fish hatchery

Zach and family did indeed arrive home two days ago, safe but not so sound.  Our Papa brought with him a "vicious" flu bug.  He called from just a couple of hours away in California, warning us that we'd better stay at my mom's house for a day or two.  *Sigh*  Nothing broke our heart more than to know he was so close and after a week of missing him, pack up and drive an hour in the opposite direction.  Torture to say the least.  But we felt quarantine was a good idea and it would have been more torturous if our babies caught that bad bug.

Zach is leaving on the 10th of January for New Orleans and we will follow the start of February. These few days he is here are precious.  We want to have as much happy time together as we can!  No sicky time if we can help it.  He is on the mend now and we head back home today.  

We had a beautiful rainy day yesterday here in Fillmore, just north of LA. The valley of my youth is beautiful and green this time of year.  We spent some time with my awesome brother, their Uncle David.  We visited the Fillmore Fish Hatchery, fed some fish, and stood feet from white egrets and kingfishers.

The trout are loaded on to trucks by being sucked through these giant tubes. They are then delivered to local streams and lakes.

Just outside the fence a giant pipe empties water into a pond and sometimes fish find their way through the pipe too. The fish really don't stand much of a chance with this team of elegant predators that wait so patiently.

  This trout obviously dropped from a bird's beak and landed between the fence.  Uncle David freed him with his bare hands, into the water it went...back to the earth.  This made him the kid's hero for the day. The birds showed no interest since this fish wasn't "fresh".

Today...home!