DeeBee's Travel Blog 5

Day 7- Bishop, CA

It's a good thing that we didn't have anything really nailed down for this morning, 'cause we would have had to abandon it! For our morning walk, Don took me to the Bishop City Park, which is really big and nicely done. We went to the back side of the park, and Don turned me loose to run and roll in the beautiful grass, and to meet many of the people who were also enjoying the surroundings. There's a big pond, populated by some attractive ducks and a few seagulls (in the Owens Valley?) I did a lot of exploration, met quite a few very friendly people, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. As we were preparing to leave, there were a couple of ladies near the parking lot that wanted to meet me. One of them said (I'm not kidding) "A dog that beautiful has to be in our parade this morning!" Imagine, she was talking about me! I gave Don my pleading look, and he immediately agreed to sign me up for the Dog Parade, which was being held to support the construction of a Dog Park for the local canines. He had to enter me in a category for judging, and the selection was kind of limited. He couldn't really enter me in the Creative Costume group, 'cause my only costume accessory was my scarf, which isn't all that creative. Another category was "Most Supportive of Earth Day", a subject he knows I have no interest in. He finally put me in the "Funniest" category, 'cause I occasionally do some funny things.

Having completed the entry, we sailed back to the rig to pick up Geri, who was thrilled to hear about my being chosen for inclusion in this select group of canines. We arrived back at the park just before the parade started, and joined the happy group, which included a Basset, a Scotty, a five month old Great Dane that I had to look up to, and several dogs whose ancestry wasn't apparent to me. We paraded through the park, with people taking photos of us and yelling appreciative comments, until we reached the conclusion of the march, where the judging was taking place. After a long period of consideration, the Judges bestowed the award for "Funniest Dog" on yours truly! My prize was a lovely tote bag full of goodies, including an insulated water bottle, a very fancy leash, a new scarf, a display frame for a photo of me, and a few other goodies. Quite a haul! This might be the high point of the trip for me. The fact that I was the only dog entered in the "Funniest" category, as Don told me later, does nothing to diminish my triumph.

After returning to the coach for lunch, my Humans departed for some sightseeing, leaving me to enjoy a well-earned nap. When they returned a few hours later, they told me about a Museum they had visited, unusual in that it was about the size of a small village, centered on a railway station. The village was called Laws, and it apparently contained the last vestiges of a railway that once served the Owens Valley from the Virginia City area of Nevada. They said that there were homes, stores, schools, medical offices, and many other buildings, all with displays that illustrated living conditions in the Valley during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There was a lot of rail equipment, which Don ate up on, and typical homes of the period, which Geri enjoyed. They sounded like they had an interesting afternoon. Good on them.

Don grilled a steak, with some potatos, brussel sprouts and mushrooms for dinner, and I enjoyed some splendid plates. A little TV, putting the blog together, and so to bed. Nighty night, all!