Going on 2 Ferries and a Boat with an OES
One of my really good friends lives on a tiny Island off the coast. In order to get there it means travelling by 2 hr Ferry ride to a smaller Island, then another 20 min Ferry ride to yet another even smaller Island....then she picks me up from that one and takes me in her small boat to the Island she lives on. Only 30 people live there!! Merlin and I will be spending the week, going on nature walks and daily visits to the beach. The Island is teaming with deer, so many that they are used to people and it's not uncommon to find them walking along side of you. there are no roads or cars on the Island, no street lights either, just dirt paths and a sense of adventure is all that is needed to visit there. I wanted to expose Merlin to all sorts of wildlife in anticipation that he will get used to them as I visit her yearly. Following the rule of thumb to expose them as much as possible to all sorts of things as he's still a young pup of 6 months. The Ferry ride is going to be a bit tough as dogs have to stay in the car but can be taken out for walks in the car area. I'm thinking I will stay with my boy during the 2 hr Ferry ride. Egads remember I drive a sports car!! Hee hee! I'm praying he will not panic in her smaller boat as we may all end up in the water! Will let you guys know how everything worked out when I return. Marianne  |
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| Sounds like the San Juan Islands ... but that's another story.
Have fun and don't worry. I bet he loves the ferries, my girls did! Abbi loves conoes, so I think it is just a matter of how YOU feel about the adventure. Have fun and take some deer pictures. I love dee, but have never gotten a close-up. Good luck and Bon Voyage! |
| Marianne
Can't wait to hear how it went. I use to take my 1st girl Odie boating all the time. She loved the water and boats. I used to go on Whale Watches off the Atlantic Coast on the Dolphin Whale Watch Boats and they would let her come on board. She was allowed to roam around the entire boat on her lead of course. I don't know if they still allow it or not. We had a real neat experience where a mother whale and her baby hung around our side of the boat for quite a while and Odie kept barking at her, but she stayed right with our boat and eventually just before she left, she breeched as if to say goodbye. We took the trip a few times with Odie and the crew would bring her water and on the way back after everyone had there fill of the hotdogs, they would bring her the leftovers. They were a great bunch of people. Odie also loved the smaller boats up at our camp. She did take a ride on a Ferry from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia once and she did have to stay in the car for the trip, but she did fine. Took a siesta. My Rosie loved to take a boat ride but I could tell she was definitely more nervous than Odie. |
| Hi,
Agingright I would love to know about your experience with the San Juan Islands and Raggamuffin I loved hearing about your experiences with Odie. I had the most amazing time and really bonded with Merlin, (thought I had before) but something definately changed in our relationship. I only had my buddy Merlin to keep me company as my girlfriend and her family unexpectedly had to leave the Island, comfortable that I would be okay there by myself for 7 days. I stayed in a wonderful cabin, high on a cliff that overlooked the ocean....sigh pretty peaceful! Agingright you were close ...I had to take the Ferry to Vancouver Island, then another to Gabriola Island, then my friend Mary-Ellen picked me up in her tiny boat to take me to the Island she lives on...so small it's usually not on maps. Merlin was a tad nervous getting into the boat and almost lay prone at the bottom as we zipped along the Pacific Ocean. He eventually did raise his head and seemed to enjoy the experience. The ramp going up to the dock terrified him as it was quite steep and it took a bit of coaxing to get him up. No amount of tugging would do it...I just had to turn my back, go up and pretend I was leaving. He didn't want to be left behind and thanks to a child who told me how he got his dog up there..(ignoring and walking away) ha ha, Merlin eventually came up on his own. There are no lights on the Island and it's a pretty tough existance, if you're cold you have to chop wood for the wood burning stove. No such thing as plugging in a coffee maker either, or hot showers, the list goes on. My girlfriend doesn't exactly tough it out as her boyfriend has rigged up running water and electricity to her home, but alas she had to leave so Merlin and I made do in our tiny cabin. Which brings me to our exciting adventure. The Island is really rocky and is assessible to yet another Island and this one is truly deserted. This one is privately owned by a wealthy absentee owner whom hasn't stepped foot on it for over 20 years. Once can walk across to the other Island when the tide is low by walking across a series of rocks. There are hundreds of deer, eagels, otter and sealions as well as other wildlife that exist there. We literally spent days climbing cliffs, hiking in the thick woods, beach combing and exploring the Island. Merlin was a pro at scaling even the toughest climbs and I was pretty proud of him. We came across several deer during our days there and he didn't chase them!!! We even came across some water fowl that emitted sounds like squeaky toys and again he just looked at them in curiousity but did not give chase. This was a good