Friday, 24 July 2015

What I did on my summer vacation

Actually, I shouldn't have taken a fun day today, I have plenty of work left to prep next week's class, and an 8 hour drive on Sunday, and laundry and packing for a month away. But Jim et.al. were going on a sailboat in Provincetown and invited me along. How could I say no to that? Yolo (as the kids say).

Wednesday, 22 July 2015

We went to the music stroll in Harwich tonight. Tons of people, more kids under 6 than I can count, and many many dogs. Louis was loving it.


Monday, 20 July 2015

who wants more sunsets?

I was rather productive today so I rewarded myself with a trip to Rock Harbor for the hour before sunset. The tide was outbound when we arrived there was still water up to the regular beach. But if you went around the back way and waded through 4 inches of water there was a little island sand bar. Louis had no interested in 4 inches of water. "Oh my god mom don't make me get my paws wet!!!!!" (Trust me, I speak dog.) So I picked him up and carried him out there because then I could let him run all he wanted. He made lots of friends and I took lots of pictures.

Monday, 6 July 2015

What does the fox say?

You can't really google that phrase because you get that idiot song or whatever that was. I don't have any photos even though I've seen them almost daily. They are elusive and quick. But it's kind of cool having them. They don't seem to be hurting anything. They eat rabbits and squirrels and chipmunks, and all are plentiful as far as I can tell.

One passed through the yard the other week when Louis and I were sitting outside. The fox was crossing over from Jan and Joanie's house toward us and Louis went running out to the end of his lead to play. The fox was having none of that and veered across to Connie's house. Sadly for him Connie's dog was out in their front yard on the far side of the house. He barked so then the fox just took off down Depot street, fed up with all of us. So I don't leave Louis out at night by himself, but I doesn't seem like a fox is going to try to get into anything with him generally.

Tonight however they were hanging in the neighborhood. There was one very close calling so I stuck my shotgun mic out the front door. The neighbors were a bit freaked, I don't think they knew what it was. And then at one point a car came around the corner onto Smith street and stopped in front of Elizabeth's house and I could see the fox standing in front of Russel's. Then the car moved on. And then a minute later it came trotting out from our side lawn. And there's me standing in the dark on my front step really happy that Louis was inside. It came right across our yard and over into Jan and Joanie's. When it got under the street light I got a good look and it seemed bigger than the ones I've seen recently.


What does the fox say? Take a listen.
(I wish I knew how to embed that so you could listen while you read.)

Ooh, definitely a male and a female calling to each other. When I made the recording and one went through the yard it was big (15-20 pounds). But just now there was one close and I was a little worried that the neighbors might do something stupid to hurt them or chase them away. I flipped on my front light and there was a smaller one (10 pounds) right in front of the house. She ran off when Louis barked, but she hasn't left the yard. I can hear her right next to the house.