Hi, Folks,

The adjective most often used to describe river otters seems likely to be “playful”.  To see a group of otters, or just a solo otter, rollicking about in the water always evokes a smile from me.  When walking on a soft bank above the river, one sometimes comes upon an otter slide, where otters have scrambled up the bank and then slid down into the water, ‘cause, why not!  From an article titled, “Otters Slide for an Obvious Reason: Fun”* comes this quote: “John James Audubon and John Bachman, in their 1851 The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America Vol 2, described the otter’s “favorite sport as sliding … This sport they continue apparently with the keenest enjoyment until fatigue or hunger induces them to desist.”  Without going to the river, but just imagining otters cavorting in that manner, is a dose of pure pleasure.

Playfulness seems harder to find amongst the human species just now.  But it still abounds in nature, where otters, birds, butterflies, deer, rabbits, and all the critters on the Parkway have no idea why they shouldn’t appear to have just as much fun as before, and they’re willing to remind us what it looks like if we go out to see them.

Here’s hoping some “playfulness” appears in your life today, wherever you are.

Dave
River Otter Striking a Pose, American River Parkway    ©David Dawson, 2020
https://www.vnews.com/Outside-Story-on-otter-slides-15779069