I had a wonderful day today. Both Em and my nephew Jack accompanied me. We woke up this morning with a new 2 inches of snow, and we have a blowing snow advisory until midnight tonight.
By the time we left the temperatures were already in the low 30's. It seemed like no matter
how hard I tried to get us all going, we kept getting delayed by one thing or another.
I didn't think we'd ever get out of Rochester. We weren't too far out of the city when the roads
were beginning to drift, which slowed "Sunday Drive" traffic to a crawl.
As we drove along I neared a sharp curve, and slowed the truck because that is a bad spot even without the snow drifts, or ice. As I drove the last stretch, I saw a red pick up in the ditch with some fresh tire tracks. "Look out your window, we're lucky that isn't our truck. Do you see that truck?"
"Yes," replied Jack.
"Yes," replied Em.
I slowed down even more, trusting that the road was still icy just ahead. Out of the side view mirror my eyes caught some movement at that truck. I looked up into my rear view mirror just as a man crawled out of the pick up.
"Oh no!" I yelled as I saw the man pull a young girl out of the truck. "They just went in the ditch. We better go back and see if they need help."
I backed up on the shoulder, parked, got out and walked out to meet them. The man had scrapes and blood running down his face and cuts on his hands. The girl was shaken, but I could see she was strong inside.
"Do you need help?" I asked the dad.
"Thanks for stopping. You didn't have to do that. Are you going to Elgin?"
"I am now." I replied.
"You alright?" I asked the little girl. She nodded. Her dad brushed the snow out of her
hood of her coat. Her hair was wet from the roll-over, and I'm sure the warmth of my truck would be of some comfort to her.
I cleared the extra seat in the back of my truck, and tossed my gear into the trunk.
"This is Sunshine," replied the dad.
"Nice to meet you Sunshine. I helped into the back seat, "Em, Jack this is Sunshine."
They both asked if she was okay. "You're going to have a story to tell." said Jack.
I turned to the dad, Mark, and asked, "Do you need photos, for your insurance?"
"Yes, thanks."
"Do you want me to take you to the emergency room?"
"No, we're okay. "
"Are you sure?"
"We had our seat belts on. We're okay."
I looked at their truck. The roof collapsed, the wood from their pickup bed strewn everywhere in the snow, and I looked at a father and daughter who really were walking miracles. "You guys were really lucky, you rolled right over that fence post--that could have gone right through your windshield."
"I know, The trucks totaled."
"Dad, what about the CD?" Sunshine asked.
"What CD Sunshine?"
"The Stray Cats."
So if you're reading this Stray Cats, there's a little girl here in SE Minnesota who survived a
bad roll over, and she could use a new CD, can you help her out?
I drove them to her mom's further out in the country. They thanked me over and over, and even called later but we were still out at with the eagles, but really it was me and Em and Jack that
found the best gift you can give is one that lifts others.
We arrived at the eagle nest and someone had a couple barking dogs out there, dogs that never stopped barking the entire time we were there. I kept saying, "Do you think someone is hurt out there?" We looked with our field glasses, lenses, and spotting scope, but we couldn't see any dogs with a treed coon, or even a flash of their movement.
Jack said, "Wow, look at that big eagle nest."
The kids had fun drawing in the snow, and then I heard the eagles. I spotted them in the north
cottonwood grove, which has become their new rendezvous tree.
I photographed them sitting together, and I smiled because I know that within the next three weeks they'll be nesting. Maybe four.
Then we had a surprise visit from two eaglets, one who had the white oval on his tail, and that eaglet is our Donny Paul, and he was traveling with David Roger Kraig, the 2006 twins.
We moved on and the kids had fun running and jumping into the deep snow and their laughter could be heard through that entire valley.
All the eagle nests were empty today, and we didn't see any other eagles, just the 2006 twins, and Daedee and Dancer, but we saw something that I have waited four years to see.
The river otter popped up in an open marsh, and we all got a two second look before he disappeared again.
Jack was on camera 1, Em was covering video, and I had the big lens. We sat and sat; we waited and waited, and then suddenly, a dozen mallards flew up. "He's on the back of marsh--do you see him?"
"No." said Jack.
"No I don't see him," Em replied.
We put down our cameras, and moved on. Jack was so impressed with the trumpeter swans
that he shot a couple dozen pictures, "Lisa I want you to have these pictures."
"Thank you Jack. That is the sweetest gift you can give me."
We moved on, with 3 nests left to cover, and the cottontail and the daylight was disappearing behind the bluffs already.
I put in my Joyce Meyer tape, and Em said, "You'll like her, she's funny."
The kids sat watching out the windows for animals and birds. The rabbit wasn't in his cave
opening when we arrived. I have to mention that I was disappointed not being able to share his image with the kids.
As we passed back by where we'd seen the otter earlier, and I slowed the truck to a near stop, then again to a complete stop. Each of us had our camera's ready, just in case. We looked up and down the marsh but all we saw were the slide marks in the snow.
We never saw the otter again, but we didn't mind, there were three bucks that stole our attention. The littlest one looked like a fawn who had barely lost his spots. I've never seen a fawn this small, this late in the season, and he must have been a July or August baby, if that is even possible. He barely stood to the knees of the yearlings.
We headed back and the kids wanted Subway tonight, they were both glad I didn't follow through and order them a 54" sub they were sure they could eat.
It was a great day, and where you are Mark and Sunshine, we got you in our prayers for a new truck, and a new CD for Sunshine, from the Stray Cats.
I'm looking forward to Day 41.
See you on the journey--
Lisa
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