Happy Chew Year

My brother and our friend Kirk came over today and we all ate pork and sauerkraut to ring in the new year. Around 4 pm the sky started looking like it was going to cook up a good sunset so the guys decided to go down to the creek. There are too many power lines in the back yard and they ruin any photos taken from that vantage point. Anyway I stayed home since I still can't walk very far. If it wasn't enough to be in pain-now there has been insult added to injury in the form of a wildlife sighting and photographic opportunity that I missed out on. The guys said the sunset mission was unsuccessful (I disagree-you be the judge) so they headed down to play in the creek as boys will do. Andrew, who had the foresight to wear knee boots, was fording the creek to get a better angle on the sunset pictures when lo and behold a beaver (caster canadensis) swam by. Talk about perfect timing: wildlife and a camera around your neck. Bob and Kirk (wearing tennis shoes) watched from the safety of the bridge (think Wild Kingdom) while Andrew shot about 65 photos of the young beaver feeding in the twilight. He said he was about 3 feet from the beaver, who he said kept a eye on him at all times, but went about his business seemingly unafraid. Needless to say an 8 x 10 of one of the beaver photos will soon be adorning our wildlife wall.