Rockland Walk

No pics with this-the batteries need recharging and I keep forgetting.

(been busy ;) )

Today was laundry day in Rockland. I had it all ready to go for Friday morning and then realized it was the weekend of the Rockland Lobster Festival. The town population increases by many thousands, I think more like tens of thousands, so I wasn't toting 13 loads of laundry through a packed coastal town.

I decided to veto mackerel fishing today on the Breakwater. After two smashed poles, lost lures, and one mackerel, not to mention Peko going ballistic at every passing canine...

Instead, when we got all the washers going (three triple loaders and a quadruple-loader) we all agreed to go for a walk. The fire station is directly across from the laundromat. We headed left down to the nearest crosswalk which brought us out on the road next to the station.

We saw a woman painting an enormous house by herself, and it was looking quite lovely. I said such, and we had an interesting conversation about the color and the state of the house when she bought it, etc, etc.

Moving on, we crossed railroad tracks and walked pastlovely old homes. Victorians, with porches and mansard roofs and turrets. Federals with Widow's walks on the third floor. Quite a few were so tall they must have had ten foot ceilings.

Lovely landscaped yards, some grass in better shape than others. Banks of impatiens-one place all bordered in white impatiens. A lovely purple varigated barberry flanking both sides of a massive columned entry with steps painted in a shade to match the bushes.

"look how symmetrical it is," exclaimed Willow.

Lots of black eyed susans, daylilies, hostas of many varigations.

We went block after block, walking on a lovely wide sidewalk.

We enjoyed it so much, that after we transferred the wash into 7 jumbo dryers for 42 minutes, we went on a longer jaunt the other direction.

Peko had a great time, too. Sometimes people would drive by with dogs in their cars, and the dogs would yap as they went by. Peko wouldn't even flip an ear. Too many good things to sniff! A couple of houses we walked by had dogs that barked at us from inside, and the same thing, no reaction from Peko.

One place which we walked by, a man was coming around the corner of his house with an enormous German Shepard, off lead. I held my breath as we kept going, but the man said a quiet word and the dog went to him-very well trained. Thank Goodness!

I once had the misadventure of meeting an Irish Wolfhound while walking a beagle and a Toto look-a-like. The dog, a very large dog, bounded across the lawn, across the road and started lunging after my two dogs, while I tried to keep myself between and not trip up- juggling two leashes and two panicked dogs.

Finally (most likely seconds) a young man bounded out of the house and tried to retrieve the dog, and after several unsuccessful lunges I said, "Jeesum, get the dog!" and he said, "I'm trying, lady!"

Finally I freed a hand from the leashes and took a big breath and grabbed the dog by the collar until the kid could get him. I was glad I didn't get bitten!

Anyhow, that didn't happen today, thank goodness! We had a lovely walk on a lovely day and even went for a swim when we got home. Nothing like clean clothes still hot out of the dryer! :)