Well, it worried me a bit that I might be late to the arrival of my Dutch friends, but even though I stopped and gave a few all-to-short ferret talks, I still made to LAX with several hours to spare. And they said it couldn't be done. Me being on time, that is. I have to wait until the very late moment to decide if I will park the car and carpool with my buddies, or stalk them in my red pickup. I have to make sure I can zip back to fulfill my adoption obligations with David and Kim. I think I will make the final decision before we leave the southern California area. The drive to California wasn't exactly ferret-free; I was listening to my oral log from New Zealand. Almost put me to sleep several times, so I must have chewed my way through 10 pounds of sunflower seeds to keep alert. That and copious amounts of orange Mountain Dew. I only saw a dozen or so phantoms dart across the road. OooOo. The drive reminded me of way too many drives in the backcountry of New Zealand. I was spotlighting for feral ferrets, but mostly found feral cats, possums, rabbits, and hedgehogs. I stopped and picked up one 'hog the size of a soccer ball. I was never very successful spotlighting feral ferrets on the north island, but did better on the south island. On this drive to California, I counted and photographed 41 deer, 3 elk, 3 fox, 6 coyotes, 18 raccoons, 2 opossums, and a blurry, hairy butt that could only belong to a black bear. Or a New York taxi driver. It was very clear while driving through both countries that there were huge similarities in terms of what the countryside looked like, but predators in New Zealand that could take down a feral ferret were few and far between. And make no mistake, the animals slinking through the woods *ARE* feral ferrets. I was fortunate enough to visit people who had taken in some of these animals as pets and their behaviors were spot on the predictions I had made in my scientific design proposal. Making those verbal logs was the smartest thing I did. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I would have had to write out all those thoughts. I think my best rest was when my friend Michelle drove me to several ferret owner's houses; I think I was snoring before the engine was started. We returned from one trip and I had a few minutes to talk before I needed to rush south for appointments. She had a magic chair that apparently sucked consciousness out of me while I was talking -- I fell asleep in mid-sentence! I slept in that chair for several hours before Michelle sent me packing. When my camera gear was stolen in Europe near the end of the trip, all the memory cards were taken as well, so I lost most of my visual records. It makes those verbal logs all the more important. I hope I can replace some of them later. I especially miss the visual records of the hybrids. I've been asked by several people in the southwest if I would be returning home that way. It depends; if I have to rush back, it will be more or less straight out I-40, up to I-70, and home. If I don't have to rush back, I might be convinced to return at least partway by I-10. I have some friends in Texas I miss and would really like to see. Thanks for all the wonderful letters from concerned FMLers who are so worried about my recent surly nature. If I knew being a bit testy I would get so many nice comments, I would have become more cranky in the past. My goal now is to evolve into a cranky, crusty, curmudgeon so I can more virtual hugs. See Jackie -- I am *NOT* always "pathologically nice!" ;-) Bob C [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML 6363]