LongDays of Zenith

We decided this would be the best day of the weekend to go to the lake. We tried a different route--back ways, not the highway. We got lost, but it turned out that the mistaken way was more interesting than the right way would have been. We were on two lane roads rolling between cornfields and apple orchards--miles and miles of apple orchards in different stages of maturity. We probably won't go that way again, because there's a long stretch where the road isn't paved, so it takes longer than expected. But it was fun to try it. The beach we picked was crowded--more so because the lake levels have been high for several years, so the beach is very narrow in places. But we found an unoccupied niche and put up our umbrella. Once you're out in the water, it's not crowded at all.

I had two glorious swims, but I cut the second one a bit short. The Sparrowhawk had come into the water with me, but it was just too cold for him. He looked miserable. I've never seen him start shivering that way after only a few seconds. I sent him back in to warm up. I swam for a little longer, but I was worried about him. I thought he needed to get dry and warm. I was also concerned that he hadn't had enough to eat. So we stopped at the Whippi-Dip to get a sandwich and an ice cream cone. He was fine once he warmed up and boosted his blood sugar. When we got home, he figured out how to hang out the flag--so we're ready for tomorrow.

People have been setting off fireworks nonstop for the last three days. Last night it wasn't so bad, because it was raining. But Saturday night, we had rolling thunder from dusk to around 2 am when I finally went to sleep. I wasn't being kept awake by the explosions, or not entirely. I just couldn't turn my brain off. But the fireworks didn't help. Tonight they're at it again with great enthusiasm. I think there must be a lot of unhappy dogs in this neighborhood!