Friday Fish Wrap: August 13, 2010

Do rats swim? Are there rats inhabiting Truckee Meadows wetlands? I think the answer is “yes”, and I saw it.

Yesterday, I was cycling over in the Damonte Ranch area, and took my ‘wetlands cutoff’. It’s a nifty little couple of miles around a wetlands, where I can usually spot some interesting waterfowl while bumping my mileage up to 18 or 20. In this case, I was able to observe a flock of Pyramid Lake pelicans feeding. And a swimming rat.

Yup. I had hiked down through the brush to get a closer view of the pelicans, and saw something swimming. At first I thought “John Ensign!”, then “otter!”, uh, “muskrat”. No, rat. A big Norway Brown rat paddling back and forth along the shoreline. The tail was awesome. Wish he’d have been predictable enough to get pictures. He couldn’t have cared less about me. I thought he was kinda cute. Scruffy but cute.

Hmmmm. You’ve gotta love the entire natural world.

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Friday Fish Wrap: August 5, 2010

As you read this, I’m on my way back to the Bay Area, going to the author event with Peter Heller at the Book Passage in Corte Madera. I may be a complete acolyte of the electronic and digital age but I still love book stores, and the Book Passage is a gem, offering an author event almost weekly, writing seminars, conferences and so much more. I’m also taking a cooler, so to take better advantage of the Marin Farmers Market.

As I return to Marin, I will be staying with my step-daughter and newly minted son-in-law. Michael, an aspiring writer, will be tagging along to Book Passage with me. The wedding, held last Saturday in Tiburon, at Servino’s, right on the waterfront was picture perfect. That’s my clever seque into the following photos:

The father of the bride - he hasn’t seen the final bill yet. Fortunately, he has a drink in hand.

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