Ever since he was a puppy, Asa has been convinced that he would grow up to be a Dire Wolf.  However as time passes and his growth spurts have ceased, Asa’s confidence has waned.  But just when he was starting to accept that he may not actually be a Dire Wolf, Asa has renewed hope thanks to of all things – lobsters.  Little did we realize while on our vacation along the Bold Coast of Maine, Mom and Dad’s quest for lobster would change everything for my little brother.

I must admit Mom and Dad’s wolf instincts are getting soft living in southern Maine.  In order to indulge their taste for lobster, they simply go to the local fish market and purchase it all steamed and ready to eat.  Or when they are feeling particularly lazy, they buy just the meat already removed from the shells.  But up north on the Bold Coast things are a bit different.  Despite seeing lobsters traps stacked at many of the houses and lobster boats chugging along in the harbors, buying lobster was a bit more difficult.  It being past the tourist season many of the lobster pounds were open irregular hours, as the lobstermen hustled to catch the lobsters before they too migrated for the winter.  In fact, more than one business had on their answering machine, “Leave a message and if we’re around we’ll call you.”  But as we grew more familiar with our surroundings, Mom and Dad finally found the perfect place to purchase fresh lobsters – the family owned and very humorously named, Mother Shuckers in Roque Bluffs.

That fateful morning Dad called and left a message with our order; at noon the lobsterman’s wife, Nadine, called to confirm they could fill it; and that afternoon we drove to their home to purchase the lobsters…from their garage!  Thank goodness I had forgotten my previous fears of being the main characters in a Stephen King novel or that garage would have certainly made me worry!  Turns out though as with everyone we met on this vacation, Nadine was extremely friendly, and even greeted us with the biggest smile and a wave like we were old friends coming to visit.

It was while chatting with Nadine that Asa had his life altering epiphany.  As Nadine explained, fall is the best time of year to buy lobsters because sweeter soft shell lobsters, known to locals as shedders, are more readily available than hard.  As soon as she said the word “shedders,” Asa stopped sniffing around and his ears perked up.  Apparently lobsters and dogs have a lot in common because we both shed.  But what peaked Asa’s interest was what Nadine said next, lobsters grow by shedding their shells.  Asa is now convinced that with each piece of fur he loses, he’s one step closer to growing into a Dire Wolf!

On the ride back to our cottage Asa happily extolled how someday he would grow to be one of these fierce canines last seen in prehistoric times…and on HBO.  He even gained new respect for the odd Chinese Crested hairless dog we see on the beach from time to time.  Clearly that dog is way ahead of us in his evolution to grow, and it is only a matter of time before he towers over us.  Luckily though Asa is a patient little soul, and willing to measure his own growth one brushing at a time.  Now I could easily explain to Asa that there are big differences between how lobsters grow compared to dogs.  But who am I to ruin a puppy’s dream?