Summer is Over

It’s an addiction, I know.  I can’t help myself.  My cameras seem to have minds of their own, and one of them always seems at the ready to jump into my hands at the slightest provocation.

I had gone out into the backyard as the sun was disappearing to fill the water pond for any animals that may mosey by.  It is dry this time of year, so it is my pleasure to keep that supply on hand for the various critters that entertain us as they go about the business of living within our view.

The eucalyptus tree in the foreground, and the ash tree further back, provide a great deal of shade for that side of our yard during about half of the year.  The other half must be sustained by the eucalyptus alone, while the ash tree drops all of its leaves and makes new ones.

Out of sight to the right is a huge oak tree that will soon begin to drop acorns on the ground close to the house.  Sometimes they hit the roof – ka-wham.  Once the deer and javelina figure out that acorn harvest time is here, we will have more visitors.

I was really surprised at how lithe the javelinas are; they go over our fence with little more difficulty than the deer.  They both come pretty close into the yard, but if I open the door to go out onto the deck for a better shot, the deer sprint away.  The javelina just look at me, though, and then go back to their rooting.

There is another big oak tree by the front of the house, and the deer nibble what they can from the back yard tree, and then go along the side of the house, and hop nimbly over the fence into the front yard to start snarfing up the offerings under the front yard oak.

They do this mostly at night, so it isn’t easy to see their path, but since there are a lot of oak trees in the yards around here, I presume the deer prance out into the street (looking both ways first) and continue on some set route that they have.

It seems to work for them, as this has been going on for the 16 years we have lived in this complex!