Sunset Hill

When we arrived in the State of Washington, the pups had already been riding in the car for 4 days straight, stopping only to sleep overnight then get right back on the road. Maddox was the rambunctious of the three Maltese boys, and even though he was the “middle child” he still took on somewhat of the lead dog role as he was the biggest and boldest. When we finally reached the street of our new home, somehow they knew they were close to the end of the trip.

Once we parked, the dogs got very animated and jumped out of the car. Most excited, but also a bit overwhelmed, was Maddox. Having come over a hill on our way in, I remember thinking that would be a great spot to see the sunset on my evening walks. The hill was high enough to see the mountains silhouetted in the skyline, the Puget Sound just ahead of them, and some of the metropolis of Seattle as it narrowed into the horizon. I decided I’d take Maddox up that hill to get his excitement out and let him get acquainted with the scents and sounds of our new neighborhood.

As we approached the top of the hill, while the rest of the family got settled into what would be our new home in Seattle, the most brilliant orange/red fire-like sky began to take shape in the western sky. We came upon some steps where we could sit and take it all in. The stillness of the air, the warm glow of the setting sun on our faces, bristled by the cool mountain air settling in for the evening, made that moment, almost magical. The way he sat beside me, not exhausted, but sufficiently exercised from that walk up the steep hill, and the way the sunset shone in his eyes and reflected off his bright-white Maltese face, it was a memory all by itself. The feeling of utter peace and calm after being on the road so long, was the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Was this the most fun we’d had? Definitely not. Was this the funniest memory I have of him? Not even close (That actually involved him getting loose and rather than running away, going into full horse trot mode down the sidewalk, presumably heading downtown for something but in a fancy way). This was the most at peace I ever remember feeling, and especially with him. This was something magical. This was the essence of the bond between canine and human. We are forever and always burned into the fabric of that memory. That sunset, on the hill, in Seattle.

Maddox passed away last year. One day after his birthday. One day after 15 incredible years of so much love and affection. This sunset, this one Seattle Summer evening many years ago, remains as the place I go when his memory sneaks up on me, like one of his big wet kisses on my forehead that often woke me in the morning. It is during these times, that I’m often immediately transported to this moment, and we’re right back on that hill, somewhat out of breath, but at the same time breathing every last gasp of that moment in, not knowing we were making the memory that would last forever.