1/19/08 "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go, KAYA"
It's such a momentous day in our Nation's history, such an amazing time to be alive! MLK Jr's Birthday was just yesterday, and it is amazing to think of the many wonderful things we can accomplish together when move forward without fear, but instead with hope and excitement for things to come and the times that we do have.With that being said, it is with my great regret to inform you all that my greatest friend and companion, trail partner, and adventuring-mate, Kaya, KayaBear, trail-dog extraordinairre, has now passed on from this life and is adventuring now into the next. There's no explanation for why it had to come so soon, but Kaya was definately one of those bright-burning shooting stars. Her time was so short and fleeting, but in that time she was able to shine so brightly and touch so many. She lived several lifetimes over in the very short time that she was with us. Being rescued from the streets at an early age, a child of transition, she learned the struggle of family, identity and ultimately love. She came to me by coincidence or perhaps some sort of divine happening on an evening of celebration and friendship, a potluck dinner for a friend 's return. "That's yer traildog there," Mike said to me. "She loves you Zach, why don't you take her home for a test-drive, seee how it goes, you can just bring her back in the morning," he assured. "I'll even kick in a bag of dog food, leash (kayak tiedown), and a six pack of beer to go with her." He was layin it on real thick. Good salesman, that Mike!!! So, she came home with me that night, and from then on we knew we needed to look out for each other. Kaya's 1st adventure with me was a paddling trip over to Little Tybee, she was still small enough to fit, sitting in my rear hatch, although she still thought she'd try out the water on the way over and coming back, and she loved running up and down the beach, playing in the sand and coaxing me to chase her and come play. We learned together and worked on our communication between us in preparation for the" Big Hike." Kaya and I set out together, on March 31st, from Amicalola Falls State Park just before Springer Mountain, on the Appalachian Trail. We were bound for Maine and mount Katahdin, but mainly we were bound for adventure and glad to be sharing it together. So apart from Smoky Mountain National Forest and Baxter State Park in Maine, dog regulations, Kaya accompanied me for over 2,000 miles of my journey. She met so many wonderful people and other dogs along the way, that she learned to look excitedly forward to each new discovery that would be next to come. For those of you who did get to meet her, you know that she was a lover. You had to earn that love, trust, and respect though, but once you did, you were a part of her pack and she would let you know. I am so grateful for the time I did have with her and the many friends that we made together along the way. Last night after the accident, a sudden convergence of two beings and one of the automechanical nature, I collected Kaya's broken, and limp, but beautiful and toned body from the pavement. The passing came quickly for sure, and Kaya never came to know the suffering of aging and sickness. She was at the very peak of her prime. She really lived well. So, last evening, around 10pm, I and three of my very close friends paddled Kaya out to the place of our very 1st adventure, and we laid her to rest on her very own, uninhabited, barrier island. Many good sunsets, sunrises, and passing tides will be visible from that spot. It was an amazing way to say goodbye to a friend. Thank You all for sharing some of that time with her and especially remembering her through this reading.
Some lyrics my best friend shared with me this evening from a Bob Dylan song;
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"- "I'll see you in the sky above, tall grass, and the ones I love, youre gonna make me lonesome when you go."
, Love You Kaya
If you do have any comments, memories, thoughts, or stories to share of Kaya I would love to hear them. Thank you all for being a part of our lives, and if you can, try and live it up the way she did, so lively, full of excitement and a posessing a real enthusiasm for life.
It's such a momentous day in our Nation's history, such an amazing time to be alive! MLK Jr's Birthday was just yesterday, and it is amazing to think of the many wonderful things we can accomplish together when move forward without fear, but instead with hope and excitement for things to come and the times that we do have.With that being said, it is with my great regret to inform you all that my greatest friend and companion, trail partner, and adventuring-mate, Kaya, KayaBear, trail-dog extraordinairre, has now passed on from this life and is adventuring now into the next. There's no explanation for why it had to come so soon, but Kaya was definately one of those bright-burning shooting stars. Her time was so short and fleeting, but in that time she was able to shine so brightly and touch so many. She lived several lifetimes over in the very short time that she was with us. Being rescued from the streets at an early age, a child of transition, she learned the struggle of family, identity and ultimately love. She came to me by coincidence or perhaps some sort of divine happening on an evening of celebration and friendship, a potluck dinner for a friend 's return. "That's yer traildog there," Mike said to me. "She loves you Zach, why don't you take her home for a test-drive, seee how it goes, you can just bring her back in the morning," he assured. "I'll even kick in a bag of dog food, leash (kayak tiedown), and a six pack of beer to go with her." He was layin it on real thick. Good salesman, that Mike!!! So, she came home with me that night, and from then on we knew we needed to look out for each other. Kaya's 1st adventure with me was a paddling trip over to Little Tybee, she was still small enough to fit, sitting in my rear hatch, although she still thought she'd try out the water on the way over and coming back, and she loved running up and down the beach, playing in the sand and coaxing me to chase her and come play. We learned together and worked on our communication between us in preparation for the" Big Hike." Kaya and I set out together, on March 31st, from Amicalola Falls State Park just before Springer Mountain, on the Appalachian Trail. We were bound for Maine and mount Katahdin, but mainly we were bound for adventure and glad to be sharing it together. So apart from Smoky Mountain National Forest and Baxter State Park in Maine, dog regulations, Kaya accompanied me for over 2,000 miles of my journey. She met so many wonderful people and other dogs along the way, that she learned to look excitedly forward to each new discovery that would be next to come. For those of you who did get to meet her, you know that she was a lover. You had to earn that love, trust, and respect though, but once you did, you were a part of her pack and she would let you know. I am so grateful for the time I did have with her and the many friends that we made together along the way. Last night after the accident, a sudden convergence of two beings and one of the automechanical nature, I collected Kaya's broken, and limp, but beautiful and toned body from the pavement. The passing came quickly for sure, and Kaya never came to know the suffering of aging and sickness. She was at the very peak of her prime. She really lived well. So, last evening, around 10pm, I and three of my very close friends paddled Kaya out to the place of our very 1st adventure, and we laid her to rest on her very own, uninhabited, barrier island. Many good sunsets, sunrises, and passing tides will be visible from that spot. It was an amazing way to say goodbye to a friend. Thank You all for sharing some of that time with her and especially remembering her through this reading.
Some lyrics my best friend shared with me this evening from a Bob Dylan song;
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"- "I'll see you in the sky above, tall grass, and the ones I love, youre gonna make me lonesome when you go."
, Love You Kaya
If you do have any comments, memories, thoughts, or stories to share of Kaya I would love to hear them. Thank you all for being a part of our lives, and if you can, try and live it up the way she did, so lively, full of excitement and a posessing a real enthusiasm for life.
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