Rick is out of town this week.  As is normally the case under these circumstances, I’m house- and dog-sitting.  I arrived at his place by 6:00 this morning to take Wylie for a walk.  Only a few minutes on foot takes us from Rick’s house to the lake.  It is there we play Frisbee, Wylie’s favorite game.

It was hot and humid, yet a strong wind kept it from feeling as oppressive as it actually was.  Carried on the wind were the smells and sounds of this wildlife refuge.  Living in the middle of the city as I do, this slice of nature in the midst of the urban jungle is an escape worthy of song, a respite from the woes and tumult of the busy metropolis called Dallas.

So we two, both dog and human, let nature enwrap us.  It was wonderful.  I could hear owls hooting on either side of us from behind foliage too thick in the darkness to reveal any secrets.  Yet we knew the winged predators were there for we could hear their distant calls.

Birds were just beginning to stir in the first rays of morning light, so the air was quickly filling with a wide variety of winged creatures.  In the span of a few minutes we were graced with the visuals of mockingbirds, swallows, doves, parakeets, flycatchers, bitterns, and sparrows, not to mention at least a few species I do not yet recognize.  The diversity of avian life here always amazes me.

And then I saw them: bats.  They flew low overhead and swooped about consuming a bit more sustenance before returning to daytime slumber hidden around the shores.  I was smitten by the site of these small flying mammals, none of them larger than a sparrow in body or a cardinal in wing, dark and deliberate predators embraced only by the night.  They dipped low in chase of insects flying not much higher than I could reach.  Twice, and only when one of them aimed directly at us and approached, the barely perceptible echolocation tickled my eardrum like a presumption.  Wylie was the only proof the sound was more than my imagination.  He immediately snapped to attention and focused on the inbound beast held aloft by leathery wings.  Canine ears stood at attention in that cute fold-over style he prefers.

It was then Wylie briefly gave chase to a rabbit that wandered too close and could no longer remain unseen by the dog.  I knew he would not harm the animal and indulged him for a moment.  (You have to know Wylie, but essentially he adores other animals and we constantly laugh that he would love to have his own pets.)  Despite knowing the bunny had nothing to fear from him, a quick toss of the Frisbee across his path was all that was necessary to divert Wylie’s attention.  With the pursuing monster temporarily distracted, the rabbit scurried away in hasty broad hops.

We played for some time as sunlight poured over the horizon and filled the sky with nothing more than illuminated darkness capable of varied hues that darkened as it traveled westward.  It would be some time before this magnificent star crawled above the world’s eastern edge.  Nevertheless, I found the dawn sufficiently lit and wished for a reprieve from the sun, even if only for this one day.

As we slowly made our way back toward the house, I relished the experience this place affords.  It is robust with diverse life demonstrating nature’s many wonders.