April 25, 2020 – Craigville Beach – Massachusetts

Today Wilma and I Adventured to Craigville Beach in Barnstable, Massachusetts, part of Cape Cod. Craigville Beach is a public beach located on Nantucket Sound. There is a daily parking fee required in-season. As expected Craigville Beach is popular for swimming, sunbathing, walking and socializing.

We had a colorful Adventure to Craigville Beach as we arrived bright and early to admire the sunrise. I was relieved upon arrival to find an empty beach, although several visitors were noted to be sitting in cars. Immediately we headed to the water’s edge, and heard sounds of birds, and the waves, a peaceful oasis. Wilma was absolutely thrilled to be at the beach, often darting back and forth trying to run. We walked along the shore, peaked at shells, and appreciated the full sensory experience. Wilma participated in some chaotic digging, and appeared quite brave entering the water, seeming to understand the term “go swimming” meant to head toward the water. I thought about our beach bum Shadow trotting by our side, he would have been so happy to enjoy a beach morning. Glad he had so many Adventures to the beach. We spent about an hour at the beach, as we relished some coastal therapy. Such a peaceful morning at Craigsville Beach (Rating: 3.5)

April 22, 2020 – Battle Road Trail, Part III – Massachusetts

Today Wilma, and I Adventured to the Battle Road Trail in Concord, Massachusetts. The Battle Road Trail is an almost ten mile round trip Trail, connecting historic sites from Concord to Lexington Massachusetts. The Trail focuses on the Battle of 1775 which began the American Revolution. It crosses wetlands, forests, and farmlands, and contains various landmarks and kiosks along the way. The Trail is part of the Minute Man National Historic Park.

We had a gusty Adventure to the Battle Road Trail. This was the first time we have been to this section of the Battle Road Trail, so I am therefore titling it “Part III”. This is our third and final blog of this special Trail, as we have now officially traversed the entire Trail. It was sad to complete this journey without our Shadow but we were pleased that he was able to appreciate almost the entire Trail as today was the smallest portion of our three part Adventure. Today Wilma and I parked at the last lot at Meriam Corner. Apparently we did the Trail backwards as my research indicated this was actually the beginning of the Battle Road Trail..oops! After parking we headed toward Nathan Meriam’s home, the only historical building on this last section of the Trail. Wilma posed on a bench nearby, and at the home. We then walked around this historic building, quickly locating some bright colors in several flowers, including: Narcissus, Hyacinths, and Periwinkles. More and more signs of spring to brighten our day!

We then returned to the parking lot and continued on the Trail, heading in the direction of our previous Adventures. There were few other visitors exploring, and we did not even spot one dog friend. The sky was filled with perfect clouds, and the wind roaring. There were several benches along the way, kiosks, and several very short boardwalks. We sauntered through the fields, and woods, before entering the edge of farmland, and soon arrived at the farthest location of which we commenced “Part II” of our Battle Road Trail Adventures. (I believe that official location was “Carty Barn” per my best guess from the map).

Wilma seemed a bit apprehensive again today, but yet the wind was quite wild, possibly causing her some uncertainty. Yet she may still be building her confidence without chill Shadow trotting by her side, reassuring her that everything will be alright. However she still was quite energetic to be out and about. Wilma has had a sore leg on and off so we have been doing a little less walking, and backyard time, causing us both to be especially thrilled to be out and about. So we did our best to walk slowly, and I took time to cherish the precious moments from our first Adventures with our sweet Shadow. If you would like to see our previous two Adventures with Shadow to the Battle Road Trail you can type “Battle Road Trail” in the search box, and all three Adventures will be listed from your search. The Battle Road Trail is definitely an original place to explore in our New England (Rating: 3).

Weekly Video/Photo

I am updating my Weekly Video/Photo portion of my blog, due to the devastating loss of our Shadow. The plan will still be to still display a video or photo, usually highlighting an Adventure, while I might also sneak in some that are humorous, adorable, or just other fun dog moments. However, I will be concentrating future posts on Shadow, as we grieve his loss.

If you have followed my blog from the beginning you will know that I adopted Shadow as a puppy, and about a year later adopted Buster as a puppy. We had many wonderful years together before experiencing the devastating loss of Buster at just seven. It took a long time for our hearts to heal, but almost a year later we welcomed little Wilma into our world. As you may know we were devastated to loose Shadow on April 3, 2020. He was 12, and thankfully living a long and pain free life! I will use this section as a therapeutic remembrance of our Shadow, sharing many spectacular Adventures and moments.

Today’s feature is a short, simple, yet endearing video of sweet Shadow relaxing on the couch with me. You really can see glimpse into his gentle soul. He was the best listener I ever did know. How can you not fall in love?! Another moment we will treasure.

