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.
Tom's waddle in the glow of waining sunlight
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).
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.
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!
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.
free-ranging Turkeys out there!
