Back Again

Ray woke me up at 1:00 a.m. He snuck into the bedroom, snuffled along the bed to my head, then turned and left. He did the same thing again at 4:40 a.m. except that this time he whined. I got out of bed, groggily struggled into sweatpants, and crept down the hall of my parents house to the backdoor. About half way along, I realized that the roaring noise I was hearing was rain on the roof. I cringed at letting the dog out into the pouring rain to pee, but Ray didn't stop at the backdoor. He tiptoed down the hall, past the door, through the kitchen, and into the living room where he climbed up on the couch and curled into a little ball. I realized, then, that he had just been checking on me. He wanted to make sure that I hadn't snuck out of the house and returned home without him. 

I went back to bed for half an hour, then got up, finished the packing that I had started the night before (hence the suspicious dog), made some coffee, packed up most of the car, then went to wake my sister, Kathy. My dad was already awake, helping me with the loading. Ray stood at the door to the garage, making sure he was underfoot the whole time (else I might forget and leave him). By 6:15 we were on the road. 

Ray was excited to be home. He almost immediately went upstairs to visit his cats but I didn't let him in the cat room until after I had unpacked and Gregg and I had dropped Kathy at the airport hotel. When he finally gained access, he rushed to the bed. Moonie, happy to see her dog again, met him head on, literally. His head smacked into hers; she rubbed and rubbed and rubbed her face on his snout. Ray looked a bit surprised at the enthusiastic reception but took it well, giving her a few quick licks. Hugo, as usual, sat at his food dish watching the dog warily. When Ray finally got around to making his way to the dish, Hugo didn't swat or hiss. I wondered if he had missed the blind hound, too.

Apparently, the trip south was a success for Ray who became a business owner. I didn't have the heart to tell him that a record shop was probably not the most lucrative thing he could have chosen. 

Ray's Inc., Florence, South Carolina

Sunset at the Auto Parts Store
(car trouble while on vacation)