Deer in our backyard and beyond...

The backyard of our original apartment on Excelsior

    I don't care that I am still a total dork when I spot a deer. Most locals don't bat an eye, much less slow down to take pictures. Living this close to nature, it's easy to overlook its incredible beauty and serenity. Last year, I was pulling into my driveway to discover 3 black bear (a mama and her babies) lounging about. With these kinds of sightings, it's hard to see the common deer as extraordinary but my heart still skips a beat when I see one. Once I was hiking in the woods behind my house and I saw a deer standing majestically in a thick beam of sunshine, staring directly at me. It nearly brought tears to my eyes because it looked like a picture out of a storybook that is too perfect to be real. Another time, I was driving through my residential neighborhood and walking on the sidewalk was a doe! This made me laugh out loud for the remainder of my drive home. Deer are such peaceful spirits of the wood and although they may not be as exciting as spotting a mountain lion or a fox, they are a sign that it is wild out there and the surrounding forest is healthy.

In our driveway, Cutten

Palmer's Point look-out

Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge