I glare out my window and dart out the door, a smile plastered on my face. I sprint as fast as I can to tihe pond, my head pounding from the humid heat. I am nearly to the water when I hear a loud jolly bark, a commotion in the water, and the sound of laughter from my friends which only makes me run faster.

Buster, my dog, loves upstate New York. He can roam around free in nature all throughout the forest and grassy fields. My friends and I were at my friend Chris’s house in Cooperstown, NY.

I turn the corner and catch sight of my pals Jack, Chris, and Hayden. They were in the canoe peacefully drifting across the pond, each with a fishing rod in hand. This this image puts a smile on my sweaty face. Buster shatters the placid water, bumbling in through the reeds sitting on the edge of the pond. I giggle at Buster as he oafs around in the shallows.

“Come over here, let me on,” I said.

They paddle over to me and I jump onto the shaky floor of the canoe. Sailing out there, Buster swimming on our side, the beauty of the landscape overwhelms us. To our left there are magnificent pines that tower over us like a ghoulish castle. On the other side there are soft grassy fields. Behind that there is an ancient swamp. Surrounded by this beautiful countryside I sense a sort of peacefulness and happiness blanketing over us as we listen to and enjoy the never-ending hum of nature.

After about 5 minutes, Chris exclaims, “Fish on! It’s a big one!”

“Another one?  This is like your fifth one in the last half hour!” Jack shouts wide-eyed.

After a struggle and a lot of work, Chris drags the fish overboard.

“Oh yeah, that's huge!” exclaims Jack.

Chris and I unhook the fish and he throw it back in. The fish seems to soar through the air in slow motion. In the corner of my eye I see Buster paddling through the water. He seems very fixated on the fish. He sticks his head high in the air and opens his jaw. The fish, flopping around, slides in Buster's open mouth and it clamps down. It takes us all a moment to grasp what had just happened.

“Oh my Gosh!” I exclaim.

“He just caught a fish,” Chris says, “HE  JUST CAUGHT A FISH.”

We rush back to shore and Hayden helps us and our equipment off the boat. Buster carries the fish in his mouth all the way back to land where  seems proud, sticking his chest in the air, as we were all telling him what a good boy he was. I am still in awe that my dog performed the unthinkable and I know I will always remembers this moment.

Chris and Jack jump in the front seats of the All-Terrain-Vehicle while Hayden and I sit in the bed of the truck. As we speed away, Buster chases us, fish in mouth, tail wagging. Hayden and I laugh as we see him getting farther and farther away, his tail wagging in the distance. “Sometimes I forget with all the distractions in the world but, life     is    good,” I think to myself. And I rest my head against the back of the truck and close my eyes, breathing in the sweet smell of summer and trying to keep memories like this safe forever.