DALLAS and MARTHA!

Dallas, the little wiry black and white terrier, noticeably graying around the mouth, was more than a match for her younger pal 

Martha, a spirited and playful yellow lab who shared her home space.  The famous nineteenth century American writer Thoreau might have said that they marched to their own drummer, but Dallas often led the way, no matter what direction it took.

I remember my friend and I taking Dallas and Martha to a special 

childhood park of mine, which included a wonderful trail that meandered through the woods and along the Black River. It's always been a picturesque and memorable place, but perhaps even more so now that 50 years have passed since I swam and wandered through the peaceful setting.  It will always be a special place to me, and nothing could have made me happier than to watch little scout Dallas and her willing follower Martha traverse new territory.  Dallas would race on ahead, check everything out to make sure it was safe, and then come back to urge us to proceed.  Sometimes my friend and I would then convince Dallas and Martha to follow us out onto the large, inviting rocks and just sit and watch the simple, wonderful Black River flow on by.  I couldn't have been happier in those moments, sitting with my pals, and occasionally seeing a deer across the way. I often wanted to freeze those special moments in time.

And then there was my family cabin, about 30 miles away.  Both Dallas and Martha might have been sleeping on the way to the cabin (nearly 150 miles away from Minneapolis), but the minute we got near the cabin roads, they were both in prime excitement mode.  Dallas could hardly contain herself, yipping and panting down the home stretch.  It made me laugh with nearly as much excitement as Dallas as I opened the door to a little bit of wonderful country air.  They loved sitting by the fire inside the cabin at night or next to us by the bonfire near the lake. They were on vacation too!  And what good pals they were--always ready for the next adventure.

Dallas and Martha went on many trips with me and my friend.  I know there were times when they weren't sure if they would be included, but invariably they were.  Although they've both passed on to other worlds, I will always remember them with great fondness.  I think that sometimes Dallas thought that Martha was a bit too much, especially when her big tail whacked Dallas in the face. Sometimes too Martha got so carried away throwing her stuffed animals into the air and chasing after them that Dallas nearly gave up, as she showed her a questioning look which seemed to say, "Why don't you settle down?" Martha was of course completely oblivious.

I sometimes feel a deep sadness for my special companions of the past, but then I remind myself of how rich memories are.  As a former teacher friend of mine once said, "You'll always be rich in memories, and that's what really counts."  Dallas and Martha are a very big and important part of my memory bank!

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