erica ... asher haley...amy ands seagram "did new york--- AND WROTI IT UP. thank heavens---because i have a cpoupl;e big problems to deal with
like ups...
when loading teh dog food the person on the fork lifr rammed teh lifters thru teh bottom layer of wet food "cans" and the driver told me they handle too much freight and we shold expect dammage... whoa....... ( we lost only 5 cases in teh final count)
like senior/nursing homwes-- whech judy andn mora are arraingeing... we went to revere yesterday and as i sat in a wheelchair , just for somewhere to sit,....NEXT TO A 101 YEAR OLD WOMAN.... the pt guy came in aNd patted me in the head thinking i was one of teh residents... WHOA !!!!
WE HAVE A DANVERS ONE TO DO TODAY....
****
SO HERE AGAIN IS AMY--- ERICA --- HALEY---
LAST FRIDAY, ASHER AND I GOT TO TAG ALONG WITH HALEY, WHOM MANY OF YOU KNOW FROM AROUND SERVICE DOG PROJECT, AND THE THREE OF US HEADED TO THE BIG APPLE! AS FAR AS I KNOW, THIS WAS ASHER’S FIRST TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY, AND I WAS INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT HE’D THINK OF IT. I’VE BEEN THERE AT LEAST A FEW TIMES, BUT THIS TIME I WOULD GET TO SEE MY FIRST BROADWAY SHOW!
NOW, NOT BEING FAMILIAR WITH THE BIG CITY, WE WERE THRILLED TO MEET UP WITH THE BEST GUIDE WE COULD ASK FOR: SDP SERVICE DOG (AND ASHER’S SISTER) SEAGRAM SEVEN! I THINK I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT WE ALL—TWO-LEGGED AND FOUR-LEGGED—HAD SUCH A FUN TIME TOGETHER; IT’S ALWAYS WONDERFUL TO MEET OTHER WORKING TEAMS FROM SDP, AND I KNOW ASHER AND SEAGRAM LOVED THEIR TIME PLAYING TOGETHER IN CENTRAL PARK! WHEN I BROUGHT ASHER HOME A YEAR AGO, I GAINED SO MUCH MORE THAT JUST HIM; I’VE SO ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR BIG SDP FAMILY THIS YEAR, AND ASHER LOVED GETTING TO RECONNECT WITH BOTH SEAGRAM AND HALEY!
ASHER IS ALWAYS UP FOR ANYTHING, BUT I WAS PARTICULARLY PROUD OF HIM OVER THIS TRIP. WE DON’T SPEND MUCH TIME IN BIG CITIES (BECAUSE I’M NOT REALLY COUNTING DOWNTOWN PROVIDENCE AFTER SPENDING TIME IN BOSTON AND NYC THIS MONTH ), BUT NO ONE WOULD KNOW THAT BY LOOKING AT HIM. NOTHING FAZED HIM, AS USUAL. I GREW UP IN THE SUBURBS, AND SINCE MOVING TO NEW ENGLAND, I’VE REALLY ENJOYED SPENDING TIME IN DOWNTOWN AREAS. EVEN THOUGH I DON’T HAVE THE BEST STAMINA, THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE CONSTANT HUSTLE AND BUSTLE AND CITY NOISE THAT I LOVE. AND WITH MY CULINARY BACKGROUND, I CAN APPRECIATE THE FOOD SCENE WITHIN NEW YORK CITY IN A WAY THAT MANY OTHERS JUST CAN’T. ADD IN MY LOVE FOR ALL THINGS BROADWAY, AND THERE’S PROBABLY NO BETTER PLACE FOR ME! BUT I HAD STUCK TO ADMIRING NYC FROM AFAR IN THE PAST—EVEN WHEN I WOULD GO FOR A DAY TRIP IN COLLEGE, IT WAS TOO OVERWHELMING TO NAVIGATE. I CAN REMEMBER GETTING BACK TO CAMPUS LATE ONE NIGHT AND COULD BARELY MAKE IT BACK TO MY DORM, MY BODY WAS JUST SCREAMING WITH ALL THE WALKING WE HAD DONE THAT DAY AND EVERY MUSCLE WAS ALMOST TOO SORE TO MOVE. STAYING OUT OF THE WAY OF SO MANY PEOPLE WAS A CHALLENGE, AND I’D ALWAYS RETURN DISCOURAGED. I WANTED TO LIKE IT, IT WAS JUST TOO BIG. WHEN GOING TO BROOKLYN LAST YEAR TO TOUR A LAW SCHOOL JUST PRIOR TO BEING PAIRED, I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE THERE WAS ANY WAY FOR ME TO LIVE AND NAVIGATE SAFELY IN THE CITY SO I LOOKED FOR A BETTER FIT.
