ADOLPH MEISCH quietly answered the phone last weekend, not wanting to disturb his wife DOLORES.

“She got sick in Moscow,” he said, sounding grateful to be home on Arnold Road. True to her fashion, Dolores climbed flights of stairs, walked endless miles and kept up her participation in the 15-day pilgrimage of churches. Before they left, Adolph was given a new prescription he hoped would relieve his painful arthritis. It did not, and he chose to stay on the bus or a nearby bench for most stops.

In all, 29 people went on the tour led by Father Ron Belisle, formerly of Oak Harbor and now of Shelton, Wash. He celebrated Mass in 12 of the 15 churches they stopped at to worship.

Adolph was amused when Russian women guides told of how Sweden invaded Russia. The warm welcome given by the people of Vilnius, Lithuania made that his favorite stop.

“When the Revolution began in 1917, the Russians destroyed a lot and kicked everyone out of the churches, which they then used as theaters or barracks for Soviet soldiers,” Adolph said. The Russians refused to allow practice of any religion, and that is how the Hill of Crosses began.

During the Cold War, the Russians saw the cross as a hostile and harmful symbol. “People began putting crosses on one particular hill, and the Russians bulldozed them over and over. The crosses kept coming back. Finally, the Russians gave up. The hill once held 50,000 crosses. At the time of our visit, there were close to 200,000,” he added. “There is a beautiful chapel there built by the priests, and from where I was sitting, I could see the hill through a window behind the altar.”

There were four days in Moscow and four days in St. Petersburg, where they saw a wonderful performance of “Swan Lake” by the Russian Ballet.

There are only two Catholic churches in Moscow, a city of 17 million people. “The Russian Orthodox Church will not allow any more,” Adolph noted. He visited one, the Secret Chapel, established in the 1930s in a residence near the American Consulate.

Dolores said, “I was impressed with the piety of the people, especially those who went around the altar on their knees.”

It was a rigorous itinerary indeed, one that would wear out people half their age. For now, they are resting up for their next adventure.

Lucky dogs love her …

CORINNE BOON opened her K-9 Cuts Pet Grooming Salon in Oak Harbor last June. She and her husband ALDON transformed their garage into a small but comfortable day spa for our family pets.

Bookings are limited to five dogs a day. It’s important to keep a quiet, stress-free setting. As she spoke, I looked over at two large dogs blissfully snoozing in their kennels. “Notice there is no barking,” Corinne pointed out.

Corinne has been grooming dogs since she was a teenager, working at the veterinarian clinic of Dr. Ellis and later grooming pets at dog shows in the region.

She can calm an anxious dog with just a few words, and the animal immediately senses her gentle nature. She knows just how to approach my dog Lenny, now 13 and needing special care.

“He hates getting his nails cut and being lifted under his tummy,” she said. Noticing he had put on a pound or two, she suggested he might like a diet doggie treat. He held it in his teeth with a strained expression on his face, and dropped it on the floor untouched. Not enough calories.

Her obedience classes are always full, run for eight weeks for an hour each week and cost $120. It’s the smartest money you’ll ever spend. Call K-9 Cuts at 675-0950.

Appaloosa on the loosa …

This is the story of Taco, a 16-year-old appaloosa with a penchant for morning walks. Make that early morning, before sunrise.

The teenage horse gets out by crawling through a space in the electric fence. This infuriates Arami, 32, and Jessa, 14, female horses whose job it is to tattle and get him in trouble.

The phone rings and a sleepy voice reports, “Your horse is out.” One hopes the caller can get back to sleep before his alarm clock sounds.

LYNETTE REEFF knows she has to do something about Taco’s behavior, but what?

“I guess we’ll have to plug in the electric fence,” she said apologetically. Now that’s a tender-hearted animal lover.

Take a quiet walk and let the leaves swirl around your feet, paint a watercolor of roadside pumpkins and plant a few mums in your window box. These memories will warm you come January.

Please write to me at lifeonwhidbey@yahoo.com or call 675-6611.