On our walk the other morning, my brother kept saying, “Where’s Winston?” At first, I thought he needed some new glasses, but then I looked around. The whole street looked like me!
I believe the word is “camouflage”. Some folks spend a lot of money at the Wall Mart or the Bass Professors for it, but I’m so lucky to come by it naturally!
I think I could give that Waldo fellow a run for his money!
It’s kind of fun to hide in plain sight! If you talk to any squirrels and rabbits in the neighborhood, please don’t mention our conversation. I want to surprise them!
What a beautiful, Fall day! My brother and I went on the Talimena Drive. I love Fall because it’s a little cooler for me, plus a lot of the trees start to look like Golden Retrievers.
I know the two-legged people are still in timeout and have to wear their bandanas over their mouths. I’m glad I’m behaving, and just to make everybody else not feel bad, I wore my new, sporty bandana that I got at the barber shop the other day.
Talimena, here we come.
I like to sit in the front seat and help navigate, but once we got on The Drive, there was so much going on that I spent a lot of time looking backwards to make sure we hadn’t missed anything.
At the eastern end of the Talimena Drive is the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. That’s where I thought we were going to get some waffles. It’s a funny story!
So good arrivin’ when it’s drivin’ time.
On the way there, my brother told me that Queen Wilhelmina was the queen of Belgium. That’s when my mouth started watering: waffles!
I’ve heard that there are some pigs in Europe who hunt for truffles. Well, I took it upon myself to be the Pioneer Golden Retriever; hunting for waffles in the Ouachita National Forest!
Above Talimena.
I was thinking of all my Golden Retriever friends who could join me in the waffle hunt. Maybe another group of us could hunt for fried chicken, just to cover all the bases. With that in mind, we hit the trail, nose to the ground, on a mission!
Lover’s Leap at Queen Wilhelmina Lodge.
Now, here’s the funny part. My brother got it wrong: Queen Wilhelmina was from Holland! Goodbye, waffles. Hello, chocolate, which nobody wants me to have for some reason. I guess they’re worried my face will break out, which I’m not too worried about, because it’s covered with fur and no one could tell, anyway. Oh well; it was still a joy to be out and about. I was so happy that I did a little dance!
A happy tump at Queen Wilhelmina Lodge.
They have a little train that goes around the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. Naturally, I decided it was the perfect time to take a rest on the tracks. My brother said I looked like the Perils of Pauline. I don’t think we’ve ever met, but I want her to know that I’m a trained professional on a closed course – don’t try this at home!
I’m ready for my closeup, Mr Gasnier.
We had a nice walk on some trails, and then it was time to head home.
A little bit stronger.
Here’s something interesting: on the drive to The Drive, I was thinking so much about waffle-hunting that I missed some of the beautiful scenery. Has that ever happened to you? Anyway, I got to really pay attention to everything unfolding before us on the drive home.
I’m gonna be a diamond someday.
I loved all the music we listened to on the trip. This is one of my favorites: “I’m just an old chunk of coal, but I’m gonna be a diamond someday.”
The Long and Talimeandering Road
My brother took a lot of photos and videos on The Drive. By the way, if anyone asks, we had at least one hand (or paw) on the wheel at all times! Once again: don’t try this at home!
This last video is kind of long, but I like the part of the song that says, “Funny how a melody sounds like a memory.” Whenever I hear it now, I will always think of our fun day, hunting for waffles on the Talimena Drive!
