Shiloh’s Excellent Adventures VII
On Oxtongue Lake
September 2024
This picture has become so popular that it earned a place on Dad’s 2024 calendar and the cover of Dad’s new book, ‘Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives”. Photo credit: Tara Kerba
September 28, 2024, marked the end of a second lap around the sun. It has been a remarkable journey, I've grown in so many ways. I am no longer the little puppy who is out of control. I am now a much more mature dog who is out of control.
I have developed a public persona. People from all over the the globe follow my excellent adventures. People from far and wide reach out for updates. If I must say so myself, I do make a compelling case for people to follow me. People from Greece, Australia, numerous states and provinces have commented on how cute I am. Dad was at a Tartan Terrors show in Pennsylvania, and one of the people in the audience asked how I was doing.
Another time, Dad was at a funeral when a total stranger told him just how funny and sophisticated my writing has become.
As I’ve gotten older, more of my adventures need to be shared so I can appease the insatiable appetite of my followers. My vocabulary is getting more sophisticated, well past a two year old’s mastery of the English language. You see? I have even been using words from other languages at just the right time to maximize the reader’s pleasure. This shows a much more nuanced ability to reach out.
I am so grown up that even fetching a stick has been taken to a new level.
Shinrin-yoku, Forest Bathing
Shinrin-yuko started in Japan in the 1980s
The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries conducted several studies during the 1980s. It is proven to reduce stress hormone production, improve feelings of happiness, and free up creativity. It also lowers heart rate and blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and accelerates discovered that Forest Bathing accelerates recovery from illness.
In Dad’s case, he tries to disguise his photo outings as forest bathing. Worse yet, he even says. I'm going out to take Shiloh for a walk. That's why I need to keep him on a leash.
When I use the short leash, it's a walk. When I give him the long leash, he can take the camera and take pictures. He is pretty sneaky these days. He is using the camera on the phone to take photos. He thinks that by not using the big camera, he is fooling me into thinking he’s not out to take pictures. I know otherwise. I’m including some of his phone pictures as evidence.
At times, to make him feel truly independent, we go leash-free. That's a challenging time; I need to be constantly aware of his location.
Dad never looked at mushrooms before, but his friends Maria and Melanie Mallozzi coerced into looking more closely. Boy, has that slowed our walks right down.
This week in mushroom pictures.
What happens at the cottage stays at the cottage.
Under the guise of making an exploratory trip, Dad invited his friends Bill Green and Bob Pope. Ostensibly, they were going to go around the cottage looking to make a list of potential projects. What started as a small list grew. The fact is, it grew immensely by the end of the four-day analysis. Different tasks, both small and large, were identified. I’m tired after just looking at the list once.
There is a silver lining to the endless list. It means that Dad has to go to the cottage many more times. I'll let you know what that means to me. Mom and Dad know that I love the cottage. The guilt of going to the cottage without me is unfathomable. As a result, each cottage trip must include little old “moi.”
Life at the cottage - at the risk of me telling all. In one word is a “Blast!” Generally, I go up with one or two of Dad’s friends. They are “Putty in my hands.” They have no chance when I look at them and give them my patented “Shiloh grovel stare.” I can get them to give me food, play fetch with me, give me a much-needed tummy rub, or just plain cuddle. They are entirely overmatched.
The Shiloh Stare - patented to break down Dad’s friend’s hearts into submission.
Let me tell you about the family cottage. It is located on the tip of a peninsula at the end of Windy Point Road. The shape of the peninsula is the same shape as Italy, a boot. The cottage is located between the toes and the heal at the bottom of the boot. With two bays at the back side and the and the lake filling in front of the big window and decks.
Water on three sides - two bays at the back and Oxtongue Lake in front.
The spot is perfect for me. I love the lake and can jump from the dock to fetch sticks. There are oodles and oodles of sticks I can chew on and carry around. I can let Dad walk leash-free so he can take pictures on our walk up the hill, around the bend, and to the stop sign. Once we reach the stop sign, we turn around and return to the cottage. Dad says it is for safety; I think it’s because he is lazy and does not want to go farther.
The laneway from the big bend to the stop sign is one of Dad’s all-time favourite photo spots. He has often said that this stretch of road is the prettiest he has ever photographed. Dad says it never gets old; I say, “I’m getting old watching him take so many pictures of the same place.”
How I love the sunsets on Oxtongue lake
I love being at the cottage; I've seen some of the most fantastic sunrise and sunset reflections over the year. Dad often said that he’d seen both sunrises and sunsets everywhere he had been. He still maintains that the ones at Oxtongue Lake are as good as, if not better! From my perspective on my limited travel, they're the best I have ever seen. I am sharing a bunch below. Also, feel free to look at Dad’s other story in travel called Oxtongue Lake and Algonquin Park.
More stories about my life will follow, and stay tuned to the same bat channel. In the meantime, check out the other excellent adventures in this blog. You can either scroll the arrows below or go to the top line and the menu.😘😉