Last Tuesday was one of the longest (21 hours), most enjoyable days I've spent in a long time.

And what I saw last week will never be forgotten.

I was one in a group of 22 local folks who left Rocky Mount at 7:15 a.m. for a three-hour trip to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, just off I-85 in Charlotte, N.C.

Wow! What a facility. It cost $38 million to build and is in its second summer of operation.

Afterward, everyone making the journey agreed there was no way we could describe to the "folks in Franklin County" and get them to understand what we saw. Words simply cannot express something that leaves you in awe.

I wonder how many families actually have meals together these days. You know, the traditional type -- everyone sits around the table and eats, maybe even a conversation.

For many of us, meal time, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, was an important time of day when we were growing up. The meal was cooked, it was on the table, and, by gosh, everyone had best be in their seats at that table at a certain time.

You could not be late for a meal. You had to eat what was on your plate. And no one touched a morsel without a blessing.

No TV was on. Nobody was loud or disorderly. No complaints about the food were tolerated.

Q: My husband and I have a 7-year old miniature poodle that recently had her annual checkup at our vet. Although he found her to be overall healthy, he recommended that we have her teeth cleaned. It has only been a year since this was last done, and we have friends that have never had to have their dogs teeth cleaned. Is this normal?

A: Regular dental cleanings are one of the best ways to increase the life span of your pet. The bacteria that thrive in the tarter on teeth can enter the bloodstream and set up harmful infections on the heart, kidneys, lungs and other major organs. When your dog or cat is anesthetized for the dental cleaning, the technician uses an ultrasonic scaler to remove the tarter from the teeth and under the gum line, and then polishes them.