Walks, Part 5

Thursday morning, when I turned on my laptop at work, it worked for approximately 20 minutes. Then I saw the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. I called in the problem to our computing support and was given a ticket number. So, from 8AM until 2:30PM I waited. Finally at 2:30 the repair guy showed up, but he said the repair would take another hour and a half. So, Friday morning at 9:00, my computer was fixed! The repairman said he replaced the "main board" - I don't really know what that is. Thirty minutes later my laptop died again. In frustration, I ripped it out of its docking station and drove to the closest laptop repair center, where I was told that the replacement main board had been faulty; so now I waited one more time for repairs. As I drove away from the laptop repair center, I saw a pull-out by the side of the road. So I pulled over, and discovered a nature preserve area along the river. The trails off into the woods whispered at me, branches beckoning the intrepid explorer.



I locked the car up tight and left it - hoping that either my parking spot was legal or that no patrolman would notice. As I stepped into the shade, I felt my anxiety and frustration melt away. Crouching to move through the overhanging branches, carefully bending braches back so I could slip by, I disappeared into the woods.

The trail branched, so I followed the right fork. When the path seemed to disappear, I ducked under the overhanding brush and came crouching out to the edge of the greenery. To my surprise, I was not alone. There was a whole family resting out on the shore of the river. They were a little shy - I only caught a glimpse of their backsides as they waddled away.



Maybe they weren't shy after all; maybe it was the allure of cold puddles and tasty snacks on a hot spring afternoon.



Turning to the left, I could see more birds walking in the mud, walking half-in the river, and swimming. It was so hot that I was almost ready to join them!



Having seen all I could see from this vantage point, and getting a little stiff from all the crouching, I headed back up the trail to explore the left-hand fork. It led to an open area surrounded by pussy-willows. From here I could clearly see that the river was at low tide. Yes, the river was at low tide, since this is only a short distance from where it flows into the Puget Sound. A big muddy patch was left; kind of an eyesore if you're looking for beauty. I watched one hungry bird hunt and peck through the mud for a mid-afternoon snack, and then a flurry erupted and every bird seemed to take off at the same time, leaving the open shore and flying into the woods.



Clearly I don't have the instincts of the wild birds - I had no idea why they all took off until I saw the eagle circling overhead. Sorry that he's so far away in the video - that's just how high he flies!



I backed into the woods and crept through the underbrush until I saw a glint of reflection from my windshield. Leaving behind bent twigs and squishy footprints, I drove away, rolling down the windows and turning up the volume while I listened to the Harry Potter book on CD.