walking in the rain

You would think that H-Mom would get enough of walking in the rain, but perhaps she is just ever the optimist, thinking that the grey cloud will move from overhead and that the sprinkles will not turn into full fledged downpour.

So she and Madison headed out for a walk this morning. The car is at the dealer, having some work done, and that means it is a dog-park free day. Madison needs exercise, some how, somewhere, or everyone will be driven insane by around 7pm. Besides Man-Dad said cheerfully as he drove away at 6am, "It won't rain all morning ..." Wonderful parting words.

The drawbridge for the train tracks was down and a long morning freight train was thundering along, barely drawing a glance from Madison. The tracks run through Fort Lauderdale, bringing containers to and from the airport and Port Everglades.



Train tracks were what brought "civilization" to the Keys, with the vision of Henry Flagler, who rode the first train, on tracks that he had built, to Key West in 1912, effectively linking the entire East Coast of Florida. Trains brought settlers, tourists for the momentus hotels Flagler and others began to build, and eventually turned Florida into more than swampy Everglades territory.

So Madison and H-Mom walked west along the New River, past the Museum of Discovery and Science and past the Broward Performing Arts Center. That's Fort Lauderdale culture - our civilization.



They got to the docks at Sailboat Bend and H-Mom thought that walking down one of the cement boat ramps to the water's edge would be an interesting diversion. With the rain, however, the ramp was slick with slime and her feet flew out from under her, she landed on her rear, and started to slide toward the water. Thank goodness she got her footing, gathered her pride and scrambled back to the sidewalk.

She realized that anyone who knows anything about boating would KNOW that a boat ramp is not intended for pedestrians, and that it does not offer sure footing. Especially not in a rain shower.

H-Mom obviously does not know much about boating.

The whole time this was happening, about 2 minutes, Madison was busily eating seaweed and river muck. She was not about to be a heroine, or do a Newfie impersonation. Madison was not saving H-Mom. Not in the rain and not while there were water delicacies to crunch.



It is very challenging to walk Madison, as her obsession is snapping randomly and trying to consume whatever makes it into her mouth. She can manage a tolerable "heel" for a 5-month old, but the temptation of a fluttering tissue or crumpled candy wrapper or odd bit of plastic (not to mention a forlorn sock) has her bolting to the right or digging in with her giant bear-sized paws in for a quick, spine-jarring stop.