Hairy and the Herons

Ahhh - summer days manning Liquid Fusion Kayaking's headquarters on the Noyo River. In the summer, one of us is there daily taking reservations and renting kayaks. Lately, I have been manning the shop as Jeff has been out at sea.

I have been a little behind on my blogging because we don't have internet at our shop on the Noyo River. Maybe some day, we will get our technology online or maybe not.

If my office was a climate controlled cubical, I would probably go stir crazy without an online connection to the world (actually in a cubicle, I would go crazy with or with out internet). However, my office consists of a little gear shed and a picnic table on a deck over the Noyo River.



Of course with a daily field trip via kayak onto the river . . .

It seems to be a blessing not to be online when I am there as I get to be plugged into nature. I get to know what creatures are around and their daily habits. I know when the baby birds have left their nest and who is still under their parents' watchful care and who is being told to go away and find their own territory.

Hairy is a gartersnake that lives under a planter box on our deck. He has become one of the creatures that I monitor throughout the day. He monitors whats going on as well. One of his favorite habits is to lie in a crack in our deck and peer about like a little periscope.


He also likes to nestle in the nasturtium. His stripes are good camouflage, and I have to protect him from people stepping on him.


This week, I have been particularly enamored with 5 newly fledged green herons. They left the nest Tuesday afternoon, and I have been spying on them through my spotting scope. They still have downy feathers on their heads and are quite comical to watch as the climb and explore the alder trees above the Noyo River.


Green herons are a special bird to me as they were "THE" bird that intrigued me to become interested in birds and birding.

Well, time to get off line and back on the river.