thing as the regular Islanders are pretty picky about having offleash dogs chasing the deer. After five days I was invited to someones home for soup..ahhh my first hot meal in 5 days!! The thought of walking back to my cabin armed only with a flashlight 1/2 mile in the dark woods at midnight didn't daunt me. I've done it before but was always a little frightened, not so with my buddy Merlin at my side!! ( I should mention there are no natural predators on the Island) At night with no tv, phone , computer I spend the evenings in front of the fire grooming Merlin. I was constantly complimented on his good manners - gosh I was proud!!! (Dunno what happened to the previous Merlin whom is super hyper and counter surfs and still has the occasional accident) Nope my boy was so well behaved and would wait patiently on door steps while I visited and never left my side. ( I suspect our 2-3 hour walks just plain tired him out.) He had no problem decending the gang plank back to the dock, nor climbing aboard the boat, or the Ferry rides. He was allowed to get out of my car on one of the Ferries and on the other he was allowed only on the car deck. All the Ferry people carry dog treats and leave buckets of water out for the dogs. I couldn't believe the number of people that stopped to chat with me. What suprised me the most and I'm still astounded is I took Merlin to a puppy obedience class in the past when he was 10 wks old (a bit young but it was more for socialization) I didn't feel he really learned anything. Well ...I was wrong. Everytime I stopped to chat he would sit down after about 3 mins, after 5 mins he would lay down at my feet. This kept happening!!!! He had learnt stuff in the past but perhaps the opportunity never presented itself that he could show me he had learned. I used to joke that he was the worst student in the class and pretty hopeless. I take him for walks in the evenings and return home or go to the offleash dog park, so never had the chance to chat with people while he's on leash. Best of all was missing one of my Ferry rides back ( only one of four cars not to make it on as the Ferry ride was full.) It meant waiting another 2 hrs and 40 mins for the next one. I was so dissapointed but it turned out to be a wonderful experience as Merlin and I got to walk up and down the boardwalk and sit at various picnic tables and people kept coming up and chatting about my dog. This would have never happened if I were by myself. Funny how the comments were all the same...he looks like a giant stuffed animal!! LOL Aren't OES great for bringing attention to ourselves!!! I loved that a Taiwanese family whom admitted there were afraid of big dogs claimed to be glad that they met me and Merlin as he was so lovable. I realized all those daily treks to the dog park were so helpful too in making him a very social dog and I never was concerned when we came across other dogs and their people. I'm glad I had my children when I was very young and they are almost grown and now I'm not that old and still have a ton of energy for my newest boy- Merlin. Okay enough long winded story...it was really nice to spend 8 days just me and my buddy. Anyway that was my adventure |
| Marianne,
WOW  ! I (as usual) love hearing your stories. I will sincerely miss hearing your wonderful stories about Shaggy, but look forward to all the adventures of Marianne and Merlin. My husband and I read this story together and thought it sounded so peaceful to be surrounded by nature. I don't think I could live there, but to visit and be able clear your mind of all of the daily worries would be nice. The cabin overlooking the ocean must of been breathtaking. Did you take a lot of pictures?
What a good puppy he was for you! I am very proud of him for not taking chase. My Jack and Annabelle would of taken off in a heartbeat. Then they would wonder why the deer weren't chasing back. I would have loved to seen Merlin climbing! What a week he has had! I think my favorite part is hearing about having no electricity and grooming by firelight. That is a great bonding experience! I am so glad you had a good time! Agingright, I would love to hear your story about San Juan Islands. Raggamuffin, It sounds like Odie was an adventurer too. Thank you for sharing Odie with us. 
Stormi |
| I'm just blown away by your story! Thank you so much for sharing so eloquently! |
| Marianne, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. You are such a great story teller, right up there with Ron.
You and Merlin definitely have a new bonding experience. It does make a difference when it's just the two of you. I use to feel the same way when I use to backpack and take trips like that with Odie. Sitting around a campfire, the long walks in the woods just the two of you. It sounded wonderful. I am always amazed when the kids surprise us on how much they really have learned along the way. Thanks again for checking back in from the trip. That place sounds like heaven to me. Sounds like something on my wish list right under a new sheepie. |
| that story just made my day, merlin is a very lucky boy and it sounds like you are a very lucky owner.
and i know exactly what you mean about everyone stopping you to chat about merlin. whenever walter and i are out, even if its the dog park or the vet or somewhere with a lot of dogs we get sooo much attention, theres just something so loveable about our fur monsters! |
| Wow! Thanks everyone I didn't realize I could write, always claiming I write like I talk which can tend to bit a tad long winded...ha ha!
