Today (Monday) is gray, but things are looking up for Wednesday. We had a great time on St. Paddy's Day. Let's try a "Hump Day" Happy Hour. (Dogs, don't get the wrong idea!)

If you'd like to do the Sewells Orchard Pond walk before the pub, let's meet at 5:30 (see the directions below). If you can only do the pub, we walkers should be arriving there by 6:15 - 6:30. Let me know if you want to take your dog on a short walk, and I can take you on the path around the pond behind the pub.

My co-leader, Richard, is still away, so I may ask those of you who came last time to help with any newcomers to make sure they catch that turn-off up to the pond, and know how to get to the PubDog afterwards.

The walk is 1.5 miles around the beautiful and quiet pond at Sewell’s Orchard Park. It starts on Dobbin Road with a short stroll along the Columbia pathways through pine woods and a field, and then circles the pond at Sewell’s Orchard. This is a very pretty and quiet path, with lots of benches and areas to view the great blue herons and ducks who live on the pond.

Also, I'm exploring some options for a longer walk for those of you who might need more of a stretch--while the rest of us head to the Pub and exercise our elbows(!)

After the walk, we’ll take a very short (1/10 mile) drive to the Pub Dog (8865 Stanford Blvd). Our group has met here before. Dogs are very welcome. The Pub Dog has a large outdoor patio with about a dozen tall table-and-bench sets attached to the side of the building. The pub does not offer outdoor table service (and dogs are not allowed inside, of course), so you'll need to place your order inside and bring it out--which is no big deal.

The Pub Dog offers a nice selection of their own microbrews--2 mugs for $4. Everything is dog-themed. The menu consists of salads and about 15 varieties of pizza. I'll bring menus to make ordering easier. Or, go to their website for a food menu and/or a beer menu.

DIRECTIONS

We’ll start the walk at the parking lot of the Columbia Business Center, Building 6420. The Google map is not very clear for this one, but the parking lot is directly across from the Blockbuster and Benjamin Moore Paints at 6505 Dobbin Road. It’s in the same general area as the Motor Vehicle Department express center, if that helps. However, as you turn in at the light, you’ll go toward the office buildings on your right and park close to Dobbin Road. Look for the gathering of dogs!