“My friend Phil has a theory that the Lord, having made teenagers, felt constrained to make amends and so created the Golden Retriever.” – Mary McGrory

I took a look back and it has been a while since I wrote much about Max – other than the fact that he is always such an amazingly good boy, and such a quiet but important part of just about everything that we do.

Monday he met with a new friend for his late winter grooming. We have been happy with everyone Max has been to visit, but this was a new referral from a mutual friend so we thought we should make their acquaintance and see how Max gets along.

We drove out into the fields and woods a few miles northwest of Macclesfield and found this stunningly beautiful location that reminds me of why it is that people sometimes like to trade in city life for a few acres of quiet in the middle of nowhere.

Max did well; he behaved himself, made friends and came home looking extra handsome after his day at the spa.

It really is lovely out there, but I don’t think I will ever be tempted to trade Tarboro for the extra quiet of the country. Tarboro is way quiet enough already.

We have lived in the suburbs of Atlanta, in Pensacola, on the edge of Tampa, and then the growing busyness and congestion and noise around Wake Forest – so I am going to need to keep a few people around. And the people here in Tarboro are just fine.

Of course, Max helps me. I have never been anywhere that he did not facilitate a good introduction. “Oh, you’re with Max, are you? Well then you must be okay.”

I’ll take that. Max really is the best. – DEREK