Sea Otters in Lake Union.

The other night while messing about in my raft with two dear friends of mine, I came upon one of the most exciting Seattle wildlife sightings to date. We were paddling down the canal towards the locks in a small inflatable raft eating powdered donettes and singing all manner of rowing songs and pirate shanties. As our "man night" was coming to a close and we were looking for a good spot to head for shore I saw what I thought was a beaver of the starboard side of our humble ship. To my surprise and delight it was so much more than a beaver. It was an otter with two little friends. They frolicked about in the water around us for a few solid minutes before diving below the surface leaving us tense with excitement and raw with emotion. Our otter friends were truly a treat and nothing that I knew could be found in the city.

Give and Take

Lick, Lick, Lick…. I glance over at the clock; it shows 2:00 am. I lean out of my third story window, “Ned, what the heck man?” The purve raccoon glances up at me from the edge of the roof; his beaty little eyes have no remorse in them. I climb back into bed only to hear the sounds of the disrespectful creature cleaning himself once again! I have long dealt with this animal of the woods and city, he is my friend and yet this friendship takes its toll on my mental health. When one associates with such creatures they give up some of their humanity, yet I gain so much more from this intimate communion!

Spirit Guide

It was a cold clear night and I was on my way home from work. I was a little tired and ready to get home to have some wheat thins and cheese before crawling into bed. I was getting close to my house driving a little over the speed limit on a side road near Queen Anne Bowl when a coyote ran in front of my car forcing me to slam on my brakes. To my surprise and delight the wild animal,  unphased by this close call, stood right next to my car and calmly looked up at me. We starred into each others' eyes and a bond stronger than friendship quickly formed. As I began to drive again the coyote trotted alongside my car occasionally glancing over at me. Eventually the call of the wild became too much for me and I hastily parked my car hoping for a chance to get close to this glimpse of nature. The animal, which I decided on the spot was my spirit guide, or at least it would have been were I a native american, split off into a nearby park and I followed at a run. I was able to get within about 15 feet of the animal and together we romped through the park for what may have been the most passion filled moments of my life thus far. Eventually it became clear to us both that we had to return to our respective worlds. I stood in awe of the majestic beast before me. There he stood, perched on a hill not more than 10 feet from me, silhouetted by the moonlight. With a quick bark he darted into some underbrush and as quickly as it had begun, it was over. I began to walk back to my car knowing that this night I had done more than spot an animal in the city, I had become a man.