Monday, Monday.

George and his staff at Race Track checked out the van this morning; they what got the “code” and recognize the problem (minor, oxygen sensor, need parts) and so Blanca is booked in for another round of automotive surgery Wednesday after lunch.

Doug and I walked 5 miles with Zuma and admired the decorated benches along “The Boards” as they are affectionately known by locals. So difficult to believe it is almost Christmas when removing clumps of sand from between your toes when you step inside, instead of half-melted ice cubes from crunchy frozen socks.

We find it so heartwarming that these loved ones are remembered as the waves roll in and back out to sea, singing to the shore, life keeps moving along, ebb and flow.

We enjoyed a lovely Italian dinner at the restaurant across the road but sadly, “The Kissing Chef” was not there (seriously, this is what he is known as, I checked out the restaurant’s web site)! We had a really nice time anyway.

Bad Car Karma, Good Dog Karma

December 20, 2015

Zuma and I picked Doug up at the Ocean City/Salisbury Airport this morning and we drove to Berlin; I have been so excited about Doug seeing this sweet place. We booked a table for lunch at The Globe, a restaurant housed in an old movie theater, lunch was absolutely delicious. We both ordered a cup of cream of crab chowder which promptly arrived in a jumbo mug (!); it was incredible and totally satisfied our crab cravings. We also had entrees. Everything was scrumptious, the place was packed, the service excellent and lots of movie decor from the past is sprinkled throughout the building.

The Globe also offered $2.00 Bloody Mary’s so I had two of these. (Doug refrained from temptation and only sipped on one because he was driving). Then my fuzzy brain remembered that the last time I had two Bloody Mary’s for lunch Emma was driving my car and on the way home I looked in my rear view mirror and I saw a Great Dane was perched Scooby Doo style in the back seat. Seriously.

But that’s another story.

With the Bloody Mary’s taking effect and the streets filled with Christmas music and all the Berlin merriness and sunshine, I had visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. We wandered around the coolest town and went into a few shops and purchased some really COOL stuff from COOL shops.

A very handsome pair of beautifully turned out Haflingers enjoying each other’s company, giving tours around Berlin.

Doug likes Berlin as much as I do so we’re making plans to return tomorrow to do more exploring BECAUSE it’s close to Racetrack Garage and we have to take Blanca back there tomorrow morning because the *@!%* engine light popped on again on the way from Airport. (WHAT NOWWW?!). So Blanca is heading back to Race Track Garage for another checkup. Sigh.

The funniest part of all this was when I called to explain my plight; George, the owner of Race Track Garage said we could bring the van in first thing in the morning but (laughing) said that I need to help him find a Great Dane for his sister-in-law! Oh Lord, what have Zuma and I started now?!

Grounded.

December 19, 2015

Isn’t it amazing that when you don’t have the use of your vehicle you suddenly have 4 million places you want to go to? For the two days Blanca was lounging around at the garage it was misty and windy. I guess it rained in the nights, I slept through it. The warm daytime mist felt refreshing me. Not the case for Zuma. She claims it messes up her hairdo. She would barely go outside yesterday and today and I realized I’d left her rain gear wardrobe in Blanca so all long walks were canceled until further notice.

Today (19th) we took a taxi to the garage and posted bail. The garage folks were fantastic (Race Track Garage) near Berlin, America’s Coolest Small Town. George, the owner asked if he could invite his sister-in-law over to meet Zuma as she and her husband had owned a Dane x but, as dogs do, it broke their hearts when it passed away. She yearns for a purebred now. She looked at her husband and said, “Ohhhh, I want one!” as Zuma was wiggling all around her enjoying the Dane Love. So, I dutifully advised her husband in a matter of fact tone: “If you really love your wife, you’ll get her one”. Laughter. They would be excellent Dane owners, I’m sure of it.

picGeorgeand Zuma

So, we are back in business with The Magic Bus. What a relief. Since we were unable to drive and Zuma didn’t want to get wet, I’ve been watching far too many Dateline and Forensic Files episodes in the hotel room. If you need to murder somebody, I’ve studied all the angles. Feel free to call me.

