Today, I Simply Miss Him

Hardy LOVED Friday Harbor. He also loved going on road trips, but that’s another story. Going to Friday Harbor is one huge road trip. It takes two full days to drive there from my home in the Bay Area. It’s on San Juan Island, a short ferry trip from Anacortes, Washington. My brother owns a geodesic dome on a rustic piece of property that is frequented by deer practically every day. I went there to get some rest and relaxation, and also to celebrate my daughter’s twenty-second birthday.

I love it here, but I really miss Hardy. I’ve only been here once before – last summer. I remember the most wonderful thing about the place was our visit to Lime Kiln Park where we observed wild Orcas swimming passed in a flurry. It was magical, and moved me beyond tears. Hardy had to wait in the car, but if he was outside, he wouldn’t have noticed. He seemed only interested in the deer.

I have a photograph from last year that is still my desktop image. I know I will change it someday, but I’m still not ready. I think when I do, it will be a picture of my family and me standing at Kylemore Abbey from this summer’s trip to London, Athenry, and New York. The beautiful thing about the current desktop image is that my whole family is in it, and Hardy is sitting next to me. His ears are at attention, and his eyes are scanning the distance for a deer off in the distance.

Last year, as we were vacationing, he took off running from the front door - chasing after something. It was like nothing I’d seen since he was a puppy, but last year, he was nine, so it was a little out of the ordinary. I laughed as I watched him run after, what? It was probably a deer, but whatever it was Hardy’s chasing it was futile. There was no way he would catch anything. He just enjoyed the chase. It was cute, endearing, and completely lovable.

So today, as I sat on the rim at Friday’s Crab House, I simply missed him. I saw him everywhere. I saw images of him embedded in too many clouds to count. I saw his sweet personality in the wire haired fox terrier that was walking off a ferry with its owner. I saw him in the sunset, and I felt him patiently sitting by my side. It wasn’t fear, or pain, or sadness I felt. No. I simply longed for him to be with me. I just wanted to see him again, and I wanted to share this lovely island with him.

He loved it here like I love it here. It’s an escape to be sure, but it’s a quiet retreat back to nature that relaxes the soul. It’s a type of retreat, and I feel very close to God – and Hardy.