24 August 2020
Piper in paradise, on her summer holiday. 20 July 2020.
In early June, I received a call from a good friend who had managed to cross the border from Quebec into Vermont, make his way down to NYC to grab his daughter and return to Stowe. His daughter wanted out of Manhattan (for good reason) and found herself solo in a house that she knew well, on a great property but very much missing interpersonal interaction. So, she asked for a dog. These folks have Whittaker (Billie’s brother and Yogi’s sire) and have had Tibetans for many years. Every family member knows the importance of brushing a TT, immediately attending to snarls and the importance of keeping the coat clean, if you want to enjoy a happy healthy Tibetan Terrier in full coat. So, I offered the lovely Pipes to his daughter and sent her on a summer holiday up in paradise. She’s only ten minutes away and I’ve enjoyed my weekly visits for the best cappuccinos in town. ;>)
Maxfield Parrish Piper. Sunset over Mount Mansfield, 2 July 2020.
Recently, I received the letter below from the lovely Pipes and wanted to share her story with all of you.
Hi Wendyll,
Oh boy, oh boy (or should I say Oh girl, oh girl), was yesterday fun! We went on a hike at the ski mountain. We were planning on doing the Haselton trail but once we were about to start, SR changed her mind and we hiked Switchback the whole way up to the top of Mount Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vermont! The Haselton trail is a woodsy trail and there are river beds and some challenging parts for us small ladies. Switchback is a cat track in the winter, so we knew it might be a bit easier in summer, even though I’m so good at walking on any surface (except water). It was so hot, SR thought it would be better to hike up a real ski trail that she knows blindfolded and can ski backwards, forwards AND EVEN while spinning in winter. SR didn’t let us spin though, because she didn’t want us to get dizzy. I think she made a good decision because we were able to move to the side when we needed a break in the shade & for water, and we didn’t have to lie down in muddy areas if we needed a break. She also knew at every point, how far up we were. She was my sherpa!
Shade break. Summer 2020 in Stowe, Vermont.
We had a nice break in the shade. SR always asked me to stay in the shady part while we were hiking instead of the direct sun. I was so pooped, I plopped down. SR took off a frisbee thingy from her bag and I told her this is no time for games, stop trying to make fetch happen, I’m not interested in your tennis balls or your frisbee. But then she showed me it was a bowl! And she took out her water bottle and poured me a nice drink. She told me we were halfway up the mountain and that we already passed the steepest part. After our break I told her I wanted to continue to the top, since hiking up is easier than going down, especially since it was about to get easier and we were so close. Why give up now but still have to hike the same amount either way!
So we continued on our journey, with frequent water breaks. That girl is so demanding, she kept stopping and asking me to drink water. Drink your own water human, I want to get to the finish line. But I drank the water and then tipped the bowl over and onto her shoes to tell her come on, let’s go already. She doesn’t like wet feet either but she wasn’t mad at me, because really, who could ever get mad at my cute face. I can get away with murder – well the murder was of a worm poking out of the ground but that’s a story for another day. Ok, I’ll tell you the story now. I like to attack/play with worms and then roll on top of them to celebrate. And if I remember where it was, the next day? I pee on them.
We found mini strawberries on Mount Mansfield!
Taking in the view with SR. Summer 2020.
We made it to the top of Gondolier where I saw the waterfall! We saw a Lab and its humans hiking down in the distance, but I’m a very good social and physical distancer – so, we steered clear of them.
Then, we made made it to the tippy top! We took in the views but decided not to hike to The Chin. I’m so happy we made it to the top. I love my hikes with SR! This one was better than the one we did up to Sterling Pond from the Notch.
We took the gondola down. I have a top secret special pass that lets me on. There were signs that told you where to stand in line to get on the gondola that made sure every group physically distanced themselves from each other. You were only allowed to stand next to a sign and then go up to the next sign once that sign didn’t have people next to it, and only 1 group per gondola. There were no people so we walked all the way to the front where a man in a mask put hand sanitizer on SR and then we went inside. He didn’t sanitize her feet but only her hands, which is silly in my opinion because it’s her feet that get dirty from walking on the dirt. My front paws AND back paws get wiped down but now I’m going to tell SR to only wipe my front paws going forward, or maybe they don’t need to get wiped at all because they don’t touch my face (except when I’m rubbing my face with my paws which I only do sometimes which SR thinks is too cute and then she tries to scratch the part she thinks is itchy). All the windows were open in the gondola but SR still wore her mask inside.
On Golden Pond – except up here? We call it Sterling Pond. Summer 2020.
We got back into the car and SR blasted the AC. I sit so regally in the car and have my face in view of the AC to get the breeze on my face. I was told my brother Whittaker likes to put his front paws and face on the front center console between the seats so that his private parts gets the full blast of the AC breeze. He seems like a funny guy. Maybe one day we will get to smell each other and play. But he’s stuck in Montreal with Freddie and his humans and I’m keeping SR company down here in Stowe.
We got back home and my tongue is normal size again! I am very excited for a bath this week. Maybe SR won’t tell me to get off her bed right after I jump on after she just changed her sheets next week when I’m nice and clean again. I was just helping out with the chores though, I needed to make it comfy for her. I guess that’s why she showers before getting into her bed, too. I supervise her to make sure she’s ok in all that water and she told me it’s a bit creepy when I stare at her in there, so now I just lay on the bath mat and look the other way but listen to make sure she’s ok and that she doesn’t forget to use soap.
Clean and ready for bed. Camp sure is great! Summer 2020.
Hugs and kisses,
Piper B.
Obviously, Piper’s having a terrific time in paradise and so, we’re going to visit on Wednesday. And because Piccolo is in quarantine, I’ll be going with Jen, Andy, Paige and Julius for a play date. We’ll be sure to shoot video for YouTube, as the kids are going to have an opportunity for HUGE play on ten fenced acres with two ponds, gardens and huge shade trees. Great fun WILL be had by all and we’ll keep you posted. Enjoy what’s left of summer 2020!
Yours truly,
WB.
