This is one of the many too-huge-to-believe banana slugs that live on the side of our house. I think they might have felt left out when they weren't mentioned in previous posts as one of the many creatures that has chosen our backyard (or in this case, the side of the house facing the backyard) as a prime habitat. But, unlike the skunks and raccoons, these guys don't cause Bella to wake us up in the middle of the night, and so we're ok with sharing the house with them. And besides, I can't get over how cute and creepy they are at the same time, and that they're called banana slugs!
Repeat
This morning it was 6:30am when the beasts decided to play on our deck and Bella decided to flip out. They were incredibly cute, running circles around each other in the yard and generally just being playful. I had my camera already on the windowsill for the next sighting, but wasn't expecting it so soon. This definitely cannot be a nightly occurance or else Greg and I will have to quit our jobs for lack of sleep.
Up All Night
They're baaack! Around 5am this morning Bella woke me up growling and barking and running around the house like mad. We now know this behavior shown in the middle of the night equals animal-in-the-backyard. So of course I get up to see who is visiting us this early in the morning, and find a big raccoon slinking around on the deck. After a bad photo attempt I yell and shine a flashlight at him for about 5 slow minutes as he growls at me - yes, growls loudly at me like a dog - but finally makes it through my garden and over the fence. As I go back into the bedroom Bella is whining loudly again and jumping up at our bedroom window so I go check it out. I look out and don't see anything, but then catch a flash of tail right below the window so I open it to get a better view straight down and see not one, but TWO baby skunks moving in and out from under the deck and digging in the dirt. After gasping for a few moments and desperately trying to be loud enough to wake Greg from his sleep, a THIRD little beast waddles out from under the deck!!! As I'm now hanging halfway out the window no more than 5 feet above them they finally seem to notice my annoying presence (you would think the huge flashes of light from the camera would have been a clue sooner) and decide to head for the fence and squeeze through the gate.
Edited to add: I may be calling them little beasts, but they are the cutest little beasts I've ever seen! I don't want anyone to think that I'd ever do anything to hurt them. We are going to call Animal Control for help with making our yard not so appealing to all these critters, as we already have our own little zoo and don't need the entire animal kingdom living in our backyard.
Greg and I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge today into the Marin Headlands to visit the Marine Mammal Center and to take a short hike to see some of the abandoned bunkers built right before WWII. We were actually glad to have the fog as it was nice and cool for hiking, and definitely adds some mystery to the landscape. We spotted tons of pelicans too!
At the Marine Mammal Center there is unfortunately only a small outside part open to the public, but the few sea lions and young elephant seals we saw were so entertaining they made the visit more than worthwhile. This was our favorite little guy!
Disclaimer
I feel the need to write a sort of disclaimer for this blog (yes, I am most definitely cringing right now for using that word, and I do apologize for not giving you any warning that it was coming). I started this a few months ago for the sole purpose of having a way to share photos with my mom and Greg's mom. I love to take photos, and since most moms have those mom-like traits like wanting to see photos of their children and wanting to know what their children are doing with their days, this seemed like a good idea. This is why there are more photos of myself and Greg than anyone would ever want to see in a lifetime, let alone in the few moments it takes to look through this diary (does that word work better?).
The problem now is that I have for various reasons started giving out this address to people that aren't my mom or Greg's mom. This means that people who are not our moms are being forced to view more pictures than they would ever want to see of Greg and I. And for this I am sorry. Very sorry. I hope that this serves to at least provide an acceptable explanation for the profusion of self photos, and helps diminish the thought I am sure you have that Greg, and particularly me since I am the one creating this diary, are incredibly vain people who aren't even very photogenic.
More evidence left by the tomato attackers. My dreams of tasty salads made with fresh vegetables homegrown in my backyard garden are ruined. I have to find a way to make them pay. . .
HELP! I went to check on my garden tomatoes yesterday only to discover that they are under attack! There are nasty little catarpillars everywhere feasting on my vegetables! This sucker had eaten away the top of the tomato so it was on the ground and he just munched away while I took this photo. So then I threw the tomato with him still in it as hard as I could at the fence. 
Well, I am now a married woman! Greg and I had a wonderful wedding day on Friday in San Francisco. The ceremony at City Hall was so much better than I was expecting and it really is gorgeous inside that building. The weather couldn't have been nicer for us that afternoon and we were able to take lots of photos at Golden Gate Park and on the beach. Unfortunately the few pictures we have on our digital didn't turn out that great so I have to wait for copies from everyone else to share the better shots.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
