Groundhog Saturday

Today was a fairly routine Saturday. I'd hoped there might be some interest in going out to DC to see the cherry blossoms, but instead we all treked out to work on the most expensive vacation home that never gets visited in history. Before that little trip, I chased a sunrise that I'd gotten behind by about 20 minutes.

Sunrise over the Severn with ELF Towers on Greenbury Point

Not a bad view, but if you miss a sunrise it's pretty pointless to chase it. Given the late hour (at least as judged by the height of Sol), I was a bit surprised to come upon three deer that had not yet made their way back to the treeline and were placidly grazing out near the fringe of the road.

Three Does at Naval Station Annapolis

I followed up the morning ambulation with a two hour nap and then made the trip down to paint the expensive non-vacation house.

The day wrapped up reasonably well with a sunset and an eight man (actually woman I believe) crew shell.

College Creek Sunset with Hubbard Hall

Cloud cover and a light breeze precluded the burning sun views that are frequent from this vantage point, but it was still pretty in a more subdued way.

Who is...?

On my way back from the sunset, I happened across this crew shell. This picture with the accompanying caption elicited some chuckles. I've decided that making at least one person laugh every day is a worthwhile goal. Mission accomplished today, so we'll see what tomorrow might roll down my alley.

Open to Being Surprised

We have an offsite for work this week, and due to the longer commute and inaccessibility to a gym I decided to keep my walking goals over the next couple of days relatively modest. Going to a new area is always a little tricky, and you don't ever really know if you're going to get stuck slogging down some terrible suburban sidewalk.  Frankly, that's what I was convinced that I had in store for me this morning.

I'm happy to report that my terrible record as a fortune teller remains intact.

Fairfax, VA Sunrise

Deep in the heart of suburban Virginia, I came across a muddy little flood control pond.  There were a couple of ducks and a single Canada goose that had taken up residence, and the trail around the little smudge of shallow water was less than a quarter mile long. Even with these humble dimensions, I caught the sun peeking up over the horizon after completing its sojourn to the other side of the planet. The mud colored water flashed to life reflecting the clouds, trees, building and blue of the sky. Just when I least expected perfection, the act of being outside served up a perfect moment of serenity and beauty.

My walk was just over 1.5 miles this morning due to time constraints and my decision to nurse the foot just a little bit longer. With two hundred paces to go, I came across three deer that were wrapping up an evening of grazing.

Deer in Fairfax, VA

The little spike buck was missing an antler, and I'll probably poke around a little tomorrow to see if I can find it. The does were a bit skittish, but they did not run.  I came within about 30 yards of all three, snapped a quick photo, and then headed into a day filled with meetings.

Getting outside on the trail has opened my eyes again to the wonder of the world like I experienced as a child. I am regularly amazed at the experiences that have crossed my path through just the act of getting outside and being open to being surprised.

I'm looking forward to what tomorrow will unveil.

Five Deer and Two Dogs and a Birthday Party

Today ended up being a five deer day.  Three does in a small group bounded across the trail and then hung about in the area during my pedestrian passage.  Two bucks a little later on during the morning walk were moving about in a pretty dense brush thicket, and they may have gone without notice except one of the chuffed.

Before we get to the deer, some explanation of the Dogs' Birthdays is probably in order.  My normal Sunday morning walking routine had been interrupted by the mandatory attendance at my mother-in-law's birthday celebration for her dogs.  In all fairness, her Border Collie is getting quite old, and one never knows if she'll make it another year.  I suspect this very real possibility coupled with the desire to see the family contributed to the birthday celebration for both the older Border Collie and her younger dog.  The Border Collie was born on 07 Nov, and this is a known date if you can believe the breeder.  The younger mutt is a shelter dog, and his birthday was relatively arbitrarily assigned as 01 Nov in order to always bracket a week with the Border Collie.

It's a little complex to explain much further, so the story of both Dogs' Birthday party will end right here. My pedestrian habits were once again interrupted by the universe, and my six mile plod was displaced from its normal location.  Much like yesterday, it ended up being worth every note of the birthday song for the dogs.

Back to the deer.  I ran across the does first.  More accurately, they ran across the trail in front of me first.

One of the Three Does in a Group That Crossed My Path Early in the Walk

Like many of the deer in this area, they have clearly become accustomed to encounters with humans.  Even so, they were a little wary, and they are pretty darn hard to see once they get back up into the brush.

Farm Panorama Along the Course of the Walk

After seeing the deer, anything else that happened on the walk was just another bonus.  This panoramic shot of the farm shows how great the scenery was, and just how conducive the weather has been this autumn.  It was a glorious day, and while I've said in the past that, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing," it is very pleasant when the clothing isn't the only deciding factor.

Back Side of the Same 4H Farm in the Park

This park has been extensively developed from the first time I was introduced to this area.  The farm has been completely restored, and it has become the home of the local 4H chapter.  It is open for tours, and you can see many of the prize winning animals that will eventually appear at the county fair during the earlier stages of their husbandry.

Looking Forward and Looking Back on the Trail

Even the trails have improved.  The progress is remarkable until I remind myself that the first time I came to this area was at least twenty and probably twenty-one years ago.

One of Two Bucks that Seemed to be Competing over Territory

The real surprise was stumbling across two bucks that were much larger deer then the relatively young six point from a couple of days ago.  These two were fully mature adults.  The each had at least eight points each, and I'm pretty sure that the larger one was a ten pointer.  It was also remarkable that they were out this late in the morning.  Mating season is upon us, and these two seemed to be competing over the territory.

Sunset on College Creek

Later in the evening, the sky was on fire with the sunset.  I'm really not sure any of this will ever get old.  It was grand adventure.

Four Deer Day

Today, my travels took me north to the vicinity of Aberdeen.  I'm not a frequent visitor to this area, but the last time I was there, I encountered a herd of whitetail deer that numbered in the high teens.  Today, though the numbers were not as great, I encountered a similar, though geographically closer experience.

One of the exciting things about visiting a new area or returning to a more familiar area after a longish absence is the opportunity to practice some pedestrianism over new(ish) terrain.  I arrived in time to watch the sun crest the horizon, and I captured the shots that Google subsequently worked their magic upon.

Sunrise over Aberdeen

Shortly after this picture, I encountered two does that were making their way rather tentatively across a busy road to the wooded area on my side of the street.

After completing my morning loop, I was headed back to the car when a six point buck crossed the road at about the same location at a vigorous clip.  He about barrelled right into me, and then pulled himself up short and turned around to glance in my direction.  I slowly closed the distance between us to about fifteen meters, and then I snapped the following photo.

Aberdeen Buck

We stared at one another for a beat or two, and then he flicked his tail in the air and bounded back across the road from the direction he came.

Later in the day, I encountered another doe during my afternoon walk making today a four deer encounter day.

I also was able to coax another panorama of the mouth of the Severn River out of Google.

ELF Antennas across the Severn

Another gift filled day passes into the books.