Tails On the Waterfront

You've probably been wondering where I've been. Me too. I was whisked away without a word of explanation. Long story short, my peep and I went to Cape Cod to visit with the rest of our pack. The photo at the top left shows me (squint real good) on the beach at Hyannisport and the photo at the bottom right shows me being tackled on the beach in Eastham. Yeah, I was tackled for my tennis ball because I out ran him every time! I may have little popsicle stick legs but I can fly like a bullet!

Now I'm back patrolling the Manteo waterfront. Tourists still trickle in but it's quieter on the streets. The real action right now is at the marina. All these big beautiful yachts working their way down to Florida or the Caribbean go out of their way to spend a night or two at our marina. Word gets around, ya'know. Peeps appreciate my twice daily patrols (and Carl does some stuff, too).

The weather has been tres annoying recently--rainy and cool--notice my foul weather patrol gear below. But no hurricanes this year, not even a tropical storm! Yee Haw! So I can take a little

rain, no problem. My foul weather patrol gear (please refrain from calling it "an adorable little slicker") protects me very well. The big problem comes in, as I discovered during Tropical Storm Ernesto, when it floods and the water is way over my head and there is NO DRY GROUND on which one may do one's toilette! Horreurs! My peep very graciously carried me-- slogging through calf-deep water, howling winds and horizontal sheets of rain--several blocks, until we found a concrete planter that had some dirt in it and...well, relief. A girl learns a certain way to do her business and this may never vary.

Word has it that there's a new girl on the docks named Ruby, a chocolate Lab puppy, adopted by Kim2. You know how everyone oohs and aahs over Lab puppies...so I admit I had a fleeting moment of wicked mean jealousy. The adulation of the tourists is an ambrosia I find painful to share. I've become so shameless (I admit it!) in my bid for attention from total strangers that this summer I sat down smack dab in the middle of the boardwalk (while my peep was deep in conversation nearby), facing oncoming foot traffic and forced people to either walk around me or pet me. Guess which occurred most often? Enough with the confessions! Anyhoo, my conniving little mind realized that by the time the tourists are back in full force Ruby won't look like a puppy anymore, she'll just be another Lab and I'll still look like I'm right off the shelf at Toys R Us! Ooooh, I'm so bad, tee hee! So here's a message for Ruby (ok, you had to know this was coming): Rooo-oobee, don't take your love to town...at least not until June!