Sunshine on the Water and Henry Scares a Cat

"Sunshine on the water looks so lovely." ~ John Denver

Walter, Henry and I went for walk around our favorite part of the bay today.  The air was crisp and dry and the sun spread its illuminating beams across the sparkling winter waters.  How perfect nature is as it reveals its magic to us!   

The city by the bay was in full, clear view today with some cottony clouds suspended in the pale blue backdrop.  The boys sniffed and explored every bush and branch as if they were all brand new.  They always want to greet every passerby - human and canine alike.  Most are open to their enthusiasm and give them a much-wanted pet; but, still, I wait to get the okay.  

The little clip-clop bridge we cross on our walk

We walked down to the floating dock where I have to hold on tight to ensure they don’t decide to take a leap into the tempting waters.  

After we headed back up the dock ramp, we walked to a great spot on a curve where we can take a rest by the bench.  From here, we have a perfect view of the city skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Does it get any better than that?

Sometimes on the walk back to our house, I unhook Henry from the leash and let him walk solo the rest of the way home.  Henry is very obedient.  Walter stays tethered to me as I cannot quite trust him from wandering off and getting into mischief.  I tell Walter he is my special boy as he watches Henry roam free to sniff out interesting things off the beaten path.  He does not  seem to mind.  Today, however, Henry got into a little mischief himself.  I took my eyes away for a moment to capture the church steeple with my camera and that is when I heard Henry’s very excited barks.  

Pretty church standing against the blue winter sky

When I turned around, I saw him at the base of a tree barking and looking up at a very alarmed kitty cat.  Oh, Henry!  

Oh, Henry!

Poor, scared kitty!

Is it terribly mean that I actually took the time to photograph this event while that poor kitty remained in the tree shaking like a leaf  - all for the sake of memorializing my sweet little pup's behavior so I could post it on my blog?  Does this confirm that I am "dog person" more than a "cat person" even though I have been mother to a sweet little feline named Mac for the past two decades?  Oh, dear.

At home, I don’t think Henry even realizes that Mac is a cat and even if he does, he has no interest in Mac.  He simply ignores him.  But on every walk, Henry relentlessly hunts in bushes and alleys in search of a cat.  I have even seen him awestruck by a cat statue!  He will stop dead in his tracks and unremittingly stare at the inanimate kitty with fixed eyes and pointed tail.  What a hoot!  Henry is a gentle guy so I really do not know what he would do if cats did not run away from him.  My guess is he would sniff and eventually lose interest.  The whole thing was really quite comical to watch, albeit not so much for the terrorized kitty cat.  Just look at the poor little guy in the tree.  I sure hope it didn’t take too long for him to get over it.

We always go around the back way to our house on the way home.  Walter and Henry get to go over the wooden dock to our back deck door.  

We go through one gate

And then we go through another gate....Walter decides to take a rest while I take the picture

All the walks with Walter and Henry are eventful to me in some way.  These boys never cease to delight me with their endless curiosity and their sense of wonder. It is as if they are seeing everything for the first time, every time.