Beau enjoyed five days of eFree living while everyone else cooked, traveled, and celebrated over the Thanksgiving holiday. Long walks, plenty of snuggles, some new toys, and a special Thanksgiving dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, and yams. Then, just like that, the Christmas season began.

The foliage has been vibrant and lush this autumn, with color both high and low. The dog isn’t so bad either, making for a great accent against these gorgeous red leaves.

We bundled up for one of my favorite walks: down Mass Ave, past the Naval Observatory, back through the woods, looping up Normanstone, climbing Garfield, and cruising home again.

Beau and his two best friends (Argos and Hadley) had fun at the CDTC Howliday Party. Everyone wore their fancy Christmas neckwear, though Beau did not appreciate being terrorized by an angry but very cute Schipperke. He was more than happy to accept cuddles and even a few kisses to make up for it.

One night brought the last packwalk with friends from Hadley Training. Bittersweet, because we are better for having Mimi, Payton, and Hadley in our lives. The group photo was epic. Pinto perched like a gentleman, Kaia questioned her life choices, Hadley looked like she thought we were all mad, and my little weirdo struck a perfect pose after giving me a scare with a leap to the top.

And then there was the rare sighting of the Cathedral gargoyle who sometimes masquerades as a dog. Keen-eyed visitors can spot him only a few times each week before he vanishes back to his perch. 😁 This time he paraded around in his friar’s robe, making most everyone smile at the sight of him.