Howling on a Saturday Night

On Saturday night I was getting my truck out of the garage, just as a fire truck went by on 38th street. I immediately let out an 'aaaaoooooooooo', and called Ben. He came into the dog door and answered with his own 'aaaaoooooooeeeeeoooooooooooo,' which was much better than mine, since he is a real canine and I am just a canine wannabe.

We continued this until the fire truck moved down the street a ways, which is when I noticed the two neighbor dogs across the street and one house down had joined in on our howl chorus. So me and Ben and the neighbor dogs were howling in the start of a Saturday night.

Its good that I am old and eccentric enough that I don't worry much about what my neighbors think of me. At least I don't howl when I get home early Sunday morning, when most of them are asleep.

Once me and Ben and Maggie listened to Coyotes yipping and carrying on from inside our tent in the backcountry. A few days later I heard the exact same sound - It was Ben mimicing them while standing on the picnic table on the deck.

Then there was the time I watched a grey wolf approach a herd of Buffalo in Yellowstone, early in the morning. She raised her head and howled, which was a signal to the rest of the pack to come up to her. They all did, and the pack wandered around the Bison, testing them, trying to get them to run. The Bison would have none of it. Several of the largest ones grouped together and charged at the wolves. The wolves then decided they had something better to do, and moved out into a grassy meadow, lied down, and went to sleep.

And you have to love my daughter's young border collie, Drift. He is one of the very few that appreciates the musicality of my harmonica playing. Check out these videos of him accompanying me, last time we went backpacking, here, and here. (Be patient while the files download; they are large (especially the second file)).

Its been a good year, howling at the moon in my own way, with all my high mountain adventures and then wild Saturday nights dancing. I am of the same mind as my canine buddies, life could not be better, and sometimes you just have to let the world know that you are here and plenty alive.