After a bye week, Oak's paws were healed up and it was time for a quick trip back to Eastern WA to wrap up the South Dakota primer. We bailed on the city Friday afternoon and faced with the prospect of spending money for the privilege of cuddling with bed bugs I opted to sleep in the car at the Gloyd Seeps wildlife area (not sure on the legality but the price was right). Fortunately, the sleep deprivation improved my aim significantly!
Oak found two roosters, his first duck, and close to 100 quail. It was clear he had zeroed in on the difference between quail and tweeties but with bigger birds around, I stopped harassing the little guys after we had four for the pot. Result - my dog still thinks I am clueless... On the plus side, only one targeted bird escaped so he eased off the trash talk. Oak also kicked up a couple cottontails but with the beast in hot pursuit I could only wave. Cottontails are an especially sore subject for me. Since forcing my dad to try grey squirrels when his back was broken (and he was defenseless) I have wanted to add wild rabbit to the list of table fare. Preferably this will happen without targeting the wily critters specifically but its starting to get embarrassing.
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| Lots and lots of dead carp in the drained canals, some 10+ pounders in that pile |
Kat and our fellow Colorado expats carved the pumpkins below. Due to my lack of anything that could be called artistic talent (even to a modern artist), I was assigned the critical tasks of scooping the guts and sorting out the seeds for roasting. Kat's pumpkin is the ringneck pheasant on the left.
