September 13, 2009 – Bothell, WA

Another really late start this morning; this crew is getting super sluggish. Don didn’t get going for our walk until almost ten, which came close to causing a crisis for me. When we finally headed out for the truck, I had to make a pit stop in the grass next to the lake before jumping in. We went into downtown Bothell, and pulled into a park next to the river that runs through town. It was a really nice park, with lots of grass and ducks. We inspected several very old buildings, including the cabin of Bothell’s first settler; it was really small, they probably didn’t have room for a dog. We walked along the river on a path that was really popular with bicyclists and runners, so we really had to keep an eye out for them to keep out of their way. But it was a fun walk in a place I’d never been before. I think.

When we got back to the rig, Geri was ready to go, and we headed out to a restaurant that she had found; it was really different and special! The humans and pets (mostly dogs, but some cats) all sat together at their own table, with special wide benches for large dogs, like me. They ordered for themselves and for me off a menu, and were served several courses of really good food! They had some soup and sandwiches, while I got some good lean beef strips, a corn muffin, and some delicious gravy. It was kind of noisy in there, but lots of fun, and the food was great. I really enjoyed sitting at the table with them, and they said that my manners were very good. I think this restaurant has a great future, and hope that something similar opens in Ventura.

After lunch, we went to an amusement park, where there were all kinds of exciting rides. We found one of Don’s favorite rides, a thing called a “Tilt-A-Whirl”, which goes around on a wavy track while you’re seated in a car that spins around and around, sometimes fast and sometimes more slowly. Don bought the tickets and got into one of the cars, while Geri snuck up the exit ramp and we both got into the car with Don. When the ride got going, Don maneuvered the car to get it spinning rapidly, first one way, then the other. I got really dizzy, and started whimpering, so Geri made Don slow the whirling of the car down a bit. I still thought that I was going to lose my lunch, but fortunately the ride came to an end before I barfed all over everyone. I got off the ride feeling a little wobbly, and I hoped that I could have a little time to recover before we had another adventure. But no, Don was buying tickets for a small roller-coaster type ride with cars that held three people and zigged and zagged all over the place. He convinced the ride operator that, though I was too short to meet the height requirement for the ride, that I was much taller if I stood on my hind legs, and besides, I was 56 years old in dog years, that I should be allowed to ride. The operator went along with this reasoning, and we all got aboard. Don got in the front seat, I was in the middle, and Geri sat in back of me. We chugged up a very steep track for what seemed to me forever, paused at the top of ride, and then went hurtling down the track at a very high speed. We jerked around corners, dropped into deep valleys, cruised up steep hills, and roared around more turns for what seemed forever. It was exhilarating, but kinda scary. I think I liked it more than the Tilt-A-Whirl. We went on several more rides, none of them quite as wild as the first two, and I got my first taste of cotton candy. I hope we’ll go to another amusement park soon!

To cap off the day, we went to the Canine Hall of Fame in Seattle, where they have on display, through the miracle of modern taxidermy, many of the most famous dogs in history. Not only did we see the original Lassie (who, as I could plainly see, was really a Laddie), another movie star by the name (I think) of Run Tin Can, but also the first dog in space, a Russian dog by the name of Laika. They had one of President Johnson’s dogs, whose ear flaps were enormously long, and President Nixon’s dog, Checkers, who everyone agreed was not a crook. By the time we got out of there, I was dog tired. We headed back to the rig, got a good meal and some treats, and I was down for the count. Night, all!