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Hula Returns to Sequim

Honored Elder & Dance Teacher, Mokihana Melendez on the right OMG! So excited that like last year, a Hawaiian group graced Sequim with i...

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Chez Claire Entertains

It's a great week here at Chez Claire; Joann is visiting, up from San Diego.

Joann, who left San Diego at 2AM & was on my doorstep near about noon

We had fun chatting & catching up, then hit Cattleman's for a T-bone dinner. We used to each be able to put away a whole T-bone in one sitting, now we have to bring home doggie bags or pay the intestinal consequences. Later we decided we would do some 'deer hunting'. We first paid our respects to the Sunrise Park Tom Turkeys who go to bed about an hour before sunset, way way high at the top of the oat tree at the end of the road.

Four Tom Turkeys settling down for bedtime

It's cool being able to see the red of this
Tom's waddle in the glow of waining sunlight

This pair, enjoy a pre-nighty night chat (gobble)

Once we knew the turkeys were safely bedded down for the evening, we went off in search of our wild California Mule Deer. This was the second group we found, 3 does and a young buck (possibly Mom, a friend and their older offspring).

Nothing like a pre-evening snack

The young 'spike' buck with his velvet covered nubbin antlers


I love the photo here below of this little doe. You can see under her tail end there, her udder with it's two 'nip-nips'. Cows have four nipples but deer have only two. Woe to the doe that gives birth to triplets - someone has to wait for a turn.

Click this photo for a really good gander at 'the goods'

As we headed back down the road we saw a very large buck with huge velvet antlers spring across the road and with little effort he cleared a fence. The fence was too high but he cleared it with so little effort he earned some oohs and ahhs from us.

Next we hit the BIG MEADOW. It's always - and who knows why - home to the bucks with the largest antlers at Sunrise Parkway. There were 3 bucks with nice velvety racks out grazing and ignoring all the bicyclists and foot traffic moving by on the pathway. Aren't they lovely!

Having a look at the loud & crazy women with the camera

There is a full moon this week, and I hear there was a lunar eclipse in the southern hemisphere. No eclipse here, but Joann got several nice shots of the moon, which looks like a lovely large orb peeking through the Tree of Heaven.

Sweet Dreams for all you other
free-ranging Turkeys out there!