When you’ve been renting dog friendly vacation places for as long as my family has, you get use to reading the fine print. A place may say it is dog friendly, but take for example the cottage that specifically banned Golden Retrievers because we shed. Or the inns that have weight restrictions that are so small even just my head wouldn’t meet the criteria. And I’ll never forget the friends who booked their dream getaway, that tuned into a nightmare when they arrived and learned that “dog friendly” meant the dog had to stay outside on the porch! Thankfully we’ve never run into that issue, and due to careful reviewing of the rules have avoided other awkward situations. But on our vacation last month we ran into a human related problem that Dad missed in the fine print!
Now in Dad’s defense, it was Angel Chuck Billy who picked this rental back in November. It was within driving distance of the many sites we wanted to visit, and was near a horse farm, as a special treat for me. However, he forgot to mention to Dad that towels and sheets were not included! Not a problem for me, because I always bring my own dog bed, towels and blanket. But an awkward discovery for Mom and Dad after making the long drive to get there. Especially since before leaving Mom asked a few times to see the description for the house to make sure she packed everything we needed. But Dad teased her for always packing too much, and said not to worry, he had everything covered. He didn’t.
However, always a quick thinker, rather than admit he didn’t read the fine print, Dad announced this was all part of his plan to surprise Mom for their wedding anniversary! Soon he was back in the car, driving to the nearest Walmart, which wasn’t all that near. When he returned he gave Mom her anniversary “gift” of new towels and sheets!
Smooth Dad! Real smooth! Mom wasn’t fooled by your ruse though. But as with all of Dad’s practical gifts, who can forget the toilet seats and frying pan of the past, Mom just laughed and admitted they did need new towels and sheets for home. Therefore if it took not reading the fine print, well so be it! And as an added bonus, now whenever she uses them, she is reminded of our grand adventure in the Adirondacks.
