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Dog Days Of Summer

In ancient times, in both Greek and Roman cultures, the period when the star Sirius would rise and set with the sun was known as diēs caniculārēs, or “dog days.”  Sirius is the brightest star visible from any part of Earth.  It’s part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog, and that’s also why Sirius is referred to as the Dog Star.  Romans actually believed that Sirius also gave off heat like the sun did and that is what made the long days so hot and unbearable… 

This brings us to The Dog Days of Summer, which happen 20 days before and 20 days after Sirius aligns with the sun — this year the Dog Days began on July 23rd. 

Now, there was a list of things attributed to those ancient beliefs; During the dogs days, bad luck would abound, there would be more thunderstorms suddenly popping up, there would be drought, people would get fevers and become lethargic and lazy…AND…wait for it… there would be mad dogs!

Well, we are here to tell you they got the last one correct.  If the word “Whaler” was mentioned and Jasper didn’t get to go on it, he was one mad dog.  Heat be damned!  If the words “swimming” or “sand beach” were uttered and we weren’t on our way to make that happen, Jasper was one mad dog!  Heat be damned!

In ancient times, natural remedies were concocted to cure the ails of the afflicted.  We found that to be sound logic.  Our remedy for mad dog was quite simple… a healthy little combination of Boston Whaler and water!  And wouldn’t you know it? He hasn’t been mad once during these dog days…

One of Jasper’s favorite spots on the Hudson is a sandbar that appears right in the middle of the river just south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. It’s only usable for around the ninety minutes surrounding low tide, but if it times out right, we make the most of it!

Dinghy Dog. Yes, Jasper is that dog who will climb aboard someone else’s boat in the hopes that he’ll be offered a ride.
Sometimes it’s just nice to nap with a friend. Jasper’s buddy Ginger joins him on OLOH’s bridge deck.
Are we there yet?! Jasper knows when a Whaler ride is leading to a swim.  His friend Lady is just happy to be along for the ride.
Jasper spies the muddy little beach that makes for a great swimming hole at the end of the navigable waters of the Rondout Creek off the Hudson River.
It is on.
Who’s the captain now? Lady takes control of One Love.
Faces of satisfaction. And mud.
Where’s Jasper?! A dockside shower is a must after a muddy swim for this soggy dog.
Sometimes it’s just nice to lie down and watch the world go by.

Whenever we’re out cruising, someone invariably looks at Jasper and comments to us, “I want to come back as that dog!”

It’s hard to argue with that – he is living the good life for sure.  And don’t worry, the Dog Days of Summer officially ended this year on August 23rd!   We hope you enjoyed these shots of Jasper enjoying his summer and know that it’s OK to believe in reincarnation… the ancient Romans did!

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And that concludes your OLOH instructions. M/Y OLOH back to 1-6.

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