Since I have been here in Friday Harbor, I have stood — twice — within 5 feet of deer who are less startled by me then I am by them. I saw a young buck sporting budding horns in velvet, and a little doe who was quite happily munching grass on the side of the trail. She politely stepped aside to allow me to pass, but she did not run.
The other night after I barbecued ribs, a fox showed up for dinner. We did not feed the poor scruffy-looking fellow, but I did try to snap his pic — it came out hopelessly blurry because of my excitement.
Every evening OC goes to a point near the edge of the harbor and practices his trumpet. Both a harbor seal and a porpoise have come to visit. Nature gets up-close and personal here.
The Friday Harbor Laboratory properties are a nature preserve. The animals seem to know that they are protected and they behave accordingly. Harming the wildlife here is expressly forbidden. We aren’t even allowed to pick the flowers. Even so, I have violated — and keep violating — the “no feeding the wildlife” rule. I suppose someone will discover it soon and ask me to leave. You see, I have been feeding the mosquitoes — in fact, considering the dots all over my body, I may even be over-feeding them.
OC says he uses the muffler [the technical term is "Harmon mute", even though mine was made by Giardinelli, not Harmon ... but don't tell Quilly I'm being this pedantic. OC] on his trumpet in deference to the fish — or perhaps the fishermen …. He doesn’t want to be held responsible for emptying the bay of marine life. (OC is the only one who thinks he’s a bad player. The seal and I like him.)
Posted in Friday Harbor, OC, Trumpet, music, nature
