A Springer Springing

The lupin filled grass is getting taller, inspiring Spike to spring. He had a busy morning this morning, flushing some quail, swimming in the 'illegal' pond and meeting a couple of very big bulldogs on the trail. After his mishap with the grass sticker in his ear, I trimmed them yet again, then combed them and got out another sticker. The ears are cute, but a definite design flaw.

Our walk around the hill is never boring as it is made up of three different ecosystems with different vegetation in each. The west side is oak woods with lots of monkey flower (a wild penstemon), and buttercups coming up amongst the grasses. There is a fine stand of foxtails which will be a menace to Springer ears when they dry.

At the top of the hill is a lupin filled meadow with a sedge filled pond which harbors newt egg sacks which is why dogs are supposed to keep out. Spike, however, can't read the signs, and sometimes sneaks in despite our efforts. The beauty of this meadow from Spike's point of view is that he can run and sniff with abandon as there are no rocks or trees for him to run into. He may not be able to read the signs but he doesn't need them to find the water.

The east side has a steep bank sporting a fine display of several different kinds of fern, vetch and poison oak. It is littered with lichen covered oak branches, a result of the windy rainstorms we have had the past few nights.They are like miniature little gardens in their own right.To the other side of the trail is a view of Spring lake, the Skyhawk development where Dana and Jim live and our own little road at the foot of Wildwood mountain.

As we walk back down the road toward our car, the sounds of children's voices drift up from the Environmental Discovery Center which has lots of hands-on natural history displays and exhibits designed primarily for elementary school children.

Kathy and her husband are coming for a glass of wine and  some barbequed chicken skewers with peanut sauce. We had hoped to sit outside, but the clouds are coming in and the wind is coming up again.

We love to see the rain.