Several "bark in the park" day trips

No, this is not only about Ripley (which I'm sure may disappoint his many fans), but also about me and a childhood buddy from back on the block in Indianapolis. John (his name too) lives with his wife in Wesley Chapel, Florida, where a recent dog adoption fair was held at the Wiregrass Mall. John lived at 4017 with his large family, while I lived at 4011 with just my mother and father. Later on, Leanne (RIP) would come through adoption, then two years later mother would conceive after eleven years and my brother Dan would come into the world. I'm not sure what type of birth control was being used by my mother, but I suspect the word "no" came into play a lot, and Dan's conception probably came only after the famous words of the American Sorority Woman "Oh, I'm SO Drunk".

But for my youth, my best friend was John, and we enjoyed playing on weekends and after school. I went to P.S. 66, and he went to St. Joan of Arc, so we never had classes together, and by high school we'd both moved. He moved away, and we moved next door to 4007. His large Catholic family was replaced by the Quinn's, who also had many children. I recall wishing I were Catholic in those days, because they had so many "holy days" where they didn't have to go to school. At Public School #66 (the "Henry P. Coburn School"), we didn't even have Martin Luther King Day yet. Of course back then we all recited the pledge of allegiance in school and prayer was not outlawed. I suspect Catholic schools today still have values, but political correctness has ruined public education. No more Halloween parties, no more Christmas programs, just the ascension of the NEA (Nobody Educating Anyone).

Anyway, lest I get too far in digression, John and I reconnected about ten years ago, and we try to visit at least once a year. At the dog adoption event in his home town, about 90 minutes away, we had an opportunity to see each other again. My wife took this picture of us, and Ripley of course mugged the camera. John had his Airedale with him, named Sophie, but she was being just a dog and lying quietly at his feet. Ripley was once again being a "star" and insisted on being in the picture. A couple of weeks later we were once again "barking in the park", this time in Gulfport, Florida - perhaps only one hour distant. It appears that when the kids grow up, the dogs fill that void. It's good that old friends are there too, with their dogs as well.