The Land of Merry

Well, I have been slacking again. We moved to a new apartment. Its in Merry-land. I don't know if that's like Disney land or what, but I like it. It's not so hot, but they have nice sunshine. Emmie took me to a plantation and a museum with a lighthouse, a really really old city, and the farthest point lookout down on the Chest A Peek bay. Yesterday we went into the big city and I got lots and lots of attention, and we walked lots and lots of miles. I was realllly tired by the end of the day. But I'll tell you about that in a minute.

 The first cool place we went was to the Plantation at Sotterley. They have a visitor center but nobody was there. The building they made into the visitor center was where the land caretaker lived in the 1920s. When we went up to get our maps another family came up to get their tour information together and they petted me and were really nice, but we didn't tour with them. I think Emmie wanted to read all the signs and they moved through the grounds much faster.

We went and sniffed around some really old rusty tools by this building they called the corn crib and then went over to see the barn. There was a building with the numbers 1757 put into the brick on the side. It smelled like they used to use this building like a stable and then a storage warehouse. It was one of the oldest buildings on the grounds.

We couldn't really go into any of the cool buildings because there was nobody there to watch us, but we did poke around. Emmie read a lot of signs and took pictures. The old plantation house was really huge. I wish I could've sniffed around inside of there. We saw the old schoolhouse where the kids would have learned about their books and maps and stuff, and all these extra little houses- I guess for workers or guests or something. The best smelling one was the smoke house next to the kitchen. I would have loved to have gotten scraps of that stuff! The sun started setting on us at the plantation so we went on home that day.

 On Sunday Emmie took me to church with her. I wasn't allowed inside, but it was another really old building. Emmie wanted to talk to the people there about how our friends are coming in a few weeks for the March for Life. I waited in the car until she was ready to take me for a walk by the stones on the ground. We visited this statue of Mary, which I guess is why this is Mary- land? And Emmie got on her knees like she does sometimes, and then we got back into the car to find some other sights.

We went out to the boardwalk along the water so Emmie could read more signs by the water and look for a house. She kept talking about the Light house, and how she wanted to visit them. We passed lots of light colored houses so I don't know what she was looking for but the boardwalk was nice. There were lots of people there who smiled at me.
We met a man with sticks on his arms who didn't walk right. Some people came up to us by the door to a restaurant and he fell over on the dock. Emmie was really worried but he got along just fine with those sticks and his funny walk. It was almost like he had four legs but he didn't use one. Weird.
We finally found the lighthouse behind the museum center. It was a tall house with the porch underneath it and a little tower on top which I guess turned into a light. I still don't know why they have houses like that. I wasn't allowed up into the lighthouse so Emmie stayed on the deck with me and we just enjoyed the water for a bit.



After that nice walk by the water, and the plantation walkabout the day before, I was really tired. I hate when Emmie goes to work for so so long, but it was nice to actually have some rest. I got to sleep all day two days. She doesn't know this, but I like to sleep on the little couch downstairs! Shhh!

When we had another day together, we drove to this really really old city. I could smell the oldness. She says people lived there in the 1630s. I don't even know what that means, but it was a really really really long time ago. They called it St. Mary's city. OHH! Maybe that's where we live- Maryland, not Merry... haha, silly me. Anyway, there were some buildings with signs in front of them that Emmie read. They weren't that old, but made to look like it. She might not know that, but I can tell from the smells.

We're having so much fun!

After exploring that super old city, we drove a little further south to a park. There was nobody working there either, but we drove through the park down to the very end of the land of Mary. There was an old lighthouse there, and some weird old smells. Emmie says they kept prisoners there at one point. War prisoners. So that is sad. They kept them there, but they didn't take care of them. A lot of people died there.

