hntrss2
04-05-2005, 06:36 PM
I got home from work just before 4 today and it is SUCH a LOVELY day that I decided that everything could wait awhile. I got the dogs out of their 12x6 "prison" and hooked on their leashes and away we went!! We went for a walk along the canal again but this time I took the other direction, the one I usually don't do alone because of the areas that are secluded w/ no people nearby. I felt adventurous today and the dogs really needed the walk. I saw lots of wildlife (but no deer today :( ). I saw a couple of nesting pair of canada geese. I witnessed behavior in them I've never seen before. As we appoached, they were swimming near the edge of the canal what seemed normally, but as we neared, they stretched their necks out on top of the water next to the fallen trees in the canal. They seemed to disappear, blending in w/ the fallen trees and stayed that way until we were sufficiently out of the way it seemed. I saw several turtles sunning themselves, different varieties. One was of particular interest to me today, it had to be at least 15" in diameter and it was very flat like a soft shell turtle but I have not seen one so large as this nor have I seen a soft shell sun itself on a log before. Saw lots of fish, and bull frogs, squirrels of all colors (even a black one, which are only found in our area and the Black Forest in Germany) and sizes and a couple of rabbits too. The dogs wanted to take chase, but they had me in tow. There were a couple of pair of mallard ducks swimming about also. BOY, WHAT A WALK!!!! We walked from my house to the I-80 interstate overpass and then turned around there and came back. The total walk was probably 7 - 8 miles. The dogs looked like they needed to be carried back home but we were pretty close by then. They still have very happy faces and I feel real good too being out in nature. I could have gone another 7 - 8 miles but the dogs were "dog tired" :D . Just in case any of you are wondering, we live on the Hennepin Canal. This is the canal that joins the Illinois river and the Mississippi river and was the prototype for the Panama Canal project. We live on the part of the canal that meets up with the Rock river, which is a tributary of the mighty Mississippi and the canal also runs along side of the Green river here, that is a tributary of the Rock. When we got home the dogs "feasted" on water and I made a fried egg and cheese sandwich and ate it w/ grape tomatoes, some potatoes chips w/ dip and of course to top it off, a nice cold 24oz. Icehouse! Just thought I'd share my beautiful nature eve w/ you all :) :D