Day 20 – Bellingham, Massachusetts

A much quieter day for me than the last couple have been.  Don and I had a nice walk in the woods this morning, not too short, not too long.  We had all slept in, so the morning schedule was substantially delayed, but that didn’t bother me.  We actually started getting ready to hit the road a little before noon, and pulled into Winchester around one o’clock. 

The big item on the schedule today was a pool party at the Winchester Swim Club, which is right down the road from Mike and Rina’s place.  As far as I was concerned, the party was principally a napping opportunity, as the Swim Club had the usual anti-canine prohibitions that you find in many public places.  So, I stayed in the back of the Ranger, which Don had backed into a cool, shady spot for my comfort.  During the course of the afternoon, I had lots of people coming out to check on me, including Don and Mike, Nikki, Andrea, and Alique.  I got reports on the progress of the party, and the great food that people had brought, including some wonderful Armenian delicacies, smoked salmon, some great cheeses, and, finally, chicken shishkabob and steaks.  For better or for worse, I didn’t get any of it.  You know that I would have loved to have been able to wander around through the tables at the pool, meeting people and inviting them to share their food with me, but such was not to be.  Well, I probably needed the rest more than I needed the food.

As the party was ending, Mike, Andrea and Alique came to take me for a walk up to Mike’s house, and I was able to get some play time in with the girls.  After awhile, Thomas showed up, and the back yard turned into a water battle between him and Alique, which I tried hard to stay out of.  Someone, maybe Andrea, tried to win my affections by giving me a big salami treat; it was really good, and I understand better why Don likes it so much.  When the rest of the gang showed up, I got to meet Kevin, Nikki’s friend, and I could tell that he really liked me.  I’m going to feel kinda bad about leaving here, ‘cause I’ve got so many old and new friends!

Don gave me my dinner before we left Mike and Rina’s place, and, after they made their plans for tomorrow, we headed back to Bellingham.  We stopped for a few needed supplies at a WalMart, then headed home to find a bunch of neighbor campers partying around the fire ring in our space.  Poor form!  I got my treats and went to bed, and Geri and Don followed suit shortly.  Tomorrow’s our last day here, and we want to make it a good one!  I’ll let you know what happens!  So long for now!