TOOLING AROUND TENNESSEE

LOST SOUL

He stands waiting. His owners and friends have left him out up here on the Cherohala Skyway. They simply pulled over , removed his collar, opened the car door and left him out. Then they pulled away and left him. He patiently waits for his humans to return. But they won't. He will stay at this roadside pull off until hunger drives him to a different area to find food. But there won't be any. He will either starve of be hit by a passing vehicle. Aren't people great! I attempted to gain his trust for an hour. He would not come to me. I was on the motorcycle but all the time I was trying to get close to him, I was devising a way to hold him and drive the bike. I had it all figured out too. My riding pants and my belt and jacket combination and we would be off to my place and safety. But he would not have any of it. His best chance is that a loving soul will stop and pick him up and care for him. But his prognosis is dim. Dear friends; if you are considering taking a dog into your home and life; please know that it is a life long endeavor. Dogs are loving and precious. They are devoted to that special human. It's great to make that little boy or girl happy with a puppy. But that little puppy will grow up. Please be sure he will remain a welcome addition to your life and home. This little dog followed my bike down the road. I turned around and he ran. I stopped for one more picture of him sitting and watching me. He did not trust me. I watched him in my rear view mirror to see if he would follow again. He didn't. I rounded a corner and he was gone. He will wait for the human to return that he trusts. A dog's love and trust for his special human is all encompassing and can not be broken---------------no matter how misplaced it is.

PASSING TIME

Tracks in the sand. Temporary indication that a Noble dog has passed, leaving only an imprint. The lake delivers proof onto the sandy beach that another season has past. The track will wash away as will the leaves upon the sandy shore line. In time, the maker's of both will pass into oblivion; as we all shall.

THOUGHTS ON THE CHEROHALA SKYWAY

I thought I'd take the Bug and cruise over the Cherohala Skyway today to clear my thoughts and make room for more stuff in the already over crowded chamber that resides within the confines of my skull. I pulled off the skyway onto a remote parking area that sits down over a hill. I can hear Harley Davidson chrome barges trundling past on the road above me. Occasionally a motorcycle with a radio blaring lumbers by; totally out of place on this road that meanders through Tennessee's finest and most beautiful mountains. Behind me is the Citico Creek Wilderness Trail. It appears little used as native grasses are abundant on the trail. Tourists blast right on by showing no regard for this wilderness walkway. OK by me. A one hundred yard walk down the trail will place one out of ear shot of the road and the present time and date. Yester-year can be revisited, if only in one's mind. And I have just the imagination to do it. Today, on this ride, I have thought about a lot of things. Shade comes to mind. She is such a dear dog. Finally, she can adjust to a forever home and be safe and loved. I can let go now. I can not imagine what I'll go through when my sweet companion Douglas reaches the end of his time in the sun. He and I are inseparable. I just don't know how I'll deal with it. Hopefully that day is many, many years away. At times I still think about why I am still here. I'm really not sure of that. Really!. I think climate has a lot to do with it but its more than that. I like Tennessee because its still pristine and clean. Native people are unhurried. They aren't pushy or in a rush. Sometimes in certain situations those are not good attributes. But they have gotten along down here all this time being that way; so what the heck. I am appalled, however, at the incredible amount of wild habitat that is being ruined on a monumental level. East Tennessee is fast becoming a dream world for construction companies. Hoards of people are migrating here from Florida, Louisiana and Georgia. The state of Texas doesn't weigh as much this year as it did four years ago due to its loss of residents to East Tennessee. Do I care? Yes, I absolutely do. When the views off the Cherahala Skyway show nothing but white houses and brown pre-fab log cabins dotting the mountain tops, and when traffic lights start to appear on roads in the Cherokee forest; I will move to the center of Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia. You laugh?! I'm just the guy who would do it and not think twice about it.

SHADE - EPILOG

Just lying here in the grass near the new boat landing on the East Lake Shore Trail watching my two kids, Douglas and Happy, swimming and chasing each other. My thoughts are of Shade; the black lab I have been writing about lately. She is missed not only by myself but by Douglas and Happy too. They truly were a team. Douglas and Happy will swim alone now. However, the pain of her absence has been diminished due to a phone call I received from her new family. They read my blog entry below this newest entry about Shade and were touched enough to offer to return her if I wished it. I was very moved by that suggestion. I realize I have been overcome by that human frailty called saddness. They were obviously very sensitive to my feelings. I suddenly felt better about the whole affair. I know now that Shade will be loved. Not just given a home. But she will be wanted by these new people in her life. That is all she requires. She will reward them with her beautiful presence and devotion. Yes, I miss that big black head with the eyes that can see through mine, and her soft muzzle that she would lay upon my knee. I miss throwing my arms around her thick neck and pulling her head against my cheek at night. But I can rest tonight knowing that she graces another family with her presence and that Shade will be appreciated and will receive much the same attention from them. Shade has come a long way. Left abandoned on an island with death a certainty, found, and brought into an environment where dogs are held in high esteem, cared about and loved, given medical attention, and accepted by two wonderful dog friends "Douglas and Happy", and finally to end up in a permanent home with people who will care for her and appreciate her presence. She's a luck girl.

