My dog, Jackson (aka Wubee), turned 2 last week. Surprised at how quickly that happened, I decided to start this blog as a way to document my special mornings with my "Wubee". Not too long ago, I wrote an article for my local newspaper, The Wincoman, about the first year we spent "on the beach". I missed a lot in that first year by not writing this sooner but the article will give you the highlights and we'll take it from there...
A Year on The Beach
By Krishtia Lindgren
A Year on The Beach
By Krishtia Lindgren
Just about every day of the past year and a half begins the same. I rise in the morning and head to Wincoma beach with my loyal companion, Jackson, in tow. Jackson is a big, brown, barking alarm clock who sees to it that we never miss our first appointment of the day. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Jackson from the swift completion of his appointed rounds. He’s a tried and true Certified Beach Dog. Now I’ve always been a beach girl but never this devout. I’ve created a monster though and there’s no turning back now. And while this is undoubtedly a fabulous dogs life to have, to my surprise, its benefitted me as well. Never before have I seen the beauty of snow fall on the bay under a storm laden January sky. Or the Osprey’s return in March to painstakingly re-build their nest. Schools of bunker chased out of the water by feeding bluefish in July. The heat of the day begin to fill the thick August air. Leaves in their October prime of vibrant fall colors casting rust and golden shadows over a tranquil harbor. Fog so thick the lighthouse is only apparent from its sounding horn.
Now granted there are many mornings where leaving the warmth of my bed made me question the logic in creating this routine...for a dog no less! But once suited up in the appropriate foul weather gear, it became something of value for me too. It gives me time to reflect, absorb nature, breathe. There were mornings I’d leave the beach to board a plane for meetings in Boston or Chicago but despite the days stresses I carried my early morning walk in Wincoma in the back of my mind. The serene still beauty of a morning on the beach is intoxicating. Seagulls, ducks, cormorants, swans seeking out their breakfast. The bay men leaving for their days work (there is one who brazenly sings opera at full volume as he drives his boat). Such simple beauty. Upon the shore I’ve found countless pieces of sea glass and shells which are strewn throughout my home, someone’s mysteriously discarded purse, even a message in a bottle. Jackson’s made dog friends, I’ve made people friends. Yes, it took a dog to get me to be able to appreciate all of this. He’s reconnected me with nature and one of my first loves, the beach. A place of effortless magnificence. And for that I thank him (even on cold February mornings).