Night Walks

Lately, Daryl and I have gone on several walks after dark.  We just couldn't seem to get our walk in any earlier. I found out that I will actually walk faster if we are out late.

Because of  this:

Dark gravel road, shadows of leafless trees, the woods coming up next to the road, and then:

(Please click on the links to experience my walk :)

We heard a barred owl hooting.  I'm accustomed to this hoot and have taught it to my granddaughters.  Bella loves it, Lily does not.  But I'm not used to hearing this, which I think was a Great Horned Owl.  Before I knew it, my heart rate was up to an aerobic level and I was on a pretty good pace.

Then we turned the corner to walk through the woods and over a creek and a beaver slapped its tail on the water.  Which sounds pretty much like hitting the flat end of a paddle down on the water.

I was back home in no time.

I should consider myself lucky, though.  While I was looking online to find the owl sounds I happened up on a website of night recordings in Alabama.  Please click on the Alabama Bigfoot website.  You'll see that the third recording says that Mr. C. W. McLain heard voices in the woods saying, "he-ta, he-ta, ho-ho."  I heard no voices at all in our woods.  And nothing said he-ta, he-ta, ho-ho.

I did not make this up.