got tired of being chased. That frustrated Finnegan because of course he doesn't to have wings--he is a dog.

One of the birds that Finnegan attempted to "herd" got the better of him. This particular bird was wading the water on the rocks and Finnegan does not like to get his feet wet--that is a problem when it rains as well. The bird craftily placed a pool of water between himself and Finnegan which the dog did not notice. After racing full speed into the pool, Finnegan came to a full stop with his back feet going up in the air much like a bicycle back wheel rises up when the only the front brake is applied. It was pretty funny, although Finegan did not think so. The bird looked at the dog, appeared to laugh, and then calmly flew off to another spot in deeper water. 

And that is how we spent part of the last day of January 2022!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL