There we are, frozen in time. And there, on my husband's lap is Riley. We lost that adorable and adored little fellow three years ago. The photograph represents the last time we had taken him with us to share hiking opportunities, and though he was fifteen years old at the time, he was game to match us in energy, motivation and stamina.

We had such good times with him. He's gone and we miss him. With us now are two other little fellows and since they're now just three years of age, there's no question about energy levels; they have that in abundance. It's we now who are just barely able to manage to keep up with them. Riley could be depended upon to stay close to us on the trails; we never worried that he might stray.

With Jackie and Jillie it's a different story, we were concerned that they might be distracted by something sufficiently to have them run off and then we would be anxious about whether they might return. We know of many instances where people have lost their dependent dog companions and the very thought of a dog lost and bereft of those who care for it, having instead to forge on somehow on its own, frightens us.

This photograph was taken by a professional photographer and we were asked if we wouldn't mind posing for it by the owners of the establishment where we've stayed for the past fifteen years or so in the Waterville Valley. They were having a new website developed for them and they wanted some photographs that they felt might attract people to stay with them and enjoy their amenities and proximity to excellent hiking trails.

We've been returning to the Shamrock Motel and Cottages for years to spend a week in spring and another in fall, and enjoying every minute of it. After all these years staying at the facilities in various of the fully-equipped, clean and attractive cottages we've been enormously appreciative of the wonderful people who own and operate them. They are truly what old-timers used to call salt-of-the-earth and we're proud to consider them our friends.

We found, over the years, the location to be ideal for us to access the mountain trails deep in the forests of New Hampshire that we've been familiar with for almost forty years. While we no longer hike up and down the mountains of the Presidential Range, many of the less-demanding trails are still accessible to us in our elder years. Their beauty and the rugged views of natural landscapes never fail to impress and delight us.