Day 53
When we got out of bed this morning, we looked out the windows and saw that it was still drizzling and very overcast. It was kind of depressing, as we had deliberately come here to tour the South during a time of year when the weather was very mild and sunny. Don has lectured me on several occasions about the great issue that has been raised by some scientists, people in government and the media concerning “Global Warming”. The average temperature in these regions is a full twenty degrees below normal for this time of year. We can see on the Weather Channel that the same thing is going on all over the country. And we’re supposed to be one of the biggest parts of the “Global Warming” problem. Don wants to know when reality is going to set in, and I would have to agree. Maybe we would go along with “Global Cooling and Raining”.
When it’s raining, my walks are shorter, and I get less exercise. Don tries to take me to interesting places in the morning, but if I don’t have time to investigate them thoroughly, it makes me feel like I’m not doing my job. This morning we walked around a beautiful, green, but very wet meadow. No rolling allowed, and I had to be careful to stay out of muddy spots. I actually was relieved when he put me on the leash to walk by the office. Around mid-morning, we got in the truck and headed for Waynesboro. We went to a Veterinarian’s Office, where Geri and Don had me examined in relation to my recent problem, which Geri says is too gross and personal to discuss, so we won’t. But I got some pills and an opinion that I was otherwise in fine condition. I felt sorry for a little Dachsy who was so unnerved in the waiting room that she had to dump a load. I think she was really embarrassed.
We went back to the coach and had lunch. Don went outside and looked at the sky and proclaimed that the bad weather was over, the sky was turning blue, and it was a great afternoon to go for a sightseeing ride. Geri and I looked at each other, shrugged, and got into the truck. We headed up the Skyline Drive, which goes through Shenandoah National Park, and sort of follows the high spots of the hills that line the Shenandoah Valley. The first overlooks that we stopped at were very spectacular, with marvelous views across the Valley and to the east toward Charlottesville. As we progressed along the Drive, the clouds were closing in and the overlooks revealed nothing but more cloud interiors. We were eventually crawling along the road in a dense fog, with barely a view of the white line down the middle. We stopped at one overlook, and Don had to tell me which way to look to see any kind of a view. We finally got off the Drive and headed down into the Shenandoah Valley, where we went south back down to Waynesboro. Geri and Don had to do some food shopping there, and they had a little excitement when someone took their food cart when they had nearly finished shopping. They got that straightened out, and we got home and had a fine dinner, Don’s meatball soup. Great plates! I understand that we’re moving down the road a few miles tomorrow, a travel day, but not a long one. Will give you a full report.