Friday, June 05, 2009

answer me these questions three


Not every quest involves a chalice or a ring.


Some quests -- the best -- are made merely for the adventure.


With that goal in mind --no Camelot, no Mordor -- Professor Jiggs and I mounted the red steed and sallied forth into Melaque.


The day was to be a simple one. A little walk along the bay. And a day at the beach.


Thus do the great tales begin. The ordinary. The mundane. Overturned for the sake of adventure.


Euclld could have used the Bay of Navidad to teach geometry. It is as close to a half circle as you will find in nature. At the far west end of the bay is a point punctuated with rocks that birds love and sailors dread.


But tourists have much more in common with birds. They -- tourists, that is -- flock to see the rocks -- because they make great vacation photographs.


Knowing that, the town fathers caused a stone pathway to be built from the end of town to the end of the bay. It is a pleasant walk. I have taken it several times.


And I thought Jiggs would like to stretch his legs before the temperature rose too high.


Jiggs had his own notions, though. He looked at the ruined restaurant that guards the entrance to the malecón, and knew that adventures require indirect approaches.


Instead of heading for the malecón, he trotted back toward town, then looped back across a shaky pedestrian bridge, using the cover of the cliffs just in case unfriendly eyes were perched in the ruin.


He had been walking for almost a half hour in the sun, and I was positive our adventure was going to end right there.


But not Jiggs. He threaded his way through the entryway, and walked, and walked, and walked. Making it all the way to the stairs at the end of the malecón.


Like any tourist (or questmaster), he wanted his achievement immortalized. So, here it is.




And he was not done. Having slain the dragon or rescued the princess or whatever it was he thought he had done, he stopped and schmoozed with a group of lubricated fishermen and their very sober dogs.


The tales he told. And the praise he received. The return of Quetzalcoatl would have paled in comparison.


After that, a day at the beach would have been not only anticlimactic; it would have been almost sacrilegious.


So, home I went with my golden boy, where even tonight he dreams of evil that will not walk the earth because of his brave deeds.


As for me, it was simply great to get away from the house to see a bit more of this community.


And to share in my dog's overly-active imagination.

20 comments:

Chrissy y Keith said...

aahhhh he looks so happy.

Tancho said...

Nice to know that he is doing better presently, for both of your stress levels.........

BoBo's Mom said...

We love to hear days like this. He looks so proud :) I bet he was out like a light when he got home.

Mike Nickell and Cynthia Johnson said...

I bet it's the haircut. Once I cut my hair in Guaymas I was in a much better mood! p.s. We had a tornado warning yesterday in Salem! It rained very hard very quickly with strong winds...some damage around town, but no disasters.

peachland said...

A great doggie walk & a Steve walk.Did you ever look at doggie prints in the snow,they are so all over the place
take care

Steve Cotton said...

Chrissy -- He was elated. It has been a long time since I saw him that lively.

Constantino -- The "presently" in your comment is well taken. But I am happy for today's moment.

BoBo's Mom -- At his age, whenever his head goes down, he is immediately out. But yesterday was a classic afternoon nap day.

Anonymous said...

steve,

i absolutely love the way you write. great storytelling! jiggs looks great-oh my-as others have commented, he looks like a yellow lab. i'm so glad the 2 of you are getting out there and having fun!

have a great weekend!
teresa

someday you must write a book. it would be a bestseller, i am sure.

GlorV1 said...

Mr. Jiggs is definitely very happy and proud of himself. He elegantly posed for you and wanted you to know that he enjoyed his day and was looking forward to going back home with you. He wanted to show you that he still has it in him and he'll do what it takes just to spend a day with you. You go Professor Jiggs. You should be very proud of yourself. Glad you "gentlemen" had a great day, you both so Hugs to Jiggs.

mdoneil said...

So who really enjoyed the outing more you or Jiggs.

I'm not sure we can ever know.

Steve Cotton said...

Cynthia -- I was just listening to the news on OPB. It sounds as if it was quite an afternoon yesterday for Oregon weather.

Peachland -- I must confess that the reference to dog prints in the snow is a bit confusing to me. Something on the internet?

Teresa -- Thank you for the very kind comments. I thoroughly enjoy writing this blog.

Gloria -- I love Jiggs. But he does very little to please me. And that is fine. He is my friend because he has a mind of his own.

Steve Cotton said...

Mdoneil -- I think the answer is: Jiggs absolutely enjoyed the walk, and I shared in his joy. It was a great day.

Anonymous said...

Steve,What Teresa said plus you bring a smile to my face. ;-) Corrinne

Anonymous said...

Now, that is how we all like to see the Professor...out and about and enjoying life with his owner in hot pursuit! Can't believe he actually would walk across that rickety bridge. The place sure looks different as anytime I've been there, that area to the right of the picture is full of palapas and rvs. Not sure if the dog is the one with the over-active imagination, though! Enjoy the weekend.

Steve Cotton said...

Corrinne -- How very kind of you.

Anonymous -- And I walked across the bridge, as well. I thought I would never do that after my first trip last July. It certainly is no safer. The palapas are there, but no RVs.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Steve, how I loved your adventure with Jiggs. I followed each step in my mind and smiled all the way.

It is so nice that Jiggs was enjoying it, also.

I will look forward in anticipation to his coming adventures.

Mom

Jonna said...

You go, Jiggs! I'm so glad he is feeling better and enjoying his new town. All the sights and sounds and p-mail.

Steve Cotton said...

Mom -- Glad you enjoyed it. After all, you are a prime market for this blog.

Jonna -- He has an amazing spirit. I just wish his legs were not betraying him. But he is making the most of each opportunity.

Jan said...

I love Jiggs. We have a border collie named Teddy and I think he and Jiggs would be friends. I also think we feel about Teddy as you do about Jiggs. I really enjoy your writing. Did you write in your former life?

1st Mate said...

Our hero! Golden boy is right! Love his triumphant expression in the photo.

Steve Cotton said...

Jan -- The writing question is a complicated one. I have written stories since I was four. But, more to the point, I am a retired attorney. Writing went with the territory.

1st Mate -- He is a real ham. And a tired ham today.