There was also a hospital there for a very short time- it seemed really strange that there was a huge hospital built and it was only open for like 2 years. Something weird about that peninsula, (I know, I learned a big word :) very weird. It was a point where ships would come in... and soldiers would keep a look out for danger. There were lots of rocks around the border that we climbed on, and the sun started setting while we were there so Emmie took some more pictures of me because I'm so pretty with the sunset, and then we left.

On Friday Emmie was really tired. And It was yucky gray outside, so we didn't do anything. Emmie was kind of sad, just like last time, right after we moved to Texas. I think she misses Mom & Dad & Buster. Probably Gerry and the kids and all her friends too. She hugs me a lot and spends more time with me when we're out on the road. I know I can't really take care of everything she needs not to feel lonely though. I mean, I try to stay by her side but I need my space, too. That's what work days are for I guess.

So Saturday we had a slow start, but after lunch Emmie put me in the car and we drove up into the city. She parked the car and we started our long long walk. We were like, downtown. We walked down the street and most everyone smiled at us. When we got down the hill almost to the park, Emmie thought she saw someone she knew. She was telling me about it but I was really confused... he looked like someone but he was supposed to look like the other one and it could have actually been him because he does work for the F. Bee Eye. I don't know, it doesn't make any sense to me. Something about Lisa and staying with Wolves... I think she was delirious from that Looong walk.

We sat down on a bench so Emmie could take her shoe off, and the man next to us started petting me like he knew me. Emmie was getting frustrated with her shoe, said her foot hurt and there was like some piece of metal in the heel. But she didn't have any tools. She was trying to figure it out and started talking to the man next to us. Eventually he told Emmie he used to have a dog just like me in Belgium. Emmie found some sort of connection with that talking about Katie, a wedding, an archduke... I don't know. But they had a whole conversation. Sometimes I think that woman could talk to anyone about anything.

Anyway, we went over to this fence where lots of people were standing and took some more pictures, and started to walk back up the hill. Well, I noticed that other people were taking pictures of me too, and this little girl came up and petted me with her mittens and Emmie smiled. Then the little girl's Mommy asked if she could take a picture with me. The people can't get enough of me, what can I say? I posed really nice and smiled for her camera, and we started walking again.

We saw a police car and Emmie called out... "Eric?" She said. The driver looked a little startled and said, "Yes..?" and she got real excited talking about Cincinnati and Lisa and the band... and he got out of the car and came over to talk to us. They talked so long I laid down in the road. They were both really surprised to see each other and talked about lots of friends that they both know, Josh and Alicia's baby with 18 names, and Lucas' house and Will and Jake... and how everyone will be at the March. Apparently that's what our whole walk was about- seeing if I could go on the March or not. I vote no. That is too long of a walk for an old dog like me. I'm almost 50 in dog years! And we don't live to 100 like people do...

Finally they were done talking and we walked more up the hill. I was starting to get really tired at this point, so it was really nice that people kept complimenting me. I heard it in passing, pretty much everyone said "pretty Berner" or "what kind of dog is that?" and gasped at my overwhelming beauty and charm. Emmie dragged me on and on. A nice smelling lady who reminded me of Aunt Norrie a little bit asked if she could pet me, and of course I was glad to take a break, and she was so taken with my fabulosity that she asked Emmie to bring me into a jewelry store to say hi to the other people there. They were the nicest, because they gave me a drink of water. They called me a lady and a princess.
After a few minutes, though, we had to move on. A few more blocks up the road some nice girls sat on the ground with me to pet me and rub my head. I could tell we were close to the car because we had left scents on this same sidewalk earlier, and sure enough, we passed the big curved hotel and crossed the street and finally, FINALLY were back to the car. Emmie gave me a drink of water and started driving home. We made one stop and were on the road. I thought Emmie forgot my dinner but we were just late getting home.

What a day. I am STILL tired. Not as sore as I thought I would be but that's probably thanks to all the weight I dropped in Texas. Emmie sure does take care of me. Now I just need to walk HER! Hope she's coming home soon I'm getting hungry.