By John Pinsker
For the Auburn Reporter

Every day, Mac, Scooter and I wander the streets of Auburn. And believe me, when I say it, Auburn truly is “more than you imagined.”

Unfortunately, sometimes it isn’t.

But before I go much further, let me point out that Mac and Scooter are brothers, going on 5 years old now. Born at the same time, they are not quite twins. Oh, and they are dogs. That might be important to know. They are black and small, but Scooter is smaller than Mac, 16 and 23 pounds, respectively.

Readers may have seen us walking around. In fact, some may have stopped us and smiled, and said things like, “Oh, how cute! What are they?”

Sometimes I answer a bit sarcastically, “Dogs,” but more often I give the more expected answer, “They are dachshund/beagle mixes.” Usually, that clarifies the look of confusion on many faces: “Oh, of course. I see now. I thought they might be part Lab.”

Mac and Scooter inspire people to talk to me. How refreshing

So, sometimes Auburn is, indeed, more than even I imagined. I find that out daily from ground level, from the sidewalks and trails, from the downtown, commercial and industrial areas, from the residential and park areas, and from some areas that may be more remote and hidden. Most days, “the boys” and I walk around two hours, more or less, divided into two or three sessions – morning, afternoon, evening.

I am retired, for the most part, and my job is to remain “young” and healthy, and the boys’ job is to help keep me that way. It seems to be working. We usually walk in the evenings and weekends with Regina, my loving life-partner. Actually, Mac and Scooter are hers, a gift from me when they were 9 weeks old.

This, I hope is the beginning of an occasional column for the Auburn Reporter. I so often find myself reflecting on what I see and hear, the people I meet and see daily, occasionally, or just once.

If the editors like my ideas and my writing, you will read in future columns about some places we like to walk, some opinions about how Auburn or its merchants do business, and about some of our many daily encounters.

Auburn resident John Pinsker is a retired public high school English teacher.