things to say

Laura has created a blog to cover her wanderings this summer. I told her that I would comment on it in e-mail, maintaining the purity of her narrative. I also figured that I would not have much to say, other than the obvious - that she and the girls are great. She is a wonderful parent to put the trip together etc. All of which is worth saying, but might get a little boring on a day to day basis.

Now while she is trekking across the heartland, I am at home in the woods of new england. Every once in a while when I am out and about in the morning, I feel like it is wild life central. This morning, I had just come in from walking the dogs when I heard someone knocking. It sounded like they were banging the side of the house.

So I went back outside, thinking it was a woodpecker, casting aspersions on the quality of our cedar siding. It turned out it was a pileated woodpecker, actually two, but not on the house, luckily. These things are big, 15" according to the books , which for a bird is pretty good.

Anyhow, I guess there is an advantage to having big dead trees in woods. The two of them pounded and dug away at a big old tree branch for almost half an hour. I would have taken a picture, but Laura has all the cameras.

Other things we have seen, or heard in the neighborhood

red-tailed hawks
deer (of course)
squirrels
chipmunks
rabbits
moles
racoons
fox
coyote ( heard only)
wild turkeys
ducks
geese
spotted salamanders
way too many frogs
skunks

I am sure I am forgetting something.

Off to work