Day 41 – Hermon, Maine

Whooey, what a day!  Lots of excitement and surprises!  Yeah, nice walk this morning, early lunch, into the truck, off we go.  That’s where the fun begins.

We drove for a little over a half hour down the coast to a little town called Belfast.  We didn’t go directly into town, but found an address on the edge of town and pulled into a long driveway and up to a house.  Don got me out of the truck, and I immediately sensed something familiar about the scents I was picking up; I soon found out why!  Out of the house and bounding right up to me came my old friend Max, who lives next door to us in Ventura!  We were overjoyed to see each other, and happily conducted our mandatory identification checks, though they weren’t really necessary.  Following Max out of the house were his folks, Bill and Nita, and I was more than pleased to see them, too.  They are really nice people, and have always treated me with kindness and respect.  I knew that they had a home in Maine where they go every year to spend the summer and fall months, but I had no idea that we were finally going to visit them there.  What a wonderful surprise! 

Bill and Nita gave Geri and Don a tour of their home, while Max conducted a tour for me.  Their home is very lovely and large, and you can tell that they’ve put a lot of work into it.  Nita has a huge quilting room over the garage, with all her supplies and work tables, Bill has a library and art work room, and there are decks all around the house overlooking the big grassy areas, forests, and streams nearby.  It looks like a really friendly and comfortable place.  Max and I sat close by while our folks had a nice lunch and talked about our trips to the East Coast and what was going on in Ventura in our absence.  Geri and Don told them about our friend across the street, my Temptress, Debbie, who was making news with her work on behalf of some mobile home park tenants who had their gas supply cut off due to needed repairs, and were unable to cook or shower, with no hot water.  We all agreed, including Max and I, that she was doing something really worthwhile for people who needed help badly.  Not hard for me, she could never do wrong in my eyes.

After lunch, we did a tour with Bill of the rest of the property, and Max and I went wading in the stream below the house; felt really good.  Max is a lot like me, not a PlayDog, sort of serious, but able to have fun by doing things with our people and earning their love and respect by being responsible and friendly to others.  We really enjoyed each other’s company today, and I know that Geri and Don were really happy to get together with Nita and Bill. 

We all got into the Perryman’s truck, Max and I in the back, and we did a tour of the town of Belfast, which looked really neat.  We all got to walk out on a little pedestrian bridge that crossed a river whose name is not pronounceable, even to a human.  Then we went further down the coast to a little town called Camden, which was quite attractive.  We had to stay in the truck while our folks did a walking tour of the town, but we needed some nap time anyway.  They came back an hour or so later, telling us about the river that ran under part of the town, even right under some of the buildings, the lovely harbor and the beautiful Library, plus the great treats that they bestowed on themselves at a local confectionary.  They obviously had a great time there, and I found myself a little envious at their privilege of being human.  But, being a dog has its advantages too; we don’t have to work forty-five years in order to retire. 

We had a tour of Camden’s nice neighborhoods, including a farm with some funny-looking cows, then proceeded back to Belfast to Nita and Bill’s place.  Max and I got our suppers there, and we all said goodbye to our friends and headed back to the Pumpkin Patch.  Back at the coach, Don and I put the blog together, had some snacks, and hit the hay.  More adventures tomorrow, will keep you informed!