A 300 Step, 3 Photo Walk on the Wild Side

BigFoot (now magically transformed into LittleFoot) went for a 300 step walk today.  We know because we were wearing a pedometer in-pocket.

And how amazing it was to capture 3 great photos in 300 steps!  But I suppose, not so remarkable since I live on the edge of a forest primeval.

Do butterflies mate?

I wonder because there atop a happily blooming Zinnia stood Miss Butterfly joined by a very happy friend (who was actively fluttering as near as he could get). Are they just pals saying, “Hi”, or is there more going on here?

I made a hasty exit in order to give them some privacy.

Then walking along the edge of the forest, there stood an elegant doe.

I am sure she was wondering about the 2-legged critter looking back into those big beautiful eyes.  She allowed me time to retrieve camera and click before she turned and leisurely loped back into her wooded glen.

Finally, there was a mountain view I would wish some day to paint.

And although I have taken this shot many times before, each season it becomes more appealing.  I always see it as a frame of tree limbs forming a natural vignette for a splendid view of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

I suppose my 300 step, 3 photo walk to exercise the healing BigFoot could be considered mundane.  But, I think of it as a magical journey through a little corner of rural Virginia’s wild side.

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Rainy Day Deer

Bambi Waiting in the Rain

Through a Glass Brightly

It’s raining again in Virginia.  We seem to have an afternoon storm every few days, and I wonder.  Do the animals of the forest become accustomed to sounds of thunder and regular downpours?  Do they hide or go about their daily chores as if the sun is shining?

How I love to listen to the rain pelting our rooftop, and I love to watch it too.  So I gazed out my kitchen window today and immediately saw a Mama Doe and her Fawn who were oblivious to weather.  They were dining in a heavy downpour.   Mom was munching the deliciously moist grass and quietly sitting nearby was Bambi, who most certainly was under strict orders not to move a muscle.  They looked calm, happy and cool.

Mama Doe & Bambi on Right

Oh, how I wanted a picture of this scene!  But I knew if I opened the sliding door, they would hear me and swiftly disappear, so my only alternative was the kitchen window.   Coping with window glass, rain, and the precarious movements of wildlife may have made these shots less than perfect.  But I’m thrilled to have witnessed this little family who were so enjoying a rainy day and I am so delighted to have these slightly fuzzy shots to share.

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Tale of the White Tailed Deer

Let’s Go Camping!

We were still living in the city, but took every opportunity to visit the land we had purchased for retirement.  There was no house yet, just a hilltop backing up to the forest, with lovely views.

“Let’s go camping on the land,” said my well-meaning husband one beautiful autumn day.  So we  shopped for a camping trip.  We bought a little tent for two, a couple of air mattresses, sleeping bags, a cook stove and pots and pans, portable this and portable that, flashlights, and of course, food in various inedible forms.  I had the right attitude – eager – and the shopping was great fun anyway.

Setting Up the Camp Site

It took a little doing but we got the tent set up and staked right where we thought the house might go, and settled down to enjoy the fall colors, take walks, clear some underbrush, survey the boundaries, and imagine life in rural Virginia. One of our kindly neighbors-to-be came by with big jugs of water and asked if we needed blankets or anything.  “No, we’re fine,” we said and thanked her profusely

Anyway, we were happily enjoying the camp out when night began to fall.  The temperature dipped with the setting sun, so we built a campfire and had something I don’t recall for dinner.   I do remember that if I sat right next to the fire, the front of me stayed warm, but the back of me was freezing.  “I’m going to turn in,” I finally said, with chattering teeth.  It was probably 8 PM!

The Big Chill

Inside the tent was about 3 degrees warmer than outside.  “Oh well, the sleeping bag will take care of the chill,” I thought.  Ha!  Curled up in my bag, I was soon keenly aware that anything sticking out was freezing – like nose and ears.  Inside the sleeping bag, my feet were freezing.  I hurriedly put on three pairs of socks and a stocking cap over ears and nose and tried to sleep.  Ha!  Why didn’t I accept the neighbor’s offer of blankets?

Tossing and turning in a slick sleeping bag on top of a slick air mattress meant I spent more time on the sleazy floor of the tent than on the mattress. A toss or a turn would result in uncontrollable sliding!  Around 2 AM I threw the air mattress across the tent (didn’t mean to hit my husband you know) and I slept (periodically) on the plastic covered ground.

The Call of Nature

Early morning  and I emerged in a semi-frozen, semi-comatose state to my very sweet husband cooking bacon and eggs with his usual cheerful, oh-happy-day- demeanor.  Grrrrrr!  Embarrassing to mention, but nature was calling.  I was still freezing so I donned my beige suede jacket (feeling the city girl’s need to be ever stylish) and headed for the privacy of the forest for morning evacuation. I found a convenient tree to hide behind, unceremoniously pulled down my britches, and in the middle of relief had a horrible thought, “OMG – it’s deer hunting season!  And here I am in a beige jacket with my pants down.  I’m sure I look like a WHITE TAILED DEER!” I was back at the campfire in a great big hurry.

This was not our last camping trip.  On the other hand, I think it was, since I no longer had have the right attitude and the house has been up for 24 years.

This is obviously another “Remember when?” story don’t you think?  The Tale of the White Tailed Deer.

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