tom and i used to xcross country ski near where we lived in boston, n.y. our dog heidi was a mixed breed hound, she sang and she was black and tan, about 40 pounds. during the day she would hang out in the barn with tom, napping in the sawdust under the lathe. one of their special adventures would be ‘bushwhacking’. that’s xcross country skiing in wild ungroomed areas sometimes frequented by snowmobiles, sometimes not. heidi loved going skiing with tom. as soon as she saw him put on his grey wool knickers she would start hopping up and down like a wind-up toy. she was just soooo excited. she would moan and bark and sing until they went out the door. she just couldn’t contain all that doggiejoy.

if they were gone a long time or the snow was deep or there was run-off to cross tom might have to pick her up and carry her. i have a picture of them in bed after i got up. heidi took my warm spot and put her head on the pillow next to tom. a great dog.