It now takes a few layers of clothing to make us feel comfortable walking through the forest. Where just a few days ago we made an especial effort to avoid direct contact with the sun in the unseasonably hot and humid few weeks we'd been experiencing from a large, unmoving weather system that reached from Southern Ontario to New York State and for all we know beyond, we now appreciate that orb's warmth, standing directly under it in areas where the forest canopy briefly opens.

Irrespective of the ambient temperature, however, it's always a treat to be there, walking on the trails, our boots softly moving among the crisping fallen leaves. The sun slanting through branches still full of green leaves and needles reflecting the mixed forest of deciduous and conifers, paints its own colour landscape for our eyes, engraving them briefly in memory.

We never know what we'll see there, new changes reveal themselves every day, sometimes expected sometimes not. And when we come across people we haven't seen in ages that too is a pleasure as we stand about together chatting and bringing ourselves up to date while Jackie and Jillie patiently await the first opportunity for moving on.

Not that they don't have their own opportunity to re-acquaint with other dogs they've become familiar with. Today on our woodland hike we came across Max yet again, having seen him yesterday as well, an encounter that on both occasions translated to a good romp for all three. Jackie and Jillie are smaller, slighter than Max but an almost-match in physical exuberance. Jillie has a tendency to run in the opposite direction, attempting to evade Max when he becomes too physically boisterous and bowls her over, while Jackie prefers to confront and challenge while taking evasive steps to avoid being physically battered.

And unlike their usual reaction of barking it is Max who barks and growls while they chase one another, not Jackie and Jillie. Max is just a year-and-a-half, while our two are now three years old; moving into the area of maturity that marks experienced dogs that have seen more of the world. These encounters are positive for the mental adjustment of all, young and old of both species. For us it's the entertainment value and the opportunity to note how the three distinct personalities interact.

For them, it's another socializing, learning opportunity; all of us come away with some added element to the impressions we gain in such encounters; experiencing and witnessing them, both .