Better Times

This picture is cut out of the New Messenger, Fremont, OH's newpaper, I believe in May of 2000. It was an unseasonably warm day and I took Nugget to Lake Erie. He loved going to the beach so much and it was the best treat I could do for him. He loved the water and chasing his stick. He'd keep me at it until he pooped me out and then I'd be sitting on the beach and he just barked and barked at me until I threw the stick back in the water and we'd start all over again. He would swim until he sank -- like a rock -- to the bottom from exhaustion. I'm not kidding either. I had to catch him by his collar/harness and pull him up and get him to where he could stand on more than one occasion. Reckless boy that he is. Ha ha ha ...

... and all of a sudden I noticed a man wading out to me in the water with his clothes on and camera in hand. Um. Can I help you? I mean, after all, how weird was that? It was just me and Nugget on the beach and here comes this man. He asks if he can take some pictures. I asked if he was from a newspaper and he told me he was. Oh geez, I remember thinking, me in my bathing suit! But Nugget took over and we were on the 2nd front page of the paper a few days later. Ha ha ha ... in all our glory.

Make sure to take note of Nugget's stick in the upper right corner. I'd just released it and he was on his way after it.

Anyways, I went out and bought a cherub angel statue and am in the process of making it into a memorial. Little healing things I'm doing to get me through. I miss him so much.