East Bound and Down

Wow! We’ve had an exciting past few weeks! My brother and I went to the boat! We left Tulsa on a Monday morning and headed first to St Louis.

The beginning of the journey
The beginning of the journey

I was so excited that I spent the whole trip in the front seat. I love listening to music on the road. Some of it made me want to dance …

Dixieland Delight

Then, there were songs that make you think a little …

The Dance

We had lunch with my niece’s Godparents, the Hunts. Their daughter is my brother’s Goddaughter. I guess that makes me a Goduncle. That’s so exciting!

We spent the night in Louisville with our friends the Wilhelm’s. You’ve probably heard of Labradoodles and Golden Doodles. Well, their dog is a type I wasn’t familiar with: a Poodle. A very nice young man!

The next day, we made it all the way to Washington. Talk about a lot of familiar smells, and some new ones! The Washington Channel was even prettier than I remembered.

A-B Fairway at Dusk
A-B Fairway at Dusk

We went over to our friend Guy’s boat, then met our friends Al and Alan for dinner. Fun times!

At Kirwan’s with my cousins Al and Alan
At Kirwan’s with my cousins Al and Alan

Oh, I almost forgot … I learned that leashes don’t make good dental floss. On Monday night, I chewed through mine when we were at dinner in Louisville. The Wilhelm’s dog let me borrow one of his for the trip to the District. It was a pretty pink one. Well, after dinner on Tuesday, I thought I would clean my teeth, and it snapped, too! I’m saving up to buy him a replacement.

After the long trip, it was a treat to go to the Dog Park in Shirlington.

Running free at Shirlington
Running free at Shirlington

There’s a pretty creek that runs alongside the park, but there’s a fence between them. Some dogs get to go play in the creek, but my brother, for some reason, was not interested in exploring.

Shirlington Dog Park

That’s OK, because what I really like to do is scratch my back. My brother calls it “tumping”. I’ll try to send you pictures from time to time. Maybe you can exercise along with me.

Winston scratching his back

It was good to see all the places at The Wharf again. When we go for our early morning walks, there are always some treats on the ground, left over from the night before.

At Pearl Street
At Pearl Street

I may not be that great at catching squirrels and rabbits, but I’m getting very good at sneaking up on pieces of chicken and ice cream cones!

On C Dock
On C Dock

Sometimes I like to sit on our dock and watch for ducks. Then, there’s also the pier with the fireplace.

On the Public Pier
On the Public Pier

There are so many places to look for treats. After a busy weekend, it’s almost like an all-you-can-eat buffet!

On the District Pier
On the District Pier

Speaking of Buffet, on our first Saturday back, Alan and his friend Jodie gave a concert of Jimmy Buffett songs, and everyone sat out in their boats to listen. My brother and I snuck up on the balcony to get a better look.

Watching Jodie and Alan
Watching Jodie and Alan

Then, the next Saturday, our friend Mike and his jazz band played. After that, Al took us on a boat ride! We went all the way to Alexandria!

On the Channel
On the Channel

Back on our boat, my brother has rediscovered one of his favorite shows, “Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine”. He told me he used to watch that show 30 years ago, and Hank is still going strong. He gets to go all over the place and fish. Maybe we can visit him sometime and go on his boat. After my trip to Alexandria, I think I’m up for anything! We’ve watched a lot of his shows this past week. My brother calls it “bench-watching” but we’re actually sitting on the sofa.

Well, I’ll keep you up to date on our adventures. I can’t wait to see what’s around the corner!

Excitement is just around the corner
Excitement is just around the corner

All About the Bass

Bass Pro Shops, that is. Every time we go through Memphis, I get to go inside the big pyramid on the river. There are waterfalls, fish, and all kinds of things to smell. I’ve been told it looks like the start of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World.

Well, did you know that there’s one in Tulsa, too? Bass Pro, I mean; not Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s not in a tall pyramid, but it also has waterfalls and ponds with fish. It also has more light, and there are those magic rooms that you can walk in, the doors close, and when they reopen, you’re somewhere else! Have you ever been in one of those? They’re amazing!

Golden Retriever in Bass Pro Shop
I like our boat in the District, but these would be nice for finding more fish that I could be friends with.

Speaking of which – when we got inside, I made a beeline for the fish area!

We took one of the magic rooms and, before you know it, we were upstairs, looking down on the store.

Golden Retriever

Wow! There were things I missed when I was looking at the fish.

Let’s explore what else is up here.

Golden Retriever

“A home where the bear and the buffalo roam…”

All in all, a good way to spend a lazy afternoon!