April 19, 2020 – Androscoggin Swinging Bridge – Maine

Today, Wilma, My Mom, and I Adventured to the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham, Maine. The Androscoggin Bridge is a pedestrian, suspension bridge crossing the Androscoggin River. It was built in 1892, and later rehabilitated in 2006.

I debated posting this blog, as it is a bit random. However, we had a day of Adventures in Maine, all of which I had blogged about previously, so why not document this picturesque bridge. I found the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge accidentally when driving, and was excited to locate such a unique bridge. The bridge was high above the rushing Androscoggin River, providing lovely views down stream. There were benches near the bridge to sit and relax. We soon began our journey across the bridge which was quite the wiggly and windy experience, at moments I even thought I could loose my balance. Wilma seemed to enjoy the walk but did seem slightly uneasy with this wobbly experience. I of course immediately thought about Shadow and his likely reluctance of this shaky bridge, which actually made me smile. After crossing this long an amazing bridge we checked out the other side, finding some trails, and beach-like areas, before crossing back to the other side.

It has been challenging, and quite sad heading out on walks, Adventures, and today, our first new Adventures without our sweet Shadow. Nevertheless we also find great peace in these times exercising, enjoying the moments, and exploring new places. It is nice to know we can continue to enjoy Adventures, although we wish Shadow was by our side, rolling around in the grass, and swimming in the seas. However, we will continue on, and savor all the memories we had with Shadow, and with Buster. I know it will get better with time, and I am glad we have so many of our past Adventures captured in photographs. So glad today to enjoy our Adventure to the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge (Rating: 3.5)

Remembering Shadow and Buster Together

So today I thought I would remember Shadow and Buster’s spectacular Adventures TOGETHER. They were instant best friends, playing constantly, until the very end when Buster passed at the young age of seven. I adopted Buster as a puppy approximately a year after adopting Shadow as a puppy. We started our Adventures in Florida, especially enjoying the beaches, Hillsborough State Park, and Lettuce Lake. While residing in Florida we took two road trips to Massachusetts in the summer months, and also met family in Virginia for a vacation. Once relocating to Massachusetts we continued to explore, enjoying various State Parks, the beaches, the mountains and the woods. Endless fun and memories! I cannot believe they are both gone, just heartbreaking. Hoping they are frolicking together enjoying their fantastic reunion. Although I could never post all of our favorite photographs, this is a large collection of many wonderful moments! Here are the boys…they are Forever in our hearts!

Throwback Adventure – Arethusa Falls – New Hampshire

In remembering our Shadow I decided to re-post some of our favorite Adventures on our “Throwback Adventure” Thursdays. Shadow had amazing solo Adventures, Adventures with Buster, and Adventures with Wilma. He was one lucky boy! The post today was our Adventure to Arethusa Falls in the White Mountains. This was a gorgeous Falls, and in addition we discovered a side trail that allowed us to view smaller Falls, as well as some fresh water sips and dips for Shadow. Forever precious memories! Please see below for my original post including photographs and a video.

I will have sections of my blog that I will title “Throwback Adventure”, and will plan on posting them every Thursday. These are journeys we have taken before I started the blog, but are well worth sharing. Many of these Throwback Adventures will include our Buster, who was known for his crazy tail, his happy howl, and his zest for life. We miss him dearly…he is forever in our hearts! In some cases you will also see journeys that occurred before our little lady Wilma became part of our family, as in our Throwback Adventure today.

In June 2017 Shadow and I had a breathtaking Adventure to Arethusa Falls in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Arethusa Falls, sometimes referred to as Tuckerman Falls, is sourced by the Bemis Brook. It is almost 200 feet in height and is one of the tallest waterfalls in New Hampshire. The trail to Arethusa Falls is approximately a three mils round-trip hike. Part of the Trail is paralleled by the Bemis Brook Trail while following the Bemis Brook, and leading you past the Bemis Brook Falls and Coliseum Falls. It is a popular area for hiking, and ice climbing in the winter months.

One of the most amazing Adventures I have ever taken was this hike I took with Shadow to Arethusa Falls. I remember the trail to the Falls was clearly labeled, filled with rocks, a bridge or two, and other hikers along the way. The main trail was not very inspiring, but the elevation gain was definitely a good work-out. I was super impressed with my rockstar Shadow, (nine at this time) as unlike me, he did not miss a beat!

Upon arrival at the Falls we were immediately drawn to the massive height at the Falls. It was thin in depth,and musical in sound, as misty water streamed over the rocks. We hoped from rock to rock finding a nice place to rest, enjoy the waterfall, and eat a little snack. It was definitely one of the most impressive waterfalls I have seen, and the experience of an exhausting hike made the Adventure even better. We relaxed and enjoyed the Falls for awhile before heading back on the main trail.