And so two stay and one moves on. The water is one less. But all three of our lives have been enhanced by you, Shade.

I am a better man since you have touched my life and allowd me to be with you. No more tears Shade; I'm happy for you. But you will always be just "there" in my thoughts. "Just right there, sweet dog."

BEAUTIFUL SHADE - YOU ARE MISSED

Please read below all the pictures. Thank you.

You probably have seen pictures of a Black Lab on this blog named Shade. I found Shade on an island on Chilhowee Lake. Someone had taken the time and made the specific effort to drive her to the island in a boat and strand her there alone. Then they left the island. She was abandoned. Then along came Douglas and I. We landed on the island late in the day near dark five months ago for the purpose of tying off the boat and spending the night on the floor of the boat. To shorten the story; Douglas growls deeply at around 11PM and out of the thicket came a black dog. It approached the boat carefully and cautiously. I could not get it to come close. A little dog feed was offered and that did the trick. The black dog came close enough for me to grab hold and lift it into the boat. Camp trip was over. Nothing was more important than getting this animal to safety and inspecting it for obvious medical problems. The engine was started and the boat was backed away from the shore, spot light turned on and away we went toward the far shore at a blinding ten miles per hour. The dog was a black lab and a female. At home I picked off many ticks and applied Front Line to protect from further infestation from ticks and mites. The vet was visited next day for a spey operation and vaccination and rabies shot. Heart worm tests were negative. And home we went. The Black Lab was named Shade and she quickly became one of the gang here at my place. Douglas, Happy and Shade became great friends and all went to the lake with me and loved to share long walks to the ruins. Shade loved to swim with Douglas and chase sticks I would throw into the water. At home she constantly sat close to me wherever I would sit. When taking a shower; she would lay just outside the shower stall. She would follow me everywhere. When I would sit in a chair she would sit beside me and constantly push my leg with her muzzle. She wanted my hand laid on her head. That is all she cared about. She wanted that human contact. She would constantly stare at my face with eyes that emplored not to throw her away like someone else did. I have tried to find Shade a forever home by placing her statistics on the Great Dog Rescue web site with her picture. I guess I didn't give much thought about the impact of that action upon us all. Well, the inevitable happened. I received a call today that someone wanted to adopt Shade and was coming to see her. Instant sadness welled over me. But I was happy at the same time. I felt I was forsaking her by letting her go. I wandered what she felt. But then, thats a human feeling. Dogs don't think. But she surely would know my absence. She would notice that Douglas isn't in her life anymore. Her surroundings would be vastly different. Our walks to the woods and down to the lake would be no more. I would not see the eyes anymore that used to stare directly into mine. I won't be leaning down and putting my arm around her neck or pulling her close to me to kiss her between her eyes and pull her face against my cheek. My hands won't be able to cradle her face and her big front paws won't be thrown onto the top of my leg as I sit in a chair. And I won't feel her weight as she sits leaning against my leg while I sit.

I took a long time driving home from work tonight. I am used to Shade bouncing excitedly behind the fence as my truck or bike pulls into the drive way. I knew that she wouldn't be there tonight. I wasn't sure how I would react. I was on the motorcycle today so I took a ride after work. Finally I had to return home. I pulled in at around 9:30PM. Douglas was waiting at the gate as usual and Happy was staring intently at me as I approached. But there was no Shade. Her presence was missing. The sweet, sweet friend that begged me not to forsake her like someone else did was not there. I walked in and gave Douglas a special hug and walked slowly up the steps to the room. Normally Shade would be just ahead of me. She would wait until I plopped down into my chair and approach me to receive affectionate touches from her special human. When I go to bed tonight, I won't hear her body drop loudly onto the floor beside the bed. There will not be the usual deep breath and loud exhallation and then near silent breathing. No wimpers will be heard as she dreams. She isn't here any longer. She is gone. And I feel terrible. My only salvation is that someone is loving her and wants her forever and can afford to give her a great life and she is in a better place. I hope she adapts well. I am glad that dogs do not know what the word "forsaken" means. I have not forsaken her. I have tried to help her find a forever home. But I feel like the guy who had to throw stones at the wolf who befriended him in order to drive it away from humanity for its own protection. I have never felt this way about much of anything in my life. I almost wish the folks who took Shade will return her. Even though she was one too many in the fold she was an important entity; a friend and part of the family; and my life. I will always remember her. Her essence will endure for us. One of our gang is gone but it's for her well being and for the best. I hope............................

Shade; I did not throw you away. I acted in your best interest. Really! Please understand. And if you need Douglas and I, we will be there for you. You are always welcome with us if things don't work out. We miss you and we love you. And I am sorry Shade. There is a great void in our lives here that I did not foresee. It will not be the same at the lake without your black sleekness splashing in the water and swimming beside Douglas. The pain of enduring your absence is the only reward I will receive for allowing you to go. I miss you. We miss you.

HIGH ADVENTURE AT THE LAKE