Tag Archives: deer

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Our Backyard

Yesterday, the rain we have seen a lot of lately broke.  The girls and I decided a drive around the lake we live next to would be fun.  This is the lake we run trails on whenever possible.  It’s gorgeous!  We are so lucky to have it literally around the corner.

It was nice to see some of the first boats of the season!  I need to make friends with each and every one of them.  You can never had too many friends with boats.  ;-)

lake ramp

The girls then convinced me we should visit the fish that hang around the marina.

large fish

Here fishy, fishy, fishy!

feeding fish

The girls had a blast feeding them!

feeding fish

Some of us were more brave than others when on the dock completely surrounded by fish.  I’m not naming any names…

feeding fish

A little more scenic driving on the way to the other side of the lake.  The trees and grass are really starting to turn green now!

We saw turkey in one field and three deer in this one.

deer in pasture

Those were nice to see but we had bigger game on our mind.  Why?  Because this park has a native animal enclosure!  First we came upon the elk.  The girls were a bit nervous being that close to them.

elk

elk

This park allows you to feed the animals.

How fun is that?!  We got in on the action!

First Sassy tried watermelon someone had left.

elk eating watermelon

The elk basically ignored it.  How can they not like watermelon?!  So wrong.

Next we tried carrots.

elk eating carrot

 

Oh yeah!  They loved the carrots.  So much so they let the girls rub their noses while eating them out of their hands.

elk eating carrot

The elk were fun but we knew there was bigger animals to be found.  Bigger?  What’s bigger than the elk?…

Bison!

bison

Look at my little bloggers-in-the-making!

bison

Even though the girls had quickly warmed up to the elk, the bison were a whole other story.  There was no touching them.

bison

Many of them seemed to enjoy butting their heads against the fence.  It was fun to watch the girls reactions!

bison

I’m pretty sure the bison enjoyed it, too.  I think it’s a game to them.  :-)

Yesterday was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours outside together!  I was happy everything was so close to parking so I didn’t have to go very far on my crutches.  They certainly make things challenging, but I refuse to let them stop me.  Not when there is this much exploring to be done!

What was your favorite part of your weekend?

How often do you go to the zoo?

Most importantly, do you have a boat?

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Babies, Football & Umbrellas

No, not my babies.  These babies!

Our town is crawling with newborn deer.  White spots galore!  I spotted these twin cuties with their mama just outside Sassy’s bedroom window when I was in there packing yesterday.

The cats  are going a bit nuts without the girls here to entertain them.  And they are more than a little confused by all the boxes.

Can you guess which cat this is?…

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It’s Okie!  He’s just watching the world go by.  Things are picking up out there with twice a day football practice happening on the field right next to our house.  Apparently, Okie is a real sports fan!

Yesterday I went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.  There is a walkway that runs behind the restaurants, along the creek.  This space is used for outdoor restaurant seating.  Each restaurant has their own style of tables, chairs and umbrellas so you can clearly see which “restaurant” you are at.

A sea of umbrellas!  It’s always a great space to hang out, enjoy the cooler air and people watch.

What’s happening in your corner of the world?

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Back Fat Be Gone Workout

Thursday night, my small group set out on a shorter, but hilly hike to prep us another longer hike we have planned.  A couple of us used trekking poles for the first time because they are necessary for the other hike.  Actually we used ski poles because that’s what we had on hand.  It was a sort of we’re cheap thrifty “try it before you buy it” adventure.

It took me forever to figure out the movement of using the poles!  I could not walk and talk, or even think about anything else at first or I would mess up my rhythm.  I felt like a monkey with a new toy.  Finally I got the hang of it and started to enjoy them.

I must tell you, I could totally feel the movement across my back and thought of all my back fat melting away.  It was a delusion good feeling!  I told my friends that I wondered if this was a good workout for my back fat.  One gal said, yes probably.  I told her she was not my real friend.  A real friend would have said something along the lines of “Back fat?  I’ve never noticed you had back fat!”

I asked the same friend to take a picture of me along the way.  She apparently could not figure out my newfangled contraption called a cell-phone camera!  Because the photos and two videos (taken on accident!) were all like this…

I think she was sore about the back fat/friend comment.  ;-)

Most of the fun on this hike took place on the way down the hill.  Because quite frankly, climbing up it was less than fun.  It took us right at one hour to climb the two miles to the top.

You can sort of make out the town below through the middle of the tree on the left.

We had just started descending when we suddenly heard a musical band.   Now it’s not unusual to see a fellow hiker in the woods with their instrument.  But this was way more than one instrument that we were hearing.  More like a school marching/concert band in the middle of the woods!  We quickly realized it was coming from a concert in the bandshell miles below us in the park.

not my bandshell (source)

The bandshell only hosts a few concerts a year and local high school graduations.  And it just so happened to be facing the direction of the trail/hill we were on.  We were treated to a live concert all the way down. So cool!  I highly recommend you request a live band serenade you on your next hike.  Invigorating, I tell you!

And then there was this little guy…

He was very curious and followed us about 1/2 mile.  Deer here tend to be a little too unafraid of humans for their own good.

I was nervous that I would wake up Friday sore from the longer hike on Wednesday and then this hilly hike/back fat workout on Thursday, but I didn’t!  Guess my body has finally figured out to quit being a cry baby and suck it.  It’s about time!

What’s the biggest surprise you have found/heard in the woods?  And keep it PG, please.  ;-)

 

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Oh Hail No!

I had three events for work within a 24 hour period over the weekend.  I need a day off.

Other happenings from the last few days in photos…

smoothie

Click espresso protein powder and banana smoothie.

deer

Ran into a “neighbor” on my run.

LL pledge

Younger daughter leading the Little League pledge.

cats

Cat, Cat, Kitten!  Similar to Duck, Duck, Goose…

rain

Fast & furious, Florida-style rain.

hail

And hail, too!  Noooo!

How was your weekend?

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Protect Your Dog’s Noggin

Yesterday I had to work an event that was a bit of a drive from my office.  Not that I minded with views like this.

The event was outside and the weather was perfect!  I was enjoying being outside, doing what I do.  And then the highlight of my day appeared!

There are no words.  I was immediately smitten and asked if I could take a photo.  I had to share with you!  For dogsake, she’s wearing a helmet!  And googles!  While riding in a pet carrier/backpack thing!  While on a bike!  I knew you would appreciate this sight as much as I did.

This dog was the calmest dog I have ever seen.  Seriously just hanging out.  No pun intended.   The dog owner said she has been “riding” with him since she was 9 months old.  And apparently when he first got the Outward Hound Backpack Pet Carrier, he wore it on his back, but puppy didn’t like that.  She wants to see where she’s going, not where she’s been!  Smart girl!

Last night we had a few deer visitors.  Nothing unusual about that.  They love our yard and hung out for a couple hours.  And this little guy didn’t mind having his photo taken at all.

The sunset cast some amazing colors on the mountains last night!

And that is where we hiked to earlier today to watch the solar eclipse.  More on that tomorrow!

What was the oddest thing you saw this weekend?

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The Peak, Oh My!

Tonight we set out for our hike as usual.  I had no idea we would go so far!  We hiked for almost two hours.  The picture above is of our route.
Our view from about 3/4 of the way up.  You can see the outdoor theater on Barbarian’s lower left.  The other side of these rocks is a complete drop.  I only sat on them.  I’m a scaredy cat!
A view from the water tower looking back down.  This pic makes my legs hurt.  :-/
Barbarian found a little deer friend on the way down.  See her, top center?