No photos of Noe this week. She’s done some cute things lately, but always stops doing them when we go to the the camera. I don’t think she understands how this owner-pet relationship is supposed to work. I mean, we’re not even allowed to touch her soft, spotless white tummy, but she’s allowed to climb all over us for a piece of fruit…
Anyway, we recently went to a wedding in California, and took the opportunity to do a road trip on the way. In Arizona, we stopped at Petrified Forest NP and did some sightseeing. Among the colorful badlands and neat petrified wood, we saw several desert cottontail rabbits. Here’s one:
Can’t make it out? Here’s a more helpful look:
This particular rabbit was feeding right alongside the trail, and seemed pretty used to the presence of humans. One of the factors that probably contributed to its placidity was the giant freaky tick hanging off its ear. Now, I try to be mature about the presence of insect life, but parasites do give me the creeps. And this one was easily the size of a dime! I had no idea that ticks could get that big.
We initially thought the rabbit was tagged or something, but later research on the internet showed us just how naive we were about the little arachnid creeps. I’m not going to link to any photos here, because it’s the sort of thing that, once seen, can’t be unseen. Especially up close through binoculars. Brr.