Saturday, July 2, 2016: Dog days of summer

 Saturday, July 2, 2016: Dog days of summer

OK, dog lovers, I know your dogs are members of the family, and you want to include them on your vacations. However, most of us come to national parks like the Blue Ridge Parkway in the hopes of seeing some wildlife, such as bears, deer, wildcats, bobcats, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, and a wide variety of birds. Last night the campground was completely full, and several of the campers brought their family dogs, who barked quite a bit in the evening and morning. I’m pretty sure the barking dogs scared away the wildlife, which I think is a shame. Next time, consider leaving your dogs behind and letting your children interact with some non-domesticated animals.

This morning started off chilly, so I collected my laundry and hiked up to the camp store to do my laundry and have a cup of hot tea. By the time it was finished, it was warm and sunny on the mountain.  Now I am writing this in the comfort of the inn office, where a string of guests has been checking out with expressions of delight and unrestrained happiness. Everyone seems to love it here.

Saturday evening, I enjoyed a delightful dinner with my niece Rachel and her boyfriend, and his mother and her boyfriend. They were all from out of town, but by coincidence they were visiting the Asheville area the same time I was. Through the magic of Facebook, we figured it out and arranged to meet for dinner at the lodge. After dinner Rachel and Wylie and I sat around a campfire at my camp site and talked late into the night. Wylie and I bonded over our jobs teaching college writing, and Rachel and I bonded over family relationships. Her father is my brother, which makes for a very close connection, even though she and I haven’t seen each other very often.