Exploration

Location: just south of the "Bug Station," Dorris, California. Only a few miles from the Oregon border. (I live in Oregon.)

My daughter-in-law and my great-granddaughter. They're on an expedition around The Lake, which forms on the property when there is heavy precipitation in late winter and spring. It forms only every few years. It's about 3 ft. deep, at most. A superb place for paddling around while the dogs swim and play. At night, there is a deafening frog and toad symphony. The Lake is busy with hundreds of ducks, egrets, owls and even bald eagles eating frogs, toads and little fish.

Where these amphibians and fish come from, I don't know. (I can't see well enough to do research on this!) Are they the kind that sprout out of the mud during the water years? Maybe...there are no other water sources nearby, such as a river, to bring the water-dwellers to The Lake. When The Lake is gone, the surrounding area - several square miles - is arid and even looks alkaline in some spots. Anyway, that's the story of The Lake!