Last night Zuma and I trotted out for a nice walk as the sun was setting. We were leaving the hotel and heading towards the front door when a 60-ish woman with two Yorkies burst out of the elevator. I was almost at the door and Zuma was not at all interested in the dogs. Just two more yappy, high-strung brats to her. “Hi, no worries, she’s friendly” I announced over the ferocious rabid snapping of her two pint-sized dogs. Suddenly, the woman turned on me like a fighting wolverine and, fangs bared, she snarled loudly: “COULD YOU JUST GET OUT OF THE WAY SO WE CAN GET BY?” So we did (after I reset my dropped lower jaw). I was too dumbfounded to speak.

Pony Sized Poo and The Paper Pic

Since Zuma has been on medication, her toilet activity has doubled and it is not just her usual firm turd, it is …. ugh. I’m talking Pony Size Poo and yeh, I already know how much a race horse pees. This poor dog. Not to be gross, ya’ll, but #2 is not unlike picking up a jumbo soft serve ice cream. Did I mention it is comparable to a jumbo serving? Like, I need to scoop it up with a bag and it takes two hands to do a good job whilst I am fiercely clenching the leash between my teeth and Zuma is feeling thoroughly relieved and perky and wants to leave the scene and get on with her day.

Good thing I don’t wear dentures.

Let me assure you, when I am in dog poo scoop mode, it is not a graceful picture. I’ve had her on a regular schedule the past three years; she pooped once a day, in the morning, then she came in for breakfast and after an hour and a half we went for a walk. Now she is on prednisone and antibiotics she goes #2 three times a day and pees constantly. I get up in the middle of the night and we take the elevator down to ground level to get out to the Poo Area. She would be horrified if she had an accident in the hotel room.

At home I can get out a pitchfork and chuck #2 in a bag. This double fisted bag scooping isn’t my fave part of traveling with a big dog. We’re almost finished the pills, I’m hoping and praying toilet trips will return to normal soon.

We feed her high quality dog food (Solid Gold and Wellness) so her turds are more concentrated. Good food = less waste to pick up! She doesn’t get any human food unless she counter surfs and snags a steak off the counter when Doug is out starting the grill and forgets she is an opportunist who is particularly fond of a good tenderloin or pork chop. She is still eating the same food she gets at home (minus steak thefts) but the shitty effects of these pills are really wearing me out. I will spare you the photos. One great thing is that this La Quinta has a dog toilet area and they provide poopy bags and a poo garbage can. Needless to say, no grass grows there. I really appreciate the hotel’s thoughtfulness, providing for dogs.

Yesterday Zuma got the urge (Oh please God, not here Zuma) and she dumped a load on a lawn while we were out walking. I sprang into action and was extremely thankful she plunked it down behind a large shrub so the homeowners couldn’t see me if they peeked out their windows, but it was a squishy pile and I had a hard time gathering it all up and some of it leaked out and got on the bag’s handles. It was a challenge to get the bag tied and I ended up with traces of smooshy shit on my hands, pants and shoes. I surely looked like a madwoman marching along the sidewalk with four roaring lanes of busy traffic zooming beside us, me sporting the overflowing green plastic bag of shit laughing out loud (what are ya gonna do but laugh at yourself?) and Zuma prancing happily along the sidewalk like a pepped up parade pony.

Later, I was chatting with some people and a guy rode up on a bike with a Nikon bearing what seemed like a two foot long lens. “Uh Oh”, said one of the women I was talking with, “The paparazzi is here”. Turns out he is a photojournalist for the local newspaper! I’ll keep you posted whether or not they publish the photo.

Blanca, Blanca, Blanca

Yesterday we went on a van run around town and a nice walk, a quiet day, the highlight of which was purchasing a toaster oven! Since I don’t like leaving Zuma in the hotel room to go out for dinner I decided I’d get a little toaster oven (no restaurant in hotel) and then I can cook here. We have a microwave and fridge but I don’t like microwaving food. Doug cautioned me that if I burned something the sprinkler system would likely be activated. That would not be cool.