THIS TRIP, THOUGH, WAS SO DIFFERENT. I OFTEN SAY THAT ASHER LIKES TO EXPLORE AS MUCH AS I DO—I KNOW THAT DOGS ARE CREATURES OF HABIT AND ARE HAPPIEST IN A ROUTINE, BUT I TRULY THINK ASHER GETS BORED IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY TRAVELS SOMETIMES. AS WE STROLLED AROUND MANHATTAN WITH SEAGRAM AND HER HANDLER, ASHER MOVED AT A GOOD FORWARD CLIP, NOT USUALLY HIS SPEED OF CHOICE, AND HELD HIS TAIL UP HAPPILY WHILE HE TOOK IN OUR SURROUNDINGS, ALL THE WHILE KEEPING HIS FOCUS ON ME. HE MADE THE LONG WALKS ENJOYABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND I FELT SO MUCH MORE CONFIDENT IN SUCH A BIG PLACE WITH ASHER BESIDE ME. WE EXPLORED SOME BEAUTIFUL AREAS WITHIN CENTRAL PARK, ENJOYED PERUSING SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL EXHIBITS IN THE METMUSEUM AND I THINK HE ENJOYED A GOOD NAP WHILE WE ALL SAW CHICAGO THE MUSICAL ON BROADWAY. WITH ASHER, I CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK AND DO IT ALL AGAIN! WE MAY BE IN TINY RHODE ISLAND FOR NOW, BUT WHO KNOWS—MAYBE ONE DAY WE MIGHT FIND OURSELVES RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT CRAZINESS IN A BIG CITY. I KNOW I COULD DO IT WITH HIS HELP!
IT’S FUNNY, THERE ARE LOGISTICS WITH A DANE IN NYC THAT I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT, AND EVEN MORE TO THINK ABOUT WITH TWO OF THEM! ASHER AND SEAGRAM DID SEEM TO REMEMBER EACH OTHER FROM GROWING UP ON THE FARM; NO FORMAL INTRODUCTION WAS EVER NECESSARY AND THEY CERTAINLY DIDN’T MIND BEING IN SUCH CLOSE QUARTERS AT TIMES. TWO DANES IN A TAXI? WE MADE IT WORK! SAME WITH UNDER A TABLE IN A CRAMPED RESTAURANT, AND WAITING IN A CROWDED AREA FOR A TABLE BEFORE WE ENJOYED HUGE ICE CREAM SUNDAES AT SERENDIPITY 3. BUT ASHER GREATLY APPRECIATED SEAGRAM’S INSTRUCTION ON PROPER BATHROOM ETIQUETTE IN MANHATTAN WHERE THERE’S NO GRASS TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE FOR A QUICK POTTY BREAK: JUST SQUAT RIGHT DOWN ON ANY ACCEPTABLE PLOT OF CONCRETE AND GO! THIS WAS A TOTAL SHOCK TO ASHER, WHO LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS CRAZY WHEN I TOLD HIM TO GO POTTY RIGHT ON THE SIDEWALK (WE DON’T HAVE MUCH OF A YARD WHERE WE LIVE, BUT WE AT LEAST HAVE A FEW GOOD FEET OF GRASS). BUT WITH LOTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND BEGGING FROM ME, HE FOLLOWED SEAGRAM’S LEAD AND BY MORNING, HE WAS POOPING OUT THERE LIKE ANY OTHER NYC RESIDENT PUP (AND THAT, I LEARNED, IS WHY HUMANS PROMPTLY REMOVE THEIR SHOES ONCE THEY GET INSIDE THEIR HOMES IN THE CITY!).
ASHER AND I ARE SO THANKFUL TO SEAGRAM AND HER HANDLER FOR SPENDING TIME WITH US AND SHOWING US AROUND—ASHER HAD SO MUCH FUN CATCHING UP WITH HIS SISTER AND I SURE LOVED WATCHING THEM! WE PACKED SO MUCH INTO THE COUPLE OF DAYS WE HAD THERE, AND IT WAS DEFINITELY A MEMORABLE WEEKEND. I QUITE LITERALLY COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ASHER, AND I LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN BEING ABLE TO SHARE SUCH FUN EXPERIENCES WITH MY BEST FRIEND!
***
NOW BACK TO UPS FREIGHT FORMS
