Yesterday, I came across a couple with a one-year-old girl Border Collie on the Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. I stopped and chatted with them for a bit and mentioned that I had a young girl, too. What rolled off my lips was, “I love her so much.”
It’s really incredible how much joy and happiness these dogs bring into our lives. I am so much looking forward to being reunited with my girl Jess this week
and below is earlier in the day on the dog beach at Carmel. When the border collie owners came up the hill I went over and chatted with them for a while also. Their dog is 11 and this is the third border collie they have had. They live nearby here in Carmel. I told them about how my border collies and I have always hiked and backpacked up through the spruce and fir into the alpine at 12,000 ft. The husband told his wife they need to visit Colorado again.
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Two things are making this trip unforgettable. First, I’m facing the reality of growing older. It became clear when I struggled to hear my daughter and her husband over the background noise, even with my hearing aids. Most of my days are spent talking to border collies and chickens—conversations where hearing doesn’t matter much.
Second, and even more meaningful, I feel like I’m part of a family again. I haven’t felt that in years. After my divorce, like many dads, I was left on the outside. My adult daughters built their lives near their mother, while I stayed behind, and we simply drifted apart.
But on this trip, my daughter and I have spent some time together and reconnected. I’ve also gotten to know her husband better. They’re easygoing, and we’ve settled into a comfortable rhythm together. It’s been wonderful.
It had been a while since I’d spent real time with my adult daughter—she has her own life —but during our week-and-a-half vacation, I was reminded of something I’d forgotten about her: her passion for adventure and nature.
Amy couldn’t wait to go kayaking in Monterey Bay—not just once, but twice. The second time we skipped the guide and went out alone, just the two of us paddling all the way to the Aquarium. On the way back, I went ahead and waited near the last jetty while she lingered, completely captivated by the sea otters.
She’d been apprehensive about kayaking to the sea caves near Santa Cruz, but she did it anyway. When we reached the last cave and rounded the point, the swells grew so large the front of our tandem kayak actually lifted out of the water. I was terrified and couldn’t wait to get out of there. In hindsight, maybe Amy had a premonition about what was in store for us on that part of the trip.
Even on land, she was always moving—usually far ahead of me along the beaches. It was her idea to take a wildlife boat tour of Elkhorn Slough, and also to cancel our second guided kayak trip in favor of renting and exploring on our own.
One of our best decisions—besides the Aquarium membership that let us visit every day—was renting bikes for all five days we stayed in Monterey. Riding along the ocean paths together became one of the most peaceful and memorable parts of the trip.
Now that we’ve been home for four days, it’s sinking in just how special the time together was.