This morning our Housekeepers knocked on the door to see if I needed anything and they invited me to their staff Christmas party this Sunday! Since Doug is arriving that morning, we won’t be able to go, but wow, how sweet is that?! They are so nice here. Then Zuma cruised to the door and the girls totally freaked and shrieked and RAN across the hall to another room, giggling. These are clearly not dog lovers. One girl said she had experienced a terrible situation with a dog when she was young and is still traumatized by it. Zuma looked puzzled. Why don’t they like me? They don’t even know me? I got a pic when they did it a second time. These girls are a blast. I hope Zuma will be able to ensure them that all dogs are not aggressive. We’ll see.

Today we got organized and headed out towards Assateague for the day but, as we were in the turning lane, I remembered I needed to pick up an extension cord so I can put the toaster oven on the balcony and avoid flooding the room and causing a total hotel evacuation if I should burn dinner. So, as we left the parking lot, I turned right instead of left. Oh, what a good thing!

I arrived at my destination and suddenly there was a huge BANG under my feet! I hastily drove 50 feet to the first parking spot ahead; I thought I must’ve hit something, even though there was nothing visible in my path as I pulled in. I leaped out of Blanca and saw water pouring out of her, from behind and under the bumper. Radiator? Realizing this was a AAA call, I jumped back in Blanca and immediately headed for the hotel. No tow truck was going to take me and this dog. Not to mention neither of us is physically capable of climbing into one of those big ass tow trucks. I arrived safely back at the hotel and AAA quickly sent help. Water was still pouring out of the van when I called but 40 minutes later when the tow truck arrived, she was dry and the parking space was soaked. Chuck the tow truck driver hooked her up and away she went.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Wednesday, December 17.

Rain doesn’t bother me. At least you don’t have to shovel it. But rain really bothers Zuma. She bounced out of the hotel today and when the first raindrop landed on her, she was ready to race back inside. She doesn’t like to get wet, so it makes for a quick pee trip outside. Since we arrived, people in the shops have been talking about how the weather has been so nice they don’t feel like shopping or getting ready for Christmas, they’d rather be outside or on the beach. I hear ya, Ocean City Dwellers.

Now we have rain, the shops are likely overpopulated. It’s great for me to be peacefully confined to the hotel room with Blanca away at the garage; I am able to work on my book, attentively research the next leg of our journey and catch up on lost sleep.

Speaking of lost sleep, the reason I am sleep-deprived is that Zuma likes to bed-hop; she starts out in her own sleeping space, then decides she could improve it with some careful planning. Her plan begins with a mournful stare, tail slowly wagging its four foot wingspan and then slowly she plunks her feet into position in slow motion, one paw at a time. I move over to be accommodating. It would be easy to pretend to be sleeping but the tail wagging and staring makes me feel guilty. Once landed, she starts out small and is a nice warm snuggle partner, then, within a couple of minutes she realizes she is comfortable but it could be better. So she stretches out and kicks me in the kidneys and that’s my cue: I have no choice but to relocate. Thankfully, we booked a room with two queen beds; one for us, one for Zuma. Once comfortable, she ain’t budging. When she does dismount from the bed, she perfects her fancy yoga move: she plants her front feet on the floor, stretches, and yawns and lets out a soft Pffft. Doug and I always hurriedly duck under the covers, giggling.

Zuma is claustrophobic. When I emptied Blanca yesterday, I unloaded an array of our belongings in the entrance to our hotel room. Zuma had plenty of room to walk through/around it but she refused to budge and stiffly planted her feet outside the room. She thought she was too wide to get through the path between the bags.

Recognizing she is bored, I tried to entice Zuma to fetch a ball by tossing it up the hallway. On the first throw, she eagerly chased it and kept going beyond the ball. We are the only occupants in this wing of the second floor, so it’s a perfect playground for a dog who needs exercise. No chance she would lower herself to participating in normal dog activities. Back on the bed, HER personal bed. Here’s the remote, Zu, have at it.

The Boardwalk Starts at 27th Street

The Boardwalk starts at 27th Street

I’ve decided to stay on here through New Year’s. The weather looks good and I love it that we can walk so much with such ease. We went out for ten miles today, non-stop, with only water breaks.

We arrived at the end of the Boardwalk and I wanted a bottle of water for Zuma; the young man at the booth wouldn’t take my money because he was so besotted with Zuma! “No charge, it’s for the dog”. How sweet. Dogs really do bring out the best in people.

