This is Deputy Digby Pancake.  I spend most of my days eating and sleeping.  But when I finally get those chores done and I either write the blog or I pee on Sheriff Brickle’s head to get those items checked off of my list, I think about what I see during the day.

Here at the beach, persons seem to be a little more relaxed and a little nicer.  They also seem to want to do things that they think are fun like swim or lay in the sand, or fly those kite things.  Those kite things have always perplexed me, even from the time we were in Bodega Bay, California.

The person have some fabric on a stick which is on a string that they try to get up in the air, and make it move or whatever. Usually, it comes crashing down on their heads, but they keep doing it and keep doing it.  They like doing it I suppose.  And I understand that just about as much as pancakes without butter.  But, if someone is having fun doing something, who am I to worry about it?

Where we are are here in this Florida place, the persons even attach giant kites to surfboards and ride around on them.  It is a sight to see.  And although I think that I could do it too, I am more content to surf on a dinner plate.

But then, last night, I thought perhaps it was time for me to see if I could maybe try out this sport.  Yes, I thought about it.  I thought maybe, that if I could jump on one of these boards and fly a giant kite, I could maybe sail faster to an IHop or a Waffle House to change it up. Looks like these persons went really fast and sometimes, they even flew up in the air.  Maybe I could learn to do this.

Last night, I knew that my thinking was on the right train of thought.  The winds were really strong, the waves were really high and loud, and not many other persons or dogs were out there.  It was as blustery as Brickle’s butt. And that is blustery. But then, I saw Boy Person off in the distance.

As much as we were excited to see him, we could see that he was struggling..struggling with something on the shore.  Had he found an injured shark or a dolphin? We didn’t know.  We could see him dragging something from far away and Girl Person thought the worst.  There was something wrong.

As we picked up our speed and finally got closer, we could see something that looked like a tent on the shore.  It was big.  As big as Brickle’s attitude.  And when we could finally see that Boy Person was ok, and no animal was hurt, Girl Person asked him what in the world he was dragging and what in the world he was doing.  He said that apparently, someone had lost their kite.  And this was no ordinary kite.  This was a kite for surfing to IHop.

My thoughts ran away with me.  Was this a sign? Was this my chance to learn how to do this so that I could be the first dog to kite his way to IHop? I could be like the first Amelia Earhart of the dog world! Sure, there had been other dog kite boarders.  But none had made it to IHop.

But this kite I quickly found out had obviously taken its toll someone and was about to make our night really long, interrupt my treat time, and interrupt Brickle’s matzo time.  Yes.  A kite.  As much as I wanted to learn how to ride it, I learned that the mystery of the found kite was about to get deeper.  And IHop was getting no closer.

The persons went back and forth.  Girl Person said that they should just leave it in case someone had left it to pick up.  But Boy Person suggested that in this weather, no one would have left it.  And that maybe it had just escaped from someone’s dock somewhere. They talked about maybe selling it and all of the things that they could buy with the money like new soccer shoes for Boy Person and us new beds.   But Boy Person didn’t want to take it if someone was coming back.  And so they decided that the best thing they could do was just go back to the RV and eat dinner and forget about it.  Except they couldn’t.

As Boy Person walked in the door, he knew what Girl Person was thinking.  The same thing that he was.  Maybe someone had been on this giant kite in the water and they were out at sea. Maybe they were needing help.  So Boy Person said he was going to go back and get it if only so that it didn’t end up back in the ocean, and he would decide what to do.  He kept thinking, as all persons do, and he made a decision.  He would call the Coast Guard and tell them.  What good were new soccer shoes if he couldn’t live with himself?  This kite was worth good money, and I was a bit disappointed.  It takes a lot of Digby cuteness to sell that many t-shirts that would equal that kind of dough.  For more pancakes.  But right was right.  It is never wrong to do the right thing.

The Coast Guard confirmed his fears.  Someone had lost the kite.  They had been out in the ocean, trying to get to IHop I guess, and the winds were too strong.  It lifted them too high and they had a split second decision.  Pull the emergency cord to cut it loose from themselves, or drown with the kite.

This person had let the kite go.  And I know what you are wondering.  Yes, they made it back to shore.  They were ok, but their kite. Was. Gone.  And we had found it.  The Coast Guard called the kite man person and he called Boy Person.  He told Boy Person that he was more than grateful, that he had looked for it at beaches far and wide, that it meant everything to him.  And as Boy Person waited for him to come and get it, I had time to think…mostly because I was still waiting for my dinner.

Was it really important for me to learn to fly a kite if there was a chance that I would lose it?  Was it really worth doing?  Was it worth taking a chance?

Girl Person says that we are at a point where we are learning to fly.  We know what we want, and what we don’t want.  The real world out there is hard, and difficult.  We like the simple way of life that having little allows you to enjoy.  We can’t seem though to get off of the ground.  Why? There must be something still holding us down.  And it ain’t pancakes cause that kite didn’t fly me to IHop.  She said that until we figure out what is holding us back, we won’t succeed.  Here we were, so focused on completing our rescue mission, that now, we seem to be aimlessly flying through the air.  But what goes up must come down.  Let’s see where we land.

If you aren’t flying either, what is holding you back?  The worst that can happen is that you change course in mid air.  But isn’t that better than never moving at all?

I may not be a champion, IHop kite boarder, but I will find a way to get there.  When there is a will, there is a way.  Hang on, I have places to go!

-Deputy Digby Pancake

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