kai and chester at point pinole 2008-01-01, originally uploaded by Phil Youngholm.

We took Kai and Chester to Point Pinole on New Year’s Day, because the beach there is open, while all the other beaches are still closed after the oil spill. There were other dogs to meet, and lots of people riding horses, so it was a treat for Chester. He obviously hadn’t been introduced to the beach before. He didn’t want to go into the water beyond his paws, but he and Kai had a great time playing on the beach.

The cats are getting used to Chester, and he’s getting used to them. They no longer run when he approaches, and they feel comfortable enough to nap while he’s in the room. Willy has hissed at Chester enough so that he’s starting to get the idea that he should just stay away. I think Chester can sense that Sophie is more playful, but he doesn’t understand that cats have a different idea of play than dogs do. He barks at her and does the play bow, and once he even pretended to bite her on the back of the neck, but she won’t play. Amazingly, though, she tolerates his puppy foolishness and hasn’t yet scratched him.