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The Lab Lane

The Lab Lane
April 12, 2018 Kate Gatski

There are country roads, superhighways, canal paths, byways, rail trails, boulevards, and all manner of corridors from one location to another.

But have you ever heard of a lab lane? No? That’s fair. We might just have an exclusive on that particular kind of passageway up here on our little hillside.

We more commonly refer to this lab lane as “the field road.” It’s frequently traveled by two-legged family members, as is to be expected. But perhaps its more notable travelers are the four-legged kind – the black Labrador dog.  

I know I’ve described our location many times, but here’s a refresher. We live and work at the top of a hill. We (and our visitors) reach our home and shop by way of a long dirt driveway that meanders through the woods, out into the fields, and eventually to the top of the hill.

But that’s how you get up to us. Our story is about what you’ll find upon leaving. If you start at our shop and walk straight down the hill, you will eventually reach a fork in the road. If you follow the (dog-approved) advice to take the one less traveled, you’ll find yourself on that stretch of road we’re referring to as a lab lane. It goes directly down to Ben’s parents’ house.

Starting about fifteen years ago, when Ben and I built a cabin where our house now stands, we enjoyed having Ben’s parents’ dog Rocky (a black lab mix) up to visit. He would take the lab lane back home (often accompanied by us, though sometimes solo). We eventually wanted a companion of our own, so we got Lily (also a black lab mix). Rocky and Lily enjoyed traveling the lab lane together, chasing rabbits along the way. They were real buddies.

They were also lab lane pioneers. After Rocky, Ben’s parents got Duke (you guessed it – a black lab). Duke, the upstanding dog he is, has always done his lab lane travels by his owners’ side. Then, about two years ago we got Leo (do I even need to say it? – a black lab). And, given that we do try to keep wandering dogs to a minimum (neighbors may be rolling their eyes as they think about our success record in this endeavor), we put Leo in his pen when walking down to Ben’s parents’ home. However, in recent weeks it’s been reported that Leo has been seen trotting down lab lane, happy as you please, heading on a solo trip to visit Duke. And, funny enough, when spotted, he quickly skedaddles back up the hill – maybe some of our training has sunk in after all.

What prompted this tale? Simple: There’s a new puppy in town (Ben’s dad’s future hunting companion). Dan, the most adorable little…black lab. (Obviously.) We hope know Duke and Leo will be happy to show Dan the way down lab lane…and we believe Rock and Lily would approve.

Maybe our next custom project will be a metal sign at the fork in the road: Black Labs this way!

Each month, we share a story here on the blog and then share another in our monthly email newsletter. If you want to be sure not to miss a single one, sign up for our emails here. We’ll include a link to the latest blog post in each email.

In this month’s newsletter, we’ll share more stories about gingerbread men (yes, in April – you don’t want to miss this one!) along with the Gatski of the Month and more! We also share sales and special deals with our newsletter subscribers first, so sign up right here.

And if you’re interested in a custom sign for your own local pathways (or anything else we could dream up together), email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

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