Pit stop

I was off work yesterday because I swapped days with a co-worker. So I decided to take the dogs to park. Actually, they decided that since I wasn’t going to work, that I should take them “for a ride.” They pestered me from about daylight until around 11 am, when I finally decided to get dressed.

It is so funny how Max, the almost eight year old, will get to dancing around; when he thinks he is getting to go for a ride. His hips get to moving from side to side, his tail gets to flipping back and forth so fast that it is almost a blur. It is almost as if he is winding up because he starts hopping around, backing up all the time. All I have to do is say “load up,” and both Jake and Max will knock you down to get to the “puppy wagon.”

After loading up and heading out to the dog park, I had to make a side trip to Costco for gas, because I didn’t stop the night before when I was coming home from work. (This happens frequently after working a 12-hour shift in the emergency room as I am tired and hungry). Before making the pit stop at Costco, Jake decided that he had to make his own pit stop, so I stopped in parking lot at Regions Park. Both monsters were leashed on the tandem leash and nearly pulled me down before they got to a tree to water. After the tree watering ceremony, they were reluctant to load up. This was new territory for them, and their need to sniff new smells and scents and leave their mark was heightened, so off we go.

While walking along the edge of the parking lot, we discovered an entrance to the Cahaba River Trail, a nice easy trail for hiking, (or in my case, being dragged through the woods). The trail is a wide path with packed dirt and gravel and has a few hills plus there is a creek that meanders along side the trail. The monsters loved playing in the puddles and the mud in the shallow areas.

The vivid green color of the moss was most striking. It looked as if someone had painted the base of the trees with the brightest bold green paint you could find. The pictures don’t do it justice. The moss must be close to growing spores. I will have to research this as I haven’t any idea. But it will have to wait.