The next couple of weeks were uneventful as Jillian and I prepared for the Christmas / New Year’s party and were able to provide a comfortable overnight stay for all of our guests: Eleven people and nine dogs. The weather has been unseasonably cool, sometimes only in the upper thirties at night. Increasing rainfall kept me busy revising the gardens for better irrigation. Jillian had the house decorated for the party but was disappointed by the way it looked. ‘Too traditional and stale she thought.

  “Greg?” Jillian’s voice came over the two-way radio in my pocket as I just finished power washing the patio.

  “Sorry, I was…” I started to say as Jillian said “Power washing, I know, can you come down to the blue house please, backyard.” Jillian asked.

  “Sure, do I need to bring anything?” I asked.

  “No, just an opinion.” She said as Ginger and I drove the golf cart to the blue house and met Jillian and Pete in the backyard.

  “This is our tree. I want this, exactly how it is in our great room near all the pictures.” Jillian said. It was a huge cement planter with a dead… stick. Obviously, what was ever planted originally has long since died and a new plant was emerging from the soil. About two feet with broad green leaves.

  “That seam in the gutter is dripping directly into the planter.” Jillian said pointing up. The planter looked about three hundred pounds.

  “Throw away the other one.” Jillian said waving her hand thinking out loud.

  “The one Helen and you have been working on for the last two weeks?” I asked confirming.

  “This is our tree.” Jillian said nodding her head. It took the rest of the afternoon to move it to our house and to wrestle this thing into the Great room without scratching the floor. It fit perfectly with the wall of pictures of all of our friends and animals. Jillian gave me a hug.

  We met up with Helen, Scotty, the wolf pack and Joan, George, Blake and Sampson at the marina on the morning of the party for some fishing.

  A small pod of dolphins played alongside Scotty’s boat as we headed toward our favorite fishing spots. We stopped to make ready our fishing gear and the dolphins jumped in spectacular fashion near the boat as Ginger, Pete and Sampson barked playfully at the aquatic acrobats while the Wolf pack just watched with apprehensive curiosity. For some reason, I just got up, stripped off my clothes and jumped into the water. No one was really paying attention to me until they heard the splash.

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  Under the water I could hear the whistles and clicks from the Dolphins assembling into thoughts; maybe more like word bursts. One Dolphin came in real close, a female.

  “You are the one that saved my friend and I!” I thought looking into her eye. She placed herself next to me and swam around my body.

  “Thank you.” I thought and subconsciously smiled broadly at her beauty and she did the same showing her teeth. I touched her side and she issued a long two-tone whistle as I grabbed her dorsal fin and she took off.

  Speeding along the top of the water’s surface and feeling her immense strength, I looked back and Scotty was following us. I shouted in joy and laughter as the rest of the pod threaded through the water surface on either side of us.

  She stopped and I let go of her. Scotty approached slowly and stopped near me being careful not to scare or hurt the Pod swimming and jumping all around us.

  Ginger and Sampson were on the swim platform just as Helen lowered it with tails wagging. Pete was nervous and reluctant. Marena, that’s what I decided to call her, slowly poked her head up through the water near the swim platform to investigate the ‘loud’ and ‘interesting’ pair.

  I approached and touched Ginger and touched Marena at the same time. Ginger jumped into the water followed by Sampson. This drew the attention of the Pod, as a series of whistles and clicks could be heard as I went under the water. I surfaced and asked Jillian to join us.

  “The water is cold and I’m pregnant!” Jillian said.

  “Jillian. Take off your clothes.” I said to her. “I never get tired of hearing that sentence!” Jillian said taking off her clothes and lowering herself into the water followed immediately by a “Whoo!” and laughter by Jillian.

  Marena and a few of the other females immediately inspected Jillian and I. They did a series of jump flips. Ginger and Sampson were getting tired and overexcited and went back to the swim platform panting hard. Then, out of nowhere a small baby Dolphin appeared, male. A miniature that looked plastic.

  “You are the most beautiful…” Jillian said and started crying as the baby approached her chest and Marena right next to me looking up at everyone on board ‘Pack-o-Wolves II’

  Blake sat on the swim platform and the baby dolphin approached. Ginger and Sampson smelled his nose and gave him a couple of licks as Blake took off his clothes and slowly joined us with Joan and George.

  “Whoa!” Blake said out loud as the Pod swam around us. Marena disappeared under the water for about fifteen seconds. She surfaced and presented Ginger and Sampson with a small fish that flopped around the swim platform. Helen sat on the platform with her legs in the water taking pictures and video.

  “They are not shy with their noses!” Jillian said laughing as everyone got into the water except Scotty and the wolf pack who monitored all the activity. The pod examined everyone with enthusiasm and curiosity. Jillian was getting tired and returned to the swim platform followed by everyone else. Marena swam up to me and paused for a moment before assembling her Pod and heading west. Helen handed me a towel with an odd expression on her face.

  “Well?” She asked me.

  “No…’family’. Maybe, more like no ‘relation’. I said. “Were all bastards, except Blake.” Scotty said as he waited until everyone was on board and the Pod was a safe distance away as he cranked up the stereo and we all sang “Octopus’ Garden” as we headed north and watched the pod off in the distance.