My ward

Our friends/neighbors are gone visiting family, leaving their chinchilla, Timmy, in need of care. I’d never seen a chinchilla before, much less been responsible for one. But I’ve never let details like that stop me before.

He’s cute. His fur is as soft as a cat’s, though shorter, and very, very dense. His regular diet is a chinchilla food mix and timothy hay. But his treats are what brings him scurrying to say hello. Dried fruit, sunflower seeds, an almond. That’s how you make friends with a chinchilla.

I took this shot with my phone and Timmy doesn’t stay still. I may try another portrait with my camera to see if I can capture him better.

More autumn red

The trees at John Wayne Marina are always glorious at this time of year. Last year I was too late to catch them. This year I got there just in time.

If you’ve not heard of our John Wayne Marina before, yes, it is named after that John Wayne, the actor. Wayne boated in our local waters and envisioned a marina here. After his death his family donated the land that became the marina in 1985.