Let's Get This Show on the Road

Friday, July 25, 2 p.m.

We’re at the third garage of the day, this last to pick up the Saturn at old Clyde Moore’s place. Clyde has done as promised and replaced our ABS sensor, so both front and rear brakes now work. We are grateful to him for his insistence on doing the job right, even though it has taken a week out of our … what? We have all the time in the world! No problemo, Clyde.

We go just a short way up the road, about 1½ hours, arriving early at Merry Knoll Campgrounds, situated picturesquely on a hill above the St. Lawrence River/Lake Ontario conjuncture in the Thousand Islands Region. It’s so pretty we decide to stay a couple of days before crossing over into Canada.

We get our spot and John proceeds to hook us up to the necessaries while I defrost a couple of filets for dinner and open all the windows because they charge for air conditioning and we’re not sure we need it. They’re charging for air! It’s our camper, our air conditioner and the way I see it, it’s our air too. Nevertheless, they’re charging.

The dog is having a great time in the camper with his new ball, barking at it and pushing it around. From outside, I hear John saying, “He’s barking too loud.” Barking is barking, isn’t it? Barking is what dogs do when they’re happy. Barking inside a camper can’t be all that bad, can it?

I tell Zeus, “Please, can you modulate that bark?”

Zeus ignores me. Like a cat, he manages to paw the ball out from under the driver’s seat and chases it past me with such joy I am kvelling, which for a Christian is not an easy thing to do. I give it a little kick and he’s off again, barking. I’m happy. Zeus is happy. John leans into the camper and says, “Zeus, stop, please.”

Zeus stops. He adores John. I want to say, “John, stop, please.”
Betty