In search of the green





I remember when I first moved to California; that was a longtime ago now.  Way back then, there wasn't google maps like there is now.  I remember opening my Thomas Guide map book to find some green; green as in green space.  First I look for the green, then I look for the park symbol.  Well, that's what I'm doing now but with Google maps.  Each morning and afternoon I google my location and look for the green. 

As most of you know I'm not a big 'dog park' fan.  Too many dogs in too small an area; added with dogs that should not be there in the first place.  But I have to say that the dog parks here in OR seem to be much better than the ones in CA.  Many are larger which is always a bonus; but I still don't trust humans enough to supervise accordingly and know when they shouldn't be at the dog park.  That and the fact that Luke is old now; he cannot take a hit, not even a small one.  So we search for the elusive private green space.  Of course here in OR, there is a whole lot more green than there is in CA.  Not only in color but quantity. 

Over the last week Luke, Elsa and I have hit a great number of parks.  We have a wonderful open field right behind the townhouse here; but, I've also discovered that many of the dogs here are very unfriendly.  (more on that topic in another blog)  So we search, drive, explore and discover.  Getting out and about is essential; no matter where you are located.  It has been a tad difficult with Luke having a hard time with distance and Elsa needing a great deal of exercise.  It is nice when we are home in CA for that reason alone.  We can leave Luke in the comfort of his own couch and head out for some intense exercise.  But here we all go together so the search is on.



We met a very nice woman and her adorable Golden Retriever (Penny) the other day.  Elsa and her just wanted to tear it up while Luke was happy to just hang with Mom.  Reading body language is so important when you want to find the friendly dogs to play with.  As soon as I spot the signs I call out, friendly?  We then make a b-line to the owner and their friendly dog.  Looking over our shoulder we can then unhook and let the fun begin.  It doesn't have to be long and drawn out; a short rip with a new friend brings a plethora of good things with it.

Over the weekend we found some wonderful places to take Luke and Elsa.  Having Dad with us sure makes the whole age difference thing much easier.  We also found a great farm/feed store called Wilco, where Luke and Elsa tried on a bunch of very cool raincoats.  Sadly I forgot my cell phone in the car so no pics but Luke looked smashing in the camo design.  We may go back today just to enjoy wandering around in the store and maybe get a raincoat or two.

So the search continues; where will we be today?  Not sure but I do know it will be green and it will be an open space.  Of course being in the middle of wine country; it could be a vineyard which is never a bad thing.