Last October, we vacationed at Fripp Island, SC. We’ve vacationed here many times over the years and look forward to two weeks of rest and relaxation. A big part of vacation is walking on the island, oftentimes with our dog, Matty (named by my wife after Mathesar of Galaxy Quest).
Matty is a Border Collie, a breed well-known for their herding prowess. Our previous border collies herded the deer of Fripp as well as us and even wind-blown leaves.
Looking at the picture quickly, it appears that Matty is herding the deer. However, a close examination of his head position indicates he’s looking to the left of the deer, probably at a squirrel. For some reason, Matty ignores the deer completely–he’s all about the squirrels, whether they’re on the ground or running about the branches of the trees.
I can’t explain it. At all. I’m completely baffled.
Anyway, I plan to post more photos from vacation soon.
By the way, while on vacation I wrote a second draft of the short story described in this post.
I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.