Chapter 6. Snoop and the Professor: The Beach and a Creature Called a Horseshoe Crab
That afternoon, Mom and the Professor went to the beach and I was able to go with them. I was so happy that I didn’t have to stay at home, despite the fact that I had no idea what a beach was. Of course, that meant I had to travel in the car, something I really hate to do but I had no choice. So, I got in my cage and rode in the back of Mom’s car to the beach. Thank goodness, I had my blanket in my cage to calm me down. Mom said the cage keeps me from jumping all around from window to window and front to back. I don’t know why that is a problem. Oh well, I can’t manipulate Mom as well as I do the Professor. The 45-minute drive to the beach wasn’t too bad except for the long stop lights in Florida.
We went to Marshes Sands Beach. It’s where Ochlocknee Bay opens into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a small beach. Mom and the Professor like it because it is rarely crowded, somewhat private. Sometimes Mom and the Professor are the only ones there. Across the Bay Bridge is Bald Point State Park and the road to Alligator Point where we once had our big family beach vacation. I didn’t go on that vacation. Mom thought this would be a good beach for me because the waves are very small, almost like a lake. I had no idea what a wave was but I guess I would soon find out.
While we drove, the Professor had the radio on and he was singing. Someone desperately needs voice lessons. We finally stopped the car. The Professor put on a funny looking hat that Aunt Laura had bought him at Oak Island in North Carolina. He likes it, I think it is funny looking. The Professor opened up the back of Mom’s car. I was so impatient to get out of the cage. Mom carried the cooler and a few things, the Professor hooked me on a leash and I jumped out the back of the car. The Professor also carried the chairs as we walked toward the beach.
I have never seen so much sand before in my life. It was warm but not too hot. Mom said it was cloudy and that kept the sand from getting hot. It was hard to walk as my paws sank each time I put one down. I had to check out all the plants growing out of the sand. I was so excited that the first thing I did was poop on the beach. The Professor didn’t appreciate this at all but it made me feel better. The Professor told Mom that he would come back and clean up my mess after we get the chairs set up. Then I saw it. Wow! I have never seen so much water in my life. The Professor took me down to the edge of this vast water. It was moving in and out. I jumped back when a wave, yes, I found out what a wave is, splashed on me. I didn’t like that at all. I was thirsty so I decided to get a drink. Yuk! This is water you should not be drinking. It is very salty! The Professor laughed at me.
The Professor and I walked along the beach to the point. The water hit my belly a couple of times, so I had to steer the Professor away from the water. My nose was in hyper drive smelling anything I could such as logs, seaweed, plants, shells, a dead fish that had a good smell, a woman’s swim suit, and all of these little holes in the sand. I know there had to be something in these little holes but I couldn’t find anything even when I dug into the sand. Two sea gulls swept down in front of me as I jumped back.
There weren’t many people or other dogs to visit, so I quickly became bored and went back to lie down on a blanket next to Mom. I could see the water but I wanted no part of it. Mom gave me some real water in my bowl to drink. Thank goodness somebody brought the real stuff! Mom and the Professor talked, read their books, and watched a few people and their kids walk by. The Professor drank a beer. Sometimes I will sneak and lick the top of his beer bottle but I couldn’t get to it today.
I decided to lie down on some of the seaweed. It felt pretty good on my tummy. People would come by and talk to me. Everybody was real friendly. I liked one lady in particular, she thought I was very handsome and asked Mom if I were groomed regularly. Mom laughed and said no. I don’t know what it means to be groomed but I wanted no part of it. The lady said she was a dog groomer at a place in Tallahassee. I decided I didn’t need to be groomed and Mom promised me we would not go the grooming shop.
Then it happened. Working up my Beagle courage, I decided to take another look at this water that the Professor called the Gulf. At the edge of the water, I got hit by another wave. Then I saw a creature that was moving slowly from the water to the beach. It was ugly and it reminded me of a turtle. Mom called it a horseshoe crab. Mom said that at certain times of the year, this beach is full of horseshoe crabs that are mating. Remind me to never come back here when that is going on. What is mating? I don’t know but the Professor said that they were making little horseshoe crabs.
A man who was in the water picked up the creature. He turned it over so we could see it. Its little legs were going everywhere. Its hooked tail was standing straight up. I wanted no part of this creature from the Gulf. The man’s kids came over to look at it. They thought it was cool. Not me, I moved away from it back to the safety of my blanket and Mom and the Professor’s chairs. This was way too much excitement, so I decided to take a nap. I didn’t even mind the trip home. But, I will think twice the next time Mom and the Professor invite me to go to the beach. I ran into our house, took a nap, and dreamed of steaks on the grill.
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