On our return trip we cut over to the Bemis Brook Trail. The Trail over to the Bemis Brook Trail was quite steep. I actually remember sitting down and scooting to make sure I did not fall. Upon arrival at the bottom we were pleased at the site of a lovely waterfall, before following the Brook and spotting at least one other waterfall along this trail. There were places for Shadow to swim and drink from the brook. The mountain water was pure in color, gorgeous, and magical in sound. It was so fun to find this side trail as I believe I did not know about these other lovely waterfalls before heading on this journey. This lovely trail completed a day of absolute Perfection! I would highly encourage you to visit the magnificent Arethusa Falls and the Bemis Brook Trail. I will forever remember this special Adventure with my Shadow. Please see a quick video and some photographs below. (I am hoping at a future date I will be able to get the longer video to download) (Rating: 5)

Weekly Video/Photo

Today’s feature is an adorable video of Shadow at one of our favorite local park, Great Brook State Park. We have been to this park hundreds of times, and on the bridge you will see featured in this video. Although Shadow was a nervous puppy, but became quite confident over the years. However he has was not always a fan of bridges, really quite understandable as they have a tendency to be wobbly, and not consistently stable for his footing. On this day Shadow was completely thrown off by the snow, and had no interest in crossing the bridge that we had regularly traversed previously. I helped him get started and he slowly made it across, before being thrilled to arrive at the end. I love this video, it is just so sweet. Hope it brings a smile to your face as well.

Remembering Shadow

It has been just over a week since we lost our precious Shadow. (Please scroll down below this collage to see the dedication to Shadow, titled “Devastating News”). Shadow was my first love, my gentle giant, a sweet soul. I have found great therapy in reviewing photographs and videos. I loved seeing him swimming, posing in front of gorgeous landmarks, rolling in the grass, and appreciating the little moments in life. I have put together a gigantic collage below, which really is just a small number of our Adventures, and moments. I had slight anxiety while assembling this collage not wanting to miss a photograph or moment. However through the process I was reminded that we had so many Adventures, and special memories that I could not even attempt to capture them all below. Here is my photographic dedication to my precious Shadow, in just some of my favorite photographs of memories:

Throwback Adventure – Lonesome Lake – July 2017

In remembering our Shadow I decided to re-post some of our favorite Adventures on our “Throwback Adventure” Thursdays. Shadow had amazing solo Adventures, Adventures with Buster, and Adventures with Wilma. He was one lucky boy! The post today was our Adventure to Lonesome Lake, probably my favorite solo Adventure with Shadow. The hike was challenging, and arriving at the Lake was spectacular. I remember being so impressed how I could not keep up with my nine-year-old Shadow. We enjoyed walking around the Lake and appreciating the spectacular scenery. Upon completing this journey Shadow celebrated with a happy roll. Forever precious memories! Please see below for my original post and photographs (three photographs have been added on this re-posted blog):

In July 2017 me and Shadow journeyed to Lonesome Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. (Wilma had not yet joined our world). Lonesome Lake had been on my “must explore” adventure list, and we found a perfect day to venture on this hike. Lonesome Lake is a body of water that is located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains, just south of Cannon Mountain. You can only reach this Lake by a hike, which creates a magical journey. There was some reconstruction on the trail, so we were directed toward an alternative route. The trail was a tough trail for me, but it seemed to be quite effortless for Shadow. He was nine at the time (now ten) and did not miss a beat. Upon arrival we hiked around the Lake, and Shadow enjoyed cooling down with numerous dips in the Lake. It was very crowded at the Lake, but yet there was little traffic on the trail around the lake. There was an AMC hut located at the Lake which provided snacks, bathroom breaks, and even lodging. This hut was not dog friendly, but we were able to wander around and check out the area. Heading back from the Lake, was of course a breeze. My only disappointment in this hike was I imagined a more accessible beachfront where you could relax and enjoy sitting by the Lake. However, it was very crowded, no sandy shores, and hard to find little outlets to the Lake. Luckily this was not a barrier for Shadow who was able to sneak in many swims. I absolutely love a hike that leads to a landmark that cannot be reached otherwise. Definitely a memorable day of hiking, and adventures. (Rating: 5)

Relaxing and Rolling after an amazing day:

Weekly Video/Photo

Please see my last post (post below) for my dedication to our Shadow.

Today’s feature is a photograph that my brother captured. I love this pose of Shadow and I on a beach. It was taken at Lincoln Woods in Rhode Island, on a spectacular family day. This was one of the first times my little niece enjoyed a more in depth interaction with Shadow, wanting to walk with him, pet him, and indicating he was “happy doggy”. One of the many, many memories I will treasure, captured in this perfect photograph.

Shadow and me