Another summer ends...

The end of summer is always a little sad for me. Soon, tank tops and flip-flops will be retired to the dark recesses of drawer bottoms and closets, as daylight hours get shorter and shorter. Bundling up becomes necessary, and fall eventually leads to an always too long winter. I'm getting a little melodramatic here, but summer can be a hard season to let go. Baseball, cold beers, barbeques, thunderstorms, and gorgeous late sunsets are hallmarks of summer, and are easy to miss when fall sets in.

One thing that is kind of nice about the end of the summer season though, is that Zoey and I can do more outdoor activities without having to worry as much about her over-heating, and that is truly a blessing. There are more hours to explore as temperatures drop, and I'm looking forward to being able to take advantage of the Columbia, MD trail system as the weather becomes more favorable for extra-long weekend walks. This was Zoey's first summer and we got a good sense of how she does on hot days. Life as a large breed black dog is not easy when the mercury climbs, and we had to adjust her activity levels accordingly. Some dogs just run hotter than others, and knowing your dog's heat tolerance is important, especially when traveling. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are potentially life-threatening and set in fast in our canine companions and I'm glad that we made it through our first summer while still maintaining a safe and high level of activity. Zoey's a pretty great communicator in terms of when she's had enough, and she's quite fond of flopping down beside our water bottles when she's thirsty and done with running around. She's not that subtle about it and I'm glad she's nothing if not very assertive.

This summer was a huge transition for us. We left our friends and family in Delaware and started a life in Maryland. It was hard, nerve-wracking, exciting, and scary all at once. We survived though, and are beginning to feel at home in our new place. We're not 100% there yet, but we're in much better shape than when we started. It hasn't always been easy, and in quiet moments in can be kind of lonesome, but having Zoey has kept things nicely in perspective and kept a routine amid a lot of uncertainty. I'm looking forward to our first fall in Maryland and all firsts associated with a new season in a new area. I'm planning on getting some mums for our porch, which I'm pretty sure I will kill in record time. Fall festivals and apples in season are definitely in the cards, and I'm excited to learn as I go, keeping you posted along the way.