I never really understood the whole Labor Day thing… it just sounds like some sort of Communist holiday. Anyway, despite doing some billing early in the day, I made it a point to try to kick back. I watched some stuff on the idiot box, did some silliness on the computer and generally took it easy.

Pennie, who had worked a little on her Labor Day too, came by after her tasks. The general plan was to generally have a plan, but not much more. We decided to load up the bikes and go find a place to ride. A week or so ago, I had went to the County Commissioner’s office to pickup a copy of a big wall map they hand out listing all the parks in Harris County. Pennie and I checked it out when I first got it and saw George Bush State Park.

While out looking for a suitable place to ride, she reminded me about the park and we headed over there. When we reached Millie Bush Bark Park we were thrilled. Yes, the former Presidential English Setter has a dog park named in her honor. It was the coolest thing and we met the coolest dogs. (and one jerk)

As we approached, Pennie spied a St. Bernard…

The pretty female, named Piggy was much smaller than Sam, but every bit as huggable. After playing around like a big puppy, things got a little heated and it was time to cool down…

…and you can guess what comes after a nice cool swim…

…. that’s right, a nice plop in the mud. Piggy lived up to her name.

The Labradors were really loving the water as five of six of them were constantly in and out chasing balls, sticks, toys and just generally enjoying themselves.

This is Smarty, a 1yr old Beagle girl – a great dog, but a little nervous around all the giants.

It was a superb outing as we were surrounded by dogs of every shape and size. That is until this jerk showed up with his two Pit Bulls. From the moment they entered the park, this dog was starting scraps with the other dogs. Despite clear signage stating that any dog showing ANY aggressive behaviour must be removed from the park immediately, this shit-for-brains just put a cheap muzzle on her instead.

It went from annoying to downright criminal as the Pit Bull got out of the muzzle and attacked a small terrier. The terrier is now on his way to the vets office with two deep puncture wounds in his side from this dogs teeth. This jerk-off ruined a great day for a couple dozen dog owners by not following the rules. What an ass.

BUT WAIT!!!! This was not just a day at the dog park… THERE’S MORE!

We hit the hike and bike trail at the park and set out in search of more adventure. A couple miles into the trail, we came across a guy we nicknamed Ranger Rick with a group of 5 or 6 grade school boys. They were all huddled together, off the trail, staring at the same spot on the ground. As we rode up, RR told us they found a water snake… sure enough…

Rick was apparently out snake hunting as he had all the gear handy for wrangling them and the boys were all gathered around like it was a toy. It looked like a snake bite accident waiting to happen… look at this genuis…

Further down the trail we found another park. The creatively named, Sport Park, has sand volleyball courts, a skateboard/rollerblading skate park (named Skate Park), BBQ grills, clean restrooms and great shade. This city is just full of hidden treasures like this and we have made it our duty to find as many as we can.

Four parks in one day… not a bad journey. Oh yeah and we spent ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, NOTHING (you get the idea.) There is great fun and adventure to be had – just get out there and find it.