soaking my feet...

...in the shallow end

although it's very cold outside - i was intrigued enough by my new little friends that i wandered back to cooter-ville...

now that i know what these little tykes are... coots! how funny is that? american coots i've never seen before - have all of a sudden - begun to hang out at one of the lakes i visit... and surprisingly, they seem to be rather friendly. i do my typical quiet chattering at them and they allow me to get remarkably close... (maybe they've had a chat with the geese i'm okay) as long as i didn't make any sudden moves - they were perfectly content to remain nearby... picking at the grasses and relaxing in the sun. not even put off by the black box - boo! (truly - this is an indication they've all been talking about me - 'cuz we know how the animals feel about the black box... and picture taking...)

except for this one - he got stuck in the water - and decided to stay there... soaking those big 'ole feet - getting the grime off... it's a wonder those feet are so big - in order to carry that fluffy round body... isn't he just the cutest darn thing? he was so focused - he paid no nevermind to me - it all made for...

a

happy day.....