Inns and Out

I've been without access to this blog for a couple of days. I'm staying at an inn close to the campus for Camp Gone to the Dogs. The inn was built in 1786 and I don't think any renovations have been done since then! The only grounded outlet is in the bathroon where I just managed to extend the cord to the computer so I could write. It is drapped over the sink (yes, I know - safety hazard) and then trails just to the edge of a table. Thankfully Jack and Kelsey are asleep or I would be worried that they might accidentaly run into the chord and pull the computer down. The computer is seven years old so it really doesn't need any more bruising!
The inn is situated in front of a large pond and Kelsey again has fallen in love with the water. There are fish that jump and splash, a new experience for her, and it makes me smile to see her trying to figure out where the splash came from. Next door is a white congregational church, established in 1776. It gives me pause to think of its history. Vermont really is populated with whitewashed churches in the village center with tall steeples that dominate the landscape.
The room I'm in has the old broad pine floors with each plank almost two feet wide. The bed is a tiny single bed frame which looks like it may be from the turn of the last century. For some reason the bed has a steep slant to the right so it is hard to not roll right off. To add to the delight, Jack and Kelsey both want to sleep with me. A seat belt would come in handy! The first night in the single was spent trying to get the three of us repositioned on the downhill ski bed but last night we manged alright. There are probably twenty dogs and their people in the inn but you rarely hear a dog bark, despite all the creaks and groans of an old inn. The dogs are better behaved than most people.
There is no air conditioning and for the first time since I've been in Vermont I've missed the AC. While it hasn't been as hot as Georgia, today was in the 90s and I had to really scale back my activities with Jack and Kelsey. That is another lesson that they keep teaching me, not to overschedule, which I'm prone to do and then have to back out of too many things. They are living examples that less is more; that what counts is the present and being present.
I'm learning to see the world better through their eyes, which is another way of saying I'm re-learning to see the world through the eyes of God. I'll talk more about camp, which is amazing, in future blogs, but for right now keep in mind that there are at least thirty different activities you can do with your dog each day - impossible to do, although many try. I've had to choose just a few things and in making those choices savor what I'm doing. It is a reminder that all of life is to be savored and we get the most flavor by just picking a few choice morsels to delight our taste buds. The psalmist said, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Taste the delicacies of this life. God created it all and called it good.