At the head of the Westport River, there is a small country store where townies chat over hot cups of coffee and tourists sit with their sticky-faced kids and bask in the sun with melting ice cream cones. This time of year the tourists haven't arrived yet and we enjoyed sitting in peace and looking out over the river.
The chairs were freshly painted, in every color of the rainbow, and the smell of fresh cut grass was in the air.
We enjoyed coney island hotdogs and sipped on cold cans of soda. Sahara was more interested in lapping up water from a bottle rather than her shiny water bowl. Trotting along the river, chewing on tufts of grass or watching ripples in the river, she was a very happy puppy.
Sunshine, my hubs, and Sahara...what else could I ask for?
The country store has a beautiful mural painted on the back of the building, where they have a big back yard with lush green grass, handcrafted bird houses nestled into the tree branches, and picnic tables under the shade of brightly colored umbrellas.
The chairs are placed along the river bank amid big, old trees that provide shade from the bright rays of sun.
As we sat and relaxed on that wonderful afternoon Martin counted 18 bird houses, some hidden among branches way up out of reach. Some are painted, some are simply constructed of wood, and some have little metal roofs. The whole yard is beyond charming.
Sahara discovered a spot between two giant stones and as she peeked her little head over the edge to peer at the water, she saw her reflection. She stayed that way for at least ten minutes, popping her head over the edge, hiding between the rocks, and then peeking at herself in the river again and again.
An afternoon spent by the river is not complete without a sweet treat...and that means ice cream! Creamy frozen yogurt, pretty purple black raspberry, with sweet chocolate chips swirled throughout. We strolled to the other side of the bridge, feeling the soft green grass between our toes, and sat beneath a tree among the dandelions to enjoy our dessert.
We even got Sahara a surprise...her very first vanilla ice cream. She LOVED the scoop of rich vanilla ice cream and managed to get it all over her nose and chin. Sahara loves cold things, like ice cubes, so she adored her first taste of ice cream.
The river connects to the ocean a few miles down and it was clearly high tide, as the water spilled over the sides of the river banks.
The river was full to the brim, seeping through the grass. We carried our flip flops and walked by the water's edge, enjoying the sun's warmth and the cool water.
Sahara thought the rocks along the river were fun to run along and she fearlessly charged through puddle after puddle. She pounced on floating leaves and munched on yellow dandelions.
I skipped across the rocks, snapping pictures, and watched the water start to recede back out to the ocean. It slowly slipped over the rocks, leaving puddles and damp grass, that the heat of the sun quickly dried.
We lounged in the grass, sometimes talking, sometimes just looking at the beauty around us. This little pup was so good; she loved the water, the sun, and the grassy hills she ran up and down.
The warmth of the sun, the coolness of the river, the sweetness of our ice cream cones, and the laughter we shared as Sahara tumbled through the grass are all details I want to remember forever. She will not be a puppy forever but afternoons like this are ones we will surely try to recreate...as often as possible. Maybe making a memory is not about capturing it but letting it go so that we can create it again...and enjoy it all over again. Loving this journey...
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