Evening Stroll

After we got back to the cottage, from our afternoon drive up to the Blackstone River, we set about getting supper put together.  We did some baked potatoes, salmon, steak, chicken breast and corn on the cob, all on the BBQ.  Margarit also threw together a Tex-Mex salad.  It was a huge meal and very satisfying after a great day.

Later in the evening, I decided to head out for a walk.  Helena was watching a movie, Anna was listening to music, and Margarit was reading a book, so I went by myself.  I did my usual loop around the subdivision, starting in front of our place on Tamarack Trail, and the circling back around on Pine Martin Drive.  The walk is probably close to two miles, with a little elevation gain.

When I set out, the sun was just setting in the west, behind the Bighorn Range.  Twilight lingers for quite a while at this time of year, and it was a very pleasant evening.  I saw nearly a dozen deer around the neighborhood as I leisurely strolled around.  Hardly anyone was out at the cottages as being Sunday night, almost everyone went home after the weekend.  I think there were only half a dozen or so of the places that were occupied.  The sky was clear, with just a few whispy clouds.  The moon was like a fingernail clipping, and by the time I got back to the cottage, the first stars were starting to twinkle to life.  Even at that point the temperature was still +14C.  

I made a brief stop along the way to check the spot where the deer had recently passed on.  To my surprise, it was gone....?  There is a cottage fairly close to the site where she died, so maybe the owners noticed the carcass, and buried it...?  But I couldn't see any signs of that.  And it was a full grown White Tail Deer, so the only thing big enough to carry it away would be a bear, or maybe a cougar.  There was nothing left but a few hairs in the grass.  Even the sunflower seeds that we tried to feed it were gone.  I found it rather strange, and a very sad end to a sad story.