I am sooo tired of waiting for the weather to improve! I thought I would go ahead and schedule something and hope for the best. I'll cancel only if it's too cold or wet and would be uncomfortable for our pooches' tootsies (not to mention ours).

This is a great easy, shaded walk along a quiet Columbia pathway. I'm hoping to make this a regular one this year--like the first Saturday or Sunday of the month.

We'll start near the MacGill's Common pool on Shaker Drive, walk for about 1 mile, and then stop at the Touché-Touchet Bakery (voted Howard County's best bakery for 3 years in a row), where you can buy yourself a cup of coffee, salad, and sandwich and choose from a wide selection of cakes, croissants and pastries. This is a lovely New Orleans style, dog-friendly bakery in the Atholton Shopping Center, and has been voted best bakery by readers of Howard magazine. The owners expanded their year-round outdoor seating and have a number of tables under an awning, water dishes for dogs, and . . . they might even have some dog treats available for us!

Then, after coffee and treats, we'll walk off the calories on the way back! The path is mostly level and shady with lots of playgrounds and benches along the way, some ponds, and the grounds of the Kings Contrivance restaurant. An easy 2 miles, round-trip!

If you have a small, old or mildly interested dog, please feel free to go only part way with us, or meet us at the bakery around 11:00.

For those interested in continuing on a longer walk, you can follow a very pretty trail to Lake Elkhorn--less than a mile away from our parking area.

Bring enough water for you and your dog, and dress sensibly for the weather.

DIRECTIONS TO MacGILL's COMMON POOL:

(If using Mapquest or a GPS, try 10025 Shaker Drive, Columbia, MD)

From Route 29:- Take Route 32 East. Take the first exit, Shaker Drive/Eden Brook Drive (Exit 15). Follow the exit ramp around to the right and turn right at the stop light onto Shaker Drive. Continue about 0.2 miles. The MacGill's pool is on the left.

From Route 95 - Take Route 32 West. Travel two miles, and exit on the Shaker Drive/Eden Brook Drive (Exit 15). At the end of the ramp, turn left at the stop sign onto Shaker Drive. The MacGill's pool is immediately on the left.

You can park in the pool parking lot when the pool is closed--or on S. Carlinda Ave. We'll gather near the basketball court across from the pool. There's a handy poop bag dispenser next to the court.