In fact, while walking that morning, when the Riverwalk was pleasantly unpopulated, I had recognized the similarity between the San Antonio tourist attraction and Davis' Putah Creek, but now I was embarrassed to admit that the familiar aroma was a pleasant reminder of my many walks through the UC Davis Arboretum. She and I walked often along Putah Creek during my last year in Davis, and she had occasionally plunged into the water, especially on very hot days. Despite her hunting dog lineage, she was always more concerned with sticks or rocks than ducks or geese, and she blissfully ignored the warning honks usually emitted by the biggest goose in the pack. Now we stroll another campus on Sunday mornings, in that exotic place called Texas. Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches also has a creek that runs along an arboretum, not comparable in size to the one in Davis, but beautiful nonetheless.
Redbuds still provide the first hope of spring.
Gerty swims in the creek and chases sticks, her immutable routines suggesting that in the midst of change, I can find comforting constants.