We took our girl to Disneyland on Saturday

For two hours, we explored the trails along Picnic Point, on the university campus. It’s a gorgeous piece of land, with beaches, woods, prairies, and miles of trails, trails, trails full of a variety of species, both plant and animal. The weather was gorgeous on June 2 here. Singer saw waves lapping on beaches, packed earth rooted trails lined with huge old trees—cottonwood, beech, linden, tall ponderosa pine, oak. The smells were terrific, I could tell, as she darted her nose left and right on the grounds. She looked out onto Lake Mendota and watched the waves coming in to shore, as if she were waiting for her beau to come home from a fishing trip, and noted the fishy scent in the air, although not too bad yet. The waters were not yet choked with algae and looked pretty clear. We stopped at several fire pits where firewood is stacked for students who come here at night and on the weekends. Nathaniel and his friends come here often to enjoy a camping experience in the city. We haven’t been here for years and wondered why the long absence. I remember taking Saylor here once.

Alas, I had forgotten my camera. There were several shots that would’ve been perfect, with the sun just right, the background of lake, beach, sun spots dotting the woods with bright light, tall grasses in prairie, and the birds singing in our ears. It was heavenly for humans, too. These pictures are taken off the university's website for Picnic Point.

Singer loved it very much, I could tell, and strained to be let loose from her leash. By the time we got back to the car, she was panting and hot, and ready for a long drink. 

On a minor note, we found that someone had hit our car trying to back out of the tight parking spot. She was waiting for us, a note on our windshield, when we got back. She was nice enough to leave a note, and it was a minor scratch that popped out the left rear panel a bit, so we will have to get it fixed. Still, it was such a nice time, and I know that Singer appreciated it as well. The next day I expected Singer to be pawing me at her usual time, around five in the morning, begging us to take her back. 

Instead, on Sunday while we were reading the paper, Singer was emboldened to try to dig up a chipmunk in the backyard again, this time at the retaining wall that we just had rebuilt at great expense…! We will have to keep a more careful eye on her when she’s in the backyard. I bet she had visions of chipmunks and squirrels from Picnic Point in her head as she tried to undo the entire landscaping of our yard. I was able to repair it, and possibly the chipmunk will decide it’s not worth living here and leave for good.