I used to love to go with my friend Kathy L to her parents’ house, and not just because they had a pool. Helen and Tommy had a wonderful way of making you feel as if they’d known you forever and were delighted to see you again even if you were just another one of many school friends of their daughter’s. Theirs was the best of what we refer to as Southern hospitality, which at its core simply means treating you like a loved member of the family.
This is a picture of Kathy’s dad in conversation with their bulldog Sam.
I’m sure Kathy’s son Joey and his cousin Robert were having a big time in the pool, but typical me, I took photos of the dog. Here Sam’s shaking off the water after his swim.
There are a ton of great Sam tales, but they’re not mine to tell. Maybe one day Kathy will put some of her stories on paper, the way I’ve begged her to.
Probably my favorite memory of Sam is from a time that Kathy brought him to spend a week with her in Tuscaloosa. With only those dripping, wheezing window unit air conditioners, the house stayed hot, and Sam was accustomed to a better lifestyle. He spent his visit lying in front of a fan, panting and drooling, as bulldogs do, and being treated like the prince he was.
Bulldogs always have personality … even when they’re all wet!
Very true!
I love the shot of Sam shaking the water from his coat.
Thanks! I do, too.