Yesterday I drove out to a ranch in the prairie east of Akron, Colorado. I sat with a man older than me who has spent his life never going far from his home. He held a four month old border collie puppy, and said he had never been out of the state. We talked for over an hour. He said he loves these smart dogs. It was obvious how much he cared for his borders, considering the bond the puppy had with him. After a long while he said lets change seats, and he put the puppy on my lap. He watched close as the puppy calmed while wagging his tail rapidly. The deal was done and I promised to mail him some photos of his dog backpacking in the mountains with my other borders.

Beau is a smart little guy, who is doing plenty of learning from my girls. It thrills me to no end that I will have a boy pup to walk with on all the trails that old Ben did. I can't think of a better way to spend these years ahead.