Hotels and Homeless People

Hotels And Homeless People.

We have decided this is the BEST time of year to visit Ocean City because there are only a handful of tourists here and the weather is excellent. It must be mayhem in July and August when the Boardwalk comes to life with crazy loud music and zillions of people and the Midway fired up. But for now, everything is really quiet and pretty darned nice. The visitors here truly appreciate the calm, the sunshine and the overall peace.

At our hotel, we have a whopping four cars in the parking lot tonight. It was busy on the weekend because it’s a pet-friendly place and there were dogs everywhere: in the lobby, on the grounds, in the elevator (dog owner, seeing Zuma’s size: “Ah, I’ll wait for the next one” …. good plan! What a circus it would be in the elevator with a few little fluffy yippers nipping at Zuma’s ankles). Little dogs act really tough (with their owner backing them) and vocalize their aggression, scrambling furiously in place like cartoon characters threatening to fearlessly rip her to shreds if unleashed. Zuma regards them quizzically, head tipped sideways, then she regally carries on. She is so kind to the little dogs and I can tell she wants to one of them when she grows up. They are ruthless little brats. THEY are the enemy.

Every now and then we meet a confident dog and they’ll have a bit of a playtime with Zuma. This is Rupert, an Old English Sheepdog puppy with nerves of steel. He grabbed Zuma’s leash and was ready to take her off on an adventure. He’s only 8 weeks old! What a cool dog.

Anyway, back to what I was going to say …. the best thing about being here right now is we pretty much have the place to ourselves. More than 50% of the hotels and restaurants are shut down for the season (and there are a LOT of hotels and restaurants).

This evening, after Zuma and I walked ten miles total today, I was still feeling like walking some more (must be the new light shoes, haha!) so I went out for an hour’s brisk walk on my own. Nobody even noticed me without my dog. Usually we can’t go 15 feet without people talking to us her. I may be developing an identity crisis.

At one of the big toilet facilities on the Boardwalk, there is a group of people (mostly men, one or two women) who cloister in the sunshine each day, up against the wall of the bathroom. One of the retailers I see regularly told me this morning that “They are the homeless people”. “Is there no shelter in the city?” I asked. She told me yes, they likely sleep there but they hang out outside the toilet building all day. It is sunny and gives them a break from the wind and weather. Doug noticed them the first day; they have bikes and he saw them peddling to the site smiling and clutching wrinkled brown paper bags. I guess I missed that.

One of the men talked with us on the weekend, while petting Zuma. When he learned she is a “rescue” he told us he had rescued a dog and it was the best thing he’d ever done in his life. That was in 1980. He is a kind man, Zuma really liked him.

They are a quiet group, I hear them laughing and talking when we pass by. They wanted to pet Zuma today and she was cool with that. I let her be the people barometer.

I find it sad that they lead such a pointless, unambitious life, hanging out on the Boardwalk all day.
Uh, wait, that’s what I do.

By The Sea, by the Beautiful Sea

Yesterday was a bright, hot day and I had to run some errands so Zuma and Blanca and I went for a drive around Ocean City. In many places here, if you stand in the middle of the road on this thin peninsula of sand, you can see the bay on one side and the ocean on the other. The main road is lined with shops of every description so it’s pretty easy to find what you’re looking for …. just keep driving in a straight line and you’ll find it on one side of the road or the other. Adventuring for the unimaginative. But that’s a good thing right now so I can get used to driving Blanca.

After we explored the city, we went to the beach. Zuma was very excited to leap in the waves and gallop around on the longe line like a lunatic puppy. She is 3 1/2 years old now and, with Great Danes having such a short lifetime expectancy, it does my heart good to see her goof off.

We met lots of people, including a couple fishing for striped bass from the shore; they said it’s still early for them because the water is too warm for the fish to come here. Perhaps they haven’t left Maine! Zuma was thrilled to meet three children the ages of our neighbors, Elsa, Roza and Theo. I know she misses them.

Speaking of fish and seafood, it’s crab and shrimp central here. Maryland is famous for crab but the season has passed; a local informed us the crabs sold and served here now are from further south (like Louisiana). Must try some before we depart.

Zuma tracks in the sand and foamy waves.

