A Real Backyard Road Trip

Although the Covid restrictions are thankfully behind us, having two kids, ages two and five, my options for major travel are quite limited. Being a teacher, summer is a special season. With two months off, I can focus on my writing and enjoying time with the family. Where faraway travel once filled the weeks, it’s now mostly local or New England-wide. Add a new puppy into the mix, and my travel is now a real backyard road trip for the foreseeable future.

A Long Winter

We lost our mini schnauzer, Pepper, last December. Her loss hit the family hard. Being my wife’s baby, the only one that wouldn’t grow bigger, this completely devastated her. Follow that with Covid infiltrating our household, taking down all three of them except me. But then I caught a new variant in April, even after my first shot. To boot, my wife is still dealing with Covid long-haul symptoms, unfortunately almost daily. Let’s just say that 2021 did not begin with roses.

A few weeks back I started my new dog search. A rescue or a breeder, it didn’t matter! I thought that it could be a positive distraction for the family during our two months together in the summer. After a few no responses and a few other outright “no’s,” a four-month-old puppy was available in Connecticut. Hamlet. The listing said he is a mini schnauzer but anyone that has seen him is guessing Australian Shepherd or Sheepdog poodle mix. 

Welcoming Hamlet

After meeting him, I was immediately struck. This happy guy was the right combination of playful and cuddly. After signing paperwork and emptying my wallet, he was mine. On one of the excruciatingly hot and humid days this summer, I took him home. Granted I was driving the car in which the AC was broken. So for the hour and a half ride home, one hand was on the wheel and the other resting on the console making sure he didn’t make the quick move to the front, with both of us sweating and/or panting.

Bringing him home, it’s certainly added to the already chaotic (at times) household. Throwing a puppy into the mix is always challenging. That’s to be expected though. He’s a sweet dog who loves to cuddle but also runs around with the kids. 

A Real Backyard Road Trip!

With most of our summer activities now literal backyard road trips, training Hamlet is just another adventure on this road trip. From the slide to the blow-up pool, to playing catch, having a cookout, and chasing the dog, these activities about sum up summer 2021. Living in Plymouth too makes even the shortest walk with the kids or the dog a road trip on its own. Even though air travel is put on hiatus for another summer, a real backyard road trip is happening every day in my own backyard. 

Read on for more fun including a Basement Road Trip and a Living Room Road Trip.