I Am Crazy

I am crazy. 

One of the parent eagles
earlier in the summer

I am at our property at Camelot by myself.  Hunter Man has had to work for two Saturdays in a row now and it is really cramping our summer style, so I decided that I would rather NOT sit home doing everything that I do every other day of the week again and I made the drive alone.  I love being able to get away from home for a day or two. 

I have been enjoying my solitary weekend very much.  I would rather have someone to talk to and be with while I am here, but it isn’t that bad when no one else is here.

I have read, scrapbooked, worked on blog posts, watered the lawn ten times (which was the one thing that Hunter Man really wanted me to accomplish because the sprinkler system timer is not working right), taken a walk, and sat by the river and enjoyed the sound of it rushing by.

Parent flying, parent on cliff
and eaglet in the nest earlier
this summer

And the crazy thing that I am doing is:  EVERY SINGLE TIME that I hear the sounds of eagles calling to each other, I jump up, grab my camera and begin searching the sky to see if I can see where they are.  Anything that I am doing just gets thrown to the side.  (Except my laptop.  I do not throw it)!

Parent on the nest/eaglet in the nest earlier in the summer

I have been valiantly trying to see this year’s eaglet.  Because we haven’t been able to come here as often as I would have liked so far this summer, I didn’t get to see it as it was getting ready to leave the nest.  Last year, it was incredible to see it sitting on the edge trying to work up the courage to fly. 

Also, last summer, watching it learning to fly a few feet above the ground high up at the base of the cliffs/mountain area was awesome.

It hasn’t been like that this summer, though.  The last time I got to come here on the fourth of July weekend, I could only spend one day and saw that the eaglet had already left the nest and had started to be able to fly higher in the sky.  It seems like it grew up faster this summer.

I have been getting my exercise today getting up as fast as I can to try to get some shots with my camera.  But, most of the time, as I grabbed my camera and ran out onto the lawn to look, I wasn’t getting very many photographic opportunities.  I looked and looked up at the cliffs trying to figure out where it was resting between flights so that I could watch that place more closely.  Sometimes I can’t see any of them at all and other times one of them will make a brief appearance before disappearing again.  Their coloring blends in so well with the topography of the cliffs and the trees that I can literally hear them right above me and can’t figure out where they are until they fly up against the blue sky or clouds.  Where is that $2,000.00 camera lens that I have been dreaming about it when I really need it?

The eaglet is almost right in the center of this
picture after being told to STAY

Yesterday I saw something funny right after I got here.  I saw two eagles flying along in front of the cliffs and saw them land on an outcropping of dirt and grass.  Then, they both started to fly away, but one of them turned around and seriously seemed to say to the other one, “No, you stay here and rest, I don’t want you to move from this spot until I tell you to.”  And then it flew away while the other one stayed in that spot for about two hours.

I watched it as best as I could, but of course, I missed it when it finally got permission to move. 

But, just in the last couple of hours, I have had some of the photo experiences that I have been waiting for.   The first time, I finally I saw an eagle flying along the cliffs, so I grabbed my camera and ran out on to the lawn to watch it.  And I took picture after picture as it soared along the cliffs, then flew up into the sky and around in the clouds.  It was amazing and on one of its passes when the light and the angle of its wings was just right, I saw that it WAS the eaglet (because apparently, Golden Eagles have a white circle on each wing when they are young). 

I was so happy.  

When I saw it land on a certain place on the cliff and it seemed to be staying there for awhile, I ran to change lenses to a lens that has the potential of getting a closer shot even though it isn’t the most high quality lens that I own.   It made me wish that I not only had the $2,000.00 lens, but also another camera body so that I wouldn’t have to trade lenses.  I don’t wish for much, do I? 

To say that I get a little bit obsessed with the eagles when I am here, is putting it lightly. 

But, I just want to take advantage of seeing them when I can, because you never know if the parents will come back and lay another egg in that nest high on the cliff next year, or not. 

I do love this place.  Not only for the eagles, but for the quietness, the beauty, the sound of the wind in the trees, the blue, blue sky, and the chance that it gives me to escape from life for awhile.  I wish our property had the river running by it, (I have to walk down to H.M.’s grandparent’s property to hang out by the river), but I still love the beauty that surrounds me as I sit on the deck reading, typing, scrapbooking, eating, and relaxing. 

 

I am also so happy when the rest of the family can come with me. 

 I love playing with the grandkids, shooting marshmallow guns, playing 

on the playground, 

climbing the mountain, playing games, 

and hearing them call, 

“Grandma, Grandma……”  

as they find another thing that they

would like to do with me.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 I like going for walks at night with H.M. and looking at the stars. 

I like it when my friend Barb can come to visit and we tube down the river and laugh and laugh as crazy things happen to us (like the time a bear came streaking across the road in front of us when we were taking a walk or the time we watched the meteor shower at 2:00 a.m.). 

I like having Jer around, watching him be able to relax and let go for awhile.  I look forward to the times that he brings his family up here because they don’t happen enough for me. 

 

It kind of makes me sad that Kj and her family haven’t been able to fit Camelot into any of their visits because I love seeing the little grandchildren experience this place for the first time at their different ages and stages.  Every summer as they are another year older, it seems like everything up here is a new discovery for them.  

I feel bad that Jayden and Carter can’t experience that.  Kj said that the last time they came to Utah, Jayden was sad that he couldn’t go to Camelot but it was because he wasn’t going to be able to swing on our tire swing! 

As a little boy, Ty used to have so much fun at Camelot. His favorite person to play with was his big sister.  When she stopped going with us as much, he stopped wanting to go.  It has been a long time since Ty has gone to Camelot. I wonder if he ever will again?  

When we came for the Memorial Day weekend, Bridge decided he was old enough to climb the mountain by himself.  It made me nervous, but he had every confidence that he could do it.  Even though climbing the mountain can get a little bit tiring, not hearing him say, “Grandma, can we climb the mountain again?” over and over will be a little sad for me.  I hope he will still ask me to do it anyway. 

And now it is time for me to pack up and go back home.  I always wish I could delay leaving by just one more day. 

In fact……maybe I won’t go home tonight. 

(I wrote this at Camelot and did not post it immediately after I got back).