I'll get you closer!

Just got back from Grand River below the Pensacola Dam. We've had quite a lot of rain, causing GRDA to be running full generation and to open several floodgates. Time to go catfishing! I don't fish, but I read, hook up to tree limbs if Larry wants to wet a line, and give my Kodak easyshare a workout. It's tough sometimes to get pictures of wildlife because, well, it's wild and unapproachable. Don't have telephoto capabilities, but Larry tries to indulge me whenever possible and detour toward the banks. We passed a hole up on the mud bank, and Larry thought something was in there. There were two of them, whatever they were.

"I can see something, but I'm not close enough!" I whined as I looked through the viewfinder.

"I'll get you closer," replied the ever-helpful Loved One.

One of the critters made a break for it.

"It's a beaver!"

"I can't see it very well," I claim, still focused on the tiny viewfinder. "Can you get me closer?"

"I'll get you closer," came the resigned, long-suffering relpy.

Yep, it's a beaver alright! Now, the thing about boats is that when they are gliding in a direction, they don't necessarily stop on a dime. We continued toward the bank, I snapped one more photo and raised my face from the viewfinder.....

YIKES! All I can think of is Jeff Foxworthy telling a story about some guy getting his nipple bitten OFF by a BEAVER! And those are some scary orange teeth right there!

Fortunately for me, the fight/flight choice was for flight. I looked for less scary subjects. How about birds? I love the egrets and herons that populate the shores.

I can't get too close to them though. It does amaze me that such a beautiful, graceful creature can produce such a harsh, discordant utterance. I would think they would produce something more melodious, not the jarring croaking that comes out of them.

Anyway, it was a good trip: cool weather, deserted campground, 18 catfish, 1 drum, and a big ol' carp that was fun to catch and throw back.