Shiloh’s Excellent Adventures IV

First Time at the Cottage and Oxtongue Lake

Well, what can I say? I've found a piece of heaven, almost.

I'm just going to explain - it appears my parents don’t trust me yet. Usually, one would think that little old (young) me was a very trusty pal. Mom and Dad certainly don't think so. So I always had the leash on me except when Dad tried to trust me in the water without it. It was all fun and games until I realized the leash was on the dock. I rushed up, grabbed it by the handle and played keep away from both Mom and Dad for the next twenty minutes.

Boy, was Dad in trouble with Mom again. Now she says the handle has teeth marks from me. It is a way to identify that leash as mine.

The Trip up.

I drove up with Mom and Sister Tara. Boy, that was a long trip. It seemed like a long way to go to sit in another room for them to watch TV. I was happy anyway because I was spending time with them. The bed was smaller than the one I'm used to. When Dad comes over, it will be a mighty tight fit. I wonder if Dad will get relegated to the couch.

The cottage was lovely and had everything I needed - a comfortable couch, all my essential chew toys and shoes that are very acceptable for keep-away games.

We could walk up the road into the woods. After some point, generally, at the top of the hill, there were lots of mosquitoes. When I was walking with Mom, the mosquitoes came to me. I can't wait for Dad to come here tomorrow and be my mosquito repellent. They love him, and he says they like the blue blood; I don't understand what he says sometimes.

The cottage is a lovely two-bedroom cabin, but its best feature is the view. It sits right on a lake called Oxtongue Lake. It has the best sunsets anywhere...I have yet to see a place called anywhere, so I can't vouch for that. They are pretty here.

Dad came up on day two. This is the first time we're all at the cottage this year. No wonder Dad missed this place.

Goody, goody, goody - Dad said that we were going swimming. Tara wore her bathing suit, and we all went out - Leash on for "trust purposes."

That was so much fun; I am a purebred Lab. They say that I took to the water like a duck; they quack me up ;-)

I could play off-leash by stealing the leash with the red-handled mechanism. I played with Mom and Dad chasing me for 20 minutes and outmatched by little ole me.

That's been two times so far on this trip. The first one was more fun because we were on the roadside with many places to run. This time, I was running with a poop bag that Mom left on the step. That time, they chased me for 25 minutes. I needed a nap after that run.

Playing hard is tiring. At the end of each day at the cottage, I am exhausted, and having a nap is a true pleasure. I love cuddling up with both Mom and Dad. They like it more as I see them both trying to get my attention.

By the way. The smaller bed is manageable; it is a tight squeeze. Dad didn't mind when I hogged the bed, and he had to sleep on the edge. This way, I wouldn't fall off the bed like before. (I think Dad pushed me the last time I fell out of bed.)

I heard Dad say that going home sucks! He says that after every cottage trip. He hates packing the car. Just so you know – that's it for now. Goodbye, until we meet dear friends again.