Wildlife Weekend

Keith, Shasta, Joe, Ozzy and I went Friday night to Fish Lake. We saw two huge bucks (no really - tall, wide and lots of points) just outside of Scipio.

Saturday the boys prepped the cabin for painting. Ozzy and I went on a short walk. My camera battery was dead so I grabbed Joe’s. At least I had something when the osprey was flying RIGHT over my head. I could have gotten some killer pics, but got a couple of mini videos that will be on FlickR. It flew with us as we walked. It reminded me of when we were in Maui one time and the whales kept jumping as I walked the boardwalk. I loved it!

Then the boys went golfing and Joyce and I went shopping in Richfield. I decided to get Joyce off of the mountain before she really went cabin feverish. We stopped on the way back so I could take pictures of three wild turkeys. Hey! That is a sign that I am going to be a better bowler.

Then we came back and grilled up some brats (Joe and Charlie call them BraCTwurst...drives me crazy), steaks and fresh fish. It was a complete feast with: grapes, blueberries, honey-loupe (a yummy hybrid of cantaloupe and honeydew melons from the farmer’s market), farmer’s market bread from Volker’s, feast with pasta salad made from basil from our yard, farmer’s market tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. We completed dinner with chocolate covered cinnamon bears.

Sunday Keith and Joe painted the cabin then went fishing at Mill Meadow with Charlie late in the afternoon into the evening.

About 5 minutes after they left, a doe and her fawn were in front of the cabin. They were chowing on our tender aspen at Skyliner Diner. I’ll have those pictures and a lot more late today and this week.

Ozzy and I went for a walk that ended up being just under two hours. It was late afternoon most people were gone so there were a bunch of animals out. We saw a lot more deer. There were spikes, does and fawn. They could have been the same 3 we kept pushing down the hill. Besides the deer, I saw: a variety of birds, chipmunks, squirrels, a rabbit, water snake, about 3 water rat things, a beaver in some rocks then a beaver swimming by the dam. I also watched some fish in less than a foot of shoreline water feeding on the bugs. They surfaced like sharks. I think they were just big carp. I also saw a fat – 3 inch caterpillar by our cabin.

They came home so late and with cleaning the fish, we ended up spending the night and leaving early Monday morning. The decision came because a big pretty moth landed on Joe’s shoe. We debated but the prospect of getting home after 1 am and possibly hitting a deer wasn’t what we all really wanted.

Besides, Joe named the moth Bob Jr. Which shouldn’t be confused with Bob the antelope hanging in the cabin. Bob the antelope will be another story another time. The moth hung out on his shoe for a long time. I want to say at least 45 minutes. He had to pry it off to come in the cabin. Although Joe was quite attached to it too. Either it was eating his shoe or laying eggs. Maybe we will have moth babies. At least they will be cute.