June 8, 2013 Adventures are where you find them........

Yesterday, being it was such a beautiful day, I decided to take the long way to town to do my errands.  Lately, with the high price of gasoline, I go every other week.  I loaded recycling and Toby, camera gear....and left.   We got about a mile from the house when I thought I saw a grouse in the middle of the road....hurt, or what!?  Well, our county road tends to get these little mud/clay plops that come out of the middle in spring while road restrictions are on.  This one was drying out, finally, and the grouse was dusting on it.  It was on its side...just busy.  I drove right along side of it and looked down, out my window, at it.  Then, it finally got up and walked off the road.  Completely in the shade, brown bird on a dirt road....didn't even bother trying a photo.
Got going up the trail. I was slowing down by a beaver pond to watch for a moose.  Just up the road, a deer was standing.  OK.  I  slowly drove toward her, thinking maybe there were fawns.  She proceeded to run up the road in front of me.  Hmmm.  Didn't see wolves of fawns. Still....she ran up the road at 10-12 mph ahead of me for a good mile and then turned off on a forestry road.  What the heck....never had that happen before.  There were plenty of nice places she could have gotten off the road.  Oh yes, when I first started following the deer, a rabbit came tearing out of the woods and ran in front of me too! 
I got to my turn off and started across to the next leg of the trip.  Just when I was slowing to stop by the little lake, I saw a cow moose standing between the road and the beaver dam.  Well, she was in to the woods before I could even stop, what's more pick up the camera.  I stopped,  opened the window and listened.  She was in the woods there....but, I couldn't see her.  I took a photo of the lake with its nice reflections.  I was pretty focused on watching to see whether she would show herself again or if she had calves.  All of a sudden, I saw a moose swimming across the lake from the island to the shore she was on, only a lot farther down the lake.  I  grabbed my 400 mm lens to put on but  wasn't sure I could do it that fast.  That moose was moving!  So, I just used the 18-200 lens I had on and took this.   The bull hit shore and off in to the woods....never saw it again either.  So far, my adventure is being productive in seeing things, anyway.....even if I am not properly prepared!  I thought I was.  I  always put the lens on the camera I think I am most likely to be needing while driving and possibly getting a quick shot.  Well......doesn't always work that way.

This is from the day before.  I was out for a walk on the way home from getting mail.  Toby and I generally stop at someplace along the shore and he gets an adventure and maybe a swim.  Well, it was a grey day, again.  It was trying to sprinkle a bit of rain.  I had done several neat photos here the day before and I knew there was nothing new to be seen in one day.  So....I left my camera in the truck.  We had done the beach route and were coming back up the trail from the kayak campground that goes back to the parking lot.  All of a sudden the deer jumped off the trail and into the woods.  Ok....I see deer there now and then.  I get a couple more steps around the corner.....there are twin fawns standing in the trail....side by side...maybe knee high.  They were so darned cute.  And.....remember where my camera is!?

Here is a photo of the other twin.  I got up to where I had seen them....mind you, I had put Toby on his leash I always carry just for this reason, wondering where they had disappeared to....they were both laying in the grass, right off the trail.  You notice the alder clipped there where they minimally maintain road and power line here.....  They never moved a muscle or looked at me.  Well, I want to tell you that was the quickest return trip to the truck Toby and I ever made.  I put him in, grabbed the camera and hoofed it back there...hoping they hadn't moved.  They hadn't.  I took a half dozen shots and left.  Oh....so cute at that stage.  I see so many deer on a daily basis.....I forget how small they are right now.  At home, none of "my" girls have come to show off their babies yet. 
I made up my mind right then and there.....no more leaving the camera.....just because!  Sheesh....but that is irritating.  Of course....given I always will carry the camera now.....I won't see as much....right! 
Anyway, the main thing is, I get to see some of this stuff.  I can't tell you how many times, over the years, I have see really neat stuff...and, no camera.  It is still very vivid in my memory because of what the incident was.  That is special. 
Well, was going to leave you with one final shot of Shadow, my pet deer, standing in the cherry blossoms.  My internet connection won't upload it right now.  So, we will see if this will post and I will continue on this another time.  :)