5-11-10

R.I.P. BAMBI

COOL, COOL RIVER

CALIFORNIA'S STATE FLOWER, THE POPPY

CARBON

MUGSHOT

TURN TO THE SIDE

It all started so innocently. We went for an afternoon mushroom hunting stroll on a beautiful, sunny day. We had high hopes that it would be a great day to find mushrooms since the past two days were filled with rain. Instead, our harmless walk took a horrible turn for tragedy.

We are almost too traumatized to recount the following. We must recount the story of today's events as a police blotter, objectively...trying to give more details and recount scenes, noises, and emotions we saw and felt today would be too painful and would cause us both to cry while typing this...ok, at least it would make Jen cry. That may sound intense, but what follows is no exaggeration.

1:45pm: We find an unidentified mushroom on a hillside
1:47pm: Garlic the dog unsuccessfully chases a gopher
1:50pm: We abandon the hillside after having poor luck finding mushrooms
1:53pm: We walk towards a stream
1:55pm: Aaron goes down to the stream - Jen is slowly following and stops in her tracks as a big deer leaps out from the riverbank, 10 feet from where she is standing
1:55pm: Garlic furiously charges after the prancing deer
1:56pm: Jen joins Aaron at the riverbank
1:57pm: An extremely frightened fawn cautiously leaves the brush at the riverbank and stands 5 feet away
1:57pm: Fawn actually poses in a field of poppies. Aaron captures amazing photos
1:58pm: Fawn leaps into brush in search of mother, and cover
2:06pm: Aaron enjoys Meyer lettuce he finds - Jen is photographing the river - Garlic is sniffing and searching - no mushrooms found
2:07pm: Garlic scampers into brush and blood curdling screams are heard
2:08pm: Cries of terror continue, mixed with Jen and Aaron screaming "NO" at Garlic
2:09pm: Wails of pain and intermittent drowning noises are heard from the river
2:10pm: Aaron begs for camera - Jen runs away in tears
2:10pm: Aaron follows Jen - Garlic emerges from the scene with limp fawn hanging from his jaw
2:11pm until present: Trauma ensues