Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan is published by William Morrow. It tells the story of my adventures with Atticus M. Finch, a little dog of some distinction. You can also find our column in the NorthCountry News.

Friday, February 19, 2010

One More Sunset To Go

We're heading back to the mountains on Sunday so this was our next to the last seaside sunset. We'll miss them. While people gather in their cars to watch the end of daylight, Atticus and I leave them behind and take off down the beach and walk far away. We walk until the sun has been swallowed whole and the temperature drops. Then and only then, with the beach to ourselves, we take the long beach walk back to the car. It's a wonderful ritual and we've not missed a sunset since we arrived last Saturday.

Between sunrise and sunset I write a lot, we walk quite a bit, and we listen to classical music and jazz. It's been a productive week. I feel on course for the book. The manuscript is due in the hands of my editor by the end of May. There's a lot of work to do between now and then but I feel ready for it. These numerous walks through the dunes, along the beach at sunset, and through the local forest have been calming, therapeutic and peaceful and I think we'll return to Provincetown in coming winters for the solitude, the freedom and the dog-friendly community.

The top two photos don't capture the scene very well, but there was an amusing checking out process going on between the flock of gulls and Atticus. Both were curious but neither bothered getting closer. They just watched for the longest time. In the last photo, when Atticus was doing his 'little Buddha' thing watching the sun slip away, a couple of gulls came closer and Atticus turned his head to check them out, but he wasn't about to get up from his meditative position.

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