When our Jessica was only four or five, she had not yet learned the names of the hundreds of different animals we eventually encountered on our travels. She just called any small animal a "critter." Sometimes furry but not necessarily. Sometimes cute but not necessarily. Now, squirrels and bunnies may not be the most majestic representatives of the animal kingdom but, like Jessica, you may find that them appealing. And, although I started to add identifying captions, perhaps we could all benefit from seeing again with the innocent eyes of a four-year-old.
Old Texas joke: Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the armadillo
it was possible. (Armadillos being notorious as roadkill.)
This photo requires explanation. In the early 1980s there was an infestation of skunks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At the Cades Cove Campground they came down from the hills just in time for supper. It was not unheard of for there to be several skunks right under your picnic table begging for cheese curls. Veteran camping families were nonplussed because experience showed that skunks are smart enough to not ruin a good thing. First timers, however, often panicked. "Martha! Get the kids in the car right now!" Which only increased the entertainment value. Which was increased even further when rangers tried to sedate them by blowing darts through long tubes. Never witnessed any success. A few years later the population was dramatically reduced by disease. The photo looks under exposed because it was shot at dusk on slow speed Kodak film. You do remember film, don't you?
When we stopped for lunch on the trail into the Grand Canyon, this little beggar came to see what we might be willing to share. As usual, our answer was nothing.
You get extra credit for knowing what this is. Post your guess in the Comments section at the end.
Antelope ground squirrel--not to be confused with the mythical jackalope,
a cross between an antelope and jack rabbit.
