At sunset this evening, I stopped on my way home from watching the Fresno State game with my folks, to go for a walk on the bluffs near my house. Above is a photo of my neighborhood. (Click to enlarge.) It’s pretty out of date. All that brown area from the freeway to the ocean is a nature preserve now; all replanted with beautiful native scrub plants. The street at #3 is gone, and there’s a smaller, eco-friendly clay and gravel parking area. It’s really a nice park.

Anyway, I parked my truck in the lot at #1, walked straight toward the ocean, then turned toward #2. My plan was to make it back to the truck, via #2 and #3, in somewhat less than my personal best of 18 minutes. I made it in 16 minutes, 22 seconds. And I would’ve made it in 15, except that I had to stop at #2 to be sniffed by a very large but friendly Rottweiler.

As you can see, I’m as far as I can get from #1, the safety of my truck, and at least as far from #4, which is my house. No place to run, no place to hide.

I’m telling you this just by way of saying Thanks God that Mr. Rottweiler was friendly. He was off leash, his owner was 30 feet behind him, and he could sniff my hand without tilting his big, beautiful head.

I’m not afraid of dogs. I wasn’t afraid of Mr. Rottweiler. But I am afraid, when I stop to think about it, of being seriously injured by anything at all. Big dog, power tools, motor vehicles, it’s all the same. I just don’t relish the concept of being anesthetized, stitched up, and kept overnight for observation. I hate the thought of being bandaged, unable to bathe or button my fly or type at my computer. So when I saw the big black and tan gentleman, I stopped and waited for him to reach me, sniff me and smell Happy, and decide I wasn’t a threat to his owner, or his supper.

The dog and his owner were friendly, and went on their way, turning to your left at #2, which pathway leads to the seal rookery via that line of trees. The owner said “Sorry if he scared you,” and I said, “No, not at all. I love dogs.” But the truth is, as I’ve expressed here before, keep your fercryinoutloud pets on a leash, for their safety and mine. If I’d had Happy with me, she’d have piddled all down the front of my shirt.