I'm still kicking myself for misplacing my digital camera and being so computer hopeless as I would have loved to share pics. I am sending some to a friend of mine so perhaps he will post them for me. Hope you all are enjoying your time with your furballs - I never regret the decision to choose this breed, they are definately one of the best! Marianne |
| Alas, I have injured my right hand ...again. My hand feels better today. I cracked the wrist 21 years ago, had to cut the cast off to care for my sick newborn daughter ... now if I type too much it gets all swollen until I give it a rest. Sort of hurts my back too.
I am not suppose to be typing with it. So I am doing most of this with one hand. Which I have been told isn't a smart thing to do either ... Marianne, what a GREAT adventure. What a fantastic experience! I always wanted to live on my own island. But I think I would like to have warm water and a nice stove .... My trip to the San Juan islands was great, but we did not own Abbi, so it will not be as interesting as your trip to the area. We did ferry all the way across to Vancouver though. Started out from Seatlele to meet my brother. Stopped at three of the San Juan islands before hopping on the BIG ferry and going to Canada. Stayed at a great B & B -- the Kangaroo House on one of the first islands. I have an Abbi and the deer story though. It would take forever to pick it out right now, but I guess I have the time. My parents live in part of TX's Big Thicket in the middle of the Nat'l Forest. For the past 3 yrs they have had a small herd of deer on their 36 acres. The deer come up and lay in my parents front yard. And they ate all of their roses and camelias .... and a couple young trees. We take Abbi up there with us most of the time, and we have never seen these pesky deer, until right before Christmas. It was hot during day and getting foggy in the evening and around sunrise. I woke up at 6-7 AM and there's all of these doe of various sizes out on the foggy front lawn under these huge pine and hickory. Abbi is sleeping in her crate, until she hears me. I let her out and am looking and these ghostly deer. A couple are grazing on Dad's St. Augistine grass and mums. One is actually licking the cats food bowl, up by the porch and the windows. Guess there's grain in cat food too? Abbi gets an eyeful and goes nuts. My mom designed the house to have a bank of huge single paned windows along the front and back of this huge living room/kitchen with a big fireplace. Abbi is actually running towards one of the windows on a tile floor when I say SIT! NO! SIT! And she did, thank heavens. But she looks like she's not going to sit for long, so I put her out the back, on this elevated porch. Before the back door is closed I hear her HUGEST bark. I turn to the front to see her streaking after these deer. They are all headed towards the east pond. I put on my dad's boots by the door and go running after in my night gown. Yelling the entire way. I get to the pond and can hear only the splashing of water ... Abbi only barked that one time. So I call ABBBEEEE! And I hear this muffled answer. I crawled down the hazy bank and looked into the rising mist with the orange/pink sun cutting through ... and sure enough there is Abbi looking totally drowned swimming to shore. The deer had lept in (to swim across to the swamps on the other side) and Abbi must have jumped right in too. She came out so quietly, sort of looking bedraggled and beat. The pond is over 20 feet deep in the middle. The sides are all pretty steep except for the part where we were .. which is graduated. We launch the boats from there ... so in she comes whining a bit and giving me BIG sorrowful eyes. I sit down on the shore and look. She is dragging in a catfish line my brother forgot about the week before. It has a dead snapper(turtle) hooked on it along with some perch and one small live catfish. (Figured this out after I disentangled her and reeled it in, later after getting dressed). Unhooking the mass of duckweed and a couple of lost leaders and hooks took a while, but I had her unsnagged enough to walk the quarter of mile back home in 10-15 minutes. Abbi walked right next to my side the whole way back. Very quiet. So that evening we have her all cleaned up. We are loading up to go, and we see these deer up on the driveway. Abbi sees them and gives them a good barking, but doen't leave my side. My parents have a good laugh, saying they bet she never chases another deer in her life. And so far she never has. But she can spot them from a long ways off! Mom and Dad say that the deer were sleeping out front again last week ... maybe I could go and get pictures this time? And yes, the San Juan story is longer ....  (we stayed in the area for 12 days). |
| Wonderfull and beautifull story...loved to read it all...even translated it to my hubby (he doesn`t speak english).
Aginright...here is a tip for your wrist: really hot water just under the boiling point with a lot of salt (kitchen salt) let your hand soak in it for as long as you can hold and repeat it...do this every night for 15 minutes...it really helps a lot (this tip was given to my hubby by a traumatologist who worked with athletes. |
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