Yes, we have been away for two and a half weeks. Yes, Beau was well cared for when we were away. And when we came back, we were swamped with a mountain of unopened mail, work, chores, returning calls, meetings, deadlines.  The best he got was the brief pat and hug here and there all week. I came down with a rather heavy head cold, which made me retreat into my “cave” early most evenings.

Toys on the back door. The stuffed bird had disappeared weeks ago. It’s back! There was digging in the front yard! (c) Likeitiz

And so, on Saturday morning, the back door was barricaded with the toys and even a trail of twigs and tree branches.  When I returned from running errands by midday, there was all this dirt and dug up grass on the driveway.  What gives?  I ran upstairs and hubby and I looked at each other.  We looked at Beau, who looked back at us from his usual tall seated pose, looking all innocent.  Then, hubby quietly stated the obvious: “It’s time we took him to Fort Funston. He wants Beau-time.”

And so, we changed to jeans and good sturdy shoes, loaded the car with blanket, towels, water bowl and water bottles, and away we went.  By the time we started walking it was way past noon.  The parking lot was packed to the gills. We made our way up the tall steep ascent to the top off the sandy bluffs.

Walking among the eucalyptus trees (c) likeitiz

We decided to take the path less traversed. It took us up a steeper climb but the top rewarded us with a path canopied by tall handsome eucalyptus trees.

Sniff, Scratch, Sit, Run, Sniff Again (c) Likeitiz

Beau was running around so excitedly.  He sniffed, scratched, peed (to leave his mark), and sniffed some more.  He was one happy pup again.

The Beach At Last (c) Likeitiz

By the time we reached the descent to the beach, the crowd was getting quite lively.  There were pets of all colors, sizes, temperaments and personalities, along with their humans.  My hubby calls their ritual of socialization the “gonad kiss.”  He imagines the gesture as “How do you do?” “I’m fine, thank you. Hmm, you had lamb last night didn’t you?”

Sit and Calm Down for Treat (c) likeitiz

With all the romping around, meeting and greeting, it was all too exciting.  We just had to stop at some point to give Beau a chance to catch his breath and get a treat.

Woman with the veiled dog, (c) likeitiz

We saw a small dog standing around not far from his human who was seated on a yellow blanket. The dog wore a black veil of sorts around his face covering up to his neck. We wondered if he had surgery and this took the place of the stiff collar. Surely it’s not a substitute for a muzzle.  Odd.

View from the Top of the Hill, (c) Likeitiz

As we climbed back up and reached the top of the bluffs, we were rewarded with a golden view of the beach, the ocean, and we got a taste of the cool breeze.

Parrot Photo Shoot, (c) Likeitiz

On the way back, we passed a group grooming a bunch of colorful macaws and readying them for what looks like a pictorial.  It was a great visit. Beau was happy. We went home. He bounded into the house content and ready for his nap.

It was good to get out.  It cleared our heads, helped with the jet lag, maybe my head cold too.  We need to listen to Beau more often!