Last weekend was a relatively quiet getaway for Bob and I, one of our first together without any dogs in a long time. That alone made it seem quite carefree, but I confess we did miss them. We stayed in Owen Sound in a lovely Victorian house, Highland Manor, remade with considerable care into a comfortable B&B. I love to stay in places like this that have some personality to them. Even if their history isn't known, the high ceilings, giant wainscotting, and other antique features in places like this make it easy to imagine colourful tales.

As soon as we got home, I flew off to Washington to stay in Dulles, Virginia, for a few days. The architectural time-shift was quite a shock. I was surrounded by office buildings, stores and homes (although only a few of the latter) that looked barely five years old. Everything had a just-made quality, no worn edges or faded bits. Even the lawns and parking lots looked as if they'd been ordered in and rolled out just last week. There must be a more lived-in looking part of town somewhere, but I never got to it.

For the colourful realities of the place, there were, of course, the people. I met several charming, friendly folks and saw various odd and interesting characters on the streets and in restaurants. Still seeing them, in fact, as I write this from Dulles airport. Had a chuckle a little while ago as I went through the security check. The man ahead of me was repeatedly put through the metal detector, each time removing bits of his clothing suspected of causing the alarm to sound. Finally, the agent went over him with a wand and discovered a very large handful of foil-wrapped condoms in his pants pocket. No jolly laughs at that point, though, from him or his buddy, because he then had to go through a more thorough personal search. I didn't stay for that part.

Update: My flight left more or less on time, in spite of grim weather that delayed lots of people going elsewhere. I wrote the above from the airport, but couldn't post it without internet access. Now I'm home and happy to be greeted with enthusiasm by all the canines and Bob.