Saying Good-Bye to Montreat

Today we said good-bye to the family home in Montreat, NC, strolling through the quaint rain-drenched village capturing the most memorable images of this beautiful place where we spent so many summers with our children. Chelly, Simba, and Hanna have taken the daily strolls with us, posed like “travel bugs” in this narrative. We imagined the Cow Dog Chronicles as a medium to share the journey with our children and family members, but we discovered abundant interest in our stories among the people we have met along the way. One young Davidson College graduate we met on the street behind the Montreat post office, stopped us in the middle of the road to play with Simba in her lap as the rain began to pour down. She told us about the two cow dog puppies she found and adopted. We invited her to share her stories on the Cow Dog Chronicles. Again and again we have found that our dog companions are like talismans calling out old stories and attracting new ones. They draw people together. They work like rainmakers gathering clouds for an outpouring of memories. As we made our final night stroll with Chelly and Simba through the Montreat streets, a cloud burst sent us in search of shelter in a vacant carport. We waited out the storm together, watching the evening fall. Lights clicked on in the cottages all around the neighborhood. When I asked Ross what the owners of the cottage would think if they came home and found us standing in their carport with two rain-drenched dogs, he said, “This is Montreat. There are no strangers here.” So we watched the rain pour down as Simba tossed a leaf across the driveway, waiting for the next adventure. Enjoy these Montreat photos from Chelly and Simba’s first road trip. Until the next journey. . .