Today is a lovely quintessential autumn day. Makes no difference to me, the chimpanzees or the cattle that it’s the middle of summer, we are all thrilled with the charcoal skies, cool, rain-fresh air and still comfortable temperatures. The chimps couldn’t WAIT to get on to Young’s Hill this morning and when I came up to open the door everyone had gathered their remaining breakfast to go and they crowded around the doorway, hair standing on end with excitement. There were human strangers on one side of the hill working on their road up to the power lines, brazen cattle on the other and all under the most glorious of Pacific Northwest days (maybe best appreciated if one is a true Pacific Northwestern soul).
Betsy:
Honey:
The chimpanzees’ path around Young’s Hill has been mowed down, but it doesn’t take much to venture into the tall grass, growing drier and pokier by the day. Add a sudden shower to the mix and chimps’ sneer faces accurately depict their displeasure of the two. But to their credit, everyone stuck to their group walk around the perimeter, securing their territory from all the intruders this morning.
Foxie:
Burrito (pretty much how I’d look too with grass poking me in the eye while it was raining):
Annie and Missy opted to stay out on their own and made their way to take cover under two structures, seemingly listening to the rain in peace:
And Neggie? Well, she has no need to subject herself to stranger danger, getting poked in the eye by grass or rain. Clever woman:
Later this afternoon, I captured Annie and Missy enjoying one anothers’ company and the beautiful autumn-ish summer afternoon with only the sound of the breeze, a distant birdsong and Foxie sighing in her sleep from the top of the greenhouse:
Annie sitting cross-legged <3
