We took our dog back to the beach this week. I always wonder if she remembers the ocean or if the big blue is a brand-new thrill each time. Maybe the sight should be a wonder for me too, a sight seen and appreciated with new eyes as often as possible.
But I do have to keep an eye on the dog as well as my three kids. That’s a lot of eyes, if you are scoring at home.
The dog is not much for playing in the surf, while that’s all the kids want in their salt life. So, I walk back and forth on the sand, minding their safety, while my canine companion hunts seagulls. This difficulty is compounded by her leash.
The birds, whether by instinct or experience, seem to know the reach of her jaws is limited and fly maddeningly just ahead of her down the beach. They seem to make a game of her torment.
My dog’s other objective (obsession?) is taste-testing the puddles. After extensive research, she has determined that the entire ocean is composed of salt water; you should see the look of disgust on her face. And this from a creature who regularly sniffs butts!
I tell her to relax; this is vacation, after all. Leave those rascal seagulls alone. You have fresh water back at the house, not to mention a new rawhide bone. In the meantime, the kids are safe and happy.
Hunter S. Thompson wrote, “Civilization ends at the waterline.” Let’s be glad for this gorgeous view.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of “Little Big Moments,” a collection of mini-essays about parenting, and “Tigers, Mice & Strawberries: Poems.” Both titles are available most anywhere books are sold online. Taylor-Troutman lives in Chapel Hill where he serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church and occasionally stumbles upon the wondrous while in search of his next cup of coffee.
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