A Nutty Vacation

By Bob Cox

In my younger days, the definition of a great vacation was to pack in as many fun adventures as possible with family and friends. In the past few years, those goals have changed 180 degrees as my wife Diana and I set out to do as little as possible while following the 3 R’s for the ultimate vacation: recluse, relax and recharge. The big event of the day will be how long we can lay around in bed watching Animal Planet on TV before hunger forces us to hunt for food.

We recently got back from a three day vacation with our dog the Nut, which wound up being anything but relaxing. The drive down to the central coast was just what Doctor Doolittle ordered. It was peaceful, serene and uneventful as The Nut practically disappeared in our back seat. We never heard a peep, even from her squeak toy.

Shortly after we arrived at the motel, our plans to follow the 3R’s began to unravel like a ball of yarn in a room full of catnip crazed kittens as Diana’s maternal instincts kicked in. To say that Diana has a fondness for animals is like saying that Noah knew a thing or two about building boats. She found every way imaginable to obsess over our dog’s comfort and well being, fretting over the Nut’s loss of appetite for her favorite treats she normally devours before we can unwrap them. The Nut barked at every single sound during the night, which she still managed to hear even after we cranked up our rain forest sound machine full blast. During those two sleepless nights, she took our exhausted animal out for more potty breaks than I do in an entire month and I walk her every day!

While we were visiting with our son Bobby, daughter Shauna and grandson Zack in our motel room, Diana asked Shauna repeatedly to scour the internet for nearby dog friendly restaurants. The search intensified with Diana’s desperate and relentless insistence, I jokingly turned to Diana and said that this was a planned intervention for her over-the-top obsession with our dog’s care. Zack picked up on the light hearted banter and said, “Hi everyone, my name is Diana and I’m a dog-aholic” and then dryly quipped in a deep voice “Hi Diana”. A good laugh was shared by all.

As we drove home at the end of day three, drained and exhausted from our sleep deprived adventure, I turned to Diana and said, “Next time, we get a dog-sitter and my fellow animal lover turned to me and practically panted while nodding in silent approval.