- PRAIRIE DOGS ON THE BEACH IN PACIFICA - July 11, 2001
The beach they live on is almost always like in this picture. Overcast, gray and cold. But they are the ones of the most genki and adorable creatures I've ever seen! They come to you when they know you  are ready to give them something to eat (otherwise forget it), and even take the food from your hand!

Below is a story of one such prairie dog who won a grape from me, and even inspired a pigion who was watching him to learn how to do it....
One day on his beach, Prairie saw a woman holding lots of grapes in her hands...it seemed like she was showing off her grapes to him.  She looked like a geek and Prairie thought he could easily get her.
FOOD-DA!!
(Food!!)
Yukkuri...Yukkuri...
(Slowly...Slowly...)
PAKU!!
(Gotcha!!)
UME-!! UME-!! (Yummy!! Yummy!!)
*text in Japanese and  (English)
Oiramo!
(I can do that, too! )
Oni-san, koko bokurano beach dayo. Nesobette kuchibue fukunjanakute, nanka cho-daiyo!!
(Hey! you, big people. This is our beach. You don't whistle at us here. You pay us for the use of our land by food!...my god, these people are so hopeless... )
END