Zuma and her Lamb Chop stuffed toy that Emma gave her. They have taken over Doug’s bed since he’s not here right now. It was all Lamb Chop’s idea.

December 13th, 2015

Today the temps hit the high 60s, perfect for a good stroll. It took us 4 1/2 hours to walk our usual route (we can do it in an hour and a half on a weekday) because there were so many big, little, unusual and cool dogs and fun people. I started counting benches and got up to EIGHT and got distracted by great people, most with a nice dog, so I gave up. For today, anyway. This is Zuma trying to “get small” so as not to intimidate the teeniest dog on the Boardwalk.

A very friendly Standard Poodle

A cool guy who performs magic tricks and card tricks.

Two traveling dudes and a dog: Lefty and Armin and Twitch.

They gave me lots of tips about places to see. They also have vans and drive all over the country. 30-something hippies, nice guys.

A lovely Basenji named Cairo.

Zuma and her entourage. Initially, they all snarled at her so she laid down and pretended to be small and they were like, “Oh, she’s not that big” and we had a nice long get-together with Zuma playing “Mother”. She was thrilled to have them all running around her and they felt pretty cool about the whole thing.
A Win Win situation. Dozens of people lined up to take photos and comment on how kind Zuma is, she is true to her breed, she’s a Gentle Giant.

Never Met a Stranger.

Thursday, December 11

We’ve met lots of new people and dogs the past two days.

Iiiii know! The Hermit on The Hill is out in the real world! Sometimes I get outside of my comfort zone and we walk on the side streets. Today we walked for 5 1/2 hours, that includes one hour with Zuma on a horse longe line cavorting on the beach. Oh, how she loved that! We’ll make it a daily ritual from now on.

She is totally exhausted tonight. I’ve upped her feed and am giving her an extra meal at lunchtime as she’s burning so many calories with all this exercise. I don’t want her to lose weight, the vet says she is perfect at 125 lbs.

Yesterday we met Wendy, a very interesting woman who also has a Mantle Great Dane! She and her partner are hoping to breed their “Lucy” so we exchanged information. It was so nice to meet someone who understands “Dane Brain”. They are not like other breeds, they have some quirky tendencies and only another Dane lover can truly relate. I told Doug about Wendy last night and his response was: “So you’re signed up for pick of the litter, right?” Does he know me or what?! I could never replace Zuma but I would never have any other breed. She is an irreplaceable companion; loyal, loving, sociable, excellent temperament, friendly to every person and dog, a fantastic traveler.

HOWEVER, having said that, since Doug left for home, Zuma has “upped security” and, uncharacteristically for her, she has growled at a couple of large men who approached us/her too quickly. With Doug gone, she apparently feels a strong need to protect me. She just let’s out a low grrrr, rumbling through her lips with her head down, no teeth are shown, but clearly she feels this is her JOB, she needs to take care of me. I feel very safe with her on my team. As it turned out, her instincts were right. These were not people I wanted to spend time with. Too forward.

These are some of the dogs we met in the past two days:

A beautiful young puppy named Lola

Woody the Pug puppy.

Dan, a contractor working at a business on the Boardwalk.

Minnie and her owner, they work with Dan. Her markings are close to Zuma’s and she is a very cool 10 year old lady dog. I commented “She’s marked like a mini Zuma”. Too funny her name is Minnie.

The Boardwalk starts at 27th Street

I’ve decided to stay on here through New Year’s. The weather looks good and I love it that we can walk so much with such ease. We went out for ten miles today, non-stop, with only water breaks.

Pony Sized Poo and The Paper Pic

Good thing I don’t wear dentures.

We feed her high quality dog food (Solid Gold and Wellness) so her turds are more concentrated. Good food = no waste. She doesn’t get any human food unless she counter surfs and snags a steak off the counter when Doug is out starting the grill and forgets she is an opportunist who is particularly fond of a good tenderloin or pork chop. She is still eating the same food she gets at home (minus steak thefts) but the shitty effects of these pills are really wearing me out. I will spare you the photos. One great thing is that this La Quinta has a dog toilet area and they provide poopy bags and a poo garbage can. Needless to say, no grass grows there. I really appreciate the hotel’s thoughtfulness, providing for dogs.