Friday

We took it easy today and biked to the Dunedin Library, next to TD Ballpark and across from Home Plate restaurant.

A benefactor left the library his estate, allowing them to build this wonderful library.

It’s a little over 4 miles from our house via the Pinellas Trail.

There’s lots of public art, even the benches and bike racks are artistic.

The bike racks are in the shape of open books.

We got our library card and downloaded the app. The library is a part of the Pinellas county system. They have the usual books and magazines, but they also have a large collection of movies and games on CD. But we were most interested in their online books and audio books to download.

We’re in the cue to download an audio book about Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and the book itself. I have started reading it twice but never finished, including for a graduate school class. I’ve since learned more about its significance and underlying meanings, so this time I’m going to finish it. We got the audio version so we can listen together and discuss it as we go.

In the meantime, we’ll listen to A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to see how we like audio books. We might try listening while we walk, with each of us sharing an ear piece. This could be a disaster or a brilliant idea.

For me, there is something very comforting about libraries. I love words and stories and reliable information. A well-told story can impact your life and your way of seeing things. 

I need to de-emphasize the time I spend reading the news. It’s so depressing and there’s nothing I can do about it. The Republicans seem hell-bent on destroying their party, their values, democracy, the rule of law, and truth itself.

On the way home from the library, we left the Pinellas Trail and cut across to the Dunedin Marina.

 

The weather was perfect. It got up to 81, but the humidity was 33%. The winds were strong enough to make white caps.

We were looking at the harbor entrance across from the pier when we spotted two manatees.

They were making their way out into the sound.

We took Victoria Drive back to Weaver Park and then got back on the trail heading north. When we got to Hammock Park, we cut through the park enjoying the shade and beautiful trails.

Here’s Toby’s patented move for meeting any dog.

Step 1: lay down and point towards the desired object.

Step 2: let the other dog engage first while staying in a down position.

Step3: stand up and sniff and greet. 

Today’s bike route to the Dunedin Public Library, the marina, through Weaver Park and Hammock Park 

Toby Story: Guard Dog

John got home before me yesterday but didn’t have his key or garage door opener. He remembered that we put an extra key in a lock box on the back door. He couldn’t remember the combination, so he had to try three different times to unlock the box. As he was struggling with the lock box, he was making a lot of noise banging it around on the back door, the door that opens to the sunroom where Toby’s crate is and where he was crated while we were away.

John finally got in, only to find Toby standing up inside his crate trembling with fear that someone was breaking in to his home. Most dogs would have barked, hearing an intruder, but Toby was as quiet as a church mouse.

Miles walked: 6

Miles biked: 10.39