#SOL21 | 24 | Cooper's Three Stop Field Trip

Hi!  My name is Cooper and I'm a dog.  I had a busy day today because my mom took me to not one, not two, but THREE different parks.  

I didn't pay attention at first as she prepared food in the kitchen, though I did start to get suspicious when she packed food and a book and a metal box in her backpack.  Usually that's what she does when she is going to work and about to put me in the kennel.  I started following her around, hoping to remind her that she shouldn't leave me!  We were doing so good this week -- I thought we had finally broken the cycle of putting me in the kennel.  It looks like she was backsliding though.  Again.

Luckily, it must have worked.  She slipped on her shoes and put my leash on me and we headed out to the car.  

"We're going on a field trip," she declared.  I didn't know where that was, but I was excited to hop up into the car and go just about anywhere.  Immediately the windows came down and the wind and sunshine streamed in, the air filling my nose with so many new and delicious scents I could never possibly name.

My mom insists on a picture, but I'd rather look at her.

Our first stop was a park with lots of small people running around, but we kept away from them.  I've noticed my mom does that a lot: avoids crossing paths with other people.  She walked us to a nice, grassy spot and sat down to eat some of the food she had stored away.  I kept my eyes on her, trying to signal that I wanted to try it -- I could smell the chicken from where I sat.  We were really on the same page today because she plucked three pieces of chicken out of her wrap for me!  Yum!

There were some dogs there, but I didn't get to go up close.  They didn't come to me either, though they did shout at me a lot.  I think they wanted to play, but the fence was stopping them from joining us.  Mom took us around the path, letting me sniff and pee and sniff on things.  I even almost got to chase a squirrel, but mom caught my leash just in time.  I guess we aren't as much on the same page after all.

We sat by a creek for a bit and mom got out her notebook.  I didn't have anything else to do, so I followed our usual routine when she writes: I curled up next to her back and let her do her thing on the paper.  It was warm out and the smells were fantastic, plus I got to enjoy them away from all those noisy dogs and smaller people.  It actually wasn't all that different from the couch...except of course we were in the park.

I guard mom's notebook while she takes a selfie.  Again.

I thought we'd go back home after that, but instead of driving home, mom took us to a completely new place.  It was still what they call a park.  There were people playing with balls and sticks, but I wasn't interested in that.  I'm an older dog with refined tastes after all.  We walked along an even bigger creek and a little person even came up to pet me.  He said I was cute and mom thanked him.   She then spent even more time in her notebook and I stretched out on the ground next to her: warm and safe and happy as the sun shone down on us.

Our second creek view fewer trees and more rocks.

When we left, I thought surely this would be it and I would get to go back to my couch.  I'm not complaining, but I'm definitely not the young yapper I used to be and was really starting to feel it. But I guess we could go on ONE more walk.  Mom pulled up to the third park and this one was completely deserted of other people or dogs.  I think I heard my mom grumble about a sign that said 'No Dogs,' so she had to drive a little farther down the road.  We stopped and got out on a trail by a river this time!  I sniffed and peed some more because the smells around here were the most interesting of all since there weren't people around to scare off as many animals.  

End of the path and end to our field trip.

We didn't walk long and when we got back to the car mom made sure to give me lots of water to drink.  I appreciated that -- sometimes she forgets to bring the water bowl.  I enjoyed our day together and while she drove home, I slept, curled up on the blanket she keeps for me in the front seat.  

It was a good day for a good boy like me.

This post is part of the 14th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge.  

                    #SOL21 and information around Slicing can be found on Two Writing Teachers.