39:47.7N 18:21.6E

The saddest thing we had was having our dog Simon suffer what appears to be heart failure and die in Crotone.  While he had a degenerative spinal condition he remained in very good spirits and energy.  But as time went on he was getting tired more frequently.  In Crotone he seemed to have a seizure or heart attack and died within the hour.  Earlier in the day he had a normal walk in town and seemed okay but had lost a bit of appetite the day before.  Never know with Flat Coat Retrievers since they develop cancer very quickly and do not show pain till it is very far along.  It may have been a complication from that.

We were lucky to adopt Simon when we lived in Napa Valley.  He got to swim in the Pacific Ocean around Pt Reyes and moved with us to Phoenix then onto Alton Illinois (near St Louis).  There he swam in the Mississippi and on a trip we brought him to Florida and the Keys.  While in Alton we adopted his cousin (Luka) from Florida as a play companion.  Again we moved, this time to Connecticut with both of them.  Between jobs they sailed with us for 4 weeks along the Long Island Sound.  Once more we moved but this time to Switzerland.  Both of them enjoyed the good country walks, trips to the Alps and swims in the Zuger See.

Luka contacted a fast growing tumor and died in Switzerland before we left on this trip.  Simon once again was the king of the house but missed his cousin.   Simon came with us on the boat in Rome and got to visit all the ports in this log.  With his very friendly nature and good looks he attracted much attention from the local Italians, constantly getting attention from strangers.

So after 11 years we had to say goodbye.  We took him part of the way across the Gulf of Taranto and let him go to play with the dolphins which he enjoyed seeing and barking to when we sailed.  Good friend who will be missed along with his cousin Luka.

Simon on the left and Luka in Steinhausen.