While I don't usually like to tell horror stories on our blog, I am so relieved at the outcome of this one that I just have to share it with you. Tuesday was one of those perfect spring days in Cambridge where the sky was a beautiful blue with big puffy white clouds and nice spring breezes. Buddy and I took off for our normal walk on
Stourbridge Common in high spirits and short sleeves! I always take Buddy on the common because it is a huge green space and it is safe to let him run off leash because there are very few access points to the common. When we got a safe distance from the entrance to the common, I let him off leash as I normally do. I was thinking, "What a gorgeous day to be a dog in the prime of life" as I watched him tear around the common. Then he got a wild hair and just took off running away from me. I should emphasize here that this is something Buddy never does, but I wasn't too alarmed because I knew he wouldn't go too far.
Boy was I wrong. I spent about a half hour on the common searching for him, calling his name, and interviewing people about which way he went. Finally, I decided that I needed to go home and get my bike to make the search faster. So, I ran home, called George, got on my bike and headed back to the common. One of the great things about having a dog in Cambridge, is that I'm getting to know a lot of the people on the common through their dogs. So, when I started asking around about Buddy, everyone knew which dog I was talking about. One person told me that he had seen him about 15 minutes ago and had tried unsuccessfully to catch him. He gave me his cell phone number and made me promise that I would call when I found Buddy, so he wouldn't keep searching. Then I ran into two other blokes I'm beginning to know pretty well, and they told me they had just seen him running around the high street in Chesterton by the
Tesco (grocery store). Then I panicked. It was one thing to think he was hunting on the common and another to think he was running around, rendered witless by the promise of food on the streets.
George arrived and we started our search of the neighborhood. We talked to dozens of people who hadn't seen Buddy but were extremely sympathetic and helpful. I raced around calling Buddy's name and just praying that I wouldn't find him flat on the road. Then I ran into our neighbor, Kelvin, who was red-faced on his bike. He asked me whether I knew that Buddy was out and said that he had been out searching for a while too. Apparently, the neighborhood kids (there are about 10 kids on our block alone) who are out of school on Easter break, spotted Buddy hiding beneath our car and tried to catch him to bring him home. Buddy, of course, took off running and the kids, after failing to get me, alerted Kelvin next door. The kids, bless their hearts, decided to set up a neighborhood blockade and stationed kids at different points around the neighborhood to try to catch Buddy while Kelvin went on patrol. I really blanched when Kelvin told me that the last place Buddy was seen, was running up Milton Road, a very busy street about a block from our house.
We continued on with the search by bike but saw neither hide nor hair of Buddy. Finally, I decided the best thing to do would be to go home and wait for him, since that is obviously where he wanted to be. While I waited, the kids told me their versions of the story and started a committee to make "Wanted" posters to put up all over the neighborhood. Then, after two and a half hours of freedom, Buddy came trotting up the street. Imagine the flood of simultaneous relief and anger! Still, I welcomed him home with open arms and the kids plied him with about a week's worth of treats. A few minutes later, another woman came biking up and asked if Buddy was our dog. She said that she had seen him running around on Milton Road and even saw him dart across two lanes of traffic to get a
Kinder Bueno (chocolate bar)! She even went to the neighborhood pet shop and
borrowed a leash to try to catch him!
This terrifying experience has taught me a few important lessons. The first is about how life is so precious and can all change in an instant. What would I have done if the outcome of this tale had not been so good? The second is about the nature of British people. I have always heard that the Brits are the most helpful people. I can't believe how many people selflessly gave of their time and energy to help us get Buddy back! And how many complete strangers would actually go to a pet shop to borrow a lead and how many pet shops would
lend a leash to a random person on the street? I am astounded by this event. So, today, I am going to town to by Easter candy for everyone involved in this event, except, of course, Buddy who has had quite enough, thank you very much!
Happy Easter to you all! We are very thankful to have you in our life!
We are now entering our personal tourist season, starting with a visit from our friend, Laurel, from Pasadena. Laurel and I left George slaving away in Cambridge and did a driving tour of southwest England. Our first stop was the famous historic site of Stonehenge. I had mixed feelings about going there because it seemed so touristy and overdone...boy was I wrong! As soon as we drove around the corner and glimpsed the famous stones, we both got the chills! Despite the fact that I've seen a million pictures of it, I couldn't imagine the scale of it or how out of place it would seem in the landscape. It didn't hurt that we were there on a stormy day...it really added to the mystery!
I particularly like the detail in this picture...can you see the small triangle on top of the column in the foreground? All of the columns have these and they fit into notches in the lintels (crosspieces) on top of the columns! How can something like Stonehenge have been erected in 2500BC? Using only stone tools? With the nearest stone source in Wales? Crazy!!! It really does make you think about our place in human history...
