With the earlier bedtime, I work up at Kerith's home (San Rafael) much earlier this morning (0630). Since it was another vacation day (I took PTO), I didn't get on my computer immediately. Instead, I spent time reading, working on Duolingo exercises and puzzles. Outside, the early morning air was cool and the air was very misty. At about 0800, I went downstairs and found Kerith giving Maverick his morning eye drops - he seemed like he was doing much better than when I'd arrived and this made my friend very happy. While she was busy, I ate breakfast and then joined Kerith on her couch for her morning routine of watching YouTube videos (mostly financial). We ended up in some good conversations about investments, taxes and decisions after retirement. Since she has just embarked on that new life, I learned a lot from her. At 0900, I joined Kerith and her dogs for another walk around Los Ranchitos Park. By then, it was sunny and pleasant (63 F). During this stroll, my friend told me she really wanted to take a longer hike with me but couldn't bring the dogs. As a compromise, she suggested we leave Maverick with Enzo (who she said was always a good sitter for his "brother") and drive to a nearby park for a hike - just the two of us. So, about 20 minutes later (1005), we arrived at the parking lot for the Terra Linda Sleepy Hollow Ridge and started out on the trail in the beautiful Marin Highlands. Almost immediately, we met one of Kerith's friends, who turned out to also have gone to High School with me in the 1980s - what a small world! Beyond that encounter, we had a nice walk on pavement and dirt through shady trees. However, we soon came out into the open and it was clear the day was going to be very hot. I'd forgotten to bring any water and was also walking in some new hiking boots. Still, the pretty views of the (San Pablo) Bay from the rolling hills we were hiking on were amazing. Along the way, we started talking about medical treatments and nutrition - Kerith is amazing in her knowledge of such things. Things were going well but it soon became clear that finishing the entire walk (which would have taken hours) was going to turn into a miserable, sweaty slog. As a result, we turned around early and headed back (via some different trails) towards the car. By the time we finished (1130), my pedometer said that we'd already walked about three miles. I'll admit that I'm glad we stopped at that as the temperatures continued to climb. From the trailhead, Kerith headed south on US-101, hoping to fill up her gas tank. With prices looking scary ($6.50 and up), I didn't blame her for trying to reach the best station - sadly, the traffic was horrible and we missed a turn and ended up on I-580. Before I knew it, we were exiting at San Quentin - only a short time after that, we might have seen the actual ocean... But, I then understood that Kerith wanted to return to her dogs as soon as she could and sat, quietly, as she drove us home. After verifying that Enzo and Maverick were doing well, she served me some of her homemade split pea soup - it was good (even though she kept apologizing for the salt). Feeling full, I was definitely up for another walk with the dogs when Kerith suggested it (1400). This time, though, we brought some folding chairs and ended up sitting in a shady place in the corner of Los Ranchitos Park. By then, temps were in the high 80s; fortunately, the humidity was low and I didn't feel uncomfortable. I'd brought a book but we ended up talking for most of the 45 minutes we spent in our comfortable spot. By 1500, we reluctantly returned to the house so that Kerith could take Enzo to get his nails clipped at a roving Vet Clinic nearby. Meanwhile, I sat down at the table in her kitchen and logged into my computer (for the first time in nearly two days) so I could catch up on eBird and blog entries. Surprisingly, Maverick (who was definitely still unsettled due to his surgery treatments) stayed with me and fell asleep at my feet. Kerith returned at 1625 and let me know that she wanted to take a break (I read that as "nap"). For once, I guess the dogs read into this and didn't follow her up to her bedroom - instead, they stayed with me and relaxed while I continued working on my computer. The time passed quickly and I was genuinely startled when Kerith appeared again at about 1725. I think she was really surprised that she'd been able to have such a nice break and that the dogs hadn't reacted negatively. One thing, though - she was completely ready to go out for dinner and I had to hurry to get ready. At, 1735, she drove me into downtown San Rafael, a place I'd only been when I visited in December 2025. When we arrived (1745), we parked on a side street and walked to The Burren House. which had a nice Irish Pub vibe. It was very loud, however, and I had trouble with the conversation at first - fortunately, it quieted down about halfway into our dinner. We ended up sharing a few dishes (salmon on brown toast, chicken wraps); I also tried some Oktoberfest beer and Kerith had a cocktail. The food was good, our conversation was very nice (as it had been through the whole visit) and we learned more about each other (including details about our time on Cape Cod when we were very young and barely knew each other). Dinner finished up at 1930 and we headed back to the car (I reached about 3.5 miles for the day during this walk). By prior agreement, I drove us back to Kerith's home - I'm glad that I had my full faculties because the road was a series of strange cross-walks, side streets with people trying to enter, barriers along the shoulder and cars parked oddly in the thoroughfare. We made it home unscathed and, while administering the last round of Maverick's eye drops, Kerith turned on another episode of "The Rainmaker" - we had definitely caught the bug of liking the series. In fact, we actually started a second episode but then Kerith started falling asleep. Like last night, I promised to wait until she was awake before continuing and we said goodnight. At about 2100, I went up to the guest room to read and watch YouTube videos. I was just about to turn out the light (2300) when I suddenly heard some noise in the hallway. At first, I thought it might be Kerith but then the door opened "by itself" and I heard some huffing and puffing. It was Enzo, who had forsaken his normal bed in the living room (downstairs) for a chance to sleep in the guest bed. This welcome development delayed my sleep a bit but I was able to get to bed by 2345. What a nice day with Kerith and her dogs!
