Same Song, Second Verse

When we last checked on the beavers, we found that their dam-building had indeed compromised the road.  When our farmer took his equipment across the dam to fertilize the hay fields, he left huge ruts in the road because the beavers have made it so soggy.

Not wanting to damage the road further, we couldn't drive out to the cabin to get a kayak, so Herb carried it turtle-style all the way back to the pond.

While Herb tied a rock to a string and I made myself useful taking pictures, the dogs helped, too.  Zephyr tested the dam by walking on it--making sure the beavers would come back out at night to fix it.
Hero was a little more useful--perhaps his "rodent radar" is honed by hunting field mice in the grass!  We figured out later that he probably actually found out where the lodge is--somewhere in that brush.

Herb paddled out onto the pond and measured the depth where the "anti beaver" pipe will go.  It's only two feet there, with the deepest part in the middle being a mere six feet.

The actual ABC (Anti Beaver Campaign!) will have to happen after school is out, so they can have their kingdom for now.  You can understand why they want it, can't you?

We stayed and did other work around the house that day, then finished up with Mexican take-out on the front porch watching the sun set.  Right before we left, we went out to the pond in the fading light to see if the beavers were working yet to repair Zephyr's damage.  The last rays of sunlight just caught the wake of a beaver (line of light in center of photo) coming out from the brush Hero had been inspecting earlier.  We never actually saw a beaver, but it was exciting to see evidence of them.  It made me think of the wind and the Spirit in John 3:8.  I've never seen the beaver, but I know he's at work!

Finally it was too dark even for wake-watching, so we left the beavers in peace in their little world and headed home.