Strange times

There is something very odd going on: M and P are at home a lot. They both work from home, so that is not unusual, but now they are here all the time. We only go out for walks. There is something else that is odd: there are a lot of humans going out for walks, all of the sudden. Usually we have the beach and the dunes near our house for ourselves, but now it can be pretty crowded. Not at all how it usually is:

M and P tell me there is a global virus outbreak and that is why they stay at home. A virus is some kind of very little animal and humans are extremely afraid that they will get bitten by this animal. Curious. This thing is so small, you can’t even see it. Let alone its teeth! How can that be dangerous? Human logic is often incomprehensible for us canines.

Anyway, I do not mind this new situation. On the contrary, I love it that M and P are home almost all of the time! The only downside is that I do not have any privacy anymore. I mean: I sometimes really need to be on my own, dogs need that too, you know. Now, capturing this me-time is not so easy. I can pretend I do not see them, but that does not work very well because they are here, all the time. That is slightly disturbing and I am still looking for a good solution. Can anyone give me some advice on how to do this?

White walk

Last night it snowed and this morning we woke up in a whitish world. We just made a nice walk, it was very quiet. The sandy dunes had turned into white hills:

And the dune forest had turned magical:

There even was snow on the beach! I liked it.

It looks like there is more snow coming, it was pretty cloudy. We’ll see. For the next couple of hours I will be in my cosy bed, happily warm inside our house.

Exploring new paths

Since we moved to our new home we have been exploring all the new paths in the vicinity. We live very near the dune-forests and the beach and there are a lot of different trails and paths and roads. This is one of my favorites. It is long and narrow and smells deliciously of rabbits:

I also like the woodland paths that wind to and from the beach. There are lots of smells there too, of rabbits and foxes. I am always curious what surprises I will find around the corner.

And there is a very nice broad road to the beach. Great for running at full speed! I always have to wait for M at the end of it, she is so slow.

There is even a path on the beach. A silly thing, because on the beach you can walk anywhere. No need for a path there!  Typically human to make a beach-path:

It is made of a hard material, smooth and cool to the feet. Not bad, but I prefer the real thing:

 

Exciting encounter

We just returned from a long walk in the dunes and on the beach. It is cold outside, winter is here!

I don’t mind the cold. As long as I keep moving I am warm. So I was glad when we were on the beach, so I could run.

However, after a while I slowed my pace, because there was something very awkward moving on the beach:

It was slithering over the sand (one can hardly call that movement walking) and it was not amused to see us. It made noises and M said: “I don’t think it likes us being here.” Well, I am certain it did not like us, because I could understand what it said. I won’t repeat it here, but it was very clear. Sea creatures use some rough language!

We never met a sea creature like this before. I cautiously investigated it, from a distance – one never knows how wild creatures react and I like my dainty nose. Anyway: it smelled like salt. Fishy things. Exciting!

Beautiful day for a walk

We walk every day, of course we do! Humans have to get out at least twice a day, you know. Into the great outdoors. Or to the dog park. This week we made a lot of walks and this was the nicest one. The weather was splendid, autumn bliss.

We walked in the dunes. First we entered the dune-forest and then we went out into the open, climbing the little sandy hills:

And then, the best part of all: we were on the beach! I love the beach. There is no place more splendid.

 

Changing paths

We just got back from a walk in the dunes. We go there a lot, almost every day, and I never tire of it. It is a wonderful place, with a myriad of smells: salty water, rabbits and foxes and birds.

There are a lot of paths, big broad ones and small ones that are more like trails. The little ones seem to change all the time and I really like that. Old ones are closing and new ones are opening. We discovered a new one, just now:

Nice!

Exciting walk

We made an exciting walk today. It was warm and sunny, nice weather for a walk. Although I think any weather is good for a walk, it is just great to be outdoors. We went to the dunes and the beach!

I did some good running and swam to cool down. When we walked back through the dunes we encountered some wildlife! This is me, spotting it:

Okay, it was not really wildlife, but it was roaming free so I considered it wildlife. And a suitable prey.

Unfortunately the feline just stayed there, watching me. That is not supposed to happen. They ought to run, so I can chase them! So when M insisted that I walked on with her, I did. Next time I hope it will run away from me.

Woodland creatures

This is odd. We walked one of our favorite paths in the dune-forest and encountered something new. Man made, no doubt, but odd nevertheless. I approached it carefully, one never knows what things like this will do:

When I was near, I smelled it was a tree. They pulled a tree out of the ground and put it back in the earth again, upside down! Silly humans.

I do not think the tree likes it, regardless of the pretty face it has now. I think it gets a little nauseous standing upside down. Next time we walk here – and M isn’t looking – I will push it over and dig it in, so it will be feeling okay again.

Together

We take a walk every day and that is always nice, but sometimes it is something special. Today M and I had this kind of walk. I will try to explain why this one was special. It is not because we went to a new place, because we walked in the dunes and on the beach, like we often do. I think this one was special because we did it together.

This may sound strange to some humans (I bet the canines reading this will understand, though). One could say that all the walks we make are together, but that is not so. It is like this: sometimes when M is stuck in her writing she takes me out for a walk. While we walk she thinks about what is bothering her and I take the opportunity to smell and run and play with other dogs. We are out, but we are not really walking together. Not in the sense of togetherness. We both do our own things.

On our walk this morning we were truly walking together. We ran in the dunes and played games on the beach. I was totally focussed on her and she on me. When this is the case we are like a team, paying attention to our surroundings but not really interacting with other dogs nor humans. We have fun together. And that is awesome.

 

Paths

M and I, we walk a lot. Sometimes P comes with us, but mostly M and I walk together. We go to the beach and the dunes and the forest. We walk, stroll, trot and hike. I like to run a bit too, waiting now and then for M to catch up with me.

We live in a city, but happily we have nature close by. Although it is humanized nature, if you know what I mean: not the mountains and huge woods and empty coasts we visit when we travel, but nature that is designed by humans. With broad paths and roads.

But happily, when you know where to look, there are also little paths and secret places to find. One has to be very attentive to get to know them. Sometimes they do not look like a path at all, until you round a specific bush or tree and then it stretches out before you: a small and winding path, all the way through the dunes or the forest.

Those are the paths that we like best. It feels like they are our paths, known only to us, to explore and have Adventures along the way. Trotting along paths like this make me truly happy.