Sunrise waits for no one

It is 7:00 AM. I let Becky into the back yard for a pee and notice the faint beginnings of a promising sunrise in the clear dawn sky. I pop back inside, toying with the idea of a sunrise walk. I pour a large mug of coffee, my second this morning, and take another look. The sky is now deep golden. Definitely a morning for a sunrise beach walk.

But sunrise waits for no one. By the time I get the other two dogs out to do their business, pull on some clothes, find the camera, grab a fresh battery, choose a jacket and gloves, and leash up a dog, the deep golden has paled to a light yellow, and the streaks of red are now pink and white.

Still, Becky is all leased up and ready to go, so we head to the beach. For two walks a day, every day for nearly three weeks, Becky has walked well on leash. Today, just as we hit the seawalk which is covered by a very thin and very slippery layer of black ice, she decides to take me for a drag, pulling heartily as any untrained extra large puppy.

I need more hands - one firmly on the leash and one firmly on the handrail leaves very few fingers for manipulating the camera. Still, I manage a few shots before the sun slides behind Maple Mountain and dawn turns back to night.



We reach the far end of the seawalk and firmer footing on gravel path, and the sun begins to re-appear and sets the bay on fire.

Twenty minutes later, sunrise over, we head up the hill to complete our 2km morning walk, albeit in the reverse direction from our usual walk. This direction involves a much steeper uphill climb, and Becky has quit pulling me. I am getting too warm in my winter coat, hat and gloves. I begin to question my sanity. Sunrise walks? I should have gone back to bed.

I am nearly at the top of the hill, half way round our loop, when I realize that drinking two big mugs of coffee then going for a walk in the cold, cold air not a good idea. I muse that this might give credence to Freud's theory of penis envy - oh, to be able to surreptitiously stand beside a bush or tree and take a whiz!

I make it home without incident, where Petey is barking for his breakfast, and Sadie wants to go for her walk (because, after all, she always gets a turn right after Becky). I placate all the dogs with food, head for the shower, and make a mental note to avoid coffee and to wear non-slip footwear the next time I entertain sunrise walks.

But it was a nice way to end Becky's Island Vacation.  By noon, her Papa had arrived to take her back to Vancouver. Her weeks here went very quickly, and she was such a good guest. I think she had a good time - she enjoyed our walks, Santa found where she was staying, and she got lots of quality time with her Grandma Jean.

I'll miss her, though I'm rather thankful that Sadie and Petey are quite happy to sleep in past sunrise. I look forward to some lazy mornings again.

But, then, who knows what tomorrow might bring?

Yeah.  Who knows?