My busy dog. She’s a blur as she tries to get a treat out of my hand. But she loved being with me last night at a restaurant just off the Marietta Square. Beth had driven over for a visit, and I had told her earlier that we could go have a nice, quiet dinner in the city. (We have been under weeks of rain so there have been few opportunities to be outside in the evenings with the dogs! )

Wow, was I ever wrong about the “quiet” dinner thing! Marietta was teaming with people. The city was having a summer concert and the battle for a parking spot went into high gear. Finally, we found a place in the Episcopal Church’s lot that contained lots of “No Parking” signs. I got out of the car along with a couple of others, who decided to “risk it,” and told Beth, “Open Hearts, Open Minds” maybe they won’t have us towed. She looked at me and said, “That’s the Methodists.” But quick like a rabbit, I reminded her that many of the early Methodist churches in America were Methodist-Episcopal churches (as far back as 1784). I don’t know what that conversation had to do with anything other than it may have helped me justify what I was doing. We locked the car and walked on . . . .

Beth and Cocoa Joy.

Cocoa Joy and other people, who I did not know until she began begging food from their table. She never meets a stranger—never! The blur in the photo is her tail wagging.

I love dog heads! Earlier in the day, I had talked with Sandy (one of their trainers and a friend), who reminded me to take “places” for Cocoa and Chip to lay on. I did along with treats, and they actually sat down and enjoyed the music that was being played across the street in the city square. Chip has his gentle leader on, which helps him “Stay Calm and Carry On!” (A British thing)