A man and two dogs who I had not seen for a while

When Willow, the Iditarod reject Husky from Kaktovik was alive, she would accompany me on all my daily walks. Two or three times a week, we would see Tony coming from the opposite direction, walking his big amiable beagle, Barney.

Before I venture any further, I should note that it was not for a lack of enthusiasm or pulling power that Willow got dropped from her Iditarod team. She was strong. She could pull hard. She loved to run and run and run! She was fast! She was also extremely sensitive. If anyone spoke a cross word to her, she would pout for as much as three days. Sooner or later, an Iditarod dog is always going to get a cross word spoken to it and then if it sits down and pouts for two or three days, the race will be lost.

But that's not my point. My point is we would often see Tony and Barney and then after Willow died Barney died and then Tony got a wife and a couple of new dogs and I would see him and the dogs and sometimes the wife too every now and then but now I haven't seen him for months. Maybe a year. Perhaps even longer. But here he is, In the chilly morning air, walking two dogs. 

Text added at 11:19 AM. The Squarespace nightmare continues - day 48 and counting.