Yesterday, just before noon, I was driving mid sized B to work, down the major artery which runs almost the length of the City. A few blocks from his work, we saw a family of whitetail deer, calmly grazing not 50 feet from traffic.
There are woods in behind - the university borders this road, and has vast undeveloped reserve land at the rear - but it is miles from any real forest.
Last summer, I saw deer outside mid sized B's work, but it is on a side road, in a wooded sheltered area.What amazed us yesterday was the contrast of nature and built environment. Mid sized B also noted, as the atheist he claims to be, that the deer were outside a DNA lab, not the two churches next door.
This is not one of those particular deer, but is the same sort:
Of course, the youngsters were even cuter.
There are lots of moments, especially in winter when it's 40 below, that I wonder why a confirmed urban dweller like myself returned to an isolated northerner city 4 hours from Duluth Minnesota, 8 hours from Winnipeg. I don't ski, snowmobile, fish or hunt. I do love the small town feel, with big town opportunities (10 minutes drive to work, a house I can afford in a great neighbourhood), but seeing this in the middle of a city of 100,000 plus is a small part of what makes Thunder Bay special to me.
Until, of course, one wanders into the road, and causes an accident. Do we need deer crossing signs in the middle of the city? Probably, but on every street?Because we never know where we might see one...
And don't get me started on the squirrels... miserable pesky varmints!
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Linda Seccaspina
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Leonde: two summers ago, at my old house, which was at the other end of town, but also old residential (century old homes), we had a bear on our block... well away from ANY water or bush.
But I can't agree with you on the squirrels. I used to feed them peanuts and then watch them pester the people next door. They were my unwitting minions. Heh. Rated
Truth is, I am wildly supportive of topophilia (love and rootedness of the landscape) no matter what the landscape. I love how Chicago Guy presents his beloved city with its perfect hot dogs; yet, I would not live in such a large city but enjoy his love of this city with its "large shoulders". Likewise, I can appreciate Lonnie's love of San Franscico without wanting to live there but truly enjoying frequent visits. I have grown to love Miami--a truly orginal and wildly entertaining city where almost anything can, and has, happened.
As a human geographer, I believe that we change the landscape but the land changes us more and engenders one of the deepest loves we can embrace. Look at the Lakota Souix who have never accepted payment for the Black Hills. They want them back because they are sacred over generations. They belong there. The land has an ancient claim upon them.
Your story also hits on a favorite theme of mine which concerns the interface between the wild and the settled world, between the animal nations and our nation of humans. My most sacred moments are those in which I am briefly included, touched, and tolerated by wild things. I've been closer to Great Blue Herons and deer than is prudent. I have held wild birds in my hands up next to my heart and felt them calm as my heart slowed, as I held in my mind a sense of unharmfulness and peace.
Thanks, Brian.
I miss it. I'm now back to being the urban dweller, s/p divorce. I miss my other home a lot. But....... what's one to do? Btw, I haven't seen ONE deer here since I moved.
O'steph... "the interface between the wild and the settled world" gets it directly.
COS: it was JK that got me started on the squirrels... I got so tired last fall of replanting the bulbs. Now I'm just anxious to see how many bloom.
You inspired me this morning to post on topophilia. Come on over, I have links to your story here.
In fact, I will also post later on that interface that you and I both enjoy.
Although I'm so nervous about the deer on the road thing, having almost hit a family last summer on my way to Maine. I am increasingly becoming a hunting advocate, not for the thrill of the kill, but because I really do worry about all those creatures from God's country flocking across the roads and highway. I think it's far more humane to shoot a deer than hit it with your car.
O'steph: rated you.
Juliet : it is true that the deer population has exploded, to the extent that they have opened up extra areas for hunting to keep them from becoming a nuisance. Around here, lotsa folks have freezers full of deer. I was gifted with some venison myself...its delicious. And yet, they still thrive. I too have had a few near misses, at night, but all in wooded areas. This family surprised me for being out in the front yard in a commercial zone along a major road.
TBM.... I love having seasons!
I was startled (while driving a few years ago) and hit a deer one night. He survived, my car did not fare so well.
I love how you refer to your son as mid- size...great visual.
yeah, Lea, as I said somewhere (here? O'steph's post?) the population needs thinning. They come in search of food. That can't be good.
Anni - last decent squirrel was Rocky!
Theo: we share joy in small pleasures. that's enough reason for me to support your writings.
This time of year I love my alarm clock-the birds singing!
Thanks for this post.
theo is more lucky than i am. but i guess i should say that i do love the birds here. there are more species of birds in sf than in almost any other urban environment known. when the first priests came to san francisco around the signing of the declaration of independence time they wrote that the sky could go black just with the flocks of them. that must have been so amazing. unfortunately there aren't that many species alive today, but we do have some formerly pet parrots that have found a way to survive together and to breed in a climate that isn't naturally their own. which says something for the powers of adaptation of nature in this city that I'm so fond of.