Melville's Lesson

We do not hope to fare his equal.
His nobility will shame us all,
Who fete the faults of friends . . .
And seek to better foes with plans.
His every thought, his moves and scans
He effects to nobler ends.

His brow aims straight his steady stare.
The neighborhood circles, fully aware
His studies do not surveil them . . .
But such countenance does his stature hold
No creature will pretend so bold
To ignore a realm claimed by him.

The rest of our world just passes by . . .
The hours and creatures, while dreaming I
Might share some deeper union.
Then, without a warning’s waver
He spears some bit of silvery savor,
And glides to closed communion.

I’m left alone to recall in wonder,
Left to my lonely plod and ponder . . .
Why does he show me acts so pure
With no message for my further steeping,
No lesson for my future keeping . . .
I exist, but not as nature.

Melville's Lesson, (c) 2009 R. May

Luky Loved "Dean Spanley"

Luky ("Loo-Key") is an Alaskan Malamute. He's pretty well known to the Gaggle Gang of Lake Avondale, and your basic kind of mutual respect seems to guide him through their ranks when we're walking the lake perimeter.

The same goes for the Duck Flock, which is really a collection of extended families (or so it would appear). At the same time, Luky never gets close to Melville, or any of the Turtle Herds. And so it is that he was insisting I report his thoughts about the 2008 movie, Dean Spanley, here (in case the Lake Avondale fauna should happen to log on and see it).

Luky has his own blog, so I'm linking to the respective post via a Tiny URL to make it easy - http://tinyurl.com/yaa6g7g

Not Much To Look At From Space

Melville loves his home. Luky (Loo-Key) loves visiting. The Geese, the Ducks, the River Cooters and Box Turtles, not to mention the hundreds of Northern Water Snakes . . . they all love Lake Avondale. Perhaps it's a good thing that it's not so much to look at when viewed on Google Earth - even in early June (the date of this photo). If it showed up as beautiful as it really is, then Melville might be hosting conventions of Moose, Elk, Bison, and all manner of immigrant fauna.

Luky would dig that, I'm certain, but Melville runs a tight ship.

Spring 2009 - Two Couples Of Geese Produce Goslings

Spring 2009 - New Ducklings On The Lake

Melville Is Our Mascot!

We call him Melville. Truth is, he might be Melvillina. According to any readily available info (Wikipedia, etc.) on Great Blue Herons, there should be a nesting couple near our lake. There's certainly plenty of wooded area, along with a lot of fresh fish, but as far as we can tell our Great Blue is a solitary creature - a bachelor (or bachelorette). So, until we learn different - or he/she shows up with a recognizably he/she spouse - we continue to speak and write chauvinistically.

Melville possesses tremendous poise. He walks like a ballet dancer on stilts. That sounds incongruous, but anyone who witnesses his slow and purposeful wading into the shallows of the lake will immediately grasp the reason for such a description.