Not on My Watch: Where I Found Chester

I returned to the Blue Colony Diner, the location where Chester was last seen before he got away from his family's car on June 28th. Even though I knew Chester was safely tucked at home and eating well, the rescue a thing of the past; I still felt distressed being back there again. The shock of finding Chester lingers. His limp, almost lifeless body in my arms. Trying not to lose my cool, while I was shaking, trying to think of what to do next, hoping he would not die. I will never forget it.

The Blue Colony Diner.

The Diner is surrounded on two sides by DENSE brush. The north side is almost impenetrable. The west and south sides are flanked by either a very busy main road or an interstate highway (I-84). This is definitely not a great place to lose a cat.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The east side of the property, facing the woods where I eventually found Chester.

The back of the parking lot is where we thought Chester had escaped to. Over to the far right of the lot, there's an access point to the woods, past some large boulders. That's where I wanted to enter, but as you may recall from my original post about finding Chester, there was a creepy SUV parked there, so I entered the woods to the right of the 4th car from the left.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. The woods by the Diner.

Just steps over some large rocks and into a dry creek gully, this is what you'd see. Thick woodland. When I was there last, the sun was very low. The woods had an orange cast and it was much darker. I was pulled in a direction that was almost straight out from the middle of this photo.

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Artists' interpretation of finding Chester. The lighting was much different. Everything had a bright orange cast or deep shadow. Chester was well into the shadows.

I was looking left, right, up, down. I walked about 40 or 50 feet. Then, I thought I saw something. I tried to re-create what I saw, above. If you look closely, you can see Chester, just about the same way I did. He was so still, I thought he was just part of the brush-and sadly, he matched it perfectly, too!

©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Looking towards the Diner from where Chester was found.

Once I realized I'd found my boy, (sorry, he's not mine, but I do feel a certainly attachment to him) had him untangled from his leash and in my arms, I turned to face the Diner parking lot. This is the view. As you can see, the diner is out of sight. I could hear the music faintly from the loudspeakers they have near the front door, but I couldn't see the building until I got closer.

Being back on the scene, I was surprised at how much brush there was. I don't recall running through it. In fact, I remember little of anything after I had Chester. I know I ran as fast as I could towards the parking lot and my waiting car. How I got there...not sure.

Last night I got an email from Ruth, Chester's Mama. She told me that Chester is eating well and surprising them every moment. Chester was adopted as a kitten from a shelter in Westchester County, NY, which is how he got his name. Chester also lives with a big doggie and travels with his family from their home in NY to their summer home in Maine. A nice life for a kitty and fortunately, he will be able to continue to enjoy it.

Late this summer when Chester and his family return to NY, they might stop by so we can finally meet each other and the story will have come full circle. Be assured, should that day arrive, that I will be waiting, heart racing, camera in hand, ready to share the moment with all of you who worried and prayed for this story to have a happy ending.

...and thankfully right now, we have just that.