Carmen

Georgia Brown on dock waiting for rest of fam:

What a georgeous weekend - light wind, crystal blue sky, and 75 degrees...not your usual October weather. So after lunch Anne, dogs, and I wandered down to the dock.

After adjusting her adirondack chair and foot bench, Anne set out to crack the NY Times crosswords. I set out apply fairing compound to several dings and holes in our Sunfish. Georgia, River, and Maggie set out to what water dogs do best; swimming, diving, shaking off, and fetching tennis balls (all three dogs fetch) and rocks from the bottom of the lake (this year, River is the family's sole rock-fetcher).

After making sure that what I was getting ready to do wouldn't shake Anne's crossword puzzle solving neurons loose, I plopped the CD of the opera Carmen, which our friend Daniel Hassell had just loaned us, into our boombox. With no other human within five docks on either side, I cranked up Carmen about as loud as she could go. Any wineglasses on the opposite shore (not too likely), would have shattered for sure. Our dogs, who actually seem to like classical music (don't ask me how I know), experienced their first opera; all I can tell you is that they lapped it up. And so did we, who didn't move off the dock, except for when I paused Act III to climb back to the house to fetch a chilled bottle of Edna Valley Chard with two wine glasses.

And so three hours later, with Carmen just about done and the sun having started its downward descent, I said those four words every dog loves to hear, "Get in the boat." And they did. A sunset cruise with three dogs and my wonderful and beautiful wife. A perfect ending to a perfect day. Did I tell you she is the best boat driver? She is.

The Passengers:

River, in his own thoughts:

Maggie, thinking about River:

Georgia, passed out from all the swimming, thinking about nothing:

river and maggie go "fishing"

***Happy, happy dogs...

sporting new life preservers and running and playing abounds at Riverbank. Not much summer left fall is creeping in TOO fast. We have been busy with little Grayson. Won't it be fun to teach her and our other cousin Avery to swim and sail. Kids, Dogs and Lakes. Our favorite combination. Happy Times at Riverbank continue through another generation. In Peeps words, "River I know you are a working dog but I don't have any work for you today!" so it is play play play....play....then sleep sleep sleep sleep.....

Swimwear by NRS

Maggie, River, and Georgia, sporting their NRS canine flotation devices, stand at the locked gate and wait "Hurry, Peeps, the sun is sinking!" They know Momma doesn't allow "night swimming."

Gift to be simple

Installed the halyard on our Sunfish, 24' of high-tech 5 mm line, with a reflector strand woven in. stepped back to admire my handiwork...timeless beauty, the Sunfish. Probably best boat ever designed or built. Classical music station WDAV kicked off Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring; you remember the catchy Shaker dance tune, whose humble text not only encapsulates that sect's philosophy, and in that moment when Copland's masterpiece broke into -

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free,'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,And when we find ourselves in the place just right,'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gain'd, To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd, To turn, turn will be our delight 'Till by turning, turning we come round right,' -

hit me hard it did, remembering how I loved sailing with my father, it was he who taught me to tie sailing knots, recalling Appalachian Spring was his favorite music, missing him so. So I took River and Georgia with me sailing this fresh breeze across the lake and back. We cranked...planing a Sunfish with 2 dogs is so rare, so fun.

One crazy dog at play

Every day from here to there, funny things are everywhere. Shown here is River, on a field trip to Riverbank, playing. He thinks no one is watching.

Team NRS

This is Georgia Brown, a female Boykin Spaniel, sporting her brand new NRS Canine Flotation System on her Momma's birthday! At almost two, Georgia is an experienced swimmer, sailor, and motor boater; she's seen here sitting atop the "dog house" of her Daddy's 1989 Mastercraft ProStar 190, as they skim up to the headwaters of Lake Tillery to check out the water rats.