Vacation Day One

So I’m on vacation this week… Packed the girls (5 and 2 yrs olds), the wife, surfboards and dog in the car and headed to the beach – the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We actually drove down on Saturday, and for any American family that has driven any length of road with small children knows, that after getting to the rental house, the grocery store run done and the beach supplies secured – the first cocktail is a rewarding affirmation of vacation survival. You’ve done all the hard word and now there’s a slight chance of dividend!

Elvis, our Jack Russell Terrier, seems to be the hit of the beach. Nevermind that I am a hotshot surfer on the beach or that my nearly six-year old daughter wants to learn to surf like “Lilo” of the Lilo and Stitch movie… when we take Elvis to the water’s edge, he draws a friendly crowd. Everyone wants to hang out with Elvis. He runs through the sand like a tornado, stopping at the surf with caution, thens runs back in huried circles along the incoming tide. He is most fascinated with chasing the seagulls which almost invariably deceive him with little precision. But every kid on the beach wants to fawn over Elvis, so his failed seagull attempts are soon forgotten.

It was my idea to bring the dog, even paying an extra premium to cover his rental fee. But after spending just a few days down here with him, I’m thinking maybe I should get him a weekend place.

After all, as we walked back to the beach house today, a group of unkown folks sitting on their deck enjoying late-afternoon cocktails, shouted in unision: HEY ELVIS!!

The dog is a superstar. We all should wish to be so… So if you’re sitting at work and wishing you were on vacation… take solace in that Elvis is keeping it kool for you!