Fred, Joe, and Nolan

If we walk Maysie after 7:30 a.m., we will encounter Fred, Joe, Nolan, and Finn, Nolan's aging black lab. Joe and Nolan carry dog treats (or "bickies" as Joe calls them--short for biscuits), so Maysie will sprint toward them as soon as they are on the horizon. I let her go, knowing Nolan will get her lead.

This trio are likely in their 70s and are the friendliest group of guys you could hope to meet. Today, Joe wanted an update on my house search. Fred warned me about gazumping--you think you have a successful bid on a house but someone sneaks in and outbids you late in the game. There is no earnest money here, so it happens all the time. There is also the matter of illegal phantom bids--reported high bids that are fake. Goodness.

Anyway, we have had heavy rains the past two days and the waterfall at the top of the glen has a Niagara quality to it. Fred pulled out his digital SLR camera and showed me his waterfall photos. I'm surprised by this because I assume people older than me are not comfortable with the latest techie trends, but I'm dead wrong. Again. Fred tells me that the spray from the waterfall was something powerful. "They say you should have one adventure every day and this was my adventure," he said, fixing me with his one good eye as he slowly climbed the hill out of the glen. This made my day. 8/3