COYOTE’S
Driving home from “Dr. Torture”(aka: The Back Doctor) last Saturday night—I was coming down the hill from Mulholland Drive, down Outpost Drive and then on to my street-- It was somewhere around 8pm. And there in the street, as I rounded one of the familiar curves, were two Coyote’s—one was just crossing the road in front of me as my headlights caught him—using one of the ‘crossovers’ that the deer have used for many many years—and the other one was about to cross following his buddy/mate, when the headlights of my car--plus the sound of my car scared him back up the hill behind the late Michael Jeter’s house
Here in the Hollywood Hills where I live, at 8:05pm on a Saturday night—with Hollywood Blvd. just down the hill—here were these two coyote’s.
It never ceases to amaze me that I can live so very close to “civilization”; that Grauman’s Chinese—excuse me, Mann’s Chinese Theatre is my neighborhood movie theatre and yet—I see coyote’s and deer up here and always have, all the years I have lived up here.
Unfortunately these streets now have an incredible amount of traffic, for residential streets, I mean—someone is always renovating their home or rebuilding—or new homes are being built on the very few lots that are available at this point---(this area is extremely overbuilt now --and those houses that are being built, are being erected on the most impossible inclines you could possibly imagine)—and all this building brings workmen and their cars and trucks; huge dumpsters parked for months at a time on streets that are very curvy and windy and not exactly wide---making driving up here pretty daunting.
It is so very busy all week long from early morning till after dark that one forgets that this use to be a very quiet and generally sleepy neighborhood---and one has to be even more careful when driving all the blind curves up here with so many cars and trucks parked on the streets.
I actually had begun to think that all this activity and hustle and bustle and crowdedness had sent the coyotes and the deer further up into the hills—or that maybe, even---that most of them had died out with no place to roam.
It really did my heart and soul good to see these two healthy looking coyotes that night—and the day before, Friday,—the two plumbers that had come to my home to snake out the kitchen sink which had backed-up…(it’s been quite a week of problems here in the hills what with computer crashes and pipes breaking and kitchen sinks backing up--)…they saw two beautiful deer on the street, almost in front of my house…a hopeful sign, too, I would say.
As I continued on my way down my street towards my house that night—I thought: ‘It really is fall now, here in the hills of Hollywood, now that the coyotes and the deer are here’, and I was reminded of why I wanted to live up here in the first place. Nature is right outside my front door. Wild animals still do frequent my neighborhood even though Hollywood & Highland and The Kodak Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel are almost a stones throw away.
It's a small thing maybe, but it really made me happy!
- had this to say:
nature is great. although i live in a relatively small town (48k folks live here) if we go just 20 minutes from my home (out to my brother's place) you are likely to see deer, occasionally glimpse bear, and every now and then swerve to avoid a cougar crossing old holley road! i love that!
- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 12:34:00 AM PST
-
had this to say:
we moved last weekend and while i knew we were moving the edge of the city i was still surprised to find a skunk eating garbage in my driveway. that's never happened to this city girl.
sounds like you live in a really lovely spot. enjoy.
here via miss michele.- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 9:28:00 AM PST
- had this to say:
Great to see the new blog. So where is the old one for us to read some back info?
rashbre- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 9:38:00 AM PST
- had this to say:
you are so lucky tO live near enough to nature to actually be able to see dear and coyotes from time to time. here's hoping your beloved hollywood hills stay that way for a long time.
michele sent me today. :)- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 9:49:00 AM PST
- had this to say:
sorry about the misspelled words...:)
- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 9:50:00 AM PST
- had this to say:
Your photos are absolutely beautiful. I was so busy staring I almost forgot to read your post!
Here via Michele's- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 10:03:00 AM PST
- had this to say:
I live where there are all kinds nature to make you happy. Our neighbors aren't fond of it though. They just went through their fifth cat...
Michele sent me this evening!- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 1:43:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
I know what you mean. I love seeing deer, even though people around here DESPISE them. I haven't seen any coyote, though (which is probably why there are so many deer).
I had a interesting "encounter" on Mulholland Drive many years ago... thanks for bringing back that memory! ;)
HEre via michele!- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 1:59:00 PM PST
-
had this to say:
How cool! We see deer around here occasionally but no coyotes!
Michelle sent me! :)- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 2:00:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
Isn't it nice that you can live so close to civilization and still have critters around? We do too, we see deer, possum, raccoons, snakes, frogs, moles, voles and squirrels all the time, and yet we are 1/2 mile from a main road through town.
- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 2:17:00 PM PST
-
had this to say:
Here from Michele's. Nice to "meet" you.
I love the way nature and suburbia encroach upon each other - we have red tailed hawks over our backyard (I warn my chihuahuas to be careful).- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 2:48:00 PM PST
-
had this to say:
Hi Michele sent me this time
Coyotes in person. That's something I never had an opportunity to see. Wild and urban up close amounts to a skunk in the garage or raccoon or cockroach in the dumpster.- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 2:53:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
I saw 3 deers crossing the 4-lane by my house a few weeks ago and I ended up stopping my car to watch them til they went away. Something like that does remind you how close we are to the "wild things".
- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 5:43:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
It's great that you still have wildlife there! Nice pictures!
- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 6:33:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
Thanks to all for stopping by and for your very nice comments--
Rachel-Thanks for the compliment on the phot's..The only one I took myself with my good old anolg camera is the night sky view!
More to come as I scan in some good ones!- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 8:46:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
Hi there, Here from michele.. That sunset is soo pretty. ;-)
- Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 8:53:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
Maybe soon you'll have coyotes eating your garbage! I guess they're adapting like the deer and raccoons. Michele sent me.
- Sunday, November 6, 2005 at 12:52:00 AM PST
- had this to say:
How wonderful it is when we appreciate our surroundings. I hope your entry encourages others to get outside and drink it all in.
I try to encourage this perspective in my children. Our little guy - he's five - rewarded me this evening by reminding me that there's a quarter moon out, so the night sky won't be as bright as it is when it's a half or a full moon.
Sometimes, life's just incredibly good.
Popped in from Michele's tonight.- Sunday, November 6, 2005 at 8:25:00 PM PST
- had this to say:
Carmi--I love your five year old telling you this...sooo sweet! It's true....there's more peace in taking in the things of nature than almost anywhere else, even though there is incredible violence in nature sometimes..it's usually connected to 'survival'..(I hope!).
- Sunday, November 6, 2005 at 10:58:00 PM PST
x4
