Little dog gone

Last night, my husband and I arrived home to find the little girl and the little dog both gone. She had said before she left, "You're going to miss him more than you're going to miss me." Well, Jasper the mini-schnauzer was certainly uncomplicated, being a dog, and relentlessly loyal, loving and joyful, so all those things are easy to miss. But he was also a constant presence in the house, and that was sometimes wearing. Rose was almost always leaving to go somewhere, and I always miss her, every day, but she's off on an adventure, and I honestly wish I were doing the same. They packed the car to bursting full, put the little dog bed in the backseat, and took off for the west coast.

They had planned to reach St. Ignace yesterday, and I hope camping wasn't too cold for them. I was plotting out the hours on the drive: three and a half hours to the border, another hour and a half to West Branch, and if they decide to 'shoot the loop' as we used to say about driving the whole NY freeway all around the tip of the lake - and they don't have too much trouble at the border, they should be able to make St. Ignace in 9 and a half or 10 hours. The weather was fine, a beautiful day for such a nice drive.