Our Life: The Carnival

Working in film production is a lot like being part of a travelling carnival. You arrive in a town, find a place to set up shop, have all your eccentric friends (and some enemies) join you, and then a few months later you pack up, leaving no trace behind that you ever existed in the first place.
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Although Tucker has been through this process with me three to five times a year, every time I pack up, he still has to be right with the rest of my belongings, lest I forget to take him with me.

​I have been more concerned as of late that perhaps our nomadic lifestyle has made him hesitant to create lasting deep canine friendships. On this show, we were lucky to have frequent visitors, and my clerk never said a word about me turning our professional office into a doggie romp room.

There was the art director’s dog, who used to never come to work because his days were filled with dog parks and walks at Chrissy Fields with other dogs. And then he got kicked out for lunging at a dog in another pack. Tucker and I could sympathize. Sometimes you just say something when you shouldn’t, and your life is changed forever. Angus was always a fun playmate for Tucker.

​Tucker’s frequent friend Tulip wasn’t even a member of our carnival. Her dad worked downstairs in a cabinet-making business. But when she spotted Tucker one day walking by, she made it her mission to befriend him. And she did. Together they ran in the fenced-in area around the building, chasing one another and exploring the overgrown patches of weeds and skunk-trails.

​Just as wrap started, our best boy rigging electric came in with his dog, Shadow. Pit mixes always seem to really understand each other.  I think Tucker had a little crush on her. I sure did.

The point of working in San Francisco, besides just that I love the Bay area, is that I have friends here and could visit with them while not having to put them out by sleeping in their spare bedroom. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do enough visiting while working, and not enough housing reimbursement to just stay a few extra days in my own place. So Tucker and I packed up our rental property, drove two miles down the street, and unpacked at my friend Carolina’s house.

I had asked the universe for a San Francisco gig around this time not just because I always request it for any time, but because Carolina’s first child was due in January and I wanted to be there. Being a mom for the first time (and really anytime) is a tough thing and can be super lonely. Everyone focuses on the baby--including the mother—and the mom's needs mean nothing. I wanted to be there to remind Carolina was she was still a person and while this little child named Olivia was super awesome and she should be proud of creating her, Carolina was also a super awesome individual who deserved attention. Carolina has always been a mama bear. From her two beagles Saffie and Layla, to her whole host of friends, Carolina is always the first one to step up and help, to be there when you need something, to send you cards in the mail, to be the mom among our friends. Olivia is lucky kid to have Carolina as her actual, biological mom.

I wasn’t sure how Tucker would react to the little one as we have no experience with babies. And I wasn’t sure how the dogs would react to Tucker being near her. To Layla, Tucker has always been just another bit of furniture who came with a person who handed out treats. To Saffie, in the past, Tucker was annoying and must be told so at every instance. He must also stay away from her momma.

Surprisingly, I had nothing to worry about. Tucker accepted Olivia into the pack as a human, and took on nanny duties.

​Saffie appreciated the gesture (she had been doing it alone all this time), and even allowed him space to rest when off duty right next to her on the couch.

​Tucker also took a class in neighborhood watch from Layla.

​On our extended weekend, we walked along the cliffs of Half Moon Bay where we figured out that a baby in a Bjorn and two beagles is too precarious for anyone to try. I commend Carolina’s effort and feel horrible that she had such a terrible time.

The next day we left the girls at home, and Tucker, Olivia, Carolina and I headed north to Marin headlands.

Tucker’s face here is the physical representation of how my heart feels every time I’m in the Bay area:

Olivia got to experience the trek in her stroller along rocky terrain

​And grassy fields

​On our return trip home, rather than Tucker in the front seat and I in the back next to Olivia, as we did on the ride out (this is how he spent the whole ride)

​He sat in the back, content to use the baby seat as a chin rest.

​Back at home, sleep was a must. I really don’t know if Tucker could function in a non-human world lacking pillows and other luxuries.

​We got to visit with Krystal (who was part of the production for a short spell as well) and spend some time under the Bay bridge to give Carolina some time off from houseguests.

On our final day, we did our old standby: Fort Funston. The girls get to run off leash, eating gophers in the dunes, and Tucker gets a long lead to meet new friends.  

​It had a been a long weekend for Tucker, and by the time we got back to the truck, he would have preferred to be inside the stroller than next to it.

But I had to make one more stop: Alice’s Restaurant. My favorite cabin eatery, just around the corner from where we spent Christmas a few years back on our last San Francisco gig. The long picnic tables allow for for strangers to be seated next to one another. Two women were meeting for lunch at our shared table, and one of them said to the other, “I’ve been trying to get Jim to move up for years. But he just won’t. I love it though!”

​And I realized how lucky I am: to be free from anyone else determining where I live or travel. I would hope my human partner would love many of the same places I do, but for now I don’t have to worry about that. I’m blessed that my canine companion feels the same way about the Bay Area that I do: it’s home, where we may not get to often enough, but will always be welcome.