This morning K and I split up the things needing doing. She took the kids on errands and I was given the task of wearing out our dog. After seeing F/A-18s fly over our home this morning, I got the idea of taking the dog with me to see the Governor Perdue’s Inauguration Parade. As I remembered that local amateur radio operators would be assisting in the parade, I grabbed my dual-band HT and Rocket and I began walking.
The walk from here to Fayetteville Street takes a little over 30 minutes. We got there just as the parade was beginning. I must have made the security teams nervous with my backpack and a radio on my belt, but also having a big, dumb Labrador kind of evened that out.
We sat down and watched some of the parade. I waved to Janet Cowell as she rode by but didn’t really care much about the rest of the dignitaries. Plenty of kids marching by enjoyed seeing Rocket at the curb, though he made himself scarce whenever a marching band with drums went by.
We then walked toward the end of the parade, in effect speeding up its passing. I traveled back far enough to see the high-stepping Helping Hands Mission Band before Rocket and I turned and headed home.
Together we walked about six miles through downtown, making Rocket a true Downtown Dog now.