This boy loves to fetch. In his youth, he'd chase and return twist ties, pipe cleaners, and cotton swabs all day long. He is a master athlete.
When middle age set in, we advanced to plastic drinking straws. He prefers the bendy kind because they make the most exciting noise when they're repositioned into the fascinating
'7' shape.
We don't fetch much now, but the house rule stands, plastic straws are stocked by the hundreds so a fresh one can be introduced into his domain often. He likes that. He forgoes his naps several times around the clock to prowl throughout our habitat, stalking this prey.
A roar of victory will soon be heard in the distance, several rooms across the house. And here he comes, with his most recent find clenched in his teeth. He halts at my side to show off the *kill* -- and, to express our appreciation for his fine hunting expertise and unparalleled value to our pack, he gets a frisky head tickle and the cherished full-throated chin scratch.
For all of his blue-eyed manliness, he doesn't much care for vehicular travel or medical strangers. He prefers to go out and about incognito, as seen in this recent photograph on his way to an appointment at the clinic.
Ironically, this is as he looks on Halloween, costumed as D'Artagnian of The Three Mouseketeers.
We've never known the exact date of his birth, but he did arrive in April, for certain, and into our lives a few short weeks later.
So, today, we say "Happy Birthday" to our nutty Professor Kelp, a few short 19 years later.
As I mentioned, our pals, Bill and Kathy, are in Spain. This morning, they were to be driven many, many miles, far out into the country to be deposited alongside a primitive trail with only their backpacks and each other in the strange land. Over the next 12-14 days, they will walk back to Santiago de Compostela, where today began.Camino de Santiago or Camino Frances is an ancient pilgrimage trail, in use for over 1000 years. There is a belief that St. James the disciple's bones were found in northern Spain, and are interred in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. People would travel there to get forgiveness for their sins. The tradition goes on today ... The Spanish part of the trail is about 450 miles.
I think Bill and Kathy are doing it to be in my blog.
