Cabin Night and Day, Part 1

For the second weekend in a row, I was able to cut out early on Friday and head for the Hawksbill Cabin, almost beating getaway traffic, but fortunately not experiencing the full brunt of it. Our plans for the early evening were simple, with the prospect of the races at Shenandoah Speedway ahead on Saturday, I made a quick Whole Foods stop to pick up some veggies to grill, pairing them up with a couple of Mr. Burner’s steaks. I chose a zucchini and a summer squash, planning a foil pouch medley of squash, carrots, and onion. I put the steaks in a beer marinade for the drive out, and hit the road.

Once I arrived, we sat out on the brick terrace, waiting for the evening to cool down before I lit the charcoal. I was surprised by a staged sequence of avian events that was a perfect way to pass the time.

First up, the hummingbirds came buzzing through. I neglected to fill their feeder before we left last weekend, so I guess they were doing a status check to confirm there was nothing there.

There were at least four or five passes of this, once at tree top level and another at direct eye level – I almost had to duck – maybe a warning shot, in any case, the feeder’s full again now.

In the distance, a cardinal began to sing as the cicadas began their rhythmic chorus. Not the chirping sounds that we typically hear from cardinals, but the full song (for an example, check fellow blogger Evan’s video here: http://wildlifeinphotography.com/2009/04/14/the-song-of-a-cardinal/ ; and don’t forget to check out his book of wildlife photography by following the link in the right hand column).

Also, swallows began to take flight in the air above the trees – you first know they are there from the chirping and scolding sounds they make as they form up for their hunt, just as the first darkening of dusk begins.

With the swallows flying above, the cardinal’s song ended, or it was finally drowned out by the cicadas, and the bats began to appear. We have two that I often see, patrolling the air space above the pool, between the big pine and the house, sometimes flying over the house into the back yard and then out into the open air again. When they are profiled against the darkening gray sky I can sometimes make out their full iconic shape as they flutter around in their eccentric orbits.

Finally, it was dark. And while we were still in between the full and three-quarters phases of the moon, it is dark for an hour or so as I start the coals and light the firepit. On a cloudy night like Friday was, the only visible lights are the season’s last fireflies in the trees before us, while up in the sky there are the planes that fly overhead, descending into Dulles.

Always there to remind us; although the Hawksbill Cabin feels remote and private, it’s really not that far away at all.