I am crazy.
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| 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.
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| 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)!
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| 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 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.
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!
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.
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.). 
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.
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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).
