We took a really long walk this morning. It was great!
We started up by the Capitol. It was really pretty at sunrise!
Whiskey Tango at sunrise on the Mall
Then we headed west down the Mall, past the Washington Monument and on to the World War II Memorial.
Refreshment at the World War II Memorial
I had never been able to get near the pool, but no one else was around, so my brother let me get a drink from it. I felt very honored!
Well, I mentioned a few days ago about singing along with the fire truck sirens. Something big must have been going on because at least five trucks went by as we were walking by the Reflecting Pool.
Singin’ Along!
If you come visit me, maybe we can sing a duet together!
I had never been to the Vietnam Memorial. It is really something. I felt like there was a big rift in the earth, and as you walk down from one end, the list of names start to get taller and taller, until you think you’re at the bottom of a big canyon.
At the Vietnam Memorial
There were very nice Christmas wreaths placed all along the Memorial. My brother was worried that I might mistake one of those as a little tree, if you know what I mean, but I was very careful to be respectful. I’m the American Dog, after all!
Here’s a nice statue dedicated to all the nurses who were in Vietnam. I wonder if there are any soldier dog memorials.
We also went by the Korean War Memorial, but my brother forgot to turn on the camera. That’s OK though! He did get a picture of me in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
We walked about five miles this morning, so I was ready for breakfast when we got back. And then, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but Treasure Number Eleven! I love carrying sacks by their handles! It’s what I do – I’m a Golden Retriever!
Grazie!
Well, I’ll see you tomorrow! I hope you have a good night!
Well, the new year has started out with its own set of surprises! For example, today’s treasure wasn’t a treat to eat at all. It was a fun, unexpected splash – and it happened so fast that my brother hardly had time to get you a picture of it!
On the way to the “Title” Basin
This morning, we walked around “The Title Basin”. At least, I think that is the name of it. Here’s the talk my brother and I had about it:
Me: Where are we walking today?
Brother: The Title Basin.
Me: What’s the name of the Basin?
Brother: Title.
Me: OK, the “title”.
Brother: Right.
Me: Right? Is the name the title or is the title the name?
Brother: What?
Anyway, even though I never did get the name of the “Untitled Basin”, I did find out that it serves a good purpose, besides being pretty, especially when the cherry blossoms are blooming! It was built to catch 250 million gallons from the Potomac River, twice a day, at high tide. Then, all that water flushes out into the Washington Channel, where our boat is, to help keep it clean. Isn’t that great! Now, if they ever have a contest to give the Basin a proper name, I would like to suggest that they give a nod to how it works with the tides. I think folks would be very impressed!
World War I Memorial
As we started around the Title Basin, we saw the World War I Memorial. It’s kind of between the World War II Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. My brother thinks that’s a little out of order, but it sure is a nice place. In fact, when my niece and nephew-in-law got married, our friends the McEntires took these great pictures of the wedding party there:
Beautiful!
Our next stop was the Martin Luther King Memorial. I had always heard he was a giant of a man, and they were right! Look at this!
Dr King was a Giant of a Man!
And he’s not the only one who was much larger than I had thought. Take a look at Fala, the Roosevelt’s dog, who I had always pictured as a little guy. Well, when we got to their Memorial, I was in for a big surprise!
There’s a nice view of the monuments as we walked to the Jefferson Memorial:
Crossing the Bridge over the Tidal Basin
And, take a look at how much self-control I exercised when we came across a flock of geese!
Geese on the Tidal Basin
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I was able to walk past the geese because I had already set my sights on today’s Treasure of Christmas. After all the rain we had, there was a really nice puddle with about two or three inches of water in it. Well, it was calling my name. I’m sorry we don’t have a picture for you, but my brother spent a lot of time trying to pull me out of it instead of getting the camera. As you can see, though, it was a refreshing rest before we finished the walk!
Out of the Puddle
Later in the afternoon, we took a nice stroll at The Wharf. It was a little breezy, but it was great to see so many people and dogs out enjoying the afternoon down by the water!
Breezy at The Wharf
After such a big day, I was ready to take it easy! I hope you were also able to take a little nap outside on such a beautiful day!
First of all, Happy New Year! It is great to be living in the year of our Lord 14,147 (that’s in dog years)!
My brother and I both fell asleep while it was still last year. Then, some of the other boaters starting honking their horns at midnight, so we woke up and I even got a little Turducken dog treat. A great way to to start the new year!
The first exciting thing I want to tell you in this new year is that I have a new website! It is ThisRover.com. Don’t worry; I’ll always be the American Dog, too, but my brother thinks that the two websites will play well together. I guess you can also find us on other places as @ThisRover.
The name comes from one of my favorite songs, “The Sunny Side of the Street”. There’s a part that says:
I used to walk in the shade
With the blues on parade
Now, I’m not afraid
This Rover – crossed over
Here’s a funny thing: I used to think the last verse went like this:
If I never have a cent
I’ll be rich as Rockefeller
Goldens at my feet
On the sunny side of the street!
I guess it’s actually “gold dust”, not “Goldens”, but they both sound good to me. Which do you like better?
Goldens at my feet …
Well, because we were getting the new website up and running, we’re about three days behind in telling you about the Treasures of Christmas. Don’t be too hard on my brother, though; all this web design is not his strong suit. We’ll get caught up right now!
The Fifth Treasure of Christmas
On one of our walks patrolling the docks, I got this nice cardboard tube from Carla, one of the ladies who has a boat here. It is sturdy! It’s so nice, I haven’t even tried to take it apart. That speaks well of it!
The Sixth Treasure of Christmas
We have been taking a lot of walks every morning up on the National Mall. It is so different being there early when no one else is there. Just us and the squirrels!
Well, this was a nice surprise! It was the top half of a multi-grain bagel. It was so healthy, even my brother didn’t mind me getting it. With that nourishment, I was able to walk with purpose up to the Capitol building.
The Seventh Treasure of Christmas
To give 2020 a proper send off, I got a new harness! I had rubbed my old one against the rock walls so much that a lot of the seams were fraying. I really like the new one. It’s a very stylish blue, with reflective stripes. And it doesn’t get in the way of my dancing!
There are so many pretty spots on the Mall. This little garden is part of the Smithsonian Castle. It’s hidden away from the main streets – kind of like the Nakatomi Gardens back home. Another plus about going early in the morning is that I get to walk in the actual gardens! I always try to be careful about stepping on the flowers, but sometimes I forget. After visiting the garden, we walked back up to the Capitol. Here’s a little dance to commemorate the occasion:
The Eighth Treasure of Christmas
So here we are, back at New Year’s Day! Did you know that today is also a celebration of Mary, the Mother of God? And if that’s not enough, it’s also called the Octave of Christmas. I always try to sing an octave below the fire truck sirens when they come by! Maybe I’ll try a Christmas carol next time.
To celebrate all those things, we took a walk early this morning. Here is my first Whiskey Tango dance of the new year:
It was so quiet outside this morning. I guess not everyone went to bed as early as we did.
Then, when you least expect it, as we were walking past the American History Museum, look what I found:
Someone left an entire meal of Chinese food! I didn’t get to eat all of this treasure, but here’s the funny thing: about thirty minutes later, I was ready for another treasure!
Well, here’s hoping you find all the treasures you’re looking for this year … and also some that come to you as a complete surprise. Those are the funnest kind!
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!
Look what I found in the yard! The utility folks left me a belated birthday present: a nice, long stick with a yellow streamer. It looked like a birthday candle, and was easy to pull out of the ground!
My brother made a video and I got to narrate it. Be sure you have your captions turned on!
The next time you see a big stick on the ground – even if it’s not your birthday – I hope you give it a twirl!
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!
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.
Wow! There were things I missed when I was looking at the fish.
On our early morning walk, a pleasant surprise. While we were strolling, the clouds suddenly moved in and, just as we were about as far from the car as we could be, the heavens opened up. What fun! At least for me.
As we approached the driveway into Nakatomi Gardens (my Older Brother will need to explain why he calls it that), we came across a nice bit of flowing water. Naturally, it called my name…
Now I know how golden nuggets felt during the California Gold Rush.
I was content to just relax in the flow, but there must have been some flooding downstream, because my Older Brother kept telling me to dam up the water, or words to that effect. It must have been serious, because the longer I stayed there, the louder his voice got. I was only too happy to oblige, and who knows what kind of disaster was averted.
Goldens at my feet …
