Friday night, we decided that at some point this weekend, we would go to Indian Stream Metro Park. It is a little bit of a drive, but it is a nice park. There's an environmental center with a clear tunnel that goes under a man made pond that they are going to stock with fish. There's also lots of trails, and a play area for the kids. So we decided to go there this morning, and in our typical fashion, left later than we planned. Turns out that was a good thing for three dogs that we had not yet met. As we pulled out of the driveway, either Monique or I recited our slogan, "Off like a herd of turtles," when we noticed a yellow lab off on the side of the road with no owner in site. So we pulled off, and tried to see if he would come to us. Turns out his name was Timber, and he only lived a couple blocks away. He hopped in the back of the Equinox, and we took him home. His owner seemed neither overly concerned nor overly thankful that we returned his dog, but alas, mission accomplished. Once again, off like a herd of dog rescuing turtles.
So we get to the park, and go under the pond, which was not very exciting since there aren't any fish in it yet. At least last time, there were tadpoles, but I suspect they have all moved on and gone off to college or something. After chasing Ben around, we went outside to check out the frog pond that was abuzz with frog activity last time we were there. Seriously, there were dozens of frogs there all with lots to talk about. Once again, we were slightly disappointed when we arrived to find just three turtles on a log. I guess last time we were there, it was springtime and all, which would explain why they were all so chatty. Good thing we don't speak frog, especially Ben, because then we would have lots of explaining to do that we're not quite ready for.
So we decided to wander off on the trail to the Nature Center where all the stuffed wildlife is. It is kinda bizarre if you ask me, but Ben likes it. On our way, Ben spots a couple with two dogs following them. As they approach, of course Ben is asking if he can pet them. Once nearby, the couple asked if we had lost a couple dogs. The way they said it, I thought they were joking. It turns out, not so much. The dogs were indeed lost and had been following the couple. The dogs had tags with phone numbers on them, so i called the number. After talking with the owner, who was generally confused about where we were, and was at home nearly 20 miles away, we made our way to the Nature Center to wait for "the boys" to be picked up. About an hour later, we were all starving, and Ben getting a little antsy. Right as Monique and he left to go back to the car for some food, the owner arrived, and once again, the he seemed neither overly concerned nor overly thankful that we returned his dogs.
So we went and played. That's it. I know... I expected something cooler, too, given that we rescued three dogs, but alas, just a regular trip to a park with Ben. Maybe that's why it never occurred to me to take some pictures of the dogs (sorry). I think next week we'll go save some dolphins.
