Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
In Memoriam of Memorial Day
Ugh - came and went so fast, I had so little time to really enjoy it. The trip home to Pennsyltucky was awful. I left Bawlmore at 3:00 PM and it took me till nearly 5:30 PM to get just beyond Frederick, MD. I bailed onto I-81, and my trusty GPS genie, Bruce, got me home by 10:00 PM, only 2 hours later than usual.
Saturday was magnificent. The weather was amazing, and I had no greater goal in life than lying by the pool and reading all day. It was far too cold to actually venture into the pool, but I did manage to net a couple of "floaters" (i.e. dead chipmunks) over the weekend.
Instead, I kept company with the local wildlife. Meet Ricky the Raccoon:
He is a juvenile raccoon that was raiding my mother's bird feeder on a nightly basis. With a single can of fresh tuna - he was captured the first time out. Surprisingly, he was very calm as we transported him from our back yard to the golf course / creek area near our cottage later that day. We wish him well in his new location.
We also have a very active nest of Blue Jays above the door to the house. Three hungry hatchlings to be exact. Both Mom and Dad sit on the nest, but I never got a shot (with camera at hand) of the parents feeding the squawking tots. Here is Mom/Dad (you cannot easily tell which with Jays) sitting on the nest:
And last but not least, we (about 12 total) spent all afternoon and night at the family cottage on Sunday: kayaking, fishing off the dock, teaching my Dad about the wonders of iPod and Podcasts, grilling out, chilling out, and playing games. Twas pretty much wonderful. It was the first time since last Father's Day when my Dad started rebuilding the cottage on the site that has been in our family for going on 4 generations, that we have all had a chance to enjoy it. Especially my Dad. He designed it, built it, and has been working on it non stop since last June. It's mostly done now, but what a legacy we have to enjoy and treasure.....
I should have taken a shot down the creek from the deck. We have a beaver, and a pair of Canada geese with 6 goslings in residence. My sister and her friends were there the night before, and we need to keep a log of all the birds and wildlife everyone sees.
