Animals, Altitude, and Attitude: More is Less, Less is More

Well, my fur may be getting white, and my bones may occasionally ache, but I still get around pretty well. In fact,
I'm not the sort to stop unless Israel does. We are currently in Italy, for the 4th time this year, however, our progress seems to have stalled; not that I mind. The Alps are a bit frigid, but I do love the mountains. The winding paths here are better suited to travel by paw than machine but this doesn't seem to bother Israel much. He has consistently driven our home into places it should not fit (occasionally I hear the term Verboten from strangers during my early morning exploring around our camp spots, whatever that means, though I've not

heard it recently) and promptly unpacks our food and the 2 wheeled machine. Sometimes we get to undertake adventures searching out unsuspecting creatures. I have been introduced to a variety of new animals to chase on this trip. Marmots, Boar, Apes, Stambeccos, and Hedgehogs have all provided close encounters recently. Occasionally, I even chase my friend. Perhaps I am over 3 times his age, but I have twice the legs. Still, he puts up a good show, I suppose.

Not quite Spain, not quite England. Gibraltar is all fun!

 Yesterday, following a very cold night and an afternoon hike I was loaded into the box of the duo cycle and we searched the severely escarped paths surrounding our encampment for what seemed to be no particular reason. It was nice, but very quiet. We reached a clearing atop one of the bluffs and waited on darkness. Nothing was said, and though the setting was impressive, and the solitude meaningful, I couldn't help but feel a bit of my friend's despondence. I wonder, what will we do when there is nothing new to see?



At times it's good having a short memory. A day is a long time, and yesterday's concerns rarely matter to a dog today, especially if there is SNOW. Any day with snow is a new beginning. Everything becomes brighter, more exciting and my body wants to move. I'm uncertain of why this is, I am but a dog, however, there is something special in in the crystalized precipitation. Whatever the reasons, they are not relegated
to the world of K-9s. Israel loves the snow almost as much as I do, and the lack of other domesticated footprints along today's hike meant that his smile was only for me. We made our way back down to the house for dinner. Even my food tastes good after such a day, and I gobble it down quickly. Israel is easily convinced to share some of  his food too. Mmmmm.... pig bones and Brie crust! What more could a dog desire? We are now moving on from Italy through Switzerland to France. If I'm lucky, we'll have a few more snow filled days in the mountains. This is where I'm meant to be.