Stella, the dog, often joins us during prayer time. She happily sits quietly under our feet and surveys the area. For recreation, she loves to chase deer and turkey hawks. How does she chase a turkey hawk you might ask. Often times the turkey hawks are flying at eye level since our hilltop is about 900 feet above the valley below and so she thinks that she is chasing them away. However, the prey don't even notice - they are busy circling over a future meal.
If you look closely (or click on the photo to enlarge it) you might notice the large building in the center of the photo. This is the home of the other local monastic community - the Buddhists. Since the Buddhist monastery is located on the same road we are, people are often confused on their way up to us when they